Muddy Waters cafe won't reopen at Mary River Marina

AFTER being inundated by flood water five times in three years, Muddy Waters Cafe owner Michael Cox knew enough was enough.

Muddy Waters cafe has been inundated five times in three years. Picture: Robyne Cuerel

AFTER being inundated by flood water five times in three years, Muddy Waters Cafe owner Michael Cox knew enough was enough.

He has decided not to return to the business when the water eventually recedes.

Michael had shifted most of the business's equipment out of the cafe before the heavy rains that hit the region on Australia Day.

He made another good decision when he decided not to move the equipment back in as he felt there might be more rain on the way.

He was right.

He said returning to the cafe in a few weeks time would "not make any sense".

When he took over the business, it had not been flooded in 10 years.

There was also the promise of the Traveston Dam on the horizon, which he believed would lessen the likelihood of flooding in the future.

Then the Traveston Dam failed to go ahead after protests from around the region and Mother Nature struck, with heavy rains causing two major floods in two years and causing the cafe to go under five times in three years.

Going through the trauma of rebuilding was something Michael couldn't contemplate doing again.

"Who knows, after this it might not happen again for another 10 years.

"But it interrupts trade and income and you've got to make the smart decision."

Michael said he had been anticipating the wet weather after the heat and the dry spell that had hit the Fraser Coast before the rain.

He admitted it had troubled him to hear people openly "praying for rain" because he knows what the consequences of a big wet season could be.

"Be careful what you pray for," he said.

Michael said he had enjoyed some good times at the cafe.

But at this time of the year, there was constant stress as they anticipated what heavy rainfall might do to their business.

Michael said he was exploring other options in Maryborough and he hopes to open another cafe in the region.

Bill Brown also left the Mary River Marina after the floods in January and opened a new store in Urangan.

He said at the end of the day, the decision he had made was probably the right one.

For the businesses that had stayed, he said he took his hat off to them.

He also felt for the marina operators and businesses in Gympie that had been affected by the floods.

He said it hurt a town to lose businesses.

"The flow on effect is huge," he said. "Maryborough needed this like a hole in the head."

Originally published as Muddy Waters cafe won't reopen at Mary River Marina