Small Town Shop Opens Early to Help 300 Flood Evacuees

A small Northern Territory town became twice its size overnight, and two new business owners responded by opening their doors weeks ahead of schedule.

Ricky Chang and Ginny Huang had just bought Batchelor's main store and post office in December 2025. The building had sat empty for almost a year, and the couple planned to spend weeks renovating before their grand opening.

Then 300 flood evacuees from Daly River and Palumpa arrived in their town of 400 people. The remote communities had been hit by two devastating floods in two months, with the second breaking all records. Families lost homes, cars, and nearly everything they owned.

Chang and Huang made a quick decision. They would open early.

"We have done a soft open a little bit early, for the community," Chang says. "Every day we have not been sleeping until 1am, working maybe more than 12 hours, 13 hours."

The couple continues renovating while running the shop during the day. Their goal is to create a one-stop destination with groceries, a fuel station, takeaway food, and postal services.

"We provide a good service and a smile, and we try to bring the sense of community," Huang says. She wants to make "life easier for people living in Batchelor."

The evacuees arrived at the Batchelor Outdoor Education Centre, where they may stay for months while their communities recover. The Northern Territory government described the location as more suitable for longer-term evacuations than the Darwin emergency center where families initially stayed.

The Bright Side

While the sudden population shift caught many Batchelor residents off guard, Chang and Huang saw an opportunity to serve. Their willingness to accelerate their timeline shows how small business owners can become community anchors during crisis moments.

The store had been closed for nearly a year, leaving residents without easy access to essential supplies. Now the town has its heart back, just when it needs it most.

Local resident Kerry Kane acknowledges the challenge while recognizing the need. "There's a need that we have to do, for these people down in Daly River that have been flooded out, I have no problem with that," he says.

Chang and Huang are building more than a business in their long work days and late renovation nights.