Richmond Shire Council, in northwest Queensland, is offering blocks of land for just $1 in an effort to attract skilled workers to the area.
Richmond is about five hours west of Townsville and has a population of about 700. The council has put up seven 600 sq m blocks of land for an October 6th land grab.
Council CEO, Michelle Clarke, said it was hoped the move would benefit the town by addressing a local skills shortage.
"We've decided that we want to help people out for $1 in the hope that in return they will build a home and move to Richmond and maybe offer some skills in the town," she said. "Ideally it would be good to get some people with some skills - we don't have a vet, we don't have a hairdresser, and we're always looking for truck drivers and people with trades."
However, she said locals looking to break into the property market for the first time and retirees were also welcome to apply.
Ms Clarke said the town boasted Lake Fred Tritton - popular for swimming, fishing and waterskiing - and a relaxed lifestyle.
To apply for the land grab, interested parties must have less than $500,000 in combined assets and pre-approval from a bank to build a home. They must complete the dwelling within two years and occupy the residence for at least a year.
Applicants will go into a raffle for the seven blocks, to be drawn at noon on October 6th 2008.
All blocks have sealed road frontages, with power, water and sewerage connections available.
In July this year, a tiny Tasmanian town with houses to rent for just $1 a week captured the world's attention. The community of Levendale was inundated with emails and telephone calls from young families worldwide wanting to escape the rat-race and snare their slice of rural bliss.
