‘Up in the air’: Cairns Kart Hire faces extensive clean up after record floods

Four days after flood waters tore through the Far North, staff and volunteers continued a mammoth clean up at a popular go karting business along the Captain Cook Highway.

Staff member Bronte Hannam, volunteer Seth Hallett, Cairns Kart Hire events manager Tyson Krepp and volunteers Adam Hallett and Alanna Stirling have spent time cleaning out the facilities at Cairns Kart Hire after extensive flooding tore through the Far North. Photo: Catherine Duffy.

Four days after flood waters tore through the Far North, the stench of mud and rubbish hung in the air as volunteers continued a mammoth clean up at a popular go karting business along the Captain Cook Highway.

With losses to technological infrastructure, laser tag equipment and the go-kart track, Cairns Kart Hire events manager Tyson Krepp said he wasn’t sure how much of a financial hit the business had taken, particularly during what was usually their busiest time of year.

Staff at Cairns Kart Hire are determined to the get the business back up and running, however with extensive damage to the karts, track and laser tag equipment, Events Manager Tyson Krepp wasn't sure when doors would reopen. Photo: Catherine Duffy.

Staff at Cairns Kart Hire are determined to the get the business back up and running, however with extensive damage to the karts, track and laser tag equipment, Events Manager Tyson Krepp wasn't sure when doors would reopen. Photo: Catherine Duffy.

“All the electronics are gone, all the laser tag. It’s up in the air if kart motor’s need replacing.

Our til, computers, iPads, some of our accounting stuff’s all gone. There’s track damage. We had construction on the other side of the shed as well, that’s all gone,” Mr Krepp said.

“We had tires in the cane fields, wrapped around trees, in Thomatis Creek that we fished out with a car. It’s the busiest time of year for us, especially the school holidays and Christmas period. We’ve had to be closed for the cyclone and now the clean up at our most important time of the year.”

Staff at Cairns Kart Hire are determined to the get the business back up and running, however with extensive damage to the karts, track and laser tag equipment, Events Manager Tyson Krepp wasn't sure when doors would reopen. Photo: Catherine Duffy.

The first day of clean up operations was spent on the four inch layer of mud inside the building.

“The first day it was only our staff coming in so that was pretty slow, pretty rough, but the support from the community has been great,” he said.

“We’ve had about 30 volunteers here with a bunch of machines. We’ve had a few pressure washing trucks, a few excavators, bobcats. People have come in to lend a hand to clean up the laser tag and bring us food as well and we’re very grateful for that.”

Despite the setbacks, Mr Krepp said he was confident the business would bounce back, however he could not give a time frame as to when it would reopen.

“The support’s been great from the community and we’re confident we’ll get back up and running but when that will be, we don’t know.

It comes as TTNQ urged tourists not to cancel their bookings as the Far North prepares to weather a $125 million dollar loss for December and January.

Originally published as ‘Up in the air’: Cairns Kart Hire faces extensive clean up after record floods