The resources boom is creating many employment opportunities in Queensland, but they’re not evenly distributed across the State. Hence, business and community leaders in Cairns and Bundaberg, which have endured high unemployment rates since the financial crisis, are looking to whether their cities can serve as bases for fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) or drive-in, drive-out (DIDO) workers:

Cairns is geared up for mining boom: industry leaders

City looks north for more jobs

I can see Cairns becoming a FIFO hub because of its airport, enviable lifestyle, environment and abundance of cheap property. As for Bundaberg’s prospects for becoming a DIDO hub, I’m less sure.

Certainly many Bundaberg-based workers could drive out to coal mines and stay in dongas during the week. But I can’t see a lot of DIDO workers heading up to Gladstone each day because it’s at least a two-hour drive, which would mean four hours on the road each day.

And I’d recommend Bundaberg business leaders give up the idea of a tilt train to Gladstone because there is absolutely no way it could stack up as an economic investment.