Doctors Reluctant to Take High-Paying Job in Remote Australian Town

Julia Creek, Queensland, Australia:A remote town in Queensland, Julia Creek, is offering an attractive salary and perks for a doctor’s position, yet no one seems willing to take the job. The offer includes a salary of up to AUD 680,000 ($428,000), free housing, and a car, but the position remains unfilled.

The town’s only doctor is set to leave soon, and despite the appealing offer, no doctor has expressed interest in moving to this small town, which has a population of just 500. The salary for a family physician in Julia Creek is nearly double what doctors earn in the state capital, Brisbane. However, the town is located 17 hours away from Brisbane, and the nearest large city, Townsville, is a 7-hour drive away.

Prospective candidates would also need to cope with extreme heat and the presence of insects. Despite these challenges, the town’s outgoing doctor, Adam Lous, believes that the new doctor will benefit from a peaceful lifestyle and gain valuable skills that they would not experience elsewhere.

Lous, who was brought to Julia Creek in 2022 with an offer of a AUD 500,000 salary, shared that when he saw the job advertisement, his first thought was, “Julia Creek? Where is that?” He recalls receiving a link from his mother-in-law with the headline: “The half-million-dollar job that no one wants.”