FOR the first time in decades, all eight shop fronts in Dareton's Tapio Street complex are occupied.

It's a far cry from six years ago, when the main street was described as a ghost town by local business owners, as Dareton grappled with an enduring commercial real estate glut.

Many of the shops were "dilapidated" and near "untenantable", Coomealla Club president Daryl Wescombe said.

"One of th...