The community has rallied around a local business which has been decimated by two years of COVID restrictions.

While many tourism and hospitality businesses have done it tough during the pandemic, Mount Gambier’s Treehouse Adventure Centre has borne the brunt of shutdowns and density limits.

The Penola Road facility endured months of lockdowns, followed by strict density restrictions when it could reopen. However, following an emotional post on social media the business has witnessed the community support it has first-hand.

Centre co-owner David Walker said the business was one of many in the Limestone Coast that had felt the weight of COVID-19 restrictions.

“It has definitely been a struggle for a lot of businesses in the Limestone Coast and I think everyone is trying to stick together and get through it because at the end of the day it has gone on for two years,” he said.

“I have definitely seen the impact on other businesses too. It has a ripple effect causing businesses to reduce their hours to lower staffing costs because they do not have enough people coming in to make it viable,” Treehouse Adventure Centre co-owner David Walker

Mr Walker said during the pandemic supermarkets had “won out with shelves being stripped bare” while the entertainment facility had instead been stripped of customers.

“The first week of the school holidays we were quite busy for us but during the second week tourists went home and cases were on the rise, so attendance went downhill,” he said.

“The school holidays are where we make money to keep open for the rest of the year and while we normally run with five staff, we were down to two because sales dropped about 70%.”

A Facebook post by a staff member showing an empty facility was shared by Mr Walker and received hundreds of reactions, shares and comments of support.

“We definitely felt the love and support from everybody. The community have always gotten behind us and this was no exception,” he said.

“The way things have been this past week makes me hopeful that we will be able to continue pushing upwards.

“We have seen a huge increase in customers, so we are happy about that. It has definitely been a struggle, but this has been a good way to pick ourselves back up.”