MOST people would have thrown their hands in the air and thought about giving up.
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But, not Muswellbrook couple Ged and Julie Elphinstone, who own GJ’s By The Lake.
After a rare amoeba forced the closure of Lake Liddell last year, the pair could’ve been forgiven for walking away from their family-owned business.
Instead, they decided to turn a negative into a positive.
And, this week, construction began on a $250,000 state-of-the-art go-kart track at the Lake Liddell Sports and Recreation Park, which is located between Muswellbrook and Singleton.
The venture will complement the facility’s existing indoor sky-diving, rock climbing and laser tag activities.
“I won’t deny it, it’s been tough,” Mr Elphinstone said.
“We actually dropped two-thirds of our market [when the lake closed].
“It would have been easy for Julie, and I, to walk away altogether.
“However, we love the lifestyle here.
“So, we certainly had to think outside the square.
“We looked at a number of land-based initiatives.
“Although it’s still a camping ground, it was a matter of re-diversifying.
“We needed to target a different market, hence the go-cart track.
“Luckily, we’ve received a lot of support from the community.
“Everyone’s been fantastic, as has the Lake Liddell Recreation Area Reserve Trust.
“We’ve worked together to get through this.
“I reckon more than $400,000 has been spent on infrastructure [here] over the past five years.
“Now, we’ve got some other ideas in the pipeline, too.”
Mr Elphinstone said the 340m circuit would open to the public on September 24.
And, he’s “super excited” by what it will bring to the region.
“There’s nothing like this in the Upper Hunter,” Mr Elphinstone explained.
“We want to entice people to the area, so it’s important to keep the overheads down – it’ll be a cheap activity.
“We’ll have 15 carts – including juniors and twins - running, seven days a week, with an undercover barbecue area nearby.
“Anyone, from the age of three and older, will be catered for.
“We’ve taken all measures to ensure safety, too.
“I can certainly see the finished product.”