Big Rocking Horse: Cafe at iconic tourist attraction in the Adelaide Hills forced to close

The owner of an iconic cafe at a popular tourist attraction has made a heartbreaking decision after a heavy storm caused a power cut, causing her fridges to ‘burn out’ and spoil her stock.

Mell Penno has closed the Big Rocking Horse cafe in Gumeracha in the Adelaide Hills.

The cafe at the beloved tourist attraction sustained more than $12,000 in damage after 65 mph (105 km/h) wind gusts swept through the area on Monday.

Mrs Penno bought the business 14 months ago and has been struggling to pay the sky-high bills ever since.

She could not afford the $46,000 insurance premium that would have protected her against storms and loss of her inventory.

We estimate it will only cost $8,000 [spoiled] inventory … and probably add another $4,000 to $5,000 in refrigerators and freezers,” Ms. Penno said told 7News.

“We don’t make much money here… this really broke me.”

Mrs Penno has been in touch with disappointed families who had booked birthday parties at the café over the past day, informing them that the events will not be going ahead.

Mell Penno was left with $12,000 in damages when a 65 mph power outage hit the cafe, which wasn’t covered by insurance for inventory loss or storm damage

The mini golf course and the petting zoo at the Grote Schommelpaard will remain open.

Mrs Penno is trying to find new jobs for her staff and has said that despite the closure of her café the

“We have 16 staff members who work in this cafe on rotating schedules and I have to tell them today that they have no work,” said Ms Penno. told The Advertiser.

‘Forget me, I’m worried about all those young people I trained here who now have no job and no income… that affects me.’

She does not want the community to have to finance her lost costs to keep the café open.

“We would prefer you visit the zoo, play mini golf or donate directly to a non-profit charity,” she wrote online.

Mrs. Penno was grateful for the offers, but said the money could be better spent elsewhere: ‘T“There are people who have it worse,” she said.

She announced the cafe’s closure on Facebook and urged the Gumeracha community not to crowdfund its losses, as the money could be used elsewhere at the tourist attraction.

Since purchasing the business with her husband last July, the couple have spent thousands of dollars of their own money renovating the cafe and park.

Instead of purchasing insurance, Mrs. Penno spent $26,000 on improving the facilities and making the park more accessible for the disabled.

She also bought 12 refrigerators and 6 freezers for the cafe, but they all ‘burned out’ due to a power surge during the storm.

The cafe was without power for 40 hours, during which time all the supplies in the refrigerators thawed or melted, including a new freezer with ice that I bought last week.

Its closure is a big loss for the state and the region, as there are few other cafes in the small town of 721 inhabitants.

Opened in the 1980s, thousands of tourists flock to the 18-meter-long, 25-ton A large rocking horse every year.