MEASURING real estate trends is one sure way to take the temperature of a region, and if Blackall and Longreach statistics are anything to go by, the patient is so cold, revival will take months if not years.
"Just keeping the doors open" is how Helen Aspinall describes her position at Ray White's real estate franchise in Blackall.
Generally she counts on 35 sales a year but since last September, she has only sold two homes.
"I'm surviving on my rent roll at the moment," she said. "I want to keep that going if I can - rent is good for a town."
Up the road in Longreach her counterpart at Ray White, Rhys Peacock, has only managed to sell three houses so far in 2015. This is on top of 40 sales last year, which he called a "slow year".
Normally at this time of year he would be contacting people to open up new rental opportunities alongside a full book. This year instead he has a vacancy list of 51 properties.
"Landlords have had to become very flexible. Homes that were once renting for $350 are now down to $290 a week.
"We literally have no tenants that are rural contractors anymore, and the town has seen lots of government cuts too."
From Ms Aspinall's perspective, mining layoffs have been as much a contributor to the downturn as drought.
She has clients in and around Blackall, Tambo, Isisford, Barcaldine, Aramac, Jericho and Sapphire.
"Young people are just not willing to invest," she said. "Apart from all that money going in stockfeed, there's no income from mining to invest here now. We've lost that market too."
She and her husband Ray operate one of the town's roo boxes too and have gone from buying 1000 carcases a week to 200. She said the lack of demand and lack of money for shooters was another reason town economies were in decline.
Longreach newsagent Rob Luck has seen drought in the west before but not like this. He is concerned about how long many of Longreach's Eagle Street businesses will be able to keep doors open.
His turnover has been falling $20,000 or more a month for 18 months and has cut his junior staff by half.
"The big picture here is, how are we going to be able to go forward?"
As well as government assistance, Rob was keen to see a lot more conferences and sporting events take place in the region for instant cash injections.
"We need these now and we need our councils to drive that," he said.
"We shouldn't underestimate community events either - they are very important for morale."
Sally Cripps
Journalist
Journalist
