In a crowd of cowboy hats, belts and boots, outback residents are given the chance to find friendship, love or maybe even something in between. A series of ‘meet and greet’ events across central west Queensland is kickstarting a busy social season where everyone is on the hunt for something.
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00:00More than just a place for a beer, pubs in Outback Queensland bring together nervous
00:09newcomers, rowdy ringers and brave backpackers at the start of every year.
00:15Home's originally Mullumbimby, just sort of down near Byron Bay.
00:18I have moved from Brisbane to be Agave on a cattle station, so I'm here.
00:22Born and bred across the road.
00:25This pub at Ilfracombe in Western Queensland is refreshing the old tradition of bachelor
00:30and spinster balls.
00:32The meet and greets are for all those new people in town, doctors, nurses, teachers
00:36and whoever else may come around and yeah, somewhere where they can all meet up, get
00:41to know one another and yeah, be part of our community moving forward.
00:45After a long, hot and quiet summer in the Outback, towns across the central west come
00:49out of hibernation as the annual meet and greet events kick off the start of the social
00:54season.
00:55From here on out, the calendar is filled with rodeos, races and balls, but right here is
00:59where it all begins.
01:01People travel from near and far to attend in search of different things.
01:07Meet new people, make some new friends and make some really good memories.
01:11Have a feed and a few beers and go home.
01:14I hope I find a husband that has like, you know, some good acres and a bit of money that
01:19I can just live up here like for my whole life.
01:22If you're not looking for love, be warned.
01:25You will fall in love here.
01:27It's the place to fall in love.
01:28I was only going to be here for three months to get my, just to help with my visas and
01:34then three years later, I'm still here.
01:38Jade Cook's not the only backpacker who has found love at the pub.
01:43In eight years, I think we're five or six have found true love in Ilfraco.
01:48It's great for our town.
01:50It's become a bit of a drawcard to get workers.
01:53When I first spoke to Tracey on the phone, she said, oh, you know, when people come out
01:58here, they always find love and then they stay.
02:00And I was like, that's not, that's not going to happen to me.
02:03Now I can say she's absolutely right.