But Cumnock and District Progress Association’s plan backfired - now they need a bigger bus.

Organisers have hailed their Rent-A-Farmhouse project a runaway success and are now working towards a national program.

In all 20 families were placed in houses around the district.

Unfortunately two have already left - a woman from New Zealand was finding the heat and isolation to be a problem while a second family discovered their Staffordshire terriers were not getting along with neighbouring sheep.

“Other than that everyone’s pretty happy and getting to work renovating, even in the heat,” organiser Christine Weston said.

There are still more than enough families to revive the community.

The four $1 per week farmhouses were filled in no time so Cumnock went to find other houses to meet the demand.

The bus run was down to just a handful of passengers, now there are 20 students to fit in a 13 seat bus. The plan is to do two runs for the time being whilst negotiating with the Department of Transport.

The progress association had also wanted to save the job of one of the two teachers at the school. A third teacher will now join the staff as the school population swells from 34 to 60.

A local café on the brink of going under will also reopen its doors on February 15 now new customers have arrived.

Matthew and Helen Whalley and 12-year-old son Patrick, formerly of Broken Hill, have already settled into their new home.

“Patrick loves it, he just jumps on the bus to go into Cumnock for school and it just drops him off up the road,” Mr Whalley said.

An air conditioner repairman, Mr Whalley said he was already finding work in the region in between the renovations.