This Kempsey bakery was in waist-deep water a year ago. How has it bounced back?

When major floods hit the Mid North Coast last year, the Macleay River overflowed.  Floodwaters inundated Kempsey’s CBD, entering shopfronts and businesses. Five people were killed, farmers lost livestock and infrastructure and hundreds of homes were deemed uninhabitable. 

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Macleay River breaks bank at Kempsey, CBD remains closed. #australia #midnorthcoast #kempsey #flood

As the one year anniversary of the May 2025 flood approaches, the Mid North Coaster is visiting local businesses to see how they have bounced back.

Hot ‘N’ Tasty Bakehouse, on Clyde Street, was one such business.

Waist-deep in water: Part-owner of Hot ‘N’ Tasty Bakehouse and Kempsey resident, Joel Connors, told the Mid North Coaster the water level reached a metre high throughout the shop during the flood.

Connors, who has been at the Clyde Street location for 13 years, said last year’s flood was the biggest he’d experienced. The damage meant the bakery was out of action for over a week.

Back on their feet: In the aftermath of the flood, it was the Kempsey community that came together to help Connors and his colleagues get the business up and running again.

• “Everyone pitched in and helped us back on our feet,” Connors said. “Electricians and [other tradespeople] came in and gave us a hand, too, and made sure we could get up and going to supply the community again.” 

Why stay? When asked what keeps him running a business in a flood-prone town, Connors said it’s due to a lack of options.

• “There’s not much opportunity for other shops elsewhere,“ he said.

Lessons learned: With future flooding inevitable, Connors said he will better prepare for the next event by organising assistance ahead of time to help move and lift the heavy machinery to higher ground.

• “We’ve got locations where we can take stuff here, it’s just trying to get trucks in and out ‘cause everyone’s using trucks at the time so it makes it hard,” Connors said.