Thinking outside of the box!
There is no doubt that Tailem Bend is in the midst of a once-in-a-lifetime generational change.
With the opening of The Bend (SA Motorsport Park) in 2018, and its maiden Super Bikes event in April and the inaugural V8 Super Cars race in August, Tailem Bend is buzzing like never before.
Add to this, the construction of the Zen Energy Solar Farm on the outskirts of Tailem Bend and the arrival of Murray River North Group to construct the Meningie area school and you have the perfect stimulus for change.
And, the data suggests that household spending in the region is on the way up. Spending on both home renovations and household spending.
Given that the Mallee is facing one of it’s toughest seasons due to the dry, this is welcome news and helps the region to weather tightening farm budgets.
Construction of the Meningie Area School, commenced in April 2018, in a facility at Lime Kiln Road, Tailem Bend.
So what does this mean for the Tailem Bend and regional Murraylands community?
This is an exciting opportunity for the region, but how do we make sure there is lasting wealth while maintaining our country lifestyle is the question.
According to Kerry Swan, Principal of Coorong Realty, the region needs to keep an open mind and look at things differently.
In around 2014 Kerry forecast that the demand for accommodation in the region would easily outstrip the then current supply.
Says Kerry ‘I could see, based on construction forecasts, that the region would need to house around 300+ workers just for The Bend’. Later it came to be that the Ingham’s Chicken Farm at Yumali and the Solar Farm would add pressure on accommodation.
Simply we had to find 300+ beds just to house workers during the construction phase of The Bend
Kerry Swan, Principal of Coorong Realty
In response to this likely demand, Kerry took a punt and created Coorong Realty specifically to meet the needs of both workforce and holiday guests in the region.
‘There was a gap in the market, but most importantly, likely demand’ explains Kerry. ‘We looked at the gap and asked ourselves how would we house construction workers for around 18 months and then manage demand in a long term way’.
Thinking outside of the box allowed Kerry and the Coorong Realty team to match construction demand to future event accommodation demand and identify properties that could become ‘serviced accommodation rentals’.
Kerry says ‘I not only think outside the box; but what to do with the box’.
That creative thinking has paid off for the region, with more than 60 landlords participating in the workforce/holiday rental ‘serviced accommodation‘ business.
Local investor and developer, Mark Lemon has been part of the changing dynamics of Tailem Bend, creating two serviced accommodation rentals in Webb Street Tailem Bend
The spin off to this is that Coorong Realty now employs 6 staff, 5 cleaners, runs a commercial laundry and engages a range of local trades in servicing these micro businesses.
The real question is, what’s next?
According to Kerry it’s about critically thinking about what visitors to region want and expect. Transport, tours, catering and shopping services are amongst the range of business opportunities that are worth exploring for the region.
Thinking outside of the box will allow us to create a new model of the future
Kerry Swan, Principal of Coorong Realty
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