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The small village has just 5 inhabitants and is an important stopping point for campers in the Alpine National Park.
Tucked away in Victoria’s rugged native forest lies the tiny village of Licola, with a population of five inhabitants.
Made up of a few wooden buildings, a warehouse, a campsite and a gas station, grouped around a modest main street, Licola is one of the smallest cities in Australia.
And if you have a few million to spare, you can buy it. The entire village – a three-hour drive from the city of Melbourne – is now for saleto the shock and indignation of local inhabitants, who value unity.
Privately owned by a local community club, Licola has always been a mandatory fuel, food and rest stop for travelers on their way to the Alpine National Park. It also has a 50 year legacy in carrying out social programs for young people.
But the local branch of the Lions Club says it can no longer run the town and, at the end of last year, quietly put it up for sale online.
The sale has sparked concern among Licola’s few passionate residents, those in neighboring areas and even other state Lions Club members, who say they were not consulted fairly and now seriously fear for the town’s future.
“A home away from home”
Situated on the banks of the majestic Macalister River in Victoria’s hill country, Licola was originally a sawmill, built in the 1950s, with a few buildings for workers.
After its closure in 1968, the Lions Club acquired the entire land and transformed it into a camp where young people and underprivileged childrenas well as groups with special needs, could be accommodated during school holidays.
Very close to the camp, they also purchased land that now houses the General Store and the Licola Campsite.
Today, Leanne O’Donnellwho manages the General Store, and his family are the only permanent residents of the city. He lives there with one of his children, along with his best friend and her two children.
“It’s just an incredible place,” O’Donnell told the BBC. “When I moved here, people would come into my store and say, ‘You’re not going to make a million dollars on Licola‘. And I said, ‘Who said I’m here to make a million dollars?’”
O’Donnell purchased the business in 2022, but does not own the buildings, having signed a lease that, according to her, she was given promised for 15 years.
From day one, O’Donnell wanted Licola to be “a home away from home” to people. Almost everyone who visits, works in or passes through Licola has O’Donnell’s phone number – even the truck drivers and Volunteer Fire Department.
“I’m the main point of contact for them, regardless of whether it’s three in the afternoon or two in the morning,” he said.
O’Donnell is extremely passionate about the city and serving the local community – but now faces eviction.
“I love this city… if it falls into the hands of a construction company and turns into something it’s not, that it will break my heart.”
O’Donnell learned that Licola was about to be put up for sale in January 2025, through the board of Lions Village Licola, which is responsible for managing the town on behalf of the charity.
“They told me that their business was causing damage for the last five or six years and I asked, ‘How can I help?’” says O’Donnell.
“They said, ‘Unless you can raise a few million dollars, there’s not much you can do.’”
But O’Donnell insisted, offering to organize fundraisers for the city and telling the council that the broader community would also like to help.
The council did not give insays O’Donnell. Finally, she said, “So are you going to buy my business?”
“And they said, ‘No, we’re just going to keep your business because we own the land and the buildings,’” he says. “And you just need to pack your things and leave. At that time, I couldn’t understand.”
After consulting with a lawyer, O’Donnell quickly realized that because he had a lease, the board of directors could do just that.
“In real life, I could take my business and put it in another building… that wouldn’t be a problem anywhere else except Licola.”
Here, there is nowhere to go.
In December, O’Donnell came across an online property advert for the town’s sale, with an asking price of between A$6 million (€3.5 million) and A$10 million (€5.9 million).
Petitions and threats
The sale generated a strong negative reaction online from residents of neighboring areas. Many are outraged by the way O’Donnell was treated and fear that the beloved city could disappear or be sold.
A comment from a user on the official Licola Caravan Park & General Store Facebook page says: “People depend on the city storeand closing it in the middle of the high season is the biggest stupidity.”
Another person claims the town’s sale “affects MANY Victoria residents who have been coming to Licola and camping there for years.”
“There are some great Lions Club leaders and Licola village and camp leaders that I know they are turning in their graves“, reads another comment.
Other members of the Lions Club of Victoria wrote to Lions Village Licola management, accusing it of act without due process and without consulting the other members of the Lions Club he was supposed to represent.
An online petition to save the store, “renew the lease and allow Leanne to remain”, has already reached more than 8 thousand signatures.
With the growing indignation, the management of Lions Village Licola stated that its employees were receiving threats and that it was considering removing them from the city.
In a statement to the BBC, a spokesperson said the sale was prompted by a review of the city’s operations, which was made available to all Lions in Victoria.
After review, the board decided that was no longer sustainable for the Lions Club to own the village, citing rising costs and insurance prices, aging housing and declining camp attendance as the main reasons.
“The decision to sell was not taken lightly“, can be read in the statement.
President Denis Carruthers said management has a responsibility to protect Lions Village’s mission – supporting young people in vulnerable situations – and not just the physical space.
“Lions District Governors have been informed and support the decision,” he told the BBC.
The board further stated in its statement that O’Donnell’s lease “was not renewed to consolidate revenue during a period of financial hardship.” O’Donnell was informed that she needed to vacate the property until January 31st this year.
All proceeds from the sale of the Licola properties and future profits from the business will be reinvested in a new foundationwhich will continue to fund children’s participation in professionally run summer camps across Victoria, it has been reported.
Carruthers added that it is not yet known whether the camps will continue to be held in Licola, and that a camp planned for January was canceled due to low registration numbers.
It’s not yet known who will be the new owners – nor what they intend to do with the city.
But, he said, there is “considerable interest in the property.”
