In the heart of outback Queensland, more than 800km west of Brisbane, sits a town with its own postcode and exactly two residents. Now, the entire population of Cooladdi is packing up – and the town is officially on the market.
For $400,000, buyers will get the Foxtrap Roadhouse, a four-bedroom home, and the keys to the town. It’s a far cry from the $935,000 median price for a cramped Sydney unit.
Cooladdi – whose name reportedly stems from a local Indigenous word for “black duck” – is one of Australia’s smallest towns. Its official status is anchored by the local post office, which operates out of the roadhouse. Because of this, Cooladdi retains its own postcode: 4479.
The town’s two residents, Carol Yarrow and Jo Cornel, took over the roadhouse in February 2023. They had a three-year plan to bring the quiet stopover back to life. Now, that time is almost up.
With retirement looming for Yarrow, and Cornel seeking a return to Brisbane to be closer to family, they are ready to hand over the reins.
The new owners will wear many hats. Running Cooladdi means serving as the postie, the publican, the cook and the shopkeeper.
“The food and the pub are probably one of the main jobs; we also do the mail runs as part of the post office,” says Yarrow, who grew up on a station between Quilpie and Windorah. No stranger to remote hospitality, she has spent years running motels and hotels.
Even though it’s hard work, she says it’s a rewarding gig: “I’ve always found the best thing is the local community … the people within around 70km who come through the property.”
It wasn’t always this quiet. Cooladdi was once a bustling railway hub with a population that peaked at roughly 270. But as the local sheep industry shrank and the trains eventually stopped coming, the town slowly emptied out. The school closed its doors for good in 1974.
Around that time, Beryl and Bob Fox built the Foxtrap Roadhouse. It was an unusual investment, but it made sure Cooladdi remained a key meeting point.
“There’s a lot of history here,” Yarrow says. “Since the residents left – many moving out to Charleville and the surrounding areas – people will come to visit who grew up here, to check out the old haunts.”
Managing the sale is Becky Jeisman from Charleville Real Estate. Located within the Murweh Shire Council, Cooladdi’s closest major centre is Charleville, a town of 3,000 where an average house sells for about $210,000.
Jeisman says the roadhouse would suit empty nesters, a keen young group, or a family wanting a lifestyle change.
The new buyer has the potential to drastically change the town’s population.
“Technically, yes, there are only two people currently living in Cooladdi,” Jeisman says. “The population is calculated on how many people own the Foxtrap. It is the town, and if a group of four people buy it, then the population will double.”
For those tired of city life, Yarrow says Cooladdi offers a great “change of pace” and a laid-back lifestyle.
Beyond the titles of publican and postie, Jeisman says that the new owners will inherit a far more important role: maintaining the “general camaraderie” at the heart of an isolated community.
As she and Cornel prepare to wipe down the bar and pour their final beers, there is hope that Australia’s smallest town has some life left in it yet.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/apr/08/tiny-queensland-town-cooladdi-on-the-market-new-owner
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