Back in business: Ross Harrison in his new Rasta Surfboards store.
By Michelle Herbison
A BARWON Heads surf shop will reopen this weekend after four months closed following a suspicious fire that has left police investigators scratching their heads.
Detective Senior Constable Dale Smith said police had stopped investigating the fire that destroyed the shop and the adjoining post office in July due to a lack of evidence.
“We ran out of avenues of inquiry, so the investigation’s been pended unless we get further evidence,” Det Sen Const Smith said.
“We’ve done as much as we can but we’re out of luck.”
The fire in the double-storey building on 51 Hitchcock Ave broke out about 4am the morning after Barwon Heads’ Cadel Evans won the Tour de France in July.
The CFA initially blamed an electrical fault but then passed investigations to police.
Rasta Surfboards owner Ross Harrison said the shop missed its 20-year anniversary in October.
“But we’ve tried to turn the negative into a positive and we’ve changed the whole outlook of the shop.”
Mr Harrison said he was “very happy” to finally reopen after the four-month ordeal.
The experience had given him “perspective”.
“You feel like you’re in the wilderness when you lose your business,” he said.
Australia Post was unsure whether the Barwon Heads office would return to the building or find an alternative site.
A spokesperson said the post office would continue operating at nearby Barwon Heads Bakery until “well into the new year”.
A worker at the office said the temporary facility was using free-standing post boxes, with all mail services operating.
