A temporary supermarket will be set up in Walgett after the only grocery store in the isolated, drought-ravaged town burnt down last week.
The state government will put $50,000 into the project, minister for agriculture and western NSW Adam Marshall announced yesterday while visiting the site.
The money will go to the cost of renting premises and equipment such as fridges, and Walgett Shire Council will operate it while a new supermarket is built.
Mr Marshall said locals were already doing it "incredibly tough with drought".
The town has had to rely on bore water for almost 18 months after its reservoirs reached critically low levels.
"Losing their only supermarket was the last thing the community needed, leaving locals to make a 180km round trip to access the nearest supermarket and do the grocery shopping," he said.
The government and the council had set up temporary bus services to nearby towns such as Coonamble and Lightning Ridge, but that was "not sustainable in the long-term", he said.
"The people of Walgett have had a bad run recently but I hope this ... gives them some reprieve.
Locals here are a resilient bunch and it has been wonderful to see locals and council band together and display such wonderful community spirit.
In the meantime, many of the towns stores and service stations have stocked up on essential items so locals can still access basic goods in the short term.
