Solution in plane view: Plan to help drought areas take off

Drought-ravaged far northwestern NSW is being given a huge boost in the state Budget as the government offers some much-needed relief to the region.

• $3 billion plan for four new dams to beat drought
• Picture gallery: Devastating reality of drought in NSW

Drought-ravaged far northwestern NSW is being given a huge boost in the state Budget as the government offers some much-needed relief to the region.

The Saturday Telegraph can reveal drought assistance measures will be a key feature of the Budget when Treasurer Dominic Perrottet hands it down on June 18, with the return of air services to the area a part of the government’s plans to help those struggling.

Farmhand boy Jandre Mostert, 6, cuddles a lamb on Meredith and Tony Thompson's farm in Bourke.

The government will on Saturday announce a $2 million upgrade of critical water infrastructure links for Nyngan and Cobar to fix leaks causing a loss of precious supplies.

It comes with the Bureau of Meteorology predicting a drier than average, and warmer than usual, winter, which is highly unlikely to bring any relief to suffering farmers.

Mr Perrottet and Deputy Premier John Barilaro flew to Bourke on Friday night and will spend Saturday visiting the state’s far west region.

They landed hours after council representatives from the Far North West Joint Organisation met in Dubbo to negotiate a multimillion-dollar air services tender to bring commercial flights back to Cobar, Bourke and Lightning Ridge or Walgett.

The government is investing $20 million to bring flights back to the region and has put the Joint Organisation in charge of delivering it.

This includes $500,000 for road plan upgrades, and $10 million in tourism and infrastructure projects in the region.

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It has been 12 years since flights last serviced Walgett and Bourke, and 16 months since they last serviced Cobar.

Mr Barilaro said the government was working with the towns to return a “vital link back to the Outback”.

“The Far West is not a stranger to drought but the current conditions are unprecedented,” he said.

“The best way to keep our Outback economies going is to head out and visit one of these iconic Australian towns.”

Mr Perrottet said boosting transport options will not only help regional families access vital services but also “boost tourism to some of the most breathtaking areas in the country”.

“We know our farmers and drought-affected communities are doing it tough, which is why we are doing everything we can to make sure they have every support they need,” he said.

Bourke residents currently have to drive four hours to Dubbo Airport in order to fly to major Australian cities or make the gruelling 871km journey to Sydney by car.

Like others in the region, the town is suffering through what farmers say is one of the worst droughts in living memory.

Where the drought is hitting hardest.

The Darling River beds are so dry it has been two years since tourism operators were last able to take passengers for a cruise on the popular paddleboat Jandra.

Bourke’s population fell 2.4 per cent in a year from 1970 people in 2017 to 1923 last year, according to ABS regional population growth data, while in the opal mining town of Lightning Ridge it dropped 2.3 per cent.

But Bourke Shire Council Mayor Barry Hollman insists the future is bright for country people, whom he says will “always fight back”.

He said the community was “thrilled” with the push for a new air service.

“One of the first things professional people always ask is: ‘Have you got an air service?’. If you want to entice them to your town, that’s the type of service you’ve got to have,” Mr Hollman said.

Cobb & Co tourism operator Paul Clarkson, from Bourke, is hopeful that renewed commercial flights to the area will boost tourism.

Walgett Mayor Manuel Martinez agrees and is hopeful flights will bring international traders back to Lightning Ridge, the only place in the world where black opal is mined.

“Japanese traders used to come back and forward but no one wants to drive 10 or 12 hours from the city,” he said.

Paul Clarkson, 46, works on the Cobb & Co Heritage Trail in Bourke and said direct flights would help it thrive: “Bourke has a lot of history … If people can get on a plane and spend two or three days here and see what we have to offer, that’s great, rather, than an almost two-day drive.”

Tony Thomson, 56, runs a farm nearby and said the town had slowly bled residents and services recently due to the drought.

“If (air services) is something that reverses that trend, that’s a bloody positive sign,” he said.

Two NSW airlines are bidding for the tender and several airports in the region are expected to be upgraded.