|
|
|
Our shrinking small towns
27 Mar 2008
Small towns in rural Australia are struggling to survive in tough drought conditions with one demographer estimating that five towns slip below a population of 200 each year - below this point towns are considered "lost" or ghost towns. Those to have fallen by the wayside already include Girgarre, Merino, Bethanga and Balmoral in Victoria; Moorook, Iron Knob, Mintabie, Brukunga and Fregon in South Australia; Yuleba, Minden, Marpuna, Yelarbon and Croydon in Queensland; Cullen Bullen and Angourie in NSW; Peppimenarti, Gulin Gulin-Weemol and Bulyuen in the Northern Territory; and Leith in Tasmania. They are often former gold rush, opal mining or coal mining towns that have been mined out. However others are affected by changes to broadacre farming practices or the loss of railways.
The Australian, 27/3/2008
|
|
