About
The Books:
Everyone remembers their corner milk bar: the milkshakes, the memories, and the mixed lollies. Chock-a-bloc, richly nostalgic, and colourfully illustrated, The Milk Bars Books will take you back to those hot summer afternoons when you met your mates at the milk bar and spent your hard-earned pocket money on a bag of mixed lollies, an ice cream, or a milkshake — the place of childhood dreams. Documenting these sweet and colourful family-run institutions, author, collector, designer, and photographer Eamon Donnelly has dedicated over a decade to capturing the faded facades, sun-kissed signage, and inviting interiors of milk bars and corner shops from all over Australia. Featuring photography of shopfronts, signage, and interiors, archival ads of snacks and sweets, milk bar history, and family memories from behind the countertop, The Milk Bars Books celebrate an iconic Australian invention that for generations has helped shape our suburbs, supported our communities, contributed to our diverse culture, and given generations of children that glorious childhood experience of the milk bar. Take a trip down memory lane to the days when there was a friendly milk bar on every corner.
Featured In:
The New York Times, The Age, Herald Sun, The Today Show, SBS, The Big Issue, Broadsheet, Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail UK, Channel 31, 3AW, 2GB, ABC News, ABC Radio: Melbourne, Perth, Darwin, Gippsland, Broken Hill, Vice, Triple RRR, Studio 10, Jetstar magazine, Monster Children, The Design Files, The Australian, The Weekly Review, 2SER 107.3, Southern Cross News, Geelong Advertiser, and Desktop magazine.
“Eamon has a knack for capturing moments of Australian life like few others.”
— Tim Ross, Australian comedian, writer, radio host, and social commentator.
The Author:
Eamon Donnelly is an award-winning illustrator [Cannes Lion, Clio, D&AD], photographer, designer, collector, publisher, and author of the acclaimed tome, The Milk Bars Book: Milkshakes, Memories & Mixed Lollies: Documenting Australia’s Colourful Corner Stores [2018] and the sequel, The Milk Bars Book, Volume II: A Sweet History [2023]. Eamon’s unrivalled passion for all things milk bars and corner stores has made him one of Australia’s leading experts. In a career spanning 20+ years, Donnelly has worked in all facets of the creative industry; his work as a commercial illustrator has appeared in the pages of Rolling Stone, Playboy, GQ, and Billboard, and in campaigns for The Walt Disney Company, American Express, VH1, Red Bull, and Peters Ice Cream. He has spoken at design conferences and lectured in design, makes regular media appearances, and consults on productions about the history and culture of Australian milk bars, corner stores, ice cream, and confectionery; he also served as the history consultant on Back in Time for the Corner Shop, ABC TV, 2023.
Everyone remembers their corner milk bar: the milkshakes, the memories, and the mixed lollies. Chock-a-bloc, richly nostalgic, and colourfully illustrated, The Milk Bars Books will take you back to those hot summer afternoons when you met your mates at the milk bar and spent your hard-earned pocket money on a bag of mixed lollies, an ice cream, or a milkshake — the place of childhood dreams. Documenting these sweet and colourful family-run institutions, author, collector, designer, and photographer Eamon Donnelly has dedicated over a decade to capturing the faded facades, sun-kissed signage, and inviting interiors of milk bars and corner shops from all over Australia. Featuring photography of shopfronts, signage, and interiors, archival ads of snacks and sweets, milk bar history, and family memories from behind the countertop, The Milk Bars Books celebrate an iconic Australian invention that for generations has helped shape our suburbs, supported our communities, contributed to our diverse culture, and given generations of children that glorious childhood experience of the milk bar. Take a trip down memory lane to the days when there was a friendly milk bar on every corner.
Featured In:
The New York Times, The Age, Herald Sun, The Today Show, SBS, The Big Issue, Broadsheet, Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail UK, Channel 31, 3AW, 2GB, ABC News, ABC Radio: Melbourne, Perth, Darwin, Gippsland, Broken Hill, Vice, Triple RRR, Studio 10, Jetstar magazine, Monster Children, The Design Files, The Australian, The Weekly Review, 2SER 107.3, Southern Cross News, Geelong Advertiser, and Desktop magazine.
“Eamon has a knack for capturing moments of Australian life like few others.”
— Tim Ross, Australian comedian, writer, radio host, and social commentator.
The Author:
Eamon Donnelly is an award-winning illustrator [Cannes Lion, Clio, D&AD], photographer, designer, collector, publisher, and author of the acclaimed tome, The Milk Bars Book: Milkshakes, Memories & Mixed Lollies: Documenting Australia’s Colourful Corner Stores [2018] and the sequel, The Milk Bars Book, Volume II: A Sweet History [2023]. Eamon’s unrivalled passion for all things milk bars and corner stores has made him one of Australia’s leading experts. In a career spanning 20+ years, Donnelly has worked in all facets of the creative industry; his work as a commercial illustrator has appeared in the pages of Rolling Stone, Playboy, GQ, and Billboard, and in campaigns for The Walt Disney Company, American Express, VH1, Red Bull, and Peters Ice Cream. He has spoken at design conferences and lectured in design, makes regular media appearances, and consults on productions about the history and culture of Australian milk bars, corner stores, ice cream, and confectionery; he also served as the history consultant on Back in Time for the Corner Shop, ABC TV, 2023.
The Publisher:
Eamon Donnelly Publications is a small independent publisher with a distinct focus on creating and distributing high-quality limited print run coffee table books that aim to preserve and archive a diverse range of subjects, including advertising, design, ephemera, nostalgia, culture, and photography. Independent and Australian, Eamon Donnelly ships worldwide.