NSW towns suffering from a man drought |
A pub with no beer is one thing but some NSW women are facing a crisis which is arguably worse - a town with no single men.
According to the 2006 census the tiny village of Coutts Crossing near Grafton is one of four towns in the state which have no available blokes.
The number of single women in each place ranges from 11 to 15.
The revelation follows global headlines and controversy over the blackspots polar opposite - the Aussie town that advertised for ugly women to beat its girl drought... Mt Isa.
Demographer Bernard Salt, who identified what he calls "extreme gender towns"in his recent book Man Drought, said they were all lifestyle areas. "Theyre not out west of the great divide where the farmer wants a wife,"Mr Salt said.
"Theyre choosing to live in lifestyle areas. Its a conscious choice that theyre making. What theyre perhaps saying is lifestyle is more important than relationships."
Of the 600 people living in Coutts Crossing, 15 are 30-something women.
Tyalgum, near Mt Warning, has a population of 250 with 11 single women, but no single men.
Out of the 750 people who live at Tinonee, south of Taree, there are 15 single women in their 50s and no single men. Safety Beach, near Coffs Harbour, is another man-free town, with 11 single women and no available men.
"They may well be widows or divorcees,"Mr Salt said.
"When you look at different parts of Australia you find that there are some bizarre, extraordinary demographic compositions.
"You get some quite unusual collections or situations.
"Its not a level playing field in some of these places,"Mr Salt said.
"The equivalent in terms of males towns is out in the mining areas.
"Women just dont do mining towns - they much prefer lifestyle."
But there is some hope.
Mr Salt said the occasional man may have snuck underneath the radar by not filling out the census.
"They might be there but theyre hiding out of apathy,"he said.
Story by Angela Saurine
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