Melanie Riley
ENGELBRECHT Cave will see the City of Mount Gambier assume operational responsibility for the site from July.
Engelbrecht Cave and Café licensee Jan Coleman said her time at Engelbrecht Cave would be coming to an end, but she would still be around in the community.
“I’m not heading into retirement, I am moving in a different direction – I am working on a plan,” she said.
“I’ve made a name for myself through the cave and I have a lot of knowledge that I wish to utilise – so you will see my name around.”
She said after 10 years, the role had taken a physical and mental toll on her, and she felt it was time to step back.
“I don’t have the energy that this place requires anymore, I love this place and I love the majority of the people that come through though, they are fantastic,” she said.
Ms Coleman said when she took over at Englebrecht the business was not profitable, but she had worked hard to build the business up to the success it had today.
“We have gone from 9,000 visitors a year to 30,000 plus, I have turned it into a viable business, but it needs to go to the next level and I can’t take it there,” she said.
Ms Coleman said the site was in need of upgrades and hoped it’s potential would be tapped into soon.
“This could become Mount Gambier’s premier tourist icon – I have always believed that,” she said.
“We’ve outgrown the site, which is crazy because it’s a cave and we can’t move it, but the infrastructure no longer supports the level of business that we’re at.
“We need a larger toilet block and café, we need a separate interpretative centre, the divers need their own change rooms with showers and toilets and lockers.”
Council general manager city infrastructure Barbara Cernovskis confirmed council were “working through” plans to assume operations of Engelbrecht Cave in July.
“We are working with Jan and we acknowledge the contribution that she has made to the visitor experience – she’s done a great job,” she said.
Ms Cernovskis said when Ms Coleman announced her notice of resignation from Engelbrecht Cave, council began discussions for the future of the site.
“I think that a lot of the assets that people come to Mount Gambier to see are our natural assets that are under council’s care and control anyway,” Ms Cernovskis said.
“We acknowledge the significance of all of these sites to both locals, and tourists alike.
“When presented with a situation where we have a long-term operator who is wanting to move on, we’ve had a conversation with the elected members and it’s the fair thing to do – that we would take that into our operations to be able to continue to deliver a service for both locals and tourists alike moving forward.”
With council taking over operations, Ms Coleman said her staff would soon be without a job.
She said one employee had been interested in taking over the business, though this had not gone ahead.
“She already knew the business, and the staff already knew their jobs,” she said.
“What that means now, is that all the staff are without a job – they’re all now facing unemployment. It is rough, especially in the current climate.
“One of them especially has really blossomed and come into himself, he’s found his niche here, he’s extremely upset because he knows he’s not going to find another job he enjoys as much as this.
“They are very unhappy to say the least. I feel bad – you know, they keep reassuring me it’s not my fault, but I still feel bad for them.”
She said while morale “has taken a beating,” the team was still making the most of the rest of the month.
“They all enjoy being here – we all do. It is a great place to work,” she said.
“So I guess they’re enjoying their last days, knowing full well that it’s coming to an end very soon.”
While Ms Cernovskis said she could not comment on current Engelbrecht Cave and Café staff, she acknowledged “the great contribution that they have made to the tourist experience and wish them well in their future endeavours”.
Ms Cernovskis said council had worked collaboratively with Ms Coleman through the process.
More information would be available after council’s June meeting, but Ms Cernovskis said some light touch ups at the site were expected.
“There will be other decisions that once we are operating the facility, will inform what our future decisions will be,” she said.
“It’s probably a little premature to go down with a long laundry list of things we’re going to do, but will there need to be improvements? Absolutely.
“As with all of our assets, we need to plan, budget and deliver.”
Ms Cernovskis assured the Engelbrecht Cave tours would still go ahead after their take-over in July.
“We don’t plan on stopping the tours – the visitor experience is actually something that we are very focused on and we will have a number of these assets with us now, so we are now getting ourselves into a position to be able to really closely look at what that offering is going to look like for the visitor,” she said.
“In terms of the day-to-day, of course it’s not going to be exactly the same, because you’ve got different operators.”
Ms Coleman extended her gratitude to the Limestone Coast community for their overwhelming support shown to her and the business.
“I didn’t realise how big a following I actually had and how much support I did have out there, it’s actually blown me away,” she said.
“Huge thank you to Mount Gambier, and watch this space.”
