With a population of 250 people, the historic gold mining community of Ravenswood is often dubbed a ghost town.
It's an unlikely stop for a music tour, but for one festival, it's the perfect destination.
"It's such a cool town – I feel like I've stepped back 100 years," Canadian singer-songwriter Catherine MacLellan said.
The Festival of Small Halls takes national and international folk musicians off the beaten track to perform in tiny town halls across the country.
Since launching in 2013, the festival has travelled to about 315 communities across six states.
It's currently on its 30th tour, with artists clocking up thousands of kilometres on the road between far-flung towns in outback Queensland.
"We've been in the tiniest towns and places you wouldn't expect to even have a hall, and they have these beautiful halls and beautiful communities – it's been magic," Ms MacLellan said.
The initiative breathes new life into often disused or neglected community halls, which were once the heart of regional centres.
"The halls need life, and they need music, and they need community to be coming together and using them," Ms MacLellan said.
Her tour mate, Gold Coast musician Karl Williams, said the intimacy of the shows was rewarding.
"[These towns are] for the most part starved of music or entertainment, so it's nice to be able to bring something out of the ordinary," he said.
The festival concept was adopted from Prince Edward Island in Canada by the organisers of Queensland's popular Woodford Folk Festival.
Woodfordia deputy executive director Amanda Jackes said the tours offered a taste of world-class music to small communities often doing it tough.
"Whether they're battling drought or flooding, they're able to go to a different place and just momentarily forget perhaps the struggles that are going on for them," Ms Jackes said.
"Music is such a powerful medium, and when you're able to experience that in small halls with communities that know and love each other, it's a special experience."
Debi Candlish and Rebecca Alferez made the three-hour round trip from Townsville to watch the Ravenswood show.
"It's kind of like going into a Western movie when you drive in and see the pubs," Ms Alferez said.
"We were discussing in the car coming that this is the most remote gig that we've come to.
"I really like the concept that they come to revitalise town halls because back in the day, they used to be the heart of these communities."
Ms Candlish said she was blown away by the quality of the music.
"I hope they do more of it," she said.
It was a big night for 11-year-old Ravenswood local Laynie Ahern, who was asked by the festival to open the show.
"It was a bit cool to be up there with them famous singers … I never thought I'd have the opportunity to do that," she said.
"Sometimes we'll have a couple of little bands come through the markets, but not usually big people like this."
