Rockhampton named top destination for searches on Airbnb for 2024 travel

Much of the demand and searches could be attributed to Beef Australia which will be on again in 2024 and is known to book out accommodation years in advance. Check out what two local hosts had to say.

Rockhampton has been named as number one search destination on Airbnb for users looking for travel within Australia within 2024.

Rockhampton has been named as the number one search destination by Australians for 2024 on Airbnb, beating out plenty of capital city suburbs.

New data by the online marketplace for short and long term accommodation and experiences was revealed this week for the trending Australian destinations.

Based on worldwide searches from January to September 2023 by users in Australia, the top five places for future travel in 2024 were Rockhampton, Richmond (inner-Melbourne), East Melbourne, Ipswich and Sydney Olympic Park.

A quick search over the locality of Rockhampton (not including Yeppoon and the Capricorn Coast) on Airbnb showed there were 174 places in and around the city.

Accommodation types varied from full houses to guesthouses and granny flats at the rear of occupied homes, apartments, rooms inside homes and farm stays.

Much of the demand and searches for Rockhampton could be attributed to Beef Australia which will be on again in 2024 and is known to book out accommodation years in advance.

Rooms can be hard to come by during this time and there is always mention of price-gouging.

Looking at the 2024, there are just 21 places left available in town on Airbnb and they range in price from $4,622 for two bedrooms (private floor) in Frenchville ($660.28) and up to $15,886 for a four-bedroom home in Wandal ($2,269.42 per night).

There are also only 26 places left for rent on Airbnb during Easter 2024, when Rockynats is on, with prices ranging from $109 to $4,910.

Karen Brosnan at her Air BnB unit on The Range in Rockhampton.

Karen Brosnan has been offering a unit at the back of her home on The Range on Airbnb for the past 10 months.

The Airbnb platform only allows users to book 12 months in advance and she said once her dates were released for May during Beef Australia 2024, the whole week was booked straight away.

She doesn’t believe in price gouging and did some research around what other hotels were asking.

“I don’t think that’s the right thing to do and this wouldn’t be a big company staying here, it’s just mum and dad,” she said.

“I found out what a couple of hotels in town were asking for one bedroom apartments and went less than them.”

Claire Mactaggart has a home on Caroline Street, near the school in Allenstown on Air BnB.

Claire Mactaggart has a three-bedroom heritage style Queenslander home in Allenstown which has been booked out by a company who will be exhibiting at Beef Australia.

“It really reflects how big the Beef Australia event has become,” Ms Mactaggart said in response to the news Rockhampton was number one on Airbnb.

“It’s really wonderful so many people are going down the Airbnb road around the event so we can offer up more accommodation for people.

“The great thing about Beef Australia is hopefully people come from afar, experience the region and then want to come back and have more visitor nights in the region.

“I’m just incredibly excited Rockhampton has generated that interest, we should be shouting that from the rooftops.”

Claire Mactaggart at her Air BnB home.

Ms Mactaggart has been running her Airbnb for the past three years and specifically bought the Caroline Street property to do so.

“I have a background writing for Country Style magazine and had written stories about people doing wonderful stays and really showcasing regions and I thought I would love to do that for Rockhampton,” she said.

Inside Liberty, Claire Mactaggart's Air BnB home in Allenstown.

When looking for a property in Rockhampton, Ms Mactaggart said there were plenty that lend themselves to the Airbnb style but the key was finding somewhere close to shops.

“There are lots of little great hubs in Rockhampton, I think being close to shops helps because when people get to town they don’t want to have to get in a car and drive 10 minutes to get milk,” she said.

The bedroom at the Air BnB home in Allenstown.

The profile for the property, named Liberty, has more than 90 reviews from people all over.

“Rocky is a thriving hub, there’s a lot of service and industry here, people come and stay here for a whole range of reasons, they come to have their babies, to get married, have wedding photos here, they see doctors and do other jobs, then we have other people that come here and catch up with other friends then there are those that come for work purposes,” Ms Mactaggart said.

Ms Mactaggart is a beef producer with her husband Andrew at a property near Duaringa, an hour and 45 minutes drive from Rockhampton.

She said managing the Airbnb from afar just came down to communication.

“The key with it is having wonderful cleaners and I am lucky I really have excellent cleaners, it’s communicating with them on a daily basis and with the guests.”

Inside Karen Brosnan's Air BnB unit in The Range.

For Karen Brosnan, she didn’t initially consider Airbnb for her rear unit when she moved into her place four years ago.

“I never even thought about it, the room was just nothing, it was just four walls and I thought I would make it into a bedroom with a bathroom,” she said.

“I was just chatting with a friend one day and they said why don’t you make it into an Airbnb.

“I was very hesitant but they said give it a go because you could always take it off if you don’t like it and it’s just been great.”

In the 10 months she has had the property online, she hasn’t had one bad experience.

“If you need to contact them (Airbnb), they are so helpful, when I first started I had a few questions,” she said.

“They pay straight away, as soon as they check in, the money is released.”

Inside Karen Brosnan's Air BnB unit in The Range.

Ms Brosnan’s property is a self-contained suite with a kitchenette, lounge area and bedroom and a separate bathroom.

“We try to market for corporate people to come and stay for work but it’s been a mixture, a lot of overnighters come through, people staying for hospital visits as we are close to the Mater,” she said.

“Having the separate entrance makes it really easy.”

She said she gets a lot of guests travelling to or from Airlie Beach and Cairns, or people in town visiting family, wedding, 21sts, and has even had some international visitors from Germany, England, Israel and South Africa.

“You really just get an assortment, you never know who it will be,” she said.

“I think Airbnb is growing, from the amount of people and inquiries that I get … People are looking for a bit more than a hotel room I think, people who stayed here have said it’s just nice to be in something not so corporate, you feel more at home.”

Anyone who is considering becoming a host on Airbnb, Ms Brosnan encouraged them to go for it.

“Because you have to rate people, you have to be rated, they have to be rated … Most people understand it’s your home and they are appreciative of it,” she said.

Ms Mactaggart echoed the same sentiments and encouraged young people to get involved with Airbnb.

“If you’re going to do it, you have to do it well if you want to deliver a good product you are committing to it for a good amount of time.

“I do think it’s a really good option, especially for young people, who are working and wondering how to invest their money, and enjoy customer service, I think it’s a really good sideline.”