Fast forward to 2025 the event culminated with a sold-out grand finale in Karumba on the Gulf of Carpentaria.

Over seven years, 20 volunteer-run golf clubs across Outback Queensland hosted the event.

Together, they welcomed more than 10,500 participants from Australia and overseas who travelled thousands of kilometres across some of the country’s most remote and breathtaking landscapes, generating an estimated 10M+ overnight visitor expenditure and putting outback golf on the map with media publicity reaching over 200M.

From the outset, the model focused on sustainable tourism numbers by attracting a new, higher-yield visitor, capping numbers and engaging with local communities.

Its event model considered possible ways to attract visitors into the region for longer periods, how to stream revenue directly back into the local golf clubs, attractions, retailers and disperse through into other nearby towns.

For many clubs, OQM delivered far more than a weekend of golf. It provided the springboard for infrastructure upgrades, lifted volunteer capacity, and left clubs with improved facilities that will benefit members and visitors for years to come.

Each stop also featured free junior golf clinics run by a PGA Pro, giving kids their first taste of the game and inspiring the next generation.

While the economic impact is significant, and the event has certainly put outback Queensland golf on the map, the human legacy is harder to measure, but perhaps the most important of all.

We’ve seen women gain the confidence to travel solo for the first time, locals inspired to give golf a go, and visitors overcoming long-held fears about venturing into the Outback.

These are the moments that matter. They speak to the soul of events tourism: building civic pride, creating joy, and expanding friendship circles in places where community truly is everything.

Although the 2025 Grand Finale has drawn the curtain on the current OQM journey, the legacy remains. It’s a blueprint for how regional events can be authentic, sustainable, and life changing.

For Outback Queensland, and for our industry, it’s a reminder that the most successful events are not measured only in dollars and data, but in the stories, smiles, and sense of belonging they leave behind.

Best shared by reviews from players:

“It was more than just playing golf for me.  It was a life journey that I needed to make. I gained new friendships, help and support, restoring my faith in humanity.” Russell Schroter