Karl and Bobbie Roth are not the only residents of Larrimah who say that it is dying.
"All the old houses are falling down, nobody wants them, and our population … we're all in our 70s and 80s," Mr Roth said.
The couple retired in the Northern Territory highway town just over 20 years ago. It had nothing more than a hotel, a tea house, and a museum.
Back then the bright-pink pub would be packed every Friday night, but slowly the population dwindled to just 12.
And then on December 16, 2017, Paddy Moriarty and his dog, Kelly, disappeared without a trace, shrinking the local number even further.
Larrimah's missing person mystery captured global attention but police are yet to unearth any answers.
Nor has the media, despite hundreds of news and magazine articles, award-winning podcasts, and a documentary now circulating.
The Roths stayed for the peace and quiet, like most of the residents, but that could soon all change.
Larrimah is on the cusp of becoming one of Australia's newest boom towns.
Imperial Oil and Gas, a subsidiary of Empire Energy, has proposals to drill six exploration wells on the edge of the town to tap into the Northern Territory's gas-rich Beetaloo Basin.
It would be one of the largest projects in the NT's on-shore shale gas industry, requiring 252.2 hectares of land cleared, 94 kilometres of tracks and roads, 48 bores and access to 380 megalitres of water.
The company has produced a detailed environment management plan (EMP), which is being assessed by the NT government.
Empire Energy chief executive Alex Underwood said the project would bring benefits to the region including jobs, new services and infrastructure, and royalties.
Mr Underwood declined to disclose how many workers would be brought in during the exploration phase.
But he added that it would be a "short-term, low-impact activity, as was demonstrated in the region's experience with the seismic survey and five wells drilled between 2012 and 2015".
The Roths said they were on the fence about the development — eager for a slight rise in the population and a boost to the economy, but not at the cost of the environment or their tranquillity.
"When they drilled around here last time, we had 52 road trains here carting rigs, equipment and blokes and machinery and bulldozers," Mr Roth said.
"There was lots of noise and traffic … we didn't even know they were coming until they arrived.
"No-one really complained, except for a few of us who complained about the speeding through town; I went off my rocker."
Brent Cilia, who moved to Larrimah in 2018 to take over the pie shop run by his grandmother, Fran, said he welcomed migration.
"I would not want anything to change the town significantly, especially for the older generation who are concerned an influx of people would disrupt the peace, but just having people sit in my courtyard attracts other people."
Social stress in boom towns
Will Rifkin, an emeritus professor at the University of Newcastle, has spent years studying the impacts of gas developments on regional towns.
He said in five years' time, Larrimah "will be completely different" if the drilling plan is approved.
During the coal-seam gas construction phase on Queensland's Darling Downs, Professor Rifkin said there was a boost in migration, house prices went up, and there was an increased pace of work.
Interviews and surveys of hundreds of community members revealed to him that development caused significant “social stress”, which contributes to mental and physical health concerns.
"When a change like the oil and gas industry comes to town … big multinational industries, although they hire contractors that are more locally based, it's unfamiliar to people," Professor Rifkin said.
"They haven't been there long enough to win the trust of some of the people in the community. There can be uncertainty about the future.
In studying the history of Australian boom towns, Professor Rifkin said a rise in population of more than 5 to 10 per cent in any given year could outpace the capability of the community.
Water allocations, sacred sites and consultation
Protect Country Alliance coordinator Graeme Sawyer and other groups, including the Environment Centre NT and the Nurrdalinji Aboriginal Corporation, are calling on the NT government to reject Imperial's EMP until it has been assessed by the Environment Protection Authority.
Mr Sawyer said the company had failed to properly consult community members, traditional owners and pastoralists, who had major stakes in the prosperity of the country.
He said greenhouse gas emissions and water contamination due to the toxic chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing were of greatest concern, as well as damage to sacred sites and the over-allocation of water.
According to a spokeswoman from the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority, Imperial Oil and Gas had made an application for an authority certificate relating to the area west of the Stuart Highway, but this had not yet been granted.
Environment Minister Eva Lawler said the government welcomed the community's input on drilling and hydraulic fracturing EMPs.
A number of environment groups had put forward detailed submissions outlining their concerns, which the minister said were part of the decision-making process.
Traditional owner Silvia Maroney and her son, Tristan, who were part of the successful Native Title determination over Larrimah in 2018, said they were "shocked" to learn about the exploration plans in a meeting with environment groups earlier this month.
"When I go to Larrimah to help the rangers or for a funeral for family, I feel a great sense of protection," Ms Maroney said.
Pastoralist Daniel Tapp, who agists more than 1,000 brahman cattle on Gorrie Station, said he also opposed the development.
"Contamination and over-allocation and depletion of those waters is my big concern," he said.
"We sell our products, whether it be beef or vegetables or mangoes, and it all relies heavily on clean water and our clean image … if our water is gone, so is the industry."
Mr Underwood said Empire Energy was committed to working with traditional owners, pastoralists, and local communities to ensure the benefits of exploration and production were shared.
He confirmed activity would not occur on sacred sites and other areas of cultural significance.
"The AAPA certification process is underway," he said.
