'I'm Beating The Boys At The Outback Game!'

Jillaroo Jess turned her back on life in the city to work the land, and she’s never looked back

- Belinda Wanis

When Jessica Edwards’ parents told her they were moving from Brisbane to a small town in rural Queensland in 2006, the 16-year-old was understandably upset.

“I got dragged there kicking and screaming,” Jess, now 27, tells Woman’s Day. “As a teenager it was hard completely changing your life.”

When she left school just a couple of years later, Jess started working in an art gallery but, to her surprise, she was soon drawn into the rural way of life she had fought so hard against.

“I grew into it pretty quickly once I got a horse, which made me happy,” she says. “I volunteered for the Riding for the Disabled Foundation and went to all the country shows and rodeos.”

Before long, Jess was also attracted to some of the  male-dominated professions the bush life had to offer.

“I’m quite competitive,” she tells. “I’ve always liked driving and anything with a motor. When I first got behind the wheel of a truck, that was it – I needed to keep going. I had to get the biggest licence I could.”

HER DRIVE TO SUCCEED