04/09/2026
Come for a drive and see
Rushworth's Best-Kept Gift Shop Secret: Balloons and Stuff
Only 2 hours from Melbourne.
Tucked away at 21 High St, Rushworth, VIC 3612, Balloons and Stuff has become the go-to gift shop for locals and visitors alike — a place where you can wander in looking for one thing and walk out with a handful of finds you didn't know you needed. Owned and run by Bruce and Gwen Annette, it's a shop built on the simple idea that a gift shop should have something for absolutely everyone, of every age.
It's a business built on genuine resilience. Bruce and Gwen opened their doors in 2019 — only to be hit almost immediately by Covid lockdowns. Rather than close up, they pivoted to an eBay store, keeping the business alive and serving customers when the shopfront couldn't. It's the kind of grit that small country towns understand well, and it's exactly what allowed Balloons and Stuff to still be standing, ready to welcome everyone back, once restrictions finally lifted.
And welcome them back it did. Once lockdowns ended, locals and tourists began rediscovering the shop, and Bruce and Gwen used the momentum to grow it into something far bigger than its name suggests.
Today the shelves hold a genuinely unique range:
Shelta umbrellas
Wind-up tin toys
Ugears and ROKR laser-cut 3D model kits
Jigsaw puzzles
Moccasins Ugg Boots and slip-on footwear
Roogenic teas and bushfoods
Dolan's Boss Cocky leather belts
Stanton hats for men and women
Edge Sculptures
Disney figurines by Britto
Jewellery boxes and money boxes
Sherrin footballs
Long wool Aussie sheepskins and cowhides
Personal cooling products for the heat, including cool neck ties, workers' outdoor hats and sunguards
Latex coloured balloons, foils, large 100cm numbers and helium
There's something for the kids, something for the grandparents, and plenty in between.
What hasn't changed is the personal touch. Step through the door and you're greeted not by a faceless big-box aisle, but by Bruce and Gwen themselves — people who genuinely want to help you find the right gift, for the right person, whatever the occasion.
It's this combination of hard-won resilience, a genuinely unique range, and real hometown service that's earned Balloons and Stuff a loyal following well beyond Rushworth itself, with word spreading through nearby towns as travellers make a point of stopping in.
In a world of impersonal online ordering, Balloons and Stuff is a reminder that the best gifts often start with a real conversation with real people, in a real town. Next time you're gift hunting for someone of any age, head to 21 High St — Bruce and Gwen are ready to help you find something special.
Balloons and Stuff — 21 High St, Rushworth, VIC 3612
