How a former tourism executive turned a building with links to the Eureka Stockade into Black Hill's new community heart

Jimmy Neal, owner and operator of Common Garage, cafe and hub for local food trucks in Black Hill, has the gift of the gab and is able to extract a life story of anyone that passes through the business in only a few minutes or less. It’s a skill he’s using to create an authentic community space. 

🗣️:  “All people want is to sit around and enjoy a drink together and have genuine connection”, he told the Brolga, in between serving customers. 

“We need more places like that.” 

The journey so far: Originally from Melbourne, Neal spent his career in corporate marketing working alongside events like F1 and the Australia Open, but said he never felt fulfilled.

Eventually, after a detour to Tasmania and a pandemic, he found his way to Ballarat and the property that now holds Common Garage. 

The set up: Common Garage is set up in an old car yard, with the façade of a former mechanic’s workshop still standing. Festoon lights and an eclectic selection of chairs and crates fill the space, which operates as a sort of open yard for other hospitality businesses. 

Each day, Neal runs Alice the Coffee Trailer, and the space welcomes many pop-up food trucks on a rotating basis. 

🗣️: “Creativity is just connecting the dots of what you want to do and then figuring out the parameters”, he told the Brolga. 

♥️ Social connector: Post-Covid, Neal wanted to see neighbours and peers reunite, which led to the formation of Common Garage.

🗣️: “Everyone was so fractured. The divide was rough. So I thought: well, how do I create a community space where - as cheesy as it sounds - you can be the change you want to see in this world?” 

• “I purposefully picked this design, so people can sit on their own but it encourages conversation at the shared table in the middle and it sort of flows down.  What’s been happening is all of these neighbours come down, and as I’m getting to know everyone by name I’m introducing them and all of a sudden people are making friends.”

The set up has been a successful arrangement, with customers telling the Brolga Neal is creating “something special”.

⏳ A storied history: The land where Common Garage is situated has worn many hats, from mid-1800s pub to biker’s hangout.

• In 1869, the space was originally a pub called the Princess Alexandra Hotel licensed to John Manning. He was the second man tried for high treason during the Eureka Stockade. 

• In the 1950s, the lot became a mechanic and milk bar until the end of the 1990s. 

• The property then became what Neal calls a “biker’s lair”. The attached former-workshop has shelves built in that were used to grow illicit drugs before a police raid stripped them out. 

Neal has begun building a wine bar in the interior space, with a piano coming next week. He plans to also encourage buskers to gather and perform.

Food for thought: Neal credits the Ikigai philosophy for driving the story of Common Garage. The Japanese philosophy encourages the pursuit of a reason for being that exists within the intersection of passion, mission, vocation and profession. 

“We need more places in the community where people can connect. There are positive signs out there for everyone.”