THE last time the Observer wrote about what’s happening on site at the partly renovated historic Narrawong Store was in October last year.

Then, store owner Darren Hunter was confident the long-awaited renovations would be completed before Christmas. That was the news everyone wanted to hear and locals were on tenterhooks for a grand opening.

But as anyone who has ever undertaken an extensive renovation will know, these things have a habit of blowing up in our faces, with deadlines and budgets often spiralling out of our control.

This was the 2023 Christmas story of the Narrawong Store. With an unexpected cost blowout because of an increase in the price of materials, Mr Hunter was forced to “put the brakes on” renovations, and he all but disappeared from the village. He needed “about $100k to finish” and wouldn’t have the additional funds until after this financial year, he said.

So, it was exciting to see some activity there a couple of weekends ago, with what turned out to be new plumbers climbing all over the roof and inside the building.

“With the new plumbers on board I expect things to move more quickly now,” Mr Hunter said. “Issues with the old plumber not turning up pretty well brought the project to a standstill but these guys are already making a lot of progress.”

And Mr Hunter has quite a few new surprises in store for locals and visitors keen to see the project finished. Not only has the old internal layout been dramatically altered, making room for a modern commercial kitchen and dining space, but a previously boarded-up old fireplace has also been revealed in all its glory and will feature in the final design.

Solid new beams across the ceiling provide reassuring structural integrity to the old building, and the final space will also feature toilets for patrons, another welcome addition to the premises.

Along with the new, state-of-the-art kitchen, Mr Hunter plans to also install a new commercial fridge, which means the old one (approx. 2mx2m) is up for sale, so any interested folk can contact him on his mobile (0401 265 096).

In an exciting twist to this Narrawong Store saga, Mr Hunter is currently completing a Certificate 3 in Commercial Cooking with a view to running the kitchen himself, and offering both takeaway and inhouse licenced dining.

So, if all Mr Hunter’s wishes come true, locals can soon look forward to enjoying a sit-down Mediterranean/Middle eastern-inspired meal with a wine or beer just down the road from home in their own village, a roaring fire in the corner on a chilly winter’s evening, and even, just possibly, the odd karaoke night. A pizza oven is also an option, and in a decision reminiscent of ‘back to the future’, Mr Hunter is also entertaining the idea of a second building on the block to house a new dedicated shop.

Already dubbed ‘Noosawong’ by some locals, it’s only onwards and upwards for this much-loved hamlet of Narrawong with what will be a new, vibrant hub.