Shop local to support your community
Published on 10 November 2026
With Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the festive season around the corner, many of us will have our eyes peeled for a great deal before the end of the year. While online bargains can be tempting, we should never underestimate the value of local spending during the busiest shopping period of the year.
Mount Morgan Buy Local
Now there's even more of a reason to visit Mount Morgan
Nowhere is the value of local shopping more evident than in Mount Morgan. Each year, Mount Morgan Promotion and Development Inc (MMPAD), with the support of sponsors including Advance Rockhampton, delivers the Mount Morgan Buy Local Campaign. The premise is simple – you spend $20 at a participating business, place your docket into an entry box around town, and go in the draw to win a share of thousands of dollars’ worth of prizes.
1 in 3 local businesses participated last year, making 3,000 eligible transactions which supported more than $60,000 in local spending. For a smaller community like Mount Morgan, that’s a significant impact spread across businesses in retail, accommodation, food and hospitality and services.
While shopping locally has always been important to the Mount Morgan community, the campaign also gives shoppers across the broader Rockhampton Region an additional incentive to hit the road and spend a day in the historic town – browsing the main street, taking in the gold mine from one of the lookouts and having a picnic at No 7 Dam.
The importance of shopping local
Choosing local isn't only about retail shopping
It’s easy to think that buying locally only applies to small towns, but it’s just as important in Rockhampton itself. The success of our CBD, Gracemere and suburban shopping strips rely on us choosing to spend money close to home where possible. Whether it’s picking up a unique gift from an East Street boutique, grabbing your Christmas ham from a local butcher, or even supporting a locally owned franchise, you’ll be supporting businesses that employ local people, use local suppliers and help keep our economy thriving.
Shopping locally doesn’t necessarily mean buying more things either. It can be as simple as choosing to dine out at a local cafe, booking a table at a local restaurant, or ordering your Friday night takeaway over the phone instead of through an app that takes a commission (this can be as high as 30% in some cases).
What comes around, goes around and it’s local businesses that are the first to give back. Local businesses sponsor our local sports clubs, donate prizes for community raffles, support community events and are the first to chip in when one of us needs a helping hand.
Small changes make a big difference
This festive season, think twice before clicking ‘add to cart’ because by choosing to spend locally where you can, you’ll help create a stronger, more vibrant economy, and support business owners who’ve chosen to invest in the future of the Rockhampton Region.
While a single transaction may seem small, if we all choose to swap some of our online purchases for walking in the door of a local business, it all adds up to a stronger future the community we all love.