Bruce Munro Light-Towers exhibition at Kings Canyon to draw crowds after $20m investment
The Bruce Munro Light-Towers exhibition has officially launched at Discovery Kings Canyons resort, with the owners hoping the attraction will draw plenty of tourists after making a $20m investment.
Northern Territory
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Hundreds of kilometres from the nearest town or port, Kings Canyon is becoming an increasingly popular tourism destination – and now there’s plans to turn the area into a ‘juggernaut’ for Central Australian tourism.
Undeterred by the recent crime wave in Alice Springs and Covid-19 lockdowns, the G’Day Group that owns Discover Kings Canyon Resort,has pushed ahead with a $20m investment in the property since 2021.
They’re hoping a partnership with world-renowned artist Bruce Munro, alongside a joint federal and NT government funded plan to upgrade remote and regional roads to increase access to destinations, will provide a boost to the regions tourism industry.
The man behind the art
Comprising 69 light towers pulsating to the tune of music composed by British composer Orlando Gough, the Bruce Munro Light-Towers exhibition at Discovery Kings Canyon is expected to be a drawcard for domestic and international tourists.
Mr Munro said his connection to Kings Canyon went back 30 years, when he visited with his wife Serena after being told about the location by a fellow traveller in Uluru.
“Eventually we arrived here, there was a little roadhouse, a restaurant, a patch of green grass and a little swimming pool, but not much else,” he said.
“It was the first time in my life that I had a real sense of geological time.”
The British artist said the inspiration for the towers came from a book he read at age 21 by Lyall Watson, describing how the earth has a natural pulse resonating at 69 beats per day.
Each light tower is made of 216 bottles illuminated by optic fibres and powered by solar panels, which Mr Munro said was a nod to sustainability.
Mr Munro said in an era of divisiveness, areas like Kings Canyon were becoming increasingly important to visit.
“I believe that the earth can heal us if we turn to the earth, we turn to nature, we look after each other, we respect each other, we respect our land,” he said.
“This area is so important for people’s spirit, to come out.
“Because our life is taken up by so much noise, this is one of those places we can come to take ourselves away from it all.”
Mr Munro said his passion in recent years had turned towards using art to help local economies.
“Everything goes to cities for some reason, and you’ve got so much noise in the city people don’t know what to do but when you come to a place like this, it heals you.”
The light towers officially launched on Thursday and will be at Kings Canyon for the next two years.
The investment
G’Day Group bought Discovery Kings Canyon in 2021, as Covid-19 restrictions continued to prevent international and domestic tourism from thriving.
G’Day Group chief marketing officer Lahnee White said the company had invested more than $20m into the resort since then, refurbishing 128 premium resort rooms, adding additional cabins and expanding it’s campgrounds.
“We’ve done a lot of work already, our focus at the moment is around our campground expansion, which will include a number of new cabins which will have beautiful views over the Kings Canyon,” Ms White said.
“We’re just about to launch into our high season when travellers hit the road and come through the Red Centre on the way up North.”
Ms White said despite recent anti-social issues in Alice Springs, travellers were still looking to the Red Centre as a “bucket list” destination.
“It’s obviously a very complex situation in Alice Springs and we see our role as to really stimulate tourism into the region,” she said.
“We’re focused on that through the $20 million investment we’ve made into the property and focusing on creating new and interesting ways for people to experience the Red Centre.
“We’ve got a lot of travellers still wanting to come, we’ve got people on the road, we’ve got people who come just to see the Red Centre, it’s still a highly attractive location.
“With the partnership with Bruce Munro we’re looking to find another reason for customers to come.”
The dream
G’Day Group non-executive director Grant Hunt introduced Mr Munro to the G’Day Group.
The former Voyages Indigenous Tourism chief executive and non-executive director, who launched a book on Red Centre road trips and photography titled ‘Rugged Heart’ on Thursday, said his dream was to have the world’s first light installation road trip through the Red Centre.
“We have Field of Lights (at Uluru), we’ve got Light-Towers here which has just blown me away, and then if it works like we hope it does we can do a smaller one at Glen Helen, and then you’ve got Parrtjima in Alice Springs which only runs for a short season, but there’s the potential with all the gear there,” Mr Hunt said.
“So there’s this potential that we have this light installation light trail right through Central Australia, and I don’t know of anywhere else in the world that does that.”
Ms White said investing in a light installation road trip was something G’Day Group would be open to.
“There is already so much wonderful investment in art and culture in the region, that if travellers come and that is something that continues to inspire them then we’re committed to making sure we’re considering how we’re bringing that into other properties,” she said.
The access
Mr Hunt said funding had been announced by the federal and Northern Territory governments to seal the Merennie Loop road, increasing access to Kings Canyon from Alice Springs.
Currently, the road is recommended for 4WD only, with 2WD required to take a detour along the Stuart and Lassetter highways.
According to the federal Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communication and the Arts website, $415m in funding has been announced to upgrade remote and regional roads in the Northern Territory, including Merennie Loop.
The project is currently in the planning phase.
Mr Hunt said a large portion of the tourism industry was caravan and camping and many travellers did not want to take their campers over dirt roads.
“There is a plan, there is funding, how long it will take I don’t know, but it will completely change this dynamic, this will be a juggernaut of a place when we get that Merennie Loop sealed.”
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