THERE'S been a tooth missing in the cogs of this town for about three years, locals say.
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But the Woolomin Gold Rush store has started what it sees as a long journey back to selling petrol in the small village near Chaffey Dam.
The store's old fuel tank was found to have leaked about 400 litres into the underground water supply more than three years ago.
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Since then, the store has just had to get by hoping visitors and townsfolk will pop-in for their essentials.
Store owner Shane Douglas has lodged a development application with Tamworth Regional Council as the first step towards returning to life as a service station.
The fuel itself wasn't the biggest loss, Mr Douglas said.
"It just brings a lot of people to the shop," he said.
In the three years without fuel, Woolomin's main attraction, Chaffey Dam, has also depleted which caused a hit to the tourist market in town.
Mr Douglas said it had been very quiet since Easter this year, where he believed there had been a downturn in dam visits.
"We've still got a few tourists coming through, day-trippers, motorbike rides and also the local village itself," he said.
Mr Douglas said the reinstatement of the service station would be a boon for the local community.
"A place like this, we're a convenience store, so someone might only buy $20 worth to to get to town," he said. "But it would be good to have it on a weekend where you're mowing your lawn and you've got to do 60 or 70km round trip for fuel, it's a bit annoying.
"There's 80-odd houses in Woolomin now o to not have it is a bit of a quirk."