Up close and personal – sharing the Australian red meat story

The Royal Queensland Show (Brisbane Ekka) is just around the corner. The event is always a great opportunity to share the story of Australian red meat with curious members of the public. This year, Red Meat Ambassadors will be available to answer questions and engage with showgoers every day.

The consumer-favourite Australian Good Meat virtual reality (VR) paddock-to-plate experience will return alongside the G.O.A.T school competition. Additionally, a new educational initiative – developed in partnership with the Ekka – will also be featured this year. The ‘QLD Beef Up Close’ experience is an educational beef cattle exhibit, where visitors have the opportunity to enjoy a close up view of cattle and learn from short presentations by Red Meat Ambassadors across the day.

Meet a few of the friendly faces who you might see at the Ekka this year.

Tamarah Luxton

Growing up in Brisbane, Tamarah didn’t have many ties to the agriculture industry, but the career pathway for her was obvious.

“I had a hunch that this was what I wanted to do, but before committing to an agriculture degree, I spent some time working on a property to make sure I hadn’t idealised the lifestyle in my head. Sure enough, I absolutely loved it,” Tamarah said.

Now, Tamarah works with a genotyping company, testing for health traits and conditions to support breeding decisions.

Having made a few appearances at the Ekka to support Australian Good Meat, it’s the reactions of people young and old that keeps her coming back.

“It’s always a highlight to watch the kids’ faces light up when they do the Virtual Reality experience. A lot of them haven’t been on a farm or seen livestock before, and the experience is so immersive, suddenly they’re living it,” she said.

“I also had an experience with an older lady who used to work on a property and hadn’t been on a motorbike for decades. She was so thrilled to be able to have that experience once again and see how far the industry has come since her time on-farm.”

Amanda Burchmann

Running a property north-west of Toowoomba, Amanda has carved out a space for herself in the red meat world, supporting small producers and hobby farmers to make their way in the industry.

“I did leave the industry for a while, but I came back because that’s the lifestyle I had growing up, and it’s the one I want for my kids,” Amanda said.

In her role, being an advocate for the red meat industry is part of the job.

“I use the skills I learned when becoming a Red Meat Ambassador all the time. I’m often advocating for small producers and really trying to get the message out there that we love our animals and we do the best we can for them, every day.”

Joining the Ekka lineup, Amanda is hoping to spread that message even further and secure the future of the industry while she’s at it.

“I’m really looking forward to being there and I am hoping to come across a lot of students to pass on the passion for livestock and hopefully get more kids coming into the industry.

“I would love anyone who wants to know anything about the industry or how to get started, to pop in and see me,” she said.

The Brisbane Ekka is being held 9–17 August, 2025.

The VR paddock-to-plate tour and the G.O.A.T school competition winners display will take place in the Ag Education Hall. The ‘QLD Beef Up Close’ experience will be held at the Large Animal Pavilion, with demonstrations taking place every hour from 10:30am to 4.30pm, every day of the show.