Khalia Mickan runs her preserve company, literally, in the middle of nowhere.
With the nearest food store 250 kilometres from her cattle station in north-west Queensland, Ms Mickan can't pop to the shops for ingredients and needs to grow as much as she can.
"Anything that grows in north-west Queensland, I grow," Ms Mickan says.
Ms Mickan is one of thousands of women across rural Australia running a small business from a remote area. It's tough work, but that doesn't stop her.
"When it rains the mail service cuts out, which can impact deliveries, so that's just one of the challenges we have out here," she says.
Inflation struggles
The increased cost of living sweeping the globe is keenly felt in the farthest corners of outback Australia.
"The price of jars that we buy has skyrocketed," Ms Mickan says.
"Freight and the cost of fuel to get materials from Brisbane to Townsville to Hughenden has gone through the roof."
Despite the challenges, Ms Mickan says the current market should not deter the ambitions of those looking to start up small businesses in remote communities.
"We had a lot of pushback from people who couldn't understand the logistics [of running a business in the bush] and the hard work that goes into it," she said.
"But that hasn't stopped us, and I would urge anyone to not listen to the naysayers and focus on pursuing their passions."
Lack of key services a challenge
Living remotely should not limit opportunities for business owners, proponents of the industry say.
Grace Brennan founded the Buy from the Bush campaign in 2019 to encourage more people to support regional-based small businesses during the height of the drought.
It took off quickly, increasing revenue by $5 million in the first four months of operation.
She believes it's more important than ever to support small country businesses facing mounting challenges.
"The only way we can compete is telling that big picture story because we can't promise cheaper or the convenience of overnight shipping but we can promise purchases will do good for Australia," Ms Brennan says.
Ms Brennan says that, while it is a choice to live in remote Australia, it shouldn't mean access to some of the most basic services is restricted.
"It is our choice and it's the most wonderful life. I don't think we are poor buggers," Ms Brennan says.
"But I think that poor access to pretty basic, key services dramatically diminishes living where we live and makes things so much more difficult when you are running a small business.
"However, rural communities are so lucky in so many ways. I think we shouldn't frame our story around pity; it should be about the potential.
"There is enormous potential in regional Australia."
