Remote Australian town with population of 500 needs a doctor; here's what they're offering

WELLINGTON, New Zealand - A remote Australian town, which is facing the loss of its only doctor, is offering a hefty salary, along with some other perks, in an effort to attract a new physician.

Australian town offering big salary for doctor

By the numbers:

The remote Queensland town of Julia Creek is offering a salary of up to 680,000 Australian dollars ($428,000), along with free rent and a car, in an effort to hire the candidate.

According to The Associated Press, the salary is about double the salary a family physician would earn in the state’s capital, Brisbane.

The backstory:

Outgoing medic Dr. Adam Louws was recruited from Brisbane in 2022, when Julia Creek drew national headlines for offering a salary of AU$500,000.

"My mother-in-law sent me a link to this news article saying, ‘the half a million dollar job that no one wants,’" Louws told the AP. "My first thought when I saw it and I looked at it was, where’s Julia Creek?"

Before Louws arrived in 2022, the town hadn't had a permanent doctor for 15 years, with a roster of visiting physicians dropping in for short stays.

A rider faces a long stretch of the road in the cycle leg during the Dirt 'n' Dust Triathlon, which is part of the Julia Creek Dirt 'n' Dust Festival 2017 on April 8, 2017 in Julia Creek, Australia. Billed as one of the toughest triathlons in Austral

Expand

"The money is plenty. It is," Louws continued. "One of the things that I think people don’t necessarily consider enough about this job is the other things that this town has to offer."

At the end of his two-year contract in Julia Creek, however, the distance from his extended family had taken a toll and he plans to return to his practice in the city. Louws departs in May; applications for his post close Sunday.

About Julia Creek

Dig deeper:

 Julia Creek has a population of 500, with the closest major city, Townsville, being a seven-hour drive.

The town is a slice of the Australian Outback with wide-open spaces and orange sunsets. Kids play sports and ride horses. But it’s remote — high school means boarding school in the city and the nearest hospital is nearly three hours’ drive away.

RELATED: These US cities will pay you to move there: 'Cash often gets attention'

Australia had a shortfall of general practitioners of 2,500 doctors across the country, according to a 2024 government report, with the shortage worst in rural areas and expected to grow. Meanwhile, in the United States, 65% of rural areas had a shortage of primary care physicians in 2023, official figures showed.