This collection brings together photo‑essays from regional Australia — towns, suburbs, and whole regions that sit outside the big capital‑city story. From coastal villages to inland communities, from the Blue Mountains to the outback, each entry is a visual record of places I’ve visited and wandered through with a camera. Some are well‑known, others barely a dot on the map, but all have their own character. With more than thirty locations so far, this section is my ongoing attempt to capture the everyday beauty and quiet individuality of Australia's towns and regions.
What Makes a Town Successful?
- A good cafe open seven days a week
- A pub serving meals
- A visitor information centre, also open all week
- A couple of interesting shops
- Clean public toilets in a nice park
- A signature attraction
Observing these towns prompts one to contemplate what makes a successful, lively small town. I think it helps not to be too close to a big town which will rob its smaller neighbour of locals for shopping and doing business, especially if that's where the bank/s are. I have conceived of a checklist of features which are within a town's control, and the more boxes a town can tick the higher its attractiveness to travelling visitors. These features are not trivial - thyey require commitment and investment, but collectively they are nearly essential.
The signature attraction can be as simple as a park with a trail of artworks, an attractive lake with picnic tables, or a pod of grain silos with a regionally significant mural. Such attractions do not come without effort and funding, I admit, and are no good on their own if, for example, there's no businesses open in the town. A visitor can't spend money if the shops are closed. There is nothing more depressing, for a visitor, than a high street where many, most or even all of the shops and cafes are boarded up, obviously closed permanently, or closed when they should be open. I marked down one town we stayed at recently when, scouting for dinner possibilities, I found not one but two pubs closed, with no explanatory signage. When I found someone to ask, it was "everyone knows they are closed on Mondays!". I heard an item on the radio recently about the closures of visitor information centres - a small town with no such facility is signing its death warrant! And don't get me wrong - I understand that business owners are rational beings and can't keep paying staff and utilities if there are no customers passing through. But they have to be proactive and do something to increase their shop's and their town's appeal.