Hawkeswood Mining owner Andrew Hawkeswood confirmed this week he bought the historic Faigan’s building and cafe, in Millers Flat, and was looking for someone to operate the business.
"I felt the town’s been dead since it closed down, so it’s certainly not a money-making venture," Mr Hawkeswood said.
"But we just want to see it open — we’ve got a number of staff there now, so I’m sure we’ll keep it a little bit open anyway."
Mr Hawkeswood said offers for operators had just opened and although the cafe’s reopening was still months away, it would be open to the public.
Millers Flat is home to about 17 of his more-than 30-person workforce, which operates a gold mine on the outskirts of the village.
Properties bought by Hawkeswood Mining in the area include a former bed and breakfast business and lifestyle blocks, and those workers who lived locally had accommodation in the various properties.
Mr Hawkeswood believed there were enough mine workers to keep the cafe ticking over.
He hoped whoever came in to run the cafe would offer an evening meal once a week, which would be a boon for those working 12-hour days at the mine.
Mr Hawkeswood himself had no plans to run the cafe, and it could be several months before the cafe was open, depending on how his search went.
With the holidays approaching, it was "just the wrong time of year" to recruit an operator to run the cafe.
"I’m just real busy with everything else, trying to get everything closed down.
"But [we’re] definitely trying to have something open by mid-February or something like that ... just got to find an operator."
The historic Faigan’s store building was converted into a cafe in 2017.
Before that it had operated, in various forms, as a general store since 1896.
A safe in the cafe linked back to earlier gold mining in the area.
At times, the building also had rooms used for visiting doctors and bankers.
After being closed following Covid lockdowns, the cafe changed hands in 2021 but closed again about two years ago.
Since then, the village, which is on the Roxburgh Gorge cycle trail, has only had the Millers Flat tavern, across the river on State Highway 8, and a summer-only shop at the Millers Flat holiday park to offer food to travellers.
The company is inviting locals to a party to celebrate its purchase of the cafe.
The Hawkeswood Mining Christmas function is on December 6 and the whole community is invited to attend after the company dinner.
"We have our dinner at 6pm and then at 7.30pm the doors open; there’s a band."
Hawkeswood Mining began alluvial gold mining last year after a lengthy consent process.
The process involves using water to separate gold particles from gravels.
Material is dug up and trucked to a floating work platform where it is processed.
The mining will progress along the site, with the areas already worked being replanted.
Earlier this year a proposed gravel quarry on the site raised the ire of neighbours, leading to the amending of the company’s application.
