Twenty-one years ago, the tiny town of Ultima set out to boost its population by 25 per cent within a year at a cost of just $12.
The tiny town of Ultima sold a dozen blocks of unused land for $1 in 2003 in an effort to revitalise the region.The tiny farming town is four hours north-west of Melbourne, a 20-minute drive from the regional centre of Swan Hill.
"People didn't want to move to the country and at the time, farming land was being sold off more and farmers were moving into town ," Ms Tomamichel said. The intention was to boost the town's population of approximately 127 people by 25 per cent, and the Swan Hill Rural Council was immediately on board.
"It's such an amazing, stereotypical country community vibe and, if something's happening, everyone's on board," he said.It's hard to accurately track the population growth of Ultima, as the Australian Bureau of Statistics has used different geographical boundaries in its census reports over the years.By 2006 that population had jumped by 26 per cent to 161 and 50 different families.That's not how she feels when she looks back on it.
Ms Tomamichel said her husband's family had spent three generations in Ultima before the town changed to such a point they left.The 2021 census has just 176 residents in the town, comprising 38 families.
$1 One Dollar Land Unused Abandoned Ultima Suellen Tomichel ADRIAN LEE Deakin Melbourne University Swan Hill Council
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