Thoughts from a couple of weeks ago...

Travelling to Mt Isa today, passing Grey Nomads, holiday makers by the dozen! A couple of weeks ago we counted 75 caravans and camper trailers going into the small Town of Cloncurry, with that amount going in everything is at a premium!

What do I mean by that? Well, with a population of about 2,500 residents no one has to find a car park, make a booking for dinner or worry that the bakery will sell out and what about having to queue to get your latte!!

COVID-19 has changed the world, the way we live and the way we think or need to think. In Australia the land is so vast that there are escape routes to get as far from the “hot spots” as one can. That means caravan overload for the Northern areas.

We have had the television crew, participants, and more of Survivor here, boosting our economy and bringing some life to this rural town. We thought that was busy, but no not even in our wildest dreams. Holiday Parks are full, free camping areas are full and the parking in Cloncurry has become well, almost as bad as Christmas parking in Townsville!

I think it is great but I have found myself saying things like “hey that is our park”, That vehicle and caravan take up 3 parks outside of our bakery, and what is with that queue? I went to get some yummy pies for lunch and there were none, they were out but were cooking up another batch and they would be ready in 10 minutes…what the? Yep, no pies for our lunch that day, no waiting done by this chick!

Living in a small town has its advantages and disadvantages, doesn’t every where? I love living a little off the main grid of life, the isolation is there for your choosing, the opportunities are vast if you decide to explore. Life is definitely different here in the North West of Queensland.

I have lived here for about 2 years and prior to that 18 months in Mt Isa. I have experienced positivity and negativity, it is the age old ‘square peg in a round hole’ and yet these towns meet so many people from every walk of life and varied countries.

How is it for you? Are you living in a small town but from a city or another country? Did you come here back packing and met your “love”? A couple of kids later home is a property and it’s all about the cattle, drought, flooding, the heat and don’t forget the flies!