Karen Brook is on a mission to sell the outback to the rest of Australia.
Story By Annabelle Brayley
When Karen Brook was about six years old she asked Jo Fort, the summer manager of the Birdsville Pub, for a job. Very clear even then about the value of hard work, Karen kept a careful record of the hours she spent methodically and efficiently cleaning out cupboards.
Today at 26, Karen has the same work ethic as she strives to build her outback-inspired businesses, design agency KBS (Karen Brook Studios) and events management company Australian Outback Events. One of the six children of well-known Birdsville pastoralists David and Nell Brook, Karen is proud of her family and their heritage. However, this fiercely independent daughter of the Diamantina Shire has always been determined to do her own thing on her own terms.
Despite her familiarity with the outback, Karen describes it as a mysterious place. “It has a magical quality about it,” she says. “When you see it, it speaks to your soul yet never echoes a word. When you leave it, you know you’ve been part of a conversation more than a million years old. When you feel that, that’s the outback. Ahhh, I love that place!”
At the heart of KBS is the absolute, unshakeable belief that the Australian outback is the best place in the world. Karen has made a personal and professional commitment to ensuring the corporate world knows about it. With a client base already across Queensland, she’s now making the most of social media and broadening her focus nationally and beyond, with her first foray into the Canadian market about to be realised. Equally comfortable in both the city and bush, she has offices in Charleville and Brisbane. Whether she’s in a city suit and high heels or back in the bush in boots and jeans, every day of every month she’s on the phone or the web working.
This story excerpt is from Issue #77
Outback Magazine: June/July 2011
