With 2002 designated as the Year of the Outback, various Councils and communities are celebrating what makes their locality special. As the year unfolds, Outback areas are showcasing their people, achievements and local attractions through numerous events, exhibitions and festivals. Founder and Chairman of the year, Bruce Campbell MBE, said 2002 is an opportunity for the Outback to develop its infinite potential and recognise the achievements of its people.
“Australians idealise the Outback in our folklore through poetry, songs and the indigenous culture which dates back 60,000 years,” he said. “Internationally, it is used in films, television shows and advertisements to promote our country. This year we celebrate the Outback for its contributions to our country.
“There is no other destination in the world like our Outback. It is a region that contributes significantly to the Australian economy through mining, tourism and agriculture. There are literally hundreds of reasons for people to visit our Outback with the spectacular landscapes and destinations always on offer.”
The Year of the Outback program includes over 60 events and activities being staged across the country. As well as Federal, State and Territory funding, the support of local Councils, communities and individuals is crucial.
The Year of the Outback is enabling people of the Outback to celebrate their own, often isolated and challenging lifestyle, but one few would trade for anywhere else.
The celebrations aim to achieve the following.
- Showcasing the Outback as an industrious centre of Australia.
- Attracting tourists both within Australia and internationally to Outback destinations.
- Generating urban interest and participation in the Outback.
- Leaving a legacy for the people of the Outback.
At Longreach in Queensland, the recent opening of the $9 million Qantas Founders Museum was a major event celebrating Easter in the Outback.
Queensland Premier, Peter Beattie; Federal Minister for Regional Services, Territories and Local Government, Wilson Tuckey (representing the Prime Minister); and Qantas CEO, Geoff Dixon, attended the opening.
“The Museum includes a replica of a plane built in the 1920s when Qantas first flew from here,” said Longreach Mayor, Councillor Joan Maloney. “An original hanger has also been incorporated into the Museum’s design.
“The Year of the Outback has provided an extra focus for events already planned as well as some special celebrations, such as the horse ride which will leave Longreach in June. Many riders are expected to join along the way with an anticipated several hundred by the time Brisbane is reached.”
Councillor Maloney said that local tour operators have reported twice as many coaches booked to visit the region this year than what they would normally expect.
A dedication weekend on 9 and 10 March for the Back O’ Bourke Exhibition Centre and the Year of the Outback was one of the major events staged by Bourke in western New South Wales. Some 700 visitors over the weekend of activities injected an estimated $110,000 into the local economy. The Big Wide Outback River Regatta also arrived in town on the Sunday. Commencing in Moama on the Victorian/New South Wales border, over a 12 day period, some 60 competitors passed through numerous small towns dotted along the Murray, Murrumbidgee and Darling Rivers before reaching Bourke. Over Easter, the Outback Fishing Challenge attracted over 200 anglers from far and wide. Future events include the Back O’ Bourke Stampede and the Mateship Festival, which will include the Poets Treck, following the famous journey of Henry Lawson.
Alice Springs has won the right to host a premier event of the Year of the Outback, the Outback Expo.
“With the Commonwealth Government providing $850,000 and the Northern Territory Government $500,000, the organising committee can get to work to bring together a national event in Alice Springs,” said Mayor Fran Kilgariff.
Outback Central 2002 will be held in Alice Springs in the last week of August 2002. Event Organisers, Desert Knowledge Australia, will host an international conference from 27 to 29 August as part of Outback Central activities.
An exhibition highlighting innovation, technology and quality of life issues for people living in desert and remote areas, it will bring together people from inland regional centres across Australia.
In honour of the Year of the Outback, the National General Assembly of Local Government will also be held in Alice Springs from 3 to 6 November. This is the first time the National Assembly has been held outside Canberra. The venue will be Alice Springs’ recently opened $14 million Convention Centre. It is the first purpose built convention centre in the Northern Territory.
Designed to more than satisfy the business travellers’ appetite for Outback experiences, with international standards of service, comfort and technology, it has a full range of advanced technology facilities dedicated to conventions, conferences, exhibitions and the like.
