Alex and Belle moved to Charters Towers with their three children in 2010 so that Belle could take up a teaching position. Their plan was to stay a year or two before moving back to South East Queensland to be near family. But having lived in Perth and Brisbane where an hour commute to and from work each day was the norm, they found that living in The Towers was just the country change they needed – and they have made it their home ever since.
After working as a teacher’s aide at a local school for 10 years, Alex decided he needed a change. He had been making biltong on and off for over 20 years and selling it to colleagues and students at work, so it was a fairly easy transition to create Tattooed Bull Beef Biltong in July 2020.
They converted a room in their house to be a commercial kitchen – tiling it and fitting it out with commercial equipment to upscale production and now ship their product Australia wide.
Alex loves making biltong. He says, “I dry the entire steak as a strip and then hand cut it for easy nibbling. Our Biltong is trimmed of all fat and dries down to around 45% of its original weight while concentrating the flavours and retaining all of the protein.”
He appreciates the fact that his product is closely linked to one of Charters Towers' core industries and ensures that he sources local rump steak for his biltong. In his spare time, he and Belle love to get out with their camper and show the kids a bit of the country.
They have driven to Uluru, returning via the South Coast in 2018 and last Christmas they drove to Perth via the top end. They camp at Anna Branch every Easter and enjoy kayaking, fishing and swimming.
Alex says, “This family time with our kids is precious”.
