This project was huge! The amount of content and dealing with all the government departments alone was a mission. The transport costs, accommodation, time and politics alone would make any developer wish they had charged more.
I used to do development when i was in Zimbabwe. Even if you charge someone 500USD they would complain or negotiate. Most people do not know the value of a website, that's why they are just not prepared to pay proper rates (and that's why they get what they pay for).
I still do (some) web development but i charge way more now. I wont touch anything that pays less than 3000AUD. And that is for no more than a week of my time.
FYI. There is way more to a website than just a theme. In my opinion the theme is only 15% of the actual work in most cases.
But thats just me. You will always find that developer that will charge you $300. Just remember - you get what you pay for.
My $0.02