Popular Binningup Cafe faced with no choice but to close after major flooding drowns business

While the rainfall the South West received earlier this month was a welcome relief for many, for others it was not good news.

Binningup Cafe owners Bruce Plackett and Cathy Taylor found themselves living a nightmare after the couple received a phone call telling them their charming shop was filled with knee-deep storm water.

Mr Plackett and Ms Taylor were on their way to Bunbury to take a break from the hustle and bustle of their business when the storm hit.

Having flooded several times in the past, the couple prepared by sandbagging the entrances, with a pump on hand if the water got overwhelming.

Mr Plackett said the pair had set off in the day just as the rain started, hoping to enjoy the get away together.

“Cath said ‘do you want to go and check on the cafe,’ and I said ‘no it should be good, the rain has not been too heavy and people would have been in touch’,” Mr Plackett said.

“Just as we pulled up in Bunbury at our motel, we got the phone call.

“The way it was described — that it was worse than ever and up to your knees — there was nothing we would have been able to do.”

Returning to the cafe, the couple saw gas bottles floating in the run-off, fridges filled with stormwater and cans of produce floating out in the neighbouring caravan park.

It was the fifth time the cafe had flooded, but by far the most devastating.

“Each time we’ve dusted ourselves off and got up and going again,” Mr Plackett said.

With a new opportunity on the horizon for Mr Plackett and Ms Taylor this time, they decided it was time to throw in the towel.

“We could get the shop up and running again, but if it happened again in another week, we’d be totally stuffed,” Mr Plackett said.

Despite the bitter sadness of closing down, Mr Plackett said he was proud of the business he has been able to run for the past two years and thankful for the support that had been offered by the community.

“We felt we were a bit of a community service,” he said.

“We kept our prices down, but obviously keeping the prices down means you’re not making huge profits.”

Mr Plackett said he was surprised the issue had not been addressed by the Shire of Harvey prior, given the annual floods.

He said the council’s stormwater drains filled far too quickly and began overflowing, pouring thousands of litres of water directly into the cafe’s doors.

“In my opinion, the council’s stormwater drains need to be cleared out more often,” Mr Plackett said.

A Shire of Harvey spokesperson said the amount of rainfall which hit the Harvey region was significant, with 100mm of rain battering the area in a short period.

“The sheer volume of water resulting from the rain event, coupled with substantial run-off and debris from driveways, verges and vacant blocks exceeded the design parameters of the road drainage network in a number of locations,” the spokesperson said.

“This resulted in flooding, in particular at low point locations in the road network.

“Unfortunately, it is unlikely any prior preventative maintenance could have avoided stormwater accessing the site due to the unexpected high intensity of the short rain event.”

The spokesperson said the council was undertaking drain clearance work, investigating further mitigation measures and conducting research.

This includes undertaking a hydraulic analysis on the numerous catchments experiencing similar issues.