Quilpie made international headlines in 2021 when it started offering blocks of land for as little as $12,500 when offset with a new homeowner’s grant.

The council has now upped the ante and increased the grant to $20,000, calling it the most generous grant of its type in Queensland.

When combined with local average residential land prices of about $25,000, it means buyers will be able to secure house blocks for as little as $5000.

Quilpie Shire Council CEO Justin Hancock said he hoped the increase would start an “outback land stampede” to the “little town with the big heart”.

“With land valuations rising, and council benefiting from that, and cost of living and interest rates also rising, we recognised that there was a need to increase our home owner grant in line with this,” he said.

The only catch for buyers is that they must build and live on their property for a minimum of six months to receive the subsidy.

The offer is part of a push to increase the local population from 800 to more than 1000 people.

The plan has caught the attention of potential buyers from the US, India and Ireland, Hancock said, with one university professor from Tokyo buying two blocks to relocate with his young family later in the year.

“It’s exciting to know that our connectivity is going to allow someone to trade the bright lights of Tokyo for the red dirt of the outback,” Hancock said.

Despite the struggle obtaining construction materials and filling builder shortages, Hancock was upbeat about the arrival of new modular homes from Brisbane this year.

“I’m proud we have houses that are nearly complete and nearly ready to hit the road out to Quilpie and plans for seven houses in two years,” he said.