:: About Roma

Roma is a vibrant and thriving country town located 490km west of Brisbane. With a population of just under 7000 people, Roma possesses a diverse economy, excellent infrastructure and a relaxed country lifestyle that is the envy of many communities; Roma is a great place to live and work.

Another benefit of choosing Roma as a place to live is its idyllic climate. With an average annual rainfall of 600mm per year and a temperature range from an average 27.9 C in summer to 12.8 C in winter, Roma really is a smart choice for family, business and lifestyle.

Located a short distance from Roma are the townships of Yuleba (60 km) and Wallumbilla (40 km). Their ‘kick back’ lifestyle and low cost of living make Yuleba and Wallumbilla perfect choices for a tree change. Good town facilities, friendly people, low crime, safe communities and easy lifestyles make these two great little towns ideal places to live, work and play.

:: Industry

Roma has a strong and solid economic base with many companies and firms growing from strength to strength. Some of Roma's leading companies and industries include:

Roma is the birthplace of the Oil and Gas industry in Australia. Today, Roma is home to eight major oil and gas exploration and drilling companies with interests throughout the Maranoa region. The oil and gas produced in the region services both the key markets of Brisbane and Gladstone as well as the reticulated gas schemes based in Roma and Dalby.

The Cypress Timber industry is a prominent regional industry with the demand for Cypress Pine in the building and construction industries always guaranteed because of its natural termite resistance. The Cypress Pine (State Forest) plantations to the north and east of Roma ensure that this consistent demand is met.

Agriculture is a key industry for Roma and surrounding districts, with an annual production in excess of $177.5 million. In addition to the two key primary products- beef cattle and grains/cereals - a number of other 'agri' businesses contribute significantly to the local Roma community, from heavy machinery through to agronomy services.

The Roma Bungil Saleyards are the largest cattle-selling centre in Australia, with cattle coming from all over Queensland, as well as the Northern Territory, Western Australia and New South Wales. Over 280,000 head of cattle pass through the Saleyards generating sales in excess of $155 million per annum.

Tourism has emerged as one of Roma's growth industries over the last five years. In 2006, $14.8 million was injected into Roma's local economy from the tourism, hospitality and accommodation sectors, employing 700 people, both directly and indirectly. Roma has an abundance of both natural and interpretative tourism attractions. These include The Big Rig, which explores the rich history of the Oil and Gas industry, the Romavilla Winery - Queensland's oldest winery, Roma's heritage buildings, as well as the natural beauty of the surrounding areas including the Carnarvon National Park and Mount Moffatt National Park.

Roma provides and maintains a cost effective and efficient infrastructure, with a selection of sophisticated and easy to access facilities ranging from transport logistics to advanced information technology.

Roma lies on the cross roads of two major highways. The Warrego Highway (running east/west) is a national highway that links Brisbane with Darwin and the Carnarvon Highway (running north/south) links Roma to northern centres such as Rockhampton and Cairns and south to New South Wales and Victoria.

Queensland Rail provides Roma with comprehensive daily rail services including freight, livestock, grain and passenger transport to and from Brisbane, Toowoomba and Charleville, with links to all major eastern seaboard centres.

Roma Airport is a busy and active airport with commercial, freight and charter flights using the facilities. It has a 1500 metre bitumen runway and can accommodate 50 seat passenger aircraft and executive jets. QANTASlink provides daily passenger services between Brisbane, Roma and Charleville.

Roma has a world-class standard telecommunications network, full access to ADSL and satellite data processing solutions and extensive mobile coverage from all networks. The Town has a major telecommunications exchange, call centre and regional office of Telstra Countrywide. Roma's electrical infrastructure is supplied and maintained by Ergon Energy. They have a major sub-station and regional office located in Roma that provides efficient and effective energy for the township. Unlike many of its coastal counterparts, Roma offers industrial and domestic consumers a reticulated gas network, which ensures a cost effective method of energy with decreased freight and handling costs.

Land is both affordable and available in Roma. The Town has a selection of good quality industrial land available in two distinct industrial estates for business and industry, strategically located to provide quick and easy access to road, rail and air transportation facilities. In addition to the designated industrial estates in the Town area, large areas of land surrounding Roma are also available for residential and commercial purposes.

:: Investment Opportunities

Roma is a smart choice for business and industry, offering many benefits to potential investors as well as residents. Opportunities exist as a result of:

• superb location
• vast energy resources
• land availability and affordability
• primary industries (with Roma’s productive primary industries and saleyard sales worth more than $300 million per annum, there is great potential for value-added businesses to take advantage of being located close to primary products)
• latest IT technology, digital mobile phone networks etc
• tourism (potential for tourism-related businesses is substantial due to recent tourism growth including around 100 coach tours travelling through the town per year)
• great lifestyle
• service industries- incomes in Roma are noted as being above the national average (2006 Census) and opportunities are therefore available for small to medium sized service industries to take advantage of these strong economic conditions, particularly serving the existing oil/gas and agricultural sectors

:: Lifestyle

The very best of country town living, with access to superb sports, recreation, education and health services make Roma a great place to live.

Roma supports bi-weekly and fortnightly newspapers and has two radio stations based in the Town. Roma also has access to four television stations; Imparja, Seven Central, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and Special Broadcasting Services (SBS).

Roma has two major Grocery Stores, Computer Stores, 24 hour Service Stations, General Hardware, Clothing Outlets and an excellent range of convenience and personal stores. Roma has various other facilities found in most small cities, with retail outlets such as McDonalds, Target, Woolworths, KFC and many others.

The Roma Hospital provides a range of specialist services including full surgery facilities, obstetrics, paediatrics, anaesthetics, and a nursing home. In addition, the Hospital also offers a variety of Allied Health professionals including physiotherapists, podiatrists and a speech pathologist. There are currently eight General Practitioners in Roma working in two private surgeries, as well as a private dental surgery. Private specialist services in optometry, physiotherapy and pathology also exist and two pharmacies provide access to prescription and non-prescription medication and health care products. Roma is also well regarded as a centre for aged care with the community supported Pinaroo Retirement Village operating an accredited centre for the aged. Roma also hosts a wide array of social services, including Spiritus, Anglicare and Centacare.

Roma's education system is unique in Queensland in that it models itself on the American public school system having a Junior, Middle and College school campuses. St Johns School is the Catholic education facility for students between grade one to twelve. In addition, The Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE provides technical and further education, as well as vocational education. Roma has a vast array of Federal, State and Local government services, which provides for the employment of over 500 people in the community.

The Roma Bungil Community Youth Recreation Centre has full indoor facilities, making Roma an ideal location for inter town sporting events regardless of the weather conditions. In addition, the Town also has an Olympic size sports and leisure swimming pool. Roma has many different sporting organisations including Rugby League, Rugby Union, Netball, Bowls, Golf, Badminton, Tennis, Soccer, Judo, Little Athletics, Drag Racing, Cricket, Swimming, Polocrosse, Pony Club, Equestrian, Gun, Rodeo and Squash Clubs. Recreational activities include Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Girl Guides, Scouts, Social Dance, Painters, Patchwork and Quilters and Potters Groups.

Roma has many active arts and cultural groups and boasts a brand new Roma Community Arts Centre which regularly hosts many high quality travelling performances and artists. Roma also has a number of first class meeting and conference facilities. The major facility is the Roma Bungil Community Cultural Centre. This facility has an Auditorium with an elevated stage, lighting facilities, kitchen and bar, air-conditioning/heating and has a seating capacity of up to 500 people. An adjoining Arts and Crafts room is separated from the Auditorium by a sliding dividing door, which can be opened to allow free communication between the two facilities.