Living in a small country town in Australia has its pros and cons.
The pros? The environment. The clear open skies and clean air. The peace and tranquility — if you seek it out. The small town community spirit. And you can live at a much lower cost than in the cities.
The cons are cultural and economic. The smart people leave small towns, especially the young. If you have an interest in a niche area, opportunities to find like minded people are limited. For example, I run a graphic design business. Running a graphic design business in a country town is like trying to make trees grow in the desert. It’s a very limited market. One eeks out a very partial living.
I’m also skilled at software development. Not many people here with these kinds of skills. So one pursues these interests in isolation. For a couple of years now I’ve been attempting to create some software products which could be sold to a wider market — beyond this small town. It’s a slow process. Just keep plugging away.