CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
Good coffee rural has finally arrived in the rural Queensland town of Yawannagokunt – a remote and stoic community of roughly 8,000 people according to the census.
This is a big thing for a town that had previously survived off schooner-sized take-away cups made by an elderly woman named Dot who would occasionally substitute in a couple teaspoons of instant if she’d run out of beans.
But with the grand opening of a new actual ‘cafe’ – things are changing in this sleepy town.
With the wide timber verandas that hang off the 15 pubs on the main street, and council’s commitment to the striking native flowers on all of the roundabouts and parklands, it makes complete sense for Yawannagakunt to become somewhat of a weekender town.
At the very least it could become a services hub. At the very best, it becomes a wedding town.
But there is still a few barriers that need to be broken down before this community is willing to go down the path of antique stores and gin distilleries.
Because it’s a town made famous for two things: an annual rodeo that attracts some of the rowdiest men in the state to ride bulls and broncos – and opal mining, an industry that traditionally attracts some of the most wanted fugitives in the state who are looking for a get-rich-quick industry that allows them to exist out of sight of law enforcement and government agencies.
Like most Australian country towns, it is a place that treats their city imports with hostilities. Unless they come bearing gifts.
And that’s exactly what Julian and Bruce have done with their new cafe ‘The Hub’.
As is a familiar story for the revival of rural towns right around Australia, there is no greater sign that rural communities are on the up than when someone opens a cafe called ‘The Hub’
This is usually followed by some sort of a microbrewery set up, and eventually a bakery that does ‘good bread’.
And the gruelling task of starting this reviltilization was suited to nobody better than Bruce and Julian – the first ‘official’ homosexual couple to set themselves up in Yawannagokhunt – apart from a couple of elderly lesbian social workers who everyone insisted were housemates or maybe even sisters.
“We also sell flowers” says Julian, to their growing gaggle of farmer’s wives who are absolutely riveted to have some gay friends to claim as their own like in Sex And The City.
“Oh” says Bruce.
“And scones”
