Ever dreamed of running your own town? Now’s your chance, as an entire locality in eastern Australia has gone up for sale for less than the price of most UK homes.
Known as Australia’s tiniest town – due to a population of just two – Cooladdi is tucked away in Outback Queensland, more than 800 kilometres west of Brisbane, and is on sale for just $400,000 AUD (£210,000).
It even comes with a four-bed roadhouse, motel, general store, pub, and a four-star restaurant.
Carol Yarrow and Jo Cornel are the two residents left in Cooladdi. They bought the Foxtrap Road House in 2023 with a three-year plan to breathe new life into the town, which has its own postcode.
Now, that time is almost up. And with Ms Yarrow planning to retire and Ms Cornel intending to relocate, one lucky individual could soon receive the keys to the whole town – for the price of a detached home in the northeast of England.
And depending on who buys Cooladdi, they may also hold the power to dramatically reshape the local population.
Becky Jeisman of Charleville Real Estate, who’s listing the town, said: ‘There are only two people currently living in Cooladdi. The population is calculated on how many people own the Foxtrap.
‘It is the town, and if a group of four people buy it, then the population will double.’
The town of Cooladdi – officially recognised as Australia’s tiniest town – is on sale for $400,000 AUD (£210,000)
Whoever buys the town will not only become its unofficial mayor, they will be required to run its post office, store, four-star restaurant, motel, and pub
Jesiman notes that the town perfectly suits young groups, empty nesters, or families seeking an unconventional lifestyle.
However, whoever buys the township essentially earns the title of ‘unofficial mayor’ of Cooladdi – a role that comes with a great deal of responsibility.
The new owners will be required to single-handedly serve as the town’s postie, publican, shopkeeper, motel receptionist, and cook.
Ms Yarrow told The Guardian: ‘The food and the pub are probably one of the main jobs; we also do the mail runs as part of the post office.’
However, she insists it’s a rewarding role, adding: ‘I’ve always found the best thing is the local community… the people within around 70km who come through the property.’
Once a bustling railway hub, Cooladdi supported a local population of 270 with its own school, butcher shop and police station at its peak.
But the town’s decline began when the railway line was extended to Quilpie in 1917. It quickly accelerated into a ghost town after passenger trains officially stopped in 1967.
As trains bypassed the town and its local sheep industry shrank, the school shut down and residents moved away, forcing services and jobs to vanish.
The nearest major town to Cooladdi (pictured) is Charleville, a neighbouring community of 3,000 just 55 minutes down the road
Cooladdi was once a thriving railway hub that served a population of 250 residents, though when the station closed in 1967, most locals moved to nearby towns
Although much has changed over the decades, Cooladdi – officially recognised as Australia’s tiniest town – still has a surprising number of amenities for such a remote spot.
As well as the four-bed Roadhouse, it boasts a motel, a general store, pub, and even a four-star restaurant – kept open to cater to the steady flow of traffic from major towns like Charleville, a neighbouring community of 3,000 just 55 minutes down the road.
Speaking to the Guardian, Ms Yarrow said: ‘Since the residents left – many moving out to Charleville and the surrounding areas – people will come to visit who grew up here, to check out the old haunts.
‘We get a lot of passing traffic through and a lot of lovely locals. It’s just a great community. It’s a laid-back lifestyle. We look around and all we see are mulga trees.’
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