The Rural Trader, Nevertire

Are there any stories from that period that stand out?

One day we were up sitting on the dam bank. We just finished mustering and we were looking out onto the horizon and there were these rolling clouds of dust coming towards us in a dust storm. We thought it was the apocalypse. The entire sky was filled with dust. And then all of a sudden, the wind gradually started to pick up. Within five minutes we were racing our motorbikes back to the shed.

We sat in the shed. We couldn't go anywhere because we couldn't see ten metres in front of us. And Tod and I sat there by the beer fridge, and we said, well, we better have a few beers. So we sat there drinking beers in the shed, the two of us, while the dust engulfed us and thought, you know what? We've got each other. We’re surviving. That's what it comes down to. Whether it's flood or fire or dust, being able to share a moment with someone and know you’re there for one another.

You said your business was hit by a cyclone? What was that like?

Scary. There were people tied up in power lines in their vehicles. Roofs ripped off, tin, timber, things, flying everywhere. It uprooted power poles - the wires hanging on the side of the road. It was like a little Cyclone Tracy that nearly blew Nevertire off the map. Can you imagine? I bought the building six months before.

We were just about to start renovating and the cyclone ripped the roof right off the shop, ripped the roof off my house, air conditioners, flattened fences. There was literally tin flying from my place over to the neighbours. You couldn't be outside. Lucky nobody was killed. Very lucky.

What’s the attraction of moving to the bush?

You know, a lot’s changed in the last ten years. People realise that having a flexible lifestyle is more conducive to the country. Working from home. Not being stuck in you car in traffic for hours or on public transport. And the cost of living in the city is increasing. The bush, less so.

There’s been a massive turnaround in agriculture, focusing on inefficiencies and ways to improve. So families are coming back to the country. The bush is a great place to raise kids. I love it. 

The role of women has also changed significantly. We now want something for ourselves. We don't wanna just cook, clean, wash. We want creativity and the ability to have our own thing. Hence the Rural Trader. Our parents and and grandparents didn't have access to childcare like we do now. They were full-time primary carers. So we're really paving the way for new innovative pathways for regional towns. The bush is really opening up for women.

Has the city come to the country more?

Rural Australia is becoming enlightened. People want to travel. If you can't afford to go overseas, you visit Outback Australia. And we're the gateway. We're between Sydney and Broken Hill. We get traffic from Sydney. And when they come into our shop, they think, oh my God, what is this place? You’re in the middle of nowhere and you have all this cool stuff. And they can have great coffee.

But my mission behind the business is ‘expect the unexpected in the bush’. That’s my slogan. I want to show people that just because you’re travelling through the bush, we aren't tired and worn out. We’re fresh and vibrant. Indeed, we ‘nevertire’.

What role does ‘drive tourism’ play in the business?

I've analysed this over the last six months. We are 100% reliant on drive tourism for our business to survive. Because we are located over 100kms west of Dubbo and public transport is almost impossible - without drive through traffic we wouldn't be here.

Most tourists will visit the Dubbo Zoo, the old Dubbo Gaol. They'll do all those types of things. Grab a coffee in the morning, and then come out to lunch with us. 

Some people are on the silo tour. We have two fabulous murals. And there’s a great mural on the side of my 1930s general store. Also the water tower right in our town is painted as well.

I feel that based on our location we sometimes get overlooked by bigger centres as those places have "more to offer" and more services. The biggest piece of advice I would give to travellers is to stop in micro-towns and really see what they have to offer. You will be pleasantly surprised!

I often have conversations with customers just passing through and the common theme that they talk about is, this place is so unexpected and they can't believe a place could be so appealing in the middle of nowhere. I think I have achieved this through The Rural Trader.

What would help bring tourism to your town?

I think something that would really benefit our community would be a driver reviver/public toilets complex across the road from our store and the pub as we have so many travellers, trades and truck drivers stopping in Nevertire.

I think this would be a great investment for the community to encourage more people to stop in our town - we also have the largest public parking in Nevertire as far as car parks go so plenty of room for people to pull up, stretch their legs and see what Nevertire has to offer.

Or possibly a charging point for EVs and vans. Plug your van in and grab a coffee or some lunch!

What's your favourite community event in Nevertire?

The Rodeo in October. Our community's small so we reach out to the community outside of the region. Satellite towns. At rodeo, pretty much everyone in Nevertire is either working in the bar, making sausage sandwiches, or doing whatever.

Everyone comes together. It's fun. On the side of the road, you’ll see horses bucking. You’ll see people riding around without saddles. You’re just driving along and you see someone on a bull and think, this is wild!

What’s your local ‘secret spot’?

Stay the night at Nevertire, Nyngan or Warren and see the beautiful western sunset - it really is like no other!

How can we help?

We understand that things are tight for people at the moment, so sometimes embarking on a trip and heading out west might not be possible right now.

For those people who cannot make it to The Rural Trader in person - we also have a fantastic online presence where people can shop online with a number of pantry items, homewares, gifts and fashion - and also online gift vouchers for that hard to buy for person!

Most of our products are either Made in Australia or designed in Australia which we are really proud of.

And for those who can make it out to The Rural Trader - a coffee, a cake, a pair of shoes, a packet of pasta, a warm hello - every little thing makes such a huge difference and if you love our store we would just ask you to leave us a review!