A publican, two paramedics, and a couple of backpackers rolled into the outback, leaving their city lives behind.
It might sound like the start of a comedy film but, in the remote Queensland town of Julia Creek, it’s a true story.
More than 1,600 kilometres north-west of Brisbane, with a population of just 550 people, the quaint rural village is now home for 30-year-old Jack Pixley, who manages the local pub.
Julia Creek has a population of just 550 people. (Supplied: Warren Butterworth)
“My boss bought the pub and asked, ‘Do you want to go to Julia Creek and run a pub?’ and I said, ‘Yeah, why not?'” the Sydney local said.
Three years after that proposition, the self-proclaimed “city lad” said he was pleasantly surprised by the outback charm.
Sydney man Jack Pixley runs the local pub at Julia Creek in outback Queensland. (ABC News: Zara Margolis)
“When I got here, it was eye-opening,” Mr Pixley said.
“[It’s] a very small town from what I’m used to, obviously, but it’s been really good.
The local watering hole at Julia Creek, the Drover’s Dog, hires backpackers from across the world to work behind its bar. (ABC News: Abbey Halter)
“I think the big one would be the people, the small community we have … they’re pretty special.“
Putting down roots in the red dirt
Kelsea Hogan and Billy Wootton packed up their Brisbane home, their young twin daughters, and swapped the metro grind for a town without a single traffic light.
The paramedics took a leap of faith to run Julia Creek’s ambulance base, with no plans to return to the state’s capital.
“[We were looking] for something a bit more family friendly,” Mr Wootton said.
Julia Creek is nestled along the Flinders Highway. (Supplied: Outback Queensland)
“We had our kids … and we were working opposite shifts in Brisbane.
“The workload was out of hand and we weren’t really spending much time together as a family.
“[Now], we’re not getting the … shift extensions like we were in Brisbane and leaving before the girls were awake and getting home after they’d gone to bed.”
Transitioning to the cultural norms of the outback has taken some time, but the couple say they “couldn’t be happier”.
A “magic” Julia Creek sunset in outback Queensland. (Supplied: Tourism Queensland)
“When we first moved out here, it’s sort of like the internal clock is running at that busy, metropolitan, hustle-and-bustle pace,” Mr Wootton said.
“So, it took a little while to settle into the laid-back sort of lifestyle that is out here.
“We don’t have to worry about traffic, busy shopping centres, just the normal day-to-day stuff that you get in busy areas.
“Everything’s walking distance from home … it’s just a simple, peaceful way of life.“
After watching the couple experience the effects of burnout in Brisbane, they said their families eventually understood their decision to move a 17-hour drive away from everything and everyone they knew.
“I think they thought we were a bit crazy at the start, but since they’ve come out here and they know how happy we are, they think it’s the best decision we’ve ever made,” Ms Hogan, 31, said.
“It was a big roll of the dice, but we couldn’t be happier … I think we’ve hit the jackpot,”
Mr Wootton added.
“Places like this, and specifically Julia Creek, it’s really humbled us and opened our eyes to how supportive and generous and welcoming these sorts of remote, outback communities are.
“It’s something that we had no idea about coming from Brisbane.”
Billy Wootton and Kelsea Hogan are putting down roots in the red dirt. (ABC News: Abbey Halter)
While there might not be the luxury of fast food or fine dining, the pair say it’s not much of a loss.
“When we go back to Brisbane, we make sure we do two weeks of going out for dinners, doing all the city stuff, and then we come back and we’re like, ‘Oh, we don’t miss that now’,” Ms Hogan said.
“[One downside] is the relentless heat out here … when it’s 48 degrees and you can’t spend any time outside, well I can’t anyway,” Mr Wootton said, laughing.
“But it’s all worth it in the end.“
South America to outback Queensland
A social media ad for a housekeeping job led to Chilean backpackers Javira Gonzalez, 27, and Gonzalo Astorga, 28, moving to Julia Creek.
“It’s basically not in the middle of nowhere, but in the middle of nowhere at the same time,”
Ms Gonzalez said.
Replacing empanadas for a pub parmi, the couple say that while experiencing life in the outback wasn’t part of their initial travel plans, they were glad they made the trek.
“Everything is really slow,” she said.
Backpackers Javira Gonzalez (left) and Gonzalo Astorga, from Chile in South America, are experiencing the outback life. (ABC News: Abbey Halter)
“It’s because I’m coming from the capital, Santiago, everything is really chill, everything is really small, totally the opposite … but I like it.”
“The people are very friendly, everyone says ‘hi’ or ‘how are you going mate?'” Ms Astorga said with a smile.
“When you need help, they don’t have a problem helping you.”
The outback landscape offers picturesque views across north-west Queensland. (Supplied: Julia Creek Roadhouse)
Widespread flooding across North West Queensland earlier this year gave the pair a taste of what the outback’s wild weather could bring.
“It was kind of like … shock,” Ms Gonzalez said.
“To realise you can’t travel anywhere, it’s kind of like ‘wow’.
Drawcards for the outback town include its artesian baths and surrounding waterholes. (Supplied: Tourism and Events Queensland)
“If the supermarket runs out of some products, you have to wait until the road is open again.”
Experiencing their first rodeo season in the west, Ms Astorga said wasn’t all that different from attending a Latin festival.
“Where everyone gets drunk and enjoys dancing,” he said.
“If you want to escape the city for the cows, Julia Creek is really nice,”
Ms Gonzalez said.
