Sea Lake

I try to watch Backroads.  I find all the little towns interesting.  The people are invariably trying to hustle up a living like the rest of us.
One of the things I find fascinating is the desire of most places to find a reason for being.  There are a lot of towns it seems that were on major highways once that are now bypassed.  In many cases it is find a purpose or die.
It seems to be a common theme that young people are leaving, populations are plummeting, and businesses are closing.  The problem becomes a crisis when key businesses close their doors (like banks and doctors) and the general population often has to travel hours to receive the same service they once got.  It is now available but down the road (banking can be done through the Post Office – if it is still there).
I’ll never forget my bank closing its doors and going further away and writing to me to say they were improving the service to me.  I was not convinced.
About a week ago Backroads did a story on Sea Lake.  Weird name for an inland Victorian country town.  Looking at their web site they use a term I had not heard before “bush change.”  I had heard of “sea change” and “tree change” but not “bush change.”
It had been a dying small town.  In 2016 it had a population of 640 people.  The locals were determined that their town would not roll over and play dead.  They set about finding their reason for being.
They had noticed tourists were visiting the area, but they did not know why.  So they asked them. 
Turns out they were visiting Lake Tyrrell near-by.  It was a great place for taking photo’s and night sky viewing.  In fact, the location was world renowned.  The locals cottoned on to this and now run photographic tours from that location and encourage people to visit and stay in their town.  They have a silo which has now been painted and is a part of the “Silo trail.”  They have put water back in another local lake (whole other story) and now have water sports and other reasons kids want to stay or visit.
What I love is the locals were unwilling to accept what people and trends were telling them.  They knew there were possibilities for them if they went and looked.  The accepted wisdom was, “you are on your way out so please just do it quietly.”
They did not accept that was the way it had to be.  Perhaps the death of the town was inevitable, but if it was, they were going to go down fighting.  The town did not die though. People find the town attractive.  They want to go there or be there.
It no doubt happens everywhere but I have seen a bit of that.  The highway has bypassed a few towns between Brisbane and Gympie.  Even in the animated movie “Cars” highway 66 bypassed them, and people only returned when the town had a reason for being.  There is a song sung, before the town was revived, and the inhabitants are looking at the new road.  It is called “Find Yourself” and I have it on my playlist.
Without a reason for being any town will die.  It seems the only way for that progression to be overturned, is locals caring enough to pay a cost in time and effort.
In the case of Sea Lake, I am really glad they did.