The Canberra Milko

It used to be a common sight around the neighbourhood, seeing the milkman (or woman) drive around and deliver milk to the front porch. These days most milkos are gone, and Canberrans have to buy their milk at local supermarkets.

Milk was first delivered to residents by horse and cart. The milk was transported in large 10-gallon cannisters and ladled out to customers. By the 1950s, the industry had progressed, and milk was bottled, delivered by unrefrigerated trucks, and left on the front steps of homes.

As time went on, insulated boxes began appearing on the porches of some homes, while others had cubbies or milk boxes that were built into the side of the house. Each day, the milkman would put the bottles of fresh milk inside the box, remove the empty bottles, and collect his payment. In Canberra, the milk men (and women) used to leave home around 5 pm, begin delivering at 6 pm and finish at 12.30 am or 12.45 am. 

Milkos were popular for several decades in Canberra, offering convenience, good prices and a friendly hello on their nightly rounds. Individual ‘Milk runs’ servicing a set group of suburbs were initially allocated by the ACT Milk Authority and were highly sought after. In the 1980s and 1990s there were upwards of 30 milkos in Canberra, covering most areas of the city.  However, an increased population, changes to family work hours, additional regulation and rules around milk delivery, and falling profits resulted in most milkos hanging up their boots. In 2021 only two dedicated milkos remain working in Canberra.

Now milk is delivered in refrigerated trucks to supermarkets and residents take themselves off to the shops or, in the age of online shopping and changing consumer habits, groceries are purchased online and delivered direct to the door.