The wet season brings unique challenges for our stores and the communities we operate in across the Northern Territory (NT) and Far North Queensland (FNQ). Spanning from November to April, this period is marked by unpredictable weather events such as heavy rains, cyclones, and flooding, which can severely disrupt road and sea freight routes. 

Food security is a core priority for ALPA, recognising the crucial role that access to nutritious, affordable food plays in the health and well-being of remote communities. Many of our member stores and independent stores are the primary source of food items and essential supplies in communities. 

So when the wet season approaches, careful planning is essential to ensure our stores are fully prepared. 

Looking back at last wet season

During the November 2023 - April 2024 wet season, the following stores were cut off from supply: 

Planned stores

These are stores we expected to face supply challenges during the wet season. 

• Nganmarriyanga Store (Palumpa) - 182 days (26 weeks)
• Adjumarllarl Store (Gunbalanya) - 162 days (23 weeks)
• Robinson River - 206 days (29 weeks)
• Warliburru (Minyerri) - 84 days (12 weeks)

Unplanned stores

These stores experienced unpredictable cut off periods during the wet season. 

• Lajamanu Store - 121 days (17 weeks)
• Kalkaringi Store - 42 days (6 weeks)

Preparation for 2024/25 wet season

This wet season, we worked with stores to stretch the usual 16 weeks of stock to 20 weeks, carefully considering factors such as site storage capacity, cash flow, and product shelf life. This was a challenging process that pushed storage limits to their maximum, but was a vital effort to make to ensure stores remain stocked in extended periods of isolation. 

• Adjurmarllarl Store (Gunbalanya) - 260 pallets​
• Nganmarriyanga Store (Palumpa) - 170 pallets​
• Robinson River Store - 90 pallets
• Warliburru Store (Minyerri) – 100 pallets​ (new to wet season preparations)
• Lajamanu Store - 240 pallets​ (new to wet season preparations)

While ALPA has extensive experience in navigating the complexities of remote retail, the growing unpredictability of rainy seasons will present new challenges that require us to adapt and overcome.