A recent national study into Science, ICT and Mathematics education in rural and regional Australia (SiMERR) highlighted the disadvantages faced by rural and remote communities in terms of science learning and teaching. Focus group interviews conducted in rural primary schools in South Australia identified a lack of resources and of access to services and facilities as being contributing factors. By way of contrast, a cluster of schools in a remote location of South Australia turned the tide on this perspective. They did this by successfully connecting the science that already existed in the local environment with their curricular practices. What they taught was not "city" science but "local" science in context. As a result, the science teaching and learning in this cluster was transformed. This paper reports on how this was done and why it was so successful. (Contains 1 table.)