When Michelle and Matthew Gander looked at buying the Blackall Motel in central western Queensland last year, they were thinking it was time to spice life up with a bit of adventure.
"We wanted to be self-employed, and we'd always stayed in motels - we thought it might be interesting," Michelle said. "Now there are times we think we've bitten off more than we can chew."
The couple lived in Orange and raised a family there for close on 20 years before moving 30 minutes west to Cudal, when the Central Tablelands centre, population 40,000, went from being a country town to a city.
They spent the next 10 years on 17ha at Cudal, running a few Aussie White sheep alongside Matthew's livestock carting business and Michelle's passion for the Australian Trail Horse Riding Association, and her work as administration manager at Orange's co-educational Bletchington Public School.
"It was pretty fast-paced, fairly corporate," Michelle recalled.
"I often say I ran a 30-room motel with 650 guests and 70 staff.
"I dealt with people from all walks of life - it transitioned me nicely to this role, understanding that it's not a job you can walk away from at night."
After years in their respective roles, they were feeling they needed to try new things.
And new it's been - Michelle said learning everything, from the back end of the administration side to looking after guests, they had learnt from the ground up.
"We had no pre-determined expectations - we threw caution to the winds," she said. "We initially thought Blackall might be too far away but it seemed right when we inspected."
Many people that move to a small town in the bush struggle to be accepted as part of the fabric, even after raising a family and filling every community role going, but Matthew and Michelle say they feel like locals after just a few months in town.
"The community has cheered us on - that's not a common sentiment everywhere you go," Michelle said.
They took over the 15-room motel, only eight of them in operation, two days before Christmas and set about stripping out the rooms and totally refitting them.
It gave Michelle a blank palette, which she used to modernise the furnishings while keeping some of the retro elements.
Along with new artworks featuring animals as diverse as emus and alpacas, they make for a memorable night's sleep in the western Queensland town.
"They were things we could do quickly to make it ours," Michell said. "The more we do, the more we feel she's part of us."
As well as quirky motel room features, the Ganders have begun cooking evening meals again, and are looking forward to reopening the cafe at the front of the motel, along with the fuel outlet.
"We'll probably call it the Brolga Cafe - Blackall has a real affinity with birds - and we'll have a barista on duty and serve breakfast and lunch," Michelle said.
Although admitting they've never worked harder in their lives, Michelle said they hadn't come to western Queensland to fail.
"We're not raising prices - what we have done is add value," she said. "We've had quite a few no vacancy nights - it's quite encouraging."
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