Australia Private Agricultural Airport: Easing the transporting pressure of exports in rural region

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Australia's Darling Downs region in the state of Queensland is the country's largest agricultural producer. But when it came to serving growing export markets, it's rural location made transporting fresh goods a challenge. So a group of brothers came up with a solution that had never been done before - to build Australia's first privately funded airport. Greg Navarro has the story.

The challenge facing Oakey Beef Exports a few years ago was one shared by agricultural producers who drive the economy of Queensland's Darling Downs Region. - how to get their goods into Asian markets. Particularly to China, where demand for Australian products has grown, and import tariffs are dropping thanks to the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement.

PATRICK GLEESON, GENERAL MANAGER OAKEY BEEF EXPORTS “You've got to rely on ships so that takes 30 to 40 days to get to your end destination. So if they run out of beef, for example, you just have to wait until the next ship comes in."

The nearest airport to Toowoomba, the country's 2nd largest inland city, was hours away, which meant exporting perishable goods for most producers wasn't an option. Not until Denis Wagner and his brothers had an idea to help attract more businesses to the region.

DENIS WAGNER, CHAIRMAN WAGNER'S HOLDING COMPANY "There was a lot of skepticism about the project."

They proposed building a $200,000 million AUD, privately funded airport, with runways big enough to accommodate freighter aircraft capable of servicing Asian markets.

DENIS WAGNER, CHAIRMAN WAGNER'S HOLDING COMPANY "Until we had it almost complete I think a lot of people weren't convinced that we firstly had the ability to do it, or secondly that there was actually a need for it."

GREG NAVARRO TOOWOOMBA "The airport here in Toowoomba sits on a massive 800 hectare piece of property that, fittingly, used to be a farm."

Three and a half years later, the Brisbane West Wellcamp Airport has grown to include dozens of passenger flights. It also freights more than 60 tonnes of fresh produce direct to Hong Kong each week. And it's helped producers overcome some of the obstacles to doing business overseas.

PATRICK GLEESON, GENERAL MANAGER OAKEY BEEF EXPORTS "It's opened up alternative markets for us - ones we never thought about having product, you know portion cuts so our vision here going forward is that we can process here on a Monday and have it on a shelf in Shanghai by a Thursday."

The airport has also helped attract more producers, including a dairy processor with plans to export fresh milk directly to China.

BRUCE MCCONNEL, GENERAL MANAGER FOOD LEADERS AUSTRALIA "They know now that we have the connectedness to the world take their product anywhere they want to go to in a very quick time frame."

Giving this rural region the solution it was searching for - by taking the area's prized commodities to heights it hadn't been able to reach before. Greg Navarro, CGTN, Toowoomba.