35 years in business: the Elphiks put Kundabung General Store up for sale

Just over an hour after opening the store, business owner Frank Elphik already has a line of Kundabung residents collecting their mail.

But now after 35 years in business, Mr Elphik and his wife Barbara Elphik have decided to put the store up for sale.

"[I'm] just ready to retire," Mr Elphik said.

"I've just turned 70 so we just thought it was time we got out and just started travelling."

Every weekday, Mr Elphik wakes up around 4am to travel from his home in Port Macquarie to the Kundabung General Store.

Before opening the store at 8am, he has already picked up the local mail from Kempsey, sorted it and delivered it around Kundabung.

Mr Elphik day continues with cars arriving to fuel up, and locals stopping by for a cold drink, animal feed and mail before closing up at 5pm.

"It is a big day," he said.

"When we first took over the business here, I used to get up here about 6am and go through to about 8pm."

The Elphik's have had plenty of memories at the store including a nearby fire, a robbery, sponsoring a local rodeo and the Highway being moved twice.

Mr Elphik said that since the second move of the highway saw a change to the business with the post office gaining more popularity.

"Now instead of the petrol being the major front, it's the post office," he said.

"So it's funny how it's just changed."

In the past four years since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the post office has been busier.

"It's still continuing now that there's a lot more parcels coming through that there is to mail," Mr Elphik said.

"It just continued... now everyone's gotten used to ordering online."

But over the three decades of business, the Elphiks say the most memorable part of the job has been the people.

"The people have been fantastic," Mrs Elphik said.

"We're sort of part of the local community now," Mr Elphik said.

"You've got to be here for about 20 years to be a local but we've been here for over 30."

For real estate agent Peter Richards from Port Macquarie Hastings Rural Sales, this sale is personal.

"I live just a kilometre behind it so I go there everyday to get my mail and fill my truck up for work," he said.

"So I've seen Frank nearly every day for 22-years so it will be sad [when he leaves]."

"Frank has been a real pillar to the community..."

Along with the post office and fuel station, the five acre property comes with a dam, six car shed and three bedroom residence.

Mr Richard said that the property has potential to expand.

"There's room there to put up a mechanical workshop, a cafe, takeaway or a bottle shop," Mr Richards said.

"There's plenty of room on the five acres site to put up a building to do that or do that sort of thing so it's got good potential."

The site has been on market for a number of months now but has garnered some interest.

"Hopefully it will sell soon enough," Mr Richards said.

Mr and Mrs Elphik said they hope the new buyers continue the mail run and post office centre but were happy if they expanded the businness.

"Well I hope that...new blood [can] build it up," Mr Elphik said.

For now, they're most looking forward to retiring and travelling to visit their son in Western Australian.

"Just sort of relaxing more," Mrs Elphik siad.

"Especially sleeping in instead of Frank doing the mail run."