Cover story

TURF’s up!

When they took over Ceres Downs, in the Douglas Daly region 200 km south of Darwin, the Thomsons knew they wanted to initiate as many avenues for wealth creation as possible, cushioning against the vagaries of volatile export prices and commodities. “We started out with something we inherited when we bought the place, which was a centre pivot and the irrigation bore,” explains Sarah’s husband Dan Thomson. “And we had to figure out what we were going to do with it that to make us some money. And we looked at a lot of different things and Sarah suggested turf production as being a potential land use.” Top End Turf was born.

“I looked at what there was just not a lot of. And there’s not many turf farms in Darwin.”

The Thomsons worked hard to create a market for their unique product, securing the Territory-wide licence to grow and sell the Sir Walter variety, the bestselling grass product in Australia. Grown from runners, Sir Walter is a top seller because of its soft, spongy texture; it repairs itself quickly, uses little water, and requires scant maintenance. The company also offered the Thomsons advice on how to market the product. “They do a lot of work on graphics and ad production and a TV advertising campaign,” says Dan. “They really helped us get the market in Darwin going and getting some production under way.”

Their hard work has paid off. Three years ago, the couple started by taking a ute-load to Darwin every couple of weeks. This week four trucks travelled to town, delivering turf. They sold 2000 to 3000 m in their first year, and last year sold 43 000 m of turf.

The Thomsons came to the Territory from Goondiwindi in Queensland in 2004. Sarah is Territory born and bred while Dan hails from Toowoomba and holds an Associate Diploma in Applied Science in Farm Management. “I became interested in northern agriculture and the droughts down south fuelled that interest,” states Dan. “We were looking for a place with consistent rainfall, good soil types and potential for the future.” Ceres offered 4400 ha of well-watered country, formerly an export depot for the district’s cattle.

Today the Thomsons run 1000 head of Brahman cattle and grow hay and cattle feed, but Top End Turf has become a strong contributor to the station’s cash flow. It did not come easily. The Thomsons had to start from scratch. They invested in a tractor, complete with turf cutting apparatus, and they also planted the couch and the zoysia grass varieties, grown from seed.

Developing the market in Darwin, a place that was accustomed to seeding or spraying-on a lawn, has taken a few years. They stood around at garden shows handing out cards and brochures. They emphasised to homeowners how rolling out turf is easy and quite rewarding. “It's getting people to use a product that they hadn’t normally used,” says Dan Thomson. “We spent a lot of time trying to get landscapers to use the product. Pricing was looked at carefully. What was a sound threshold for consumers and still profitable for us?”

Much of their turf has created the lawns of the new Defence Housing project at the Lyons estate in Darwin. Top End Turf supplies building companies and hotels in Darwin, and is regularly trucked as far afield as Nhulunbuy and Alice Springs. If kept cool and moist, it travels well.

Dan Thomson believes there is room for further growth. If they continue marketing effectively there are markets in major developments, sports fields, government projects and local councils. “We’re at probably about a quarter capacity at the moment,” he says. “We can expand a lot. We’ll keep planting new areas every wet season and moving onto what we think the market growth is. The majority of our land use is in cattle and hay, but the turf farm, productivity wise, is now probably greater than the other two put together.”

A decade of rainbow tourism

The decorations are going up for the party at the Rainbow Connection bed and breakfast in April. The streamers line the doorways, the bubbly is chilled, the dance floor is ready for action and the spotlight is focused on the omnipresent mirror ball. Alice Springs’ only gay and lesbian B&B is ready to boogie away the night in celebration of its tenth birthday.

This award winning tourism facility advertises itself as the “only specifically gay and lesbian friendly bed and breakfast for 1200 km” and “Central Australia’s only established gay and lesbian hosted accommodation.” Operated and marketed by psychologist Phil Walcott and his cabinetmaker partner Glenn Ponchard, the B&B has attracted gay and lesbian travellers nationally and worldwide, recognising the local potential of a market estimated at being worth $656 million a year Australia-wide. For their efforts in drawing hundreds of couples and their families to Alice, last year the guys at the Rainbow Connection received the Industry Achiever award from local tourism industry body, Tourism Central Australia.

Situated in shady, residential east Alice Springs, the Rainbow Connection offers gay and lesbian travellers a chance to stay with a resident gay couple who can advise them on tours and destinations to see in the Central Australian region, as well as sharing an insight into Alice’s gay community. “Knowing what this area has on offer, we try to work out where in the picture these people fit,” says Ponchard. “Are they sports-minded? Are they quiet, interested in culture-based stuff? We try to find out that niche and recommend things to make their experience better.”

While Walcott kicked off the Rainbow Connection as what he calls ‘a lifestyle experience’, his aims broadened to include a drive to share his passion for the Central Australian landscape with others. He established a strong relationship with local tourism groups and put a proposal to Tourism NT in 2003 detailing 11 marketing recommendations on how to attract the gay and lesbian market to Alice. All were accepted, including funding for yearly trips for Walcott to market the landscape featured in The Adventures of Pricilla, Queen of the Desert at interstate gay festivals.

“Knowing what this area has on offer, we try to work out where in the picture these people fit.”

Tourism NT also published a travel handbook aimed at gays to accompany a similar directory by Gay & Lesbian Tourism Australia of gay and lesbian owned, operated and friendly accommodation and attractions around the country. “The local and regional communities have become a lot more accepting. It’s not tolerating any more, it’s accepting,” observes Walcott.

The result has been a winner for both Central Australian tourism and for gay and lesbian tourists from Australia and worldwide. The guest book at Rainbow Connection brims with testimonials to memorable nights enjoyed there. Harry and Larry from Toronto, Canada, wrote: “When you travel you hope to make new friends, but it’s a special trip and a special moment when the new friends are the hosts of your accommodation. You have provided a place in our hearts for the magic, which is Alice Springs, to linger. A place like Alice and accommodation like the Rainbow Connection - it doesn’t get any better.”

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