Celia Burrell AM
Celia Burrell AM

BA Vis Comm (RMIT)

Celia Burrell (Shelmerdine ’83) graduated from RMIT with a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Communication achieving an overall High Distinction. She then worked in London as an Art Director for various advertising and design firms before starting her own business on her return to Australia in 1990.

Celia has been described as a serial entrepreneur, enjoying and successfully navigating the creation, funding, launch and growth of several innovative enterprises.

Her most well-known endeavour was to transform a million-acre, rundown cattle station into a world renowned wilderness park in Australia’s Kimberley region, El Questro. The concept and creation of this wilderness park changed the way people viewed and visited the Australian Outback. El Questro hosts over 50,000 domestic and international guests each year.

Celia has been the recipient of many design and tourism awards for her vision, lateral thinking and leadership flair. In 2005, she entered the Hall of Fame for Tourism Excellence and in 2006 was appointed as a member of the Order of Australia for service to the tourism industry in the development and promotion of outback wilderness travel and raising awareness of the cultural significance of the Kimberley region.

Celia is a published author and illustrator. Her first book, Flora the Flower Girl, was published in 1995 followed by four more outdoor themed stories.

All her projects have been inspired by a love of community, creativity, design, good health and Australia’s great outdoors.

She enjoys a wide variety of sports, in particular Skiing and Yoga, spending time outside and being with her family and four children.

November 2015