The incongruous sight of a poodle (and friend) among the rough-and-ready types that inhabited a frontier gold town has been captured in this view of Herbert Street, Gulgong, looking north from Mayne Street, with Barnes's Chemist shop on the left.

The Gulgong Guardian described the town at that time: Almost from the time the doors of the pub are flung open on any Saturday morning, till the time they close at night, the streets of Gulgong are crowded with hundreds and sometimes thousands of people. Milling around seeking friendship and entertainment to erase the effect of another weeks hard work and in most cases, disappointment.