A museum to showcase western Queensland life is at the heart of a new Australian Outback Museum at Charleville that has snagged the Murweh Shire Council nearly $8 million in federal funding.
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Murweh mayor Shaun Radnedge described the $7.94 million Building Better Regions funding announced on Sunday by Maranoa MP David Littleproud as a game changer for the outback community.
Some $6m of the funding will go towards the new museum, while $1.5m will be spent on the second stage of the WWII Secret Airbase and Charleville Airport Museum, and another $440,000 is for the Smiley Museum at Augathella.
The 1957 movie Smiley, which received a Best British Screenplay nomination at the BAFTA awards, is based on a 1945 novel of the same name by Moore Raymond, which tells the story of a mischievous boy who lives in the small country town of Murrumbilla, based on Augathella.
In the short term, there is an expectation of 27 full-time jobs being created as a direct result of the funding.
"The federal government knows we have done it tough for years and are turning negatives into positives, and this funding will go a long way for our community and add value to the entire region," Cr Radnedge said, highlighting the expected investment boom.
He acknowledged Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce and federal MP David Littleproud for believing in the project, and said a partnership with Griffith University had been integral to its success.
The five-year partnership was responsible for the design for the WWII Secret Airbase precinct, and was the catalyst for the shire being able to move forward with its tourism plan, Cr Radnedge said.
Cr Radnedge said the Outback Museum would focus on more modern history, after listening to what tourists were looking for when they travelled through the region.
"We've had some big disasters - droughts and floods.
"Tourists want to know what's kept it sustainable out here. We want to let people know that we've moved with the times, we're not here to wreck everything.
"For example, the south west councils are carrying 90 per cent of the nation's carbon credits - we can educate the public on a lot of things."
The next steps are to develop the concept further and to get a steering committee set up, which Cr Radnedge said was now underway.
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Sally Gall
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
