Having grown up around small country towns, I appreciate seeing that so many of them are trying to do their own thing and stand out in a bleak landscape. However, I would never opt to live in one again.

I like exploring regional Victoria and doing the short stays. It feels like a nice little holiday in my own backyard.

Same price pressures in most country towns as everywhere else. Population growth, construction costs skyrocketing, holiday homes and short term accomodation growth. Only the really isolated places are still cheap.