Halls Gap’s Will Hudson preparations for regional Victoria’s reopening

Will Hudson made the most of enforced holidays due to COVID lockdowns, but has moved quickly to prepare for regional Victoria’s restrictions easing. This is what it takes to reopen.

Will Hudson at Paper Scissors Rock Brew Co. in Halls Gap. Picture: Chloe Smith.

CAFE owner Will Hudson was trying to enjoy the brighter side of lockdown in Halls Gap last month.

“Everyone’s a little bit flat because we didn’t really want to close again, but at the same time what better place to enjoy some forced time off?” he said.

“It’s amazing being up here. I have about a five-minute walk and I’m into the national park and some of my passions include trail running and that sort of thing so I’ve got quite a lot of playground out there to go and keep entertained in.”

As someone who lives in a tourist town and runs three businesses all tied to hospitality and tourism, Will tried to make the most of enforced holidays due to COVID lockdowns. But since last week’s announcement that regional Victoria’s restrictions were lifting, he has had to move quickly to prepare for reopenings.

The 35-year-old is one of three co-owners of the local brewery, Paper Scissors Rock Brew Co., which opened last year. It will reopen this Friday, but has been doing some takeaway trade during lockdown.

Picture: Chloe Smith.

But he has already welcomed the first guests to the accommodation he has on his property, an eco-friendly tiny home available for booking through Shacky.

And his cafe also opened on Monday with a fresh, seasonal menu sourced from local producers as much as possible.

Next week, on October 1, Will will mark the 10-year anniversary since he took over the running of the cafe, where he once worked as a teenager.

One local was so keen to be able to get back to enjoy a meal there after lockdown, she called Will to make a booking for last Wednesday — a day before venues were actually allowed to open.

“It’s amazing how time flies but it has been a great 10 years as well, even with all the challenges thrown in,” he says.

Will grew up in Pomonal, about 13km from Halls Gap. He moved to Melbourne briefly, then to Mildura. He was just 25 years old when he bought the cafe from his former boss and moved home.

The brewery grew out of years of conversations with mates about the fact that there wasn’t a brewery in the tourist village. Eventually, talk turned into a reality — they formulated a business plan, which came in handy when the site of the old information centre went out for expression of interest. Paper Scissors Rock Brew Co. opened in April last year. “The other two guys do the brewing and they’re always coming up with some new beers, different styles, and we have had some absolute corkers that have been one-keg only beers,” Will says.

Picture: Chloe Smith.

He says he had been worried he would be bored moving back to a small community — Halls Gap’s population was 430 at the last census — but that never eventuated. Instead, Will says the trade has become less seasonal over the past 10 years. Whereas it used to halve over winter, “it’s probably only losing 20 per cent of our trade now and it’s just busy all year round with a few tiny pockets of two or three weeks where there might not be much on”.

However, the small permanent population meant it was not viable to open the cafe for takeaway coffee or food during Stage 3 lockdowns, so Will decided to take the chance to have a break. But the brewery was open for takeaway and also did weekly growler (1.89L) deliveries in the first lockdown, which they did again the second time as well as some takeaway food.

And he hopes the enthusiasm with which bookings started flowing in for the accommodation the first time restrictions eased is an indication of how quickly tourism might be able to bounce back — after last week’s news, bookings for the Shacky accommodation started coming in quickly.

“We were nearly 100 per cent booked out,” Will says of when restrictions were first relaxed back in June.

“Our busiest months were going to be March and April this year … the bookings that we had didn’t even compare to after COVID because everyone was just so keen to get down here and get out of the city.

“It just shows how quickly it bounces back in this region.”

Will says working in hospitality and tourism is full-on, and he has experienced the boom and bust — whether from pandemic or even bushfires — of being reliant on visitors.

“But part of the reward of living and working here is actually being a positive impact on the town and region and you get to showcase what’s here, but also be a part of it in terms of the evolving food scene,” he says.

“It is rewarding. It is easy to forget sometimes when you are in the thick of things, but you do have those moments occasionally where you go, wow this is really cool.”

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