But instead of flattening the deluged Cudal site nearly 18 months ago, Mr Wiltshire and the landlord made an unwritten deal, of sorts, together.

Transforming the flood-wrecked house into what's now a shared sporting and arts hub in the community, Renegade Central West has been operating for the past few months.

"We're not that gym for the guy or girl who wants to break any bodybuilding records, but we're the place where that same guy or girl can stretch, punch a bag and hang out with friends," Mr Wiltshire said.

"A lot of kids also get to train with adults when we have classes, and not a lot kids can be alongside mum or dad and doing a sport together.

"I've met a whole lot of people I didn't know were here, as well, and we've all been able to keep having good fun in what's become a really cool place for the community."

Owner of the former 28Hundred Martial Arts Gym, Mr Wiltshire holds a black belt ranking in Judo, and a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ).

But he was forced to shut down the north Orange business during the pandemic, a time where keeping up with running costs was tough for most in the same boat.

The martial arts instructor, 46, shut shop and moved gym equipment to a shed in Cudal, where he'd later resume teaching in 2020.

But operations were thrown behind the eight ball again after large hailstones penetrated the shed's poly-carbonate roofing during a severe thunderstorm.

"We'd somehow survived COVID in town and made it through other floods when we moved out here, where the shed didn't go under," he said.

"But that storm was something else, which tore through the building's plastic roofing and then filled it up with rainwater.

"Our equipment was cactus, and trying to either dry out or have to toss 30-odd gym mats at $600 a pop, it was another big expense on top of the pile."

Which is why he pitched the question "can we use this space" to the landlord of his parents' flooded rental home when talk of demolishing it was on the table.

Displacing Mr Wiltshire's mother and father, waist-high waters had gone through the Naylor Street property during the November 2023 floods.

The pair live in pod homes on their son's property today.

But by the time the Cudal community got around to the lengthy items on its flood-wrecked list, the site had been sitting dormant for five months.

"The place still hadn't been opened or unlocked and the smell was horrid, it was this inexplainable stench," Mr Wiltshire said.

"Nothing inside was salvageable, absolutely nothing, so we ended up gutting the whole place and ripping it back to wall frames, electricals and all.

"But it was a substantial period of time the owner said we could be in there at no expense as the trade-off in a sense, and his support is still massive in terms of reduced rent.

"There's really no comparisons to our space in Orange, it's a lot smaller here, but it also doesn't compare at all because it's got this real and genuine, community-built feel to it."

Which extends to people with a disability, too, with Mr Wiltshire also a registered National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) support worker.

With trailing benefits for those with physical and mental ailments, the instructor said the mats are a way for clients to build strength.

Transforming the carport space at the side of the site into an outdoor arts studio, the hub provides a scene for rolling movement and colourful creativity.

"For so many of them, they don't actually get out of their wheelchairs other than to go to bed and whatnot, so because we have the big, grappling mat area, we get on the floor and wrestle around like idiots," he said and laughed.

"They get to have a huge stretch out and this whole different sensation, because people don't often get on the floor at home or have the space to do it.

"Painting is also incorporated into those big movements, where we talk about imagining we're rolling around on the floor like paint would on a canvas, so we can then go and put that into action with art.

"We've got our first busload of NDIS people coming over from Young soon and our guys here already love painting, so it's just this whole cool day out for everyone."

Fitness equipment includes a dead lift platform, treadmill, bikes, bench press, basic and free weights, as well as machines for chest and assisted pull-ups.

The hub operates on a "come and go as you please" basis, with some 40 to 50 members using codes to access the space as needed.

An inclusive space for anyone and everyone, Mr Wiltshire hopes the hub becomes a home away from home for those who use it.

Someone self-admittedly open about his own struggles surrounding depression, the instructor is determined to nurture a site where it isn't taboo to talk about mental health concerns.

"We've never made a cent out of the business, we're hugely out of pocket if anything," he said.

"It's just not a money-making thing for us, because we'd rather create a space where people have neutral ground to just be together, talk about their troubles if they want to and not go through any of their stuff alone.

"Grappling physically is about solving problems, but it's also really relatable in terms of the things we grapple with in life.

"When we're not on our own, we lighten the burden we're carrying, and we learn how to deal with the hard shit together."