Opal miners, whip crackers and teddy makers eye Olympic stage

As Queensland irons out the finer details of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, outback artisans and entertainers are putting up their hands to get involved.

The pitch by the state government that the Games would be "for all of Queensland" has been taken to heart, even by those more than 1,000 kilometres away from the main host city. 

Opal miner Daniel Black said it would be a "dream" to see the famed Australian gems on the world stage.

"Whether that's within gifts to dignitaries that might come over for the games, whether that's within our medals or even within the torch itself," he said.

With Australia supplying more than 90 per cent of the world's opals, Mr Black, who is also the Queensland Boulder Opal Association president, said it was a fitting inclusion.

"A lot of people don't actually understand where opal is found or where specific types of opal are found," he said.

"And I think it actually provides a great international platform to make sure that people know."

Mr Black said he had already been in early talks with the government about how opals could be used and how that could benefit many small western towns.

Olympics a chance for outback performance

In Winton, co-founder of comedy and circus troupe The Crackup Sisters, Amanda Lyn-Pearson, is helping to train a team of whip crackers.

"Rather than having little city kids run around with whips, we're working on taking a mob of kids to the city to do the opening and closing ceremonies," she said.

The 17-strong crew, aged four to 58, have performed at Winton's Dustarena and believe they are ready to take to the Olympic and Paralympic stage.

"I could see it definitely as an opener. Or even when events going a little boring, let's whip it up a gear," she joked.

Ms Pearson said including Australian outback art forms would add an authentic touch of Queensland to the Games.

"Stock whip cracking, the knockabout acrobatics, hula hoop, the kelpie dogs, larrikin humour and big characters with a real nice blunt, dry sense of humour," she suggested.

"Tourism and audiences, they're actually after that genuine thing. They don't want the crap that you think that they might want."

Teddy makers ready to put needle to sheepskin

The team at Queensland toy producer Tambo Teddies have pitched a koala mascot for the Games.

"We put him out to our social media, to our world, and said, 'name him'. And yeah, Bunji came back, because Bunji means friendship," co-owner Alison Shaw said.

Ms Shaw said their facility in Toowoomba was ready to create merchandise, including for the Games' cockatoo-inspired emblems that were accidentally revealed in full on Friday.

"The new symbols and mascots, we want to make them," she said.

"Whether it's made of sheepskin or made of another fabric, there's no reason why we can't be the manufacturers here in Queensland."

She said the Games needed to be for all of Queensland, not just its south-east corner.

"It's an opportunity for the likes of us to be in there making something to share the love all around. Everyone gets a bit of the pie," Ms Shaw said.

Outback tourism industry set to benefit

Longreach Mayor Tony Rayner said there were challenges of supplying an event on the scale of the Olympics.

"It's important that planning starts early, and then if the opportunity is there,they can bid to have that put in,"

he said.

"The big one for us obviously is visitation from tourists that are both international visitors coming over for the Olympics and equally those that might want to leave Brisbane and head to the quiet of the bush."