During the summer months, many residents of Western Queensland flee the stifling heat for cooler destinations, leaving towns deserted.
For a lot of people, summer holidays mean bustling beaches, busy shopping centres and full car parks.Towns become almost as barren as the landscape, as a stifling heat sets in and many retreat to cooler pastures.ABC Western Qld: Hannah WalshIt's a running joke in the west that half the population ends up on the Sunshine Coast in January.Taryn Seccombe's three kids enjoying a boogie board at Mooloolaba.
'We do head to Mooloolaba a bit and definitely run into our neighbours and people while we're there,' she said. 'People think western Queensland is boring, but we lead very busy lives and during the year there's so much happening … it's just a really good time to take some time out.The streets of western Queensland are quiet at this time of year.For those who stay, life is slow and deliberate. Stillness lies heavy on the quiet streets of Longreach, filled only with the rustle of trees and the distant hum of air conditioners. The temperature can still be in the high 30s as the sun sets and casts a dome of soft orange, pink and purples over the town.A summer sunset in Longreach after a storm.Nurses Laura Flemming and Annie Harris said they felt at peace away from the 'hustle and bustle.' 'It's hot and the town goes very quiet, no tourists, a lot of places are closed for the summer or have reduced hours,' Ms Flemming said. 'We spend our days off swimming in the river, stand up paddle boarding, fishing, playing board games and going to dinner parties,' added Ms Harris.Far from tourism seasonJohn Watkins is on his way to Darwin from Wollongong, on the coast of New South Wales. The 65-year-old can count on his hands the number of people he's interacted with between crossing the border and getting to Longreach.ABC Western Qld: Hannah Walsh'Most of the towns, not a person, not a dog, not a cat, nothing. The summer exodus is even more visible in some of the state's smaller and most remote town
WESTERN QUEENSLAND SUMMER VACATION POPULATION EXODUS DESERTED TOWNS HEAT WAVE
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