Council move leaves tiny Aussie town 'cut off from the world': 'Disgraceful'
The decision will make the community even more isolated
A small rural town in Queensland has lost the majority of its free-to-air television, leaving the already isolated community even more cut off.
Eidsvold is situated two hours inland from Hervey Bay and boasts beautiful landscape but is incredibly remote, known to be a hub for the regional cattle industry.
The local council made the decision to shut down the transmission tower which previously provided the television service saying it was too costly to continue, with local council member Margot Stork reminding the community that the service is not a "core business of council".
However, the 600 residents of Eidsvold are not happy about the huge change in lifestyle this will bring, as they claim television helps to keep the remote town connected with the rest of the world.
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Eidsvold resident Val Pashalis loves watching television and said that it's the community's "favourite thing" to do.
"They've got nothing else here but their TV," Ms Pashalis told ABC News.
Another resident shared similar sentiment and said it's "not normal" for a community to not have free-to-air television.
"In all my time, I don't know of any other place that's lost their TV coverage," Anne Johnson said, describing the move as "disgraceful". She added that closing the tower would send the community "back to the dark old days".
With very little services and activities on offer in the town, the community are worried they won't have anything to do to pass the time.
"It's so important to people to have their local TV. We've got no pub, we've got nowhere to go, nothing to do at night," resident Noel Thompson said.
Residents are condemning the decision and even fighting back, but council are standing strong with their cost cutting decision.
Television services available at cost
The local council informed ABC News that Eidsvold residents will be able to access free-to-air television but will need to pay for the services themselves.
A government subsidy is available, however, with an initial set-up fee of $800, the majority of the community may be forced to go without television all together.
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