Bogan Gate is set to come alive this weekend, with the Bogan Gate Pub hosting a huge barbeque event on November 15-16, featuring live music, heritage displays, family entertainment, and a fresh vision for the future of the small town.

The event will not only bring the community together - it will also launch a bold new initiative by NJS Corporation, proprietors of the Bogan Gate Pub, to attract backpackers and working holiday makers to the village through affordable accommodation and local work opportunities.

Managing director Neil Schembri said the goal was to breathe new energy into the town and strengthen the local workforce.

“We want to attract young travellers to experience genuine country hospitality while filling some of the vacancies in the town and surrounding areas,” he said.

“Having international guests working alongside local staff at the pub brings a fresh, global flavour to Bogan Gate.

"We’re proud to complement the fantastic community-led projects already underway - from the cricket team revival to the tennis precinct redevelopment.”

As part of the initiative, the Bogan Gate Pub has been working with international travellers on Working Holiday Visas, who can complete their 88 days of rural work in the region to qualify for a second-year visa.

Among the first to take up the opportunity were Marine Bertignon from La Réunion - a French governed island in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar - and María Ignacia Fernández from Argentina.

The pair met while travelling around Australia and found Bogan Gate to be a welcoming place to live and work.

“Coming to Bogan Gate helped me complete my rural work, but it also gave me a real sense of Australian community life,” Ms Bertignon said.

“It reminds me of the small villages on La Reunion - it feels like home, and you learn so much about rural Australia.”

Member for Orange Phil Donato met with Mr Schembri at Parliament House in Sydney last month to discuss the project and said it was an exciting, forward-thinking idea for a regional town.

“This is an innovative approach that brings together tourism, hospitality and community,” Mr Donato said.

“According to the 2021 Census, around 38 per cent of Bogan Gate’s population is under 40, and the median age is 40 - so this initiative fits perfectly with the town’s youthful energy and future potential.”

The barbeque weekend itself is shaping up as one of the biggest events Bogan Gate has seen in a few years.

Highlights include:

· Live music and karaoke from Baeden Faint, Dee Verse, and Noah Dorin

· Car clubs and heritage vehicle displays

· Cheap camel rides

· Kids’ games, Face Painting by T and an outdoor movie screening each night

· Blacksmith demonstrations on Saturday by Dave from Leadbelly Forge

· Market stalls at the Bogan Gate Community Hall

· Reckless Brewing Co. showcasing their craft beers at the pub

· Heifer Station Wines offering tastings of their acclaimed local wines

Mr Schembri said the weekend would be a celebration of community spirit and regional culture.

“We want to make Bogan Gate a place people stop, stay and remember. This is about putting Bogan Gate back on the map - one great weekend at a time," he added.