Jacinda Barry - Building Carinya Station (Extending the Table)

Episode Title:Extending the Table: Jacinda Barry on Building Carinya Station in Lightning RidgeEpisode Description:In this episode of Regional Trailblazers, host Charlotte Prouse from The Destination Store sits down with Jacinda Barry of Carinya Station, just outside Lightning Ridge, NSW.Jacinda’s journey into agritourism began towards the end of the Millennium drought, on her family’s remote property 20 kilometres out of town. While still working off-farm, she slowly started building something new — a tourism offering grounded in real outback experiences. What began as a simple, barter-style camping setup has grown into a thriving farm stay and glamping business that now welcomes visitors from across Australia and beyond.This conversation explores what it really takes to start and grow a tourism business in regional Australia — especially in challenging conditions. Jacinda shares the early days of cleaning up the property with the help of visitors, navigating drought, refining her offering, and building a business model centred on connection, authenticity and what she calls “making the table longer.”Charlotte and Jacinda also dive into the importance of knowing your audience, backing your pricing, and leaning into networks and mentoring programs to build confidence and capability as a regional operator.One of the most powerful parts of this episode is Jacinda’s commitment to her community. Over the years, she has employed and mentored local high school students, helping guide them into their next chapters. From supporting a young woman into nursing to encouraging another to pursue agritourism studies overseas, Jacinda’s impact extends far beyond her business.This is a thoughtful and inspiring conversation about resilience, leadership, and the opportunities that can grow when you decide to give something a go even in the most remote parts of the country.Whether you’re interested in agritourism, small business, regional life or simply love hearing stories of people making a difference in their communities, this episode is not to be missed.Key Topics:Building an agritourism business in regional NSWStarting during drought and overcoming early challengesFrom barter camping to a successful farm stayThe importance of customer personas and pricing confidenceMentoring young people and supporting the next generationCreating meaningful, connection-led visitor experiences TIME STAMPS 00:00 Welcome to the Podcast 00:37 Meet Jacinda Barry 01:32 Buying Carinya Station 03:02 Barter Camping Beginnings 04:49 From Free Camp to Farmstay 06:05 Launching on Hipcamp 07:39 Make the Table Longer 11:43 Drought and Early Hardships 13:41 Networks and Coaching Support 15:15 Know Your Persona 17:41 Pricing and Value Mindset 20:05 Joyful Connection Experience 21:07 Loving the Work 22:22 Hiring Local Youth 23:02 Opal’s Growth Story 24:44 Izzy and Succession 27:21 Let Them Leave Return 28:52 Support Programs Reality 30:08 Buggy Tours Next 31:56 Designing Tour Offerings 33:55 Tourism Outlook Identity 37:54 Empathy on Farm Life 38:41 Advice Use Support 40:43 Community Network Thanks 41:47 Website Long Table Dreams 43:02 Final Thanks Wrap