Community
26 June, 2024
Boulia mayor thrilled to see growth in golf tourism
More than 100 people came to Boulia for the Outback Queensland Masters.
Augusta, eat your heart out!
Those are the words of Boulia mayor Rick Britton, who says Magnolia Lane at the home of the US Masters has nothing on Boulia Golf Club’s scenery.
Almost 100 golfers took to the sand greens on the weekend for the second round of the Outback Queensland Masters, where the winners were presented with orange jackets, rather than the famous green blazers presented at the exclusive Augusta National Golf Club.
It was the second major golf event staged at Boulia this month following the Queensland Men’s Sand Green Championships on June 1 and 2.
“I think it’s great for our town and it’s certainly injected a lot of money into the local economy,” said Cr Britton, who also drove the courtesy bus for players.
“What I loved most was hearing the comments from people about how welcoming the place was, which is what we want to promote.”
With tourism numbers down across regional Queensland, Cr Britton said hosting the two golf events had provided a shot in the arm for Boulia ahead of next month’s major event, the annual Boulia Camel Races.
“I think things are just going back to normal a bit now,” he told North West Weekly.
“After COVID, it seemed like people wanted to escape and we had a big influx of people. Now we are getting back to those pre-COVID numbers. It’s a bit like the cattle market; we went from an all-time high back to reality.”
The beauty of events like the Outback Masters is the word of mouth advertising it creates.
“The Outback is more accessible than it’s ever been before. People might think it’s dirt roads and you’re off the grid, but it’s not as remote as it used to be,” Cr Britton said.
“Even the Outback Way (road connecting Boulia to the NT and WA) has gone from ‘will it ever be sealed’ to ‘when will it be sealed’ and that is going to be huge for Boulia.”