The pub in the tiny town of Underbool, in the hot wheatbelt west of Victoria, has been closed since 2016. A few years ago, its nine-hole golf course shut down. The town is closer to Adelaide than Melbourne. The nearest regional centre, Mildura, is 150km away. To access most amenities, Underbool’s 220 locals have to drive a very long way.
What Underbool does have, and what the town has been fighting for 10 years to keep, is a swimming pool.
