Gympie’s ‘the Hall’ at Graham St shut due to ‘earth moving’ flood damage

One of the largest historic halls in South-East Queensland has been chained off and more than a dozen community groups forced to find new homes following a frightening find in its foundations.

Volunteer organisers running the Gympie building known as “The Hall” at Graham St were planning a grand reopening in one week’s time with a brand-new polished floor.

Instead, they have been forced to chain and lock the building off to the community over safety concerns, leaving more than a dozen community groups in the lurch and no clear idea of when the doors will reopen.

The Gympie and District Indoor Bowls Association made the “devastating” decision to shut the venue after an inspection found structural problems caused by the February 2022 floods which inundated Gympie.

The base of the hall was submerged under flood waters which rose to their second highest level on record.

Associate secretary Deanne White said the inspection revealed damage to the stumps and joists and the floods “have moved the earth around”.

Gympie and District Indoor Bowls Association members Deanne White and Phyllis Kerr said they hoped the displaced community groups forced out by “the Hall’s” sudden closure would come back when they were able to reopen.

Compounding the problem was the hall’s location, sitting on top of the entrance to an old mine shaft.

Mrs White said the association now needed to have the venue examined by a seismologist.

They would need to liaise with the state government’s Department of Mines too, given the presence of the old shaft under the building.

The association had only just finished repairing what it thought was the full extent of damage from the 2022 disasters.

“It’s very devastating,” Mrs White said.

“We were about to open up next week and have all the groups come back.

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“The Hall” had undergone refurbishment across November and December, and was only one week from reopening to the public when the safety problems were found.

She said there were 15 community groups displaced, including indoor bowls, darts, Tai Chi, taekwondo, craft groups, and the city’s popular Night Markets.

All now had to find other halls to use, Mrs White said.

“This hall, we’ve been told, is one of the largest in Southeast Queensland so it’s a big loss for this community,” Mrs White said.

It had been about 30 years since the last flood which had inundated the hall’s foundations.

Despite the shock news, Mrs White said she chose to “look on the bright side” that the structural problems were found before anything serious happened.

“How bad would it have been if part of the floor disappeared?” she said.

“I just hope the community will support us when we are able to get back.

“It’s such a wonderful venue for the community.”

Originally published as Gympie’s ‘the Hall’ at Graham St shut due to ‘earth moving’ flood damage