Inside plan to revive Eurobodalla Shire CBDs
Business leaders on NSW’s south coast are trying to bounce back after the black summer fires, floods and the pandemic stifled CBD trade. Here’s how they plan to move from surviving to thriving.
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The word thriving was no longer used to describe central business districts before the Covid pandemic took hold.
High rents, lockdowns and online shopping played a part in increasing numbers of vacant shopfronts in regional NSW towns.
But add to that the black summer fires and flooding, business leaders in south coast towns have felt like they are playing a warped version of whack-a-mole.
Here’s how the Eurobodalla plans to not just survive but to thrive in the wake of challenges that have at times felt insurmountable.
Narooma
Narooma has experienced its share of disasters in recent years.
“We had the fires, terrible fires, then we had Covid and I think it was about April in 2020, there was a fire in the centre of town,” Narooma Chamber of Commerce president Jenny Munro said.
The town struggled during these times, and while she says the “worst is behind us”, businesses are still fighting to come back.
Mrs Munro said the 2022 Christmas season was busier than the previous two but it could have been better.
“Most people have bounced back, but it has been really tough, I’m not going to pretend,” she said.
Australian entertainment company Merivale threw the town a lifeline when it bought several business in Narooma.
“That’s really put us on the map,” Mrs Munro said.
“They bought the Inlet, Quarterdeck, Lynch’s and the caravan park.”
There is new blood in the town since the pandemic, with several small businesses setting up shop.
Jamie Tasker began clothing business Seaside Collective five months ago after she saw a gap in the market, realising there was nowhere in town that sold women’s swimwear with larger cup sizes.
“It’s been going really well,” Mrs Tasker said.
“Christmas was busy and there was lots of interest.
“It’s nice to be one of the new businesses in Narooma, I know a few have moved into the town recently.”
Gabriela Szczur and her daughter Vanessa Colabianchi started sushi cafe SAWS Fusion eight weeks ago.
“It’s been good, but we need more people to know we’re here,” Mrs Szczur said.
“We’re hoping to stay here for a while, but more people need to come into the store.”
It is a plea Mrs Munro echoes.
“About 75 per cent of businesses close in their first five years,” she said.
“But I think with how Narooma is going, I think it’s looking like things are only going to go up from here.”
Moruya
Moruya has also faced disasters but one issue sits above all else: a lack of tourists.
“Don’t get us wrong, it was a great Christmas, but we would have liked to have seen more tourists,” Moruya Business Chamber president Josh Prowse said.
“Yeah, it could have been better,” vice president Tim Dalrymple said.
They said Moruya was often overlooked during the busy summer holidays.
“People go to Batemans Bay because you have all the beaches, then they go past us and head down to Narooma because beaches are there too,” Mr Prowse said.
The pair believe a lack of scenic beaches in the “service” town has resulted in a lacklustre amount of tourists.
Mr Dalrymple said more accommodation would help alleviate the situation.
“It’s hard to stay in a town for a few days when there’s nowhere to sleep,” he said.
Mr Prowse said: “Your options are either the caravan park or the pub, if you want a hotel, you have to stay somewhere else.”
Christmas was not as busy as the pair would have liked, but not one Moruya business shut down because of fires or the pandemic.
“A big part of that was the payments from the government to keep everyone afloat; I don’t think people realise how bad it would have been if that didn’t happen,” Mr Prowse said
Rachel Madsen owns fish and chip takeaway shop Moruya Eats and said there had been “an increase in customers in the past few months”.
“It’s going to take a while before things get back to normal and this Christmas was good but it wasn’t great,” she said.
“But I think it’s only going to get busier.”
Mrs Madsen said she never felt she would have to close her doors.
Mr Prowse and Mr Dalrymple said they hoped Moruya would be a town full of thriving businesses, more housing and, with any luck, “some hotels” in five years.
“That would be really good to see,” Mr Prowse said.
Batemans Bay
Batemans Bay Business and Tourism Chamber president David Maclachlan believes the town is about to experience an “explosion of growth”.
“Watch this space because Batemans Bay in five years is going to be a very different place to what it is now,” he said.
Batemans Bay is the closest beach town to Canberra and is known for exponential population growth during the holiday season.
Despite the growth and holiday popularity, a number of businesses are still closing their doors.
Mr Maclachlan said it was “the natural business cycle”.
“Look, businesses come and go, that’s just how it is,” he said.
“But I will agree that there are more businesses closing in the village centre than we would like to see.”
The village centre is the main shopping mall in a town considered a south coast commercial regional hub.
It only houses one cafe following the closure of The Coffee Club and Uncle Joe’s.
“More cafes will pop up, obviously, it just all happens with time,” Mr Maclachlan said.
Just Jeans assistant manager Jo Kolosque said she had seen shops come and go all around her.
“Shops like ours are owned by a big company, so we’re fine, but smaller stores who don’t have that huge financial backing are struggling and I think a big part of that is really high rent,” she said.
Mr Maclachlan said the town was now “thriving” and business was “booming” despite this, but one historic issue remained.
“We hear all the time there is nothing to do in Batemans Bay from kids, teens, young adults, even older people,” he said.
“The closure of the mini golf course was a huge loss.
“However, I think with the way the town’s population is growing, these new high rises and housing developments coming in, we’re going to have the critical mass to start seeing these activities emerge again.”
Mr Maclachlan said big things were coming, but could not detail what they were.
“At the end of the day, Batemans Bay is something I would consider to be a big town and it’s only growing,” he said.
“We’re going to have to start adapting the town at some point.”
With high rises taking over Beach Road, more businesses moving into the shopping centre and the population quickly growing, Mr Maclachlan said Batemans Bay was not only surviving, it was thriving.
“The future of Batemans Bay is huge,” he said.
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