Johanna Murphy spent a decade honing her specialist skills as a sports physiotherapist, but a childcare drought in her south-western New South Wales town means she can only work one day per week.

The mum of three is currently unable to take new patients and said this had a profound flow-on effect on the entire town.

"The perfect example would be: you wake up one morning and you can't move your head because your neck’s locked up. If you can't get in to see the physio to begin treatment, you can't sit at your desk because it's too sore," Ms Murphy said.

"People then can't do their job and if they're not doing their work, their colleagues take the load or the work just doesn't get done.

" I think if you asked everyone in town, they would be able to track an issue with access back to some

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