Two years ago Paul Donovan was going on a holiday for a week and decided to put his entire house up for short-term rent.
"We made about $5,000 and there were stories of people getting a lot more," he said.
It was 2021, the last time Beef Australia hosted its week dedicated to cattle, and Mr Donovan fetched a good price on his central Queensland home.
The event is Australia's biggest cattle industry trade show and attracts people from across Australia and overseas, including producers, scientists, chefs, students, and exhibitors.
"Our offer was accepted and it turned out to be a very simple, uneventful process," Mr Donovan said.
"We went away and visitors moved in, and we found the house the same as how we left it."
Mr Donovan rarely lists his home on Airbnb, but he is considering it for the next Beef Australia event in Rockhampton in 2024.
With more than 120,000 people expected to descend on Rockhampton for the event, organisers are desperate to find more accommodation options in the city.
So how do regional areas cope when there is such an influx of visitors?
Chartering flights
When asked how many additional rentals Beef Australia needed, chief executive Simon Irwin said: "I don't think the number would have an upper limit."
Mr Irwin said with international travel back the organisation was expecting record numbers.
The event is held once every three years in Rockhampton — the beef capital of Australia.
"We're desperate for accommodation. It is the one thing that holds us back," he said.
"We're actually looking at chartering planes out of Toowoomba.
"We will be organising flights from Toowoomba [Wellcamp] airport to Rockhampton airport a couple of times a day just because they've got rooms in Toowoomba."
Mr Irwin said, despite Beef 2024 being more than a year away, there was "virtually no accommodation" left and travellers were already being put off from coming to the event.
Beef Australia urged locals in Rockhampton, the Capricorn Coast, and Mount Morgan to consider listing a room or their entire property for short-term rent on online platforms or through private agreements.
The organisation also plans to create a tent city to accommodate more people.
Mr Irwin said that while central Queensland is in the grips of a housing crisis, the AirBnB partnership would not impact the availability of rentals.
"If you're on the Sunshine Coast or the Gold Coast, it can on occasions remove accommodation from the permenant list, but it's a bit different in Rocky because we don't have a constant demand for people who are wanting to stay here," he said.
How do regions cope?
Griffith University Institute for Tourism expert Daniel Gschwind said a shortage of accommodation was a widespread issue for towns hosting large events.
"These issues arise in many, many towns all the way from Cape York where the Laura Quinkan Dance Festival [is held] every couple of years … to the outback," Professor Gschwind said.
"We know visitors from across Queensland, from interstate and even internationally are more interested in attending regional events.
"But it is a challenge for accommodation when an influx of visitors arrives in sometimes very small towns."
Professor Gschwind said camping was often the first consideration when commercial accommodation was limited or not available.
He said, depending on the location, there also could be under-utilised resources such as student accommodation.
Professor Gschwind said it was not unheard of for events to fly in patrons but, generally, it was reserved for VIP guests or performers.
Mr Donovan advised other home owners who were considering listing their property to read the fine print and be aware of the cancellation policy.
