Central West Queensland has quite a bit common with the western plains of New South Wales - except they are more remote and even less populated. It covers seven shires and 23% of Queensland, but just 10,000 people live there. 

The Regional Australia Institute (“RAI”) has told the Western Plains App we could learn something from them, and in particular their marketing campaign to get people to move there. 

The campaign is called “Go Far Out” and according to the RAI co-CEO Kym Houghton the campaign “doesn’t try to pretend that the towns are anything but what they are - inland and remote."

"It really encourages people to embrace the adventure that living in these places can bring”. 

We also spoke to Morgan Gronold who works is the Senior Development Regional Development Manager from the Remote Area Planning Development Board.

Mr Gronold told us that the idea of going “far out” was really a cheeky one because that’s the reality of shifting somewhere like western Queensland, but it also pointed to the way they were targeting younger demographics with an appetite for adventure. 

“We really wanted to be genuine about what the region really was. The good, the bad and the ugly," he said.

"Sometimes small towns can be a little bit defensive about what people think of them - and for good reason. We are often portrayed in the media as terrible places to live - so we wanted to be really clear about what life was really like here."

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Image: Gofarout 

The gofarout website is really targeting targeting young workers and professionals in particular by talking up the opportunities for career development you get in a small town. 

It uses the tagline Get ahead? Go Far Out. 

There are a number of young professionals profiled on the site like Justin Kronk the Corporate Service Manager at the Barcoo Shire Council.

Mr Kronk explains that since the move “he’s got more time, is feeling less stressed and has dinner with his family every night, something that didn’t happen in his life before he moved far out”. 

The website goes onto explain that the Kronk family had to think long and hard before moving out to such an isolated area but Kronk is glad he did.

“There are lots of opportunities in central-western Queensland to get ahead in your career, by getting a range of experience. It really helps you make some decisions about where you want to focus your energy going forward”. 

Mr Gronold says that the campaign looked at young workers who may want to stay for five years before moving onto somewhere else, so he said isolated inland western towns can market themselves at stepping stones setting up people for the rest of their lives. 

“You get opportunities and diversity in jobs that you don't get elsewhere," he said. "So what we are saying is come to the country, have happy memories, try new things, and in five years be more employable than your peers." 

Morgan Gronold is advocating for a bush adventure.

Lifestyle-wise Gronold says it's important not to undersell the richness of the community, while at the same time saying small towns had a responsibility to make sure newcomers felt welcome and were catered for. 

He says cheaper house prices should also fit with any marketing campaign for western regions. 

“It goes back to that five year plan a young professional might have. If its to land a particular job, or save some money, or a five year goal to buy your dream home near the coast that’s what we need to keep in mind."

"We don’t need to have people stay in these places for life and we shouldn't expect them too”.