An outback town of just 500 has finally found a full-time doctor, as the family doctor reveals that his dream of owning a cow was the inspiration for the 1,000-mile move.
Dr. Adam Louws was further tempted to move from north Brisbane to the small town of Julia Creek, in rural central north Queensland, after seeing the role pay $500,000 a year, a free home and five weeks annual leave offered.
The father of four said he had always dreamed of owning a dairy cow and often talked to his family about buying a large estate on the outskirts of Brisbane.
So when his mother-in-law saw an article about Julia Creek advertising such a high salary, she brought it to his attention, joking that he could finally own a cow.
Advertised wages were significantly higher than the median GP salary of $175,000, according to 2019-20 IRS data.
Julia Creek (above) finally found a full-time doctor after offering more than $500,000 a year, a free home, and five weeks of annual leave for someone to run the hospital
Dr. Louws said the job in Julia Creek was easier than he expected and that his family likes country life (pictured, a map of Julia Creek)
Dr. Louws decided to explore the offerings further and explored what the city had to offer, particularly the annual Dirt n Dust Festival.
“It took three days, but I basically searched the whole city on Google Maps,” he said Australian doctor on Friday.
“It’s hard to explain, the feeling of falling in love with a city you’ve never been to.”
Before Dr. Louws arrived, Julia Creek had been without a full-time doctor for over 10 years, and locals had to travel hundreds of miles for treatment.
The city has a six-bed day hospital, staffed by nurses, that provides low-cost care, as well as temporary care for patients awaiting transfer in case of an emergency.
Dr. Adam Louws (above) said he decided to move to Julia Creek after telling his family that he dreamed of owning a cash cow
If the locals needed a doctor, the nearest one was 90 miles away in Richmond.
Deputy Mayor Janene Fegan said patients sometimes had to travel 150 miles to Mount Isa to reach a practicing family physician.
Dr. Louws, his wife and their four children moved to Julia Creek earlier this month and said the transition was easier than expected.
Despite being head of a GP practice, retirement home and hospital, Dr Louws said his patient burden has been ‘effectively halved’.
Yes, it can be hectic at times. On my first day we had an emergency that needed to be transferred outside – a process I had to learn very quickly,” he said.
‘But in general it is much less busy than people expect. They expect all those calls at 2 o’clock on Sunday morning, that hasn’t happened yet.’
He added that living in the countryside has many advantages: ‘Where else in Australia can you live five minutes from work and have a 100-acre estate? There are heaps of land, heaps of open space, clear skies.’
Dr. However, Louws said he is still “working on” getting his cash cow.
Julia Creek ran an ad last year (above) for a doctor offering more than $500,000 a year, a free house and five weeks of annual leave after being without a full-time primary care physician for more than 10 years
Julia Creek’s doctor from 1999 to 2004 also enjoyed life in the outback town and said he looks back with “incredibly fond memories.”
“The move from cold, green and wet Ireland to the dry, hot expanse of McKinlay Shire was definitely a shock to the system,” said Dr Martin Doris.
“Fortunately, the people of Julia Creek and McKinlay welcomed us with open arms – we became part of the community.”
Holly Kenny, whose husband Tim was a town doctor for five years, also enjoyed her time at Julia Creek.
“We thought maybe we could contribute something… as wrong as we were – it was the other way around,” she said.
“Nothing prepared us for the hospitality and generosity of the wilderness on every level we would receive from this precious community.
“We were welcomed with open arms and have never looked back.”