Nichole Jenkins wanted a place to work away from home after the pandemic lockdowns and there was nothing on offer in Nyngan - so she created it herself.
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The Junction Nyngan is the only co-working space in the town and people from all walks of life gather to work there including an international lawyer, a number of accountants, a journalist and the owner of an upmarket farm-stay.
Ms Jenkins is an early childhood consultant and came to Nyngan from Cobar 12 years ago. She was inspired by The Exchange - a co-working space in Dubbo - and thought, "you know what, I could do that here".
The challenges of working from home during COVID-19 are what drove her.
"When I was working from home, you'd be in a Zoom meeting with the most amazing things to share and your internet would start to fail and people couldn't hear you and I found it so frustrating," Ms Jenkins told the Daily Liberal.
She looked for a premises to rent and found a beautiful, recently-renovated shopfront. She decided to make it beautiful inside, too.
"We got an interior designer and away we went. I've been really surprised. The co-working ticks along ... it's been really good."
People don't just use The Junction for office work - they also use the available rooms to hold private work and community meetings. Workshops are also held in the space and just recently, popular-on-Instagram dieticians, Clean Kweens, hosted a workshop there.
There have also been watercolour, wire sculpture and sewing workshops, and Sheep Connect NSW will be presenting there soon.
"It's starting to get a bit more of a reputation and become a bit busier with that side of things. I think it's great for Nyngan to have a nice space for people to come and present professionally," Ms Jenkins said.
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"[People] deliver a lot of training across the western area and you can walk in and it's good to go."
Ms Jenkins hopes the agricultural side of Nyngan starts making more use of the space, as well as the younger people moving into the area.
"I see in the agricultural space and in our community so many vibrant young people starting to filter into these areas. I would love to think that somewhere like this provides them another tick for living in a community like this," she said.
"We're watching a lot of rural communities declining and I feel like Nyngan is very vibrant and it's nice we have got the mines here. It's a cross section of mining and agriculture. I hope the community continues to grow and this plays its little part in supporting our young people to come."
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Sarah Falson
Sarah is Explore's Digital News Editor. She believes regional travel is just as fun (if not better) than staying in the big cities and loves any travel experience to do with nature, animals and food!. My all-time favourite destination is ... Cornwall. From the giant seagulls to the blustery beaches, Cornish pasties and fishing villages, it stirs something romantic and seafaring in me. Next on my bucket list is … Mongolia. I want to go somewhere really unique that feels totally foreign and challenges my way of life. My top travel tip is … Don’t plan too much. Walk the streets and let it happen. And make sure you check out what’s within a few blocks of your hotel - sometimes the best local food is found that way.
