A popular Riverina bakery has been forced to chuck out dozens of pies after it experienced its longest ever power outage, which is being blamed on a four-footed reptile.
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A total of 471 customers in the Ganmain area were left in the dark after the power went out about 10pm on Thursday.
An Essential Energy spokesperson said the power did not come back on until about 8.30am on Friday and that the supply disruption was caused after a goanna came into contact with power lines.
The Ganmain Bakery was caught in the middle, with bakers working by iPhone-light to get their much-loved pastries cooked.
Owner Anna Murphy said the outage was the longest she's seen in the past eight years and it took so long to come back on they were forced to close for the day.
"We've been here for eight years and this is the worst one we've ever had," Ms Murphy said.
In some good news, the bakery was able to deliver some of its baked goods to the surrounding communities.
"We were lucky [with the timing of the outage] in that our [delivery] driver gets here between 3am and 4am anyway, and he has a refrigerated truck, so he could still make it down to West Wyalong - but it wasn't a big run," Ms Murphy said.
However, the bakery was forced to throw out a lot of food, including 60 dozen of its beloved Ganmain pies.
It was also forced to send some staff home, while others stayed at the shop to help clean up.
Ms Murphy said the outage had left the coolroom struggling to keep up with the hot weather on Friday, although she was optimistic about being back to normal on Saturday.
"I don't see why we shouldn't be, unless the power goes out again," she said.
Meanwhile, Essential Energy crews were again called out to the area on Friday morning, after a vehicle came into contact with a power pole on Cains Lane near Coolamon shortly after 10.30am, leaving 233 customers without power.
A spokesperson for the company said that outage affected customers in the Coolamon and Matong areas. Power was restored between 3pm and 4pm on Friday.
"We want to acknowledge it's hot and being without powers is really inconvenient," the spokesperson said.
"We apologise for that and we really thank the community for their patience while our crews undertake these repairs."
The outages come as the area experiences a total fire ban and the spokesperson said crews were taking extra precautions as a result.
Andrew Mangelsdorf
Originally from South Australia, Andrew Mangelsdorf grew up in Victoria before launching his career in Temora, NSW. He also served as a journalist at Lake Cargelligo before making the move to The Daily Advertiser in 2022. Always on the lookout for story ideas, so if you've got one, let me know: andrew.mangelsdorf@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Originally from South Australia, Andrew Mangelsdorf grew up in Victoria before launching his career in Temora, NSW. He also served as a journalist at Lake Cargelligo before making the move to The Daily Advertiser in 2022. Always on the lookout for story ideas, so if you've got one, let me know: andrew.mangelsdorf@austcommunitymedia.com.au
