The first ever Buy From the Bush Festival will be held on Saturday 18 September at Summer Land Camel Farm in the Scenic Rim and will be a celebration of the flavours, food, faces, wines, tourism experiences, talents, crafts and products of the bush.
Buy From The Bush Queensland was started in 2018 by Kerri Brennan while her family-run cattle property on the Darling Downs was in the grips of a seven year drought.
“Buy from The Bush QLD has always been about supporting the Queensland bush battler with strength in numbers,” the mother of five says.
In addition to the Buy From The Bush QLD online directory of nearly 200 businesses and the strong social media program, Brennan also operates a retail shop in New Farm that is a cooperative of 50 rural and regional businesses.
“From my own pain of not knowing how we were going to pay the bills or keep the kids at school and knowing so many other women and families in rural Queensland who had started side-hustles to make ends meet, I knew that if we put the call out, an army of supporters would assemble, and this is what we have experienced.
“People in the city have always been wonderfully supportive of Aussie entrepreneurs and Buy From The Bush QLD was conceived to make that connection especially strong with Aussie businesses from country areas.”
The Buy From The Bush Festival at Summer Land Camels in the Scenic Rim will provide an opportunity to connect people from the city with regional and rural communities, adds Brennan.
“We’re making it easy and affordable for bush businesses to sell their products and services. We have invited makers, growers, producers, artists and businesses from as far away as Longreach and of course from across the Scenic Rim region, and it’s perfect to ensure that this year it will be a Queensland Christmas come 25 December.”
Mayor Greg Christensen says Scenic Rim Regional Council is proud to support this great initiative that encourages people from across Australia to buy from the bush.
“Here in the Scenic Rim, our communities have faced challenges of ongoing drought, bushfires and now the impacts from Covid-19. We have a fabulous range of local artisans and producers and I know they will be looking forward to showcasing their products at this event and growing their customer base while at the same time promoting the region as a wonderful destination to visit.”
