Flying Monkey shuts
Cafe closes and plan for school vetoed
THE operators of a once popular Sheridan St cafe have indicated plans to install a commercial operation in a Cairns high school will not go ahead.
Jo Hammond and David Shea bought The Flying Monkey Cafe on the corner of Upward and Sheridan streets in July 2017 and have closed up shop a little over a year later.
Friday was the couple’s last trading day and everything from coffee beans to chai and beetroot latte mixes – even the piano – was up for sale.
The British expats moved from Brisbane to take over the business and introduced a sustainable, vegan ethos.
When asked by the Cairns Post if they were still considering the move to an operation within the ground of Cairns State High School, just across the road, a spokesman for the couple said “the coffee shop will not be going ahead”.
“Due to being offered an inadequate space which is not fit for purpose to serve coffee or food, there is no running water for even the basics of washing hands and no sewage waste outlet, and no provision for a grease trap which is a mandatory requirement, we would not be able to acquire a food licence,” the message read.
“The coffee shop will not be going ahead.”
In September, a Department of Education spokeswoman said Cairns State High School’s Parents and Citizens’ Association was “currently in negotiations with commercial providers to establish a cafe service on school grounds” but would not confirm who the parties were.
The proposed service was to for staff, parents and students before school and at the first recess. Part of the discussions included a plan for the cafe to offer training opportunities for students and also an artist-inresidence program.
In November 2017, a fire started in the cafe but was quickly extinguished.
The Flying Monkey Cafe was devastated by a fire in 2013, just a month after first opening. The shop was slated for demolition after the fire, however its previous owners managed to salvage it.