Back O' Bourke Beauty business owner says Bourke's in desperate need of hairdressers

With a population of just under 2,000 people, there are plenty of heads of hair in Bourke looking for a little love but beauty therapist Kara Azzopardi said there isn't a full-time hairdresser in town who can meet that demand.

While there are hairdressers in Bourke, Ms Azzopardi said they have other jobs on the side and are almost always booked out - meaning locals sometimes have to travel hundreds of kilometres just to get a trim.

"It's a very big loss in town. It's a small thing that sometimes people don't think about but it makes a big difference. At the moment some people drive to Dubbo to get their hair cut and they have to make a weekend of it," she said.

"We have people come into Bourke from even further out in places like Enngonia, Wanaaring and Louth and we're the closest town to them. We're central to a lot of places."

Ms Azzopardi launched Back O' Bourke Beauty on Richard Street in Bourke in October 2021 and used to have a resident hairdresser to make use of the space.

However, she moved on to another venture in Dubbo and now Ms Azzopardi is looking for a new full-time hairdresser to come in and join the team.

"If you're a hairdresser looking for a change, I have the space for you. I have everything a hairdresser would need, all they've got to do is rock up," she said.

"I understand moving to a new town where you don't know anyone is hard so I'm happy to be really flexible. If someone wants to come by for a fortnight at a time to get a feel for it I'm open to that."

Relatively new in town herself, Ms Azzopardi said anyone who makes the move out to Bourke can expect to be part of a tight knit and welcoming community who "support everyone".

"The day that I arrived here five years ago everybody was so welcoming - somebody in town could be sick and all of a sudden the whole town has a fundraiser organised for them. It's such a tight-knit community," she said.

If being the only full-time hairdresser in town sounds like something you might be interested in, Ms Azzopardi said Back O' Bourke Beauty is waiting to hear from you and the community will be ready to welcome you.

"There are also a lot of business opportunities here that you couldn't get anywhere else. If you're in the city and you want experience in running your own business it's a lot harder than it is here," She said.

"The community here is great. If any business starts up the town will go out of their way to make sure you're successful and go out of their way to help out."

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