Rivers East Street closed for indefinite period after storm damage

A sign has been placed on the doors of the Rivers East Street store saying it is closed due to recent storm damage.

Rivers on East Street is closed temporarily while storm damage is repaired.

The store has been closed this week, with a sign on the door citing storm damage.

A large hole in the ceiling can be seen through the glass doors, with a ladder underneath.

A new printed sign was stuck on the doors on Thursday, replacing the handwritten sign.

The new sign states Rivers takes safety seriously and “with the recent damage, we have made the decision to cease trade until we can be sure it’s safe for our customers”.

Click and collect and is available.

Rockhampton’s automatic weather station recorded 47mm in the 24 hours on Sunday January 9, with 3.2mm on the Monday.

The closure comes just months after the Chemist Warehouse across the road was forced to move after the ceiling caved in from heavy rain.

The Rivers building itself is owned by a group of Chinese investors, who bought the property in 2016 for $425,000.

Rivers has been in the building since around 2006.

Comments on social media have stated the building would leak often when it rained.

Multiple other East Street buildings are in need of repairs, with many leaking when it rains.

On October 14, storms and heavy rain caused chaos at the former Chemist Warehouse, as water leaked through upstairs, creating an indoor waterfall.

The ceiling then caved in and the flooring became unstable.

The store had to be closed immediately to the public and they have since relocated up the road, in the next East Street block, next to Cyrus Rugs.

Demolition remains underway next door to the old Chemist Warehouse building, as builders knock down the two buildings to make way for the pedestrian link for the new Rockhampton Museum of Art.

It was originally planned to keep the structures however an inspection determined the buildings were in too much disrepair to do the work.

The buildings are not on the heritage register however they are believed to be from the 1900s and 1950s.

Next door to Rivers, Kern Arcade remains a mystery as the centre is still closed.

The centre closed officially in January 2021 and has not been placed on the market or for lease.

This publication spoke with the owners this month who declined to comment what their plans were.