Living in the North West we know Australian rural driving are difficult what with long distances, unpredictable weather, animals on the road, little phone coverage and often poor surfaces to contend with.
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There is another issue that is becoming increasingly common in smaller towns.
This week's wider Queensland news featured the tiny south west town of Bollon (population 334) in Balonne Shire.
Bollon recently lost its only fuel station.
It's terrible news for locals who now must drive 100km east to St George or 200km west to Cunnamulla to fill up. It is worse for unwary travellers making available fuel calculations, who find they have to drive an extra 100km to find a bowser.
And they are often the only places where people can buy other provisions while on the road.
The RACQ said the situation was not unusual for parts of rural and remote Queensland - as we know well here with the closure of McKinlay's only servo - and it was up to authorities to share the responsibility and help warn drivers.
"We're calling on governments to step in and install driver information signage to save motorists from being caught out, particularly in locations where traffic volumes are low and mobile reception may be poor," the RACQ said.
"If you do happen to run out of fuel, don't despair - give us a call on 13 11 11."
That is helpful to know (if you can make a phone call) but it is not just the fuel stations suffering. Going out of business is becoming increasingly common especially among the small town owner/operator businesses who don't have a succession plan or who struggle to turn a buck.
It's part of the general commercial squeeze on small towns that make them increasingly unviable places to call home.
In Bollon the Balonne Shire are investigating whether they need to become fuel providers, something which they say is not their "core business" but something they may have to do if no one else steps up. It's the sort of challenge faced by rural councils across the land as the economies of scale of the big cities suck our economy into smaller silos. All three levels of government need to be cognisant of the problem and some towns are going to face an existential crisis: can we keep them going without the engine of private business? Derek Barry