It’s Not My First Rodeo: What a Mechanical Bull Taught Me About Regional Economic Development

There’s a story behind this photo, and it involves a mechanical bull, a lot of hard work and one of the more unexpected lessons I’ve learned about regional economic development.

About ten years ago, my husband and I decided to build something a little bit different. We wanted to create the only Australian-made mechanical bull, right here in regional Queensland.

It sounds like a slightly crazy idea, and to be honest, it probably was. But we were determined to see if we could make it work.

We built the business from the ground up and were very deliberate about how we did it. Wherever possible, we worked with Australian suppliers and, particularly, with businesses here on the Fraser Coast. From motors and components through to fabrication, engineering and the development of the bulls themselves, we wanted to create as much of the supply chain locally as we could.

That part of the story makes me particularly proud.

We weren’t simply buying a finished product and selling it on. We were developing something here, working with local businesses to solve problems, create a product and build capability. Over time, the business grew, and we had mechanical bulls operating in pubs and venues right across Australia, including some pretty iconic Australian pubs.

For a small regional business, that was a fantastic achievement.

It was also a really practical example of what regional economic development can look like when you think beyond simply attracting a large employer into a region. A business can create economic value through the network around it: the local fabricator, the engineer, the electrician, the supplier, the designer, the accountant and all the other businesses that benefit when that business grows.

Then came the pivot.

Our insurance costs increased by tenfold almost overnight.

It fundamentally changed the economics of the business. We could have continued, but the risk and cost of doing so meant it was no longer commercially viable.

So, despite having built a successful business, having customers across the country and having created a genuinely Australian-made product, we made the difficult decision to walk away.

That experience has stayed with me because it changed the way I think about regional economic development.

We often talk about how we can encourage people to start businesses in regional communities. We talk about entrepreneurship, innovation, diversification, investment and creating local jobs. All of those things matter.

But I think there is another question we need to ask.

What does it actually take for a regional business to survive and scale?

Starting a business is difficult anywhere, but regional businesses can face additional challenges around access to skilled labour, supply chains, markets, infrastructure, finance, insurance and professional services. Sometimes those challenges aren’t obvious when we look at economic development through a purely investment or jobs lens.

Our mechanical bull business wasn’t just about the revenue we generated ourselves. It was also about the economic activity we created around us.

Every time we engaged a local supplier, fabricator or tradesperson, we were putting money back into the regional economy. Every time we solved a manufacturing problem locally, we were building knowledge and capability. Every time we sold a bull into another part of Australia, we were exporting a product and a piece of regional capability from our community.

That is the part of regional business that I think can sometimes be underestimated.

The value of a small business isn’t necessarily contained within its own turnover or number of employees. Its impact can be much broader.

And when that business disappears, we can lose more than a business. We can lose local supply chains, skills, confidence, capability and the opportunity for other businesses to grow alongside it.

I’m certainly not suggesting that every business that starts should be protected from commercial realities. Businesses need to be viable, and risk is part of being in business. Nor do I think there is a simple answer to issues like insurance, regulation or rising operating costs.

But if we genuinely want to build stronger and more diverse regional economies, perhaps our focus needs to extend beyond attracting new businesses.

We also need to understand what is getting in the way of good regional businesses surviving, innovating and scaling.

What are the barriers that cause a business that has proven its market, created local economic activity and demonstrated the capacity to grow to eventually say, this just isn’t viable anymore?

And what can governments, industry bodies, economic development organisations and regional communities do differently to create an environment where those businesses have a better chance of succeeding?

Sometimes the businesses we need to support aren’t the ones asking for a handout. They are already doing the hard work. They are investing their own money, taking risks, employing people, buying locally and creating products that can compete beyond their region.

Sometimes what they need isn’t someone to build the business for them.

They need an environment that doesn’t make it unnecessarily difficult for them to keep building it themselves.

Our mechanical bull business ultimately didn’t become the long-term business we had hoped it would be. But I’m incredibly proud of what we created, the people we worked with and the fact that we proved you could build something unique in regional Queensland and sell it right across Australia.

And perhaps that’s the lesson I’ll take from the experience.

Regional economic development isn’t only about attracting the next big investment.

Sometimes it’s about making sure the businesses that are already here have a genuine opportunity to grow.