The lack of accommodation in Lismore since the 2022 floods is common knowledge. The good news is there has been some movement in this space in the last few weeks, with noticeable activity at the Lismore Gateway Motel and the nearly completed renovations at the AZA Motel.

The AZA Motel was one of the first businesses in the CBD to open after the 2022 floods. 

The manager, Yvonne Arato and owner, Nick Volpato walk around their newly refurbished motel, with historic treasures uncovered and innovative plans for their future.

The motel opened around six weeks after the first flood, including the second flood cleanup. The one thing they needed before they reopened was electricity.

The top floor of their three-story business was unaffected. The second story, not expecting to be flooded, eventually was inundated. Yvonne said, “By the time they said it was going to be over the '74 flood, it was too late to evacuate.”

(Nick stands in front of the wall of Flood Levels to give the full impact of the floods the city has endured)

Cars had been moved to higher ground, so when the order to evacuate was given, 17 staff and guests had to climb up onto the roof of the section of the motel they were gathered in to await pickup by boat.  

(Yvonne pointing out the roof that saved herself and her husband George, as well as their guests. After calling the SES at 4.30am, they were picked up at about 10.30am)

Their first tenants post-flood were security guards patrolling the city. Nick gave them a place to stay free of charge to help those assisting the city. They had been sleeping in their vehicles.

Despite the threat of having to close their family business of 50 years, Nick realised how important accommodation was at the time, and the team at AZA worked towards the goal of providing what they could.

Nick said, “It was difficult because the town was completely destroyed. Basically, we had to make a decision - do we even come back? Because we didn't want to abandon the town, we had to come back.”

It took a year to provide 50 rooms with basic amenities to house people. Over the past few years, they have housed a range of people, displaced citizens through the Dept of Communities and Justice, workers helping rebuild the city, people from the law courts and SCU, nurses and even the workers from the Food Coop in Casino, so the production of food could continue.

“We still provide long-term accommodation for nurses as well as tradies who usually stay Monday to Friday,” said Yvonne, rounding out the list, and she added, “We've still got four people that have been displaced by floods.”

For a long time, food, toiletries and clothing was scarce, and was provided by the motel, through donations. Much of it was in-house - assistance provided by both owners, Nick and Luca and their families, management and staff as well as external donations from friends, family and strangers. This provided enough to keep people going. 

Road trips to as far as Tweed were needed to obtain supplies, as nearby sources unaffected by floods had empty shelves.

AZA stands for everything they have for guests from A to Z and back to A again. Now more than ever, their offering reflects this.

Everything is vibrant and fresh in the newly refurbished rooms, and there have been a couple of new additions to their range of suites, including a “team room” and three “deluxe suites”.

The team room sleeps 20 and is decorated in lively hues for larger groups and sporting teams. 

During the refurb of this room, an old mural was uncovered, originally done by Nick's father in 1970. It was created on the wall of the restaurant.

(Nick’s father’s Mural)

The other big addition is three deluxe suites for those needing a higher level of creature comforts for longer stays. With their own lift access, they feature larger rooms with more amenities.

(For those wanting luxury on their stay in Lismore)

After the latest round of renovations, Managers Yvonne and George are going on holiday, and Betty and Peter will be maintaining the motel in their absence.

For those thinking of staying, you need to contact the motel directly, you won't find them on third-party sites like Booking.com.

For further information, here is their website.