Australia needs a central Republican government which has six or seven provinces,states of whatever you want to call it.

We should have an American sort of structure.

socratease

http://www.uniqueyackandandah.com.au/

According to the link provided above, Yackandandah is alive and well with a population of just 700. Just the kind of place I'd like to settle down in eventually, but not sure if the 'small town mentality' exists up that way. Been to Beechworth, which is fairly close and loved it, but found house prices there have risen to a level generally outside of my ability to afford them.

Since a lot of people living in that area seem to work in Albury/Wodonga, I'm guessing that house prices in Yackandandah would also now be out of my price range.

I would have to smile at the sham effort put towards spreading the population further across this huge land. When you look at the targeted growth regions on a map you find they are all still on the edge of the continent.
Of course water is the issue and coupled with a lack of will and foresight from all governments it has kept our population clinging to the edge of the continent like flies around a saucer. We have enough water falling on the north of Australia in one season to sustain us for ten. The approach is basic, we start building dams and water conduits up north and work our way down. We do it salami fashion, piece by piece and populate the regions as the water comes online. When the reach of the water delivery process is expended we stop.
A pipe dream, only if we say it is. The Suez and Panama canals were projects of the 1800’s, the Three Gorges Dam was made yesterday, we could do it, but we won’t.