Milton Ulladulla businesses struggle with staffing and housing after Covid
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.
The South Coast News
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Staff shortages, housing affordability and a pandemic have played a part in increasing numbers of vacant shop fronts in regional towns.
Black summer fires and flooding have left business leaders in south coast towns feeling like they are playing a warped version of whack-a-mole.
Here’s how Milton and Ulladulla plan to not just survive, but thrive, in the wake of challenges that have felt insurmountable.
Ulladulla:
Like most south coast towns, Ulladulla is facing staff shortages.
“The two years of sorrow following the fires and enduring the pandemic which hasn't still fully gone away was really hard for small business,” Business Milton Ulladulla President, Matt Dell said.
“It’s the same problems which are statewide, nationwide, which is housing affordability and availability which impacts staff.”
The staffing issue has hit some businesses harder than others.
Julis and Lalita Machado, owners of Ulladulla’s Native Cafe, said they “need staff now”.
“We would hire people in a heartbeat because we just need people to work,” Mr Machado said.
Mr Machado said staffing was not a problem for the popular harbourside cafe before the pandemic.
“It’s not just us, we’re all having trouble,” he said.
Mr Dell said this was the main issue facing Ulladulla following the pandemic.
He said the town had not experienced a large amount of businesses closures, but that would change if staffing issues were not resolved.
“It all comes down to housing,” he said.
“Ulladulla has run out of space for housing, so we need to start looking at more apartments because more people are moving to the town.”
The pandemic led other business to thrive.
Allison Murray owns Toyworld in the coastal town and said Christmas 2021 was better for them than Christmas 2022.
“We think Christmas this year was a little quieter because people can now travel internationally and interstate,” she said.
“They couldn’t really do that in 2021.”
But it wasn’t just Christmas that was good for the toy store, the pandemic as a whole worked for them.
“Everyone was stuck at home and they needed stuff to do,” Mrs Murray said.
“We sold a lot of Lego, a lot of puzzles, models.
“We also have a bike shop in the back, so we sort of became the store where people went to get things to keep them busy during lockdown.”
Milton:
Mr Dell said the neighbouring town of Milton was also struggling with staff shortages.
“Tourist numbers are back to pre-pandemic,” he said.
“But there’s a number of businesses who are struggling because without staff, they have to shut earlier than they usually would.”
Mr Dell believes the issue can be, once again, attributed to a lack of housing.
“It’s the same as Ulladulla,” he said.
“There’s just not enough places to build housing in the town.”
Mr Dell said there needed to be more apartments built in the two towns despite two DAs for apartment complexes in Mollymook.
“Without new apartments, these people moving here will have nowhere to live,” he said.
The dire circumstances have not affected all businesses as a Milton florist continues to bloom.
Milton Village Florists has called the town home for 22 years and owner Trish Anderson said the pandemic was busier than they could have expected.
“I had a lot of anxiety when it was all starting,” she said.
“But we went really well.”
Orders skyrocketed for the small flower shop, as people stuck at home would send flowers and chocolates to loved ones they could not visit.
“People with elderly parents, people in long distance relationships; they were all sending flowers to one another,” she said.
It is a boom which has not slowed down.
“We’re still going really well,” Mrs Anderson said.
“We are really, really lucky.”
Mr Dell said he did not believe the CBDs in Ulladulla and Milton were dying.
However, it is a lack of affordable and available housing which may continue to hit the coastal towns.
“There’s a lot of people who have successful businesses here, lots of businesses who have grown,” he said.
“It’s the best place in the world to live, but we really, really need staff.”
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