FOR SALE: How you could own one of Australia’s ‘big things’

The iconic Big Orange tourist attraction is on the market - including a thriving cafe and a large family home in Gayndah. SEE DETAILS.

​Gayndah’s iconic tourist attraction the Big Orange is owned by the Richards family, who have expanded and enhanced the property for the last eight years. Photo: Kristen Camp.

GAYNDAH'S iconic tourist attraction the Big Orange features on Australia's long list of 'big things', making it a major photo opportunity and pit stop for travellers.

Located at the entrance to town, the Big Orange welcomes tourists to Gayndah and represents both the citrus orchards and popular Orange Festival the community is known for.

For the first time in eight years, this property is up for sale for only $475,000.

The listing not only includes the Big Orange tourist attraction but also a thriving cafe and 3-bedroom family home.

The Gayndah Big Orange is located on the main road to the town centre and has become a popular place for travellers to stop for lunch and for locals to enjoy. Photo: Kristen Camp

 

Owner Neil Richards admits the property parcel is likely underpriced considering how much the business has grown and the money they have spent recently.

"I'm not asking any more now than what we paid eight years ago and we've done a whole lot of improvements," Mr Richards said.

"I've spent nearly $10,000 on solar panels and another $5000 on an air cooler."

Mr Richards and his wife decided to sell their family-owned business as they're getting older and the cafe is becoming "too busy" for them to handle alone.

"We've pushed the business forward and basically it's doing really well and super busy and we're tired more than anything else," he said.

"It would be perfect for somebody to come in with a fresh approach and a rejuvenated outlook - it needs expansion more than anything else."

The conjoined cafe and shop sells delicious lunch options, local condiments, fruit, vegetables and fresh homemade juice during the citrus season. Photo: Kristen Camp

Mr Richards is hoping some "fresh blood" will be able to progress the business even further and take advantage of the money making opportunity.

"It wouldn't matter who bought it they will do really well out of it," he said.

"Business has skyrocketed since COVID, like normally this time of year we'd be closed down for the next 6 months but at the present point in time we're still seven days a week and business is really good.

"That's all due to COVID with people not going overseas and just travelling around our own state."

If the property doesn't sell before the fruit season, Mr Richards said he will have to hire another full-time worker.

"We've sort of been quite used to running it ourselves as a family operation but it's got to the stage where we need to employ somebody," he said.

Mr Richards said every Sunday for the last four to five months has been just as busy as a day of the Orange Festival.

"It's been fantastic but the business has expanded and it's probably a bit beyond us now," he said.

The boom in customers has meant Mr Richards and his family have had to expand the seating, adding 30 more seats.

"The busier we get the more seating we need," he said.

"At the moment I'm putting shade sails over the outdoor seating area because we've had to reduce the amount of people that can sit inside."

The brand new shade sails in colours matching the orange are currently going up to create more outdoor seating. Photo: Kristen Camp

They have also expanded the car park from four spaces to 10, to accommodate the visitors.

Throughout their eight years owning the property, Mr Richards said they have shifted the focus from fruit to expanding the cafe.

"When we first came, this was a fruit stall and was basically an outlet for the oranges and mandarins that were grown here, so it used to be about 70 per cent of the business was citrus and now they are only about 15 per cent of the business," he said.

"There was only a couple of toasted sandwiches and a couple of wraps and one hamburger before, but now we've got eight different hamburgers and about four wraps and half a dozen toasted sandwiches."

Mr Richards said the citrus orchard that supplies fruit to the shop during the season is also up for sale.

The orchard has currently been separated into two separate blocks, which are about 12,000 square meters each.

There is an opportunity for buyers to divide up some parts of the orchard land for housing. Photo: Kristen Camp

"There's a big shed up the back that's got a cold room and it goes with the front parcel of land."

"Then there's a 12,000 square metre block down the back that has citrus trees on it, that would be good residential land as well.

"It's a good investment for the future."

For more information on the Big Orange parcel or the different orchard divisions, contact Neil Richards on 0419 790 101 or Gayndah Real Estate on [phone].

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