7 big changes to Gympie business scene since June

Some have been happening well outside the city centre, with new developments and shops opening up and the region’s business landscape evolving.

A facelift to the Rainbow Beach barge office the demolition of the vacant Brodies fast food restaurant to make way for Supercheap Auto and a possible funeral parlour are among the major business developments in the region in the past month.

From the demolition of a long empty fast food restaurant to a new bookshop, there has been no shortage of changes to the region’s business community in the past month.

They have been happening well outside the city centre too, with new developments and shops opening up in satellite towns including Goomeri in the far west and Rainbow Beach.

These are some of the new business to open their doors, and the ones planning to make some big changes.

Hidden beauty

Tucked in the back of an inner city beauty salon a new business is helping Gympie region residents feel fresh-faced and youthful thanks to the help of a self-described “gypsy”.

Louise Stevens is the owner of new beauty business Beau Visage.

Beau Visage, at the back of Streetwise Hair on Mary St in the heart of Gympie, is a facial business directed by skincare professional and beauty consultant Louise Stevens.

Ms Stevens described herself as “a bit of a gypsy”, living with her parents in Curra and without a clear idea where her next move will be.

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New Goomeri bookshop

The owners of a new Goomeri bookshop that opened in June, Wimberley & Co, are excited to bring an end to the town’s ongoing bookshop drought and give locals and tourists a literary haven to enjoy.

Felicity Dascombe has opened a new bookshop in Goomeri. Photo/Holly Cormack.

As a lover of books herself, Felicity Dascombe said the whimsical store idea had popped up on she and her husband’s radar from time to time over the years.

“We thought about this 20 years ago and were busy with our family business Pursers Coaches,” Mrs Dascombe said.

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Barge office shuts for major facelift

Rainbow Beach’s Manta Ray barge ticket office will close at the end of July ahead of a full-scale renovation of the site, which will include the construction of a new service station and takeaway food shop.

The Manta Ray barge office at Rainbow Beach will shut at the end of the month ahead of a full-scale facelift for the property, including a new service station.

Visitors seeking to secure a spot on the barge to Fraser Island after Sunday, July 25, will have to make their booking at least one day in advance by phone with the ticketing office not running a walk-in service during construction.

It is unknown how long the office on Rainbow Beach Road will be shut.

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Farm’s five year expansion plan

A new farm shop and bed and breakfast are among projects planned for a Chatsworth macadamia farm as part of a five-year expansion which should be finished in 2023.

Chatsworth’s Baupal Park Farm has unveiled a five-year expansion plan as part of a development application lodged with Gympie Regional Council.

The extensions to Baupal Park Farm were revealed in a new planning application from owner Kate Rose to Gympie Regional Council seeking planning approval for the upgrades.

Mrs Rose took over the farm at Meadows Lane in 2018.

A new farm shop and cafe built inside an existing shed is expected to be open by the end of the year.

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Rainbow Beach new business

Rainbow Beach’s newest and only barbershop owner Aaron “Azza” Holder is “feeling the love” from the community after opening the doors to Rainbow Beach Barber Shop on Tuesday.

Aaron Holder has opened a new barbershop at Rainbow Beach. Picture Glenn Hampson

Mr Holder hails from New Zealand, but after a harrowing experience during the Christchurch earthquake in 2011, he and his wife relocated to the Gold Coast, where they owned and ran a barbershop for nine years.

And the support he had already received for his new venture at the coastal town was happily at the other end of that scale.

“It’s been wonderful – we’re just so happy,” he said.

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Slot car racing back after 30-year absence

Popular Gympie sporting goods store Typhoon Cues has announced it is bringing slot cars back to the region after a near-30 year absence.

Typhoon Cues owner Neil Turley has brought slot car racing back to Gympie after almost 30 years. Pictures: Facebook

Typhoon Cues owner Neil Turley has purchased a digital slot car racing track, marking a long-awaited return for the popular game after races used to be held at Bogart’s Formula Fun in the early 1990s.

He said Typhoon team had been involved in long talks about buying one, and a new track happened to pop up at the right place and time.

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Plans to build a funeral parlour at the old Brodies fast food site have met with backlash.

Brodie’s replacement causes a stir

Plans to build a funeral parlour on the old Brodies fast food site have been met with backlash from the Gympie community, with some saying it is “inappropriate” and asking why it is proposed next to an aged care home.

The Brodies building, which stood vacant for a decade, was demolished in June to make way for the development which includes a new showroom for Supercheap Auto.

The funeral parlour has not yet been approved by Gympie Regional Council.

It would replace a strip of retail shops along the Channon St end of the block if given the go ahead.

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Originally published as 7 big changes to Gympie business scene since June