Opinion: Coober Pedy’s Film Future – Hijacked, Forgotten, and Left in the Dust
Posted on: 2025-04-05 07:36:56
Back in 2022, the District Council of Coober Pedy made a promising move: they commissioned a $30,000 feasibility study to explore the idea of a National Outback Film Centre and museum — an idea I proudly championed as then Chair of the Coober Pedy Retail, Business and Tourism Association. The potential? Massive. The execution? A tragic comedy.
The study, prepared by Fyfe Pty Ltd with input from SA Tourism and industry experts, rightly identified Coober Pedy’s unique appeal to filmmakers. It recommended pragmatic steps forward: streamline permits, build a user-friendly website, develop a dedicated admin hub for productions, and embrace our rich filming history. This wasn’t pie-in-the-sky thinking — it was practical, achievable groundwork for positioning Coober Pedy as a film-friendly destination, much like Broken Hill or the Flinders Ranges.
But when it came time for action, the Council completely dropped the ball.
Representatives from Fyfe, the SA Tourism Commission, and the film industry flew in to meet with Council. The Council forgot to show up. Let that sink in — a meeting where key players traveled hundreds of kilometres to plan Coober Pedy’s future… and Council simply didn’t turn up. They later called in a staff member on their day off to cover for them. The impression left on our guests? “If they can’t remember a meeting, how will they ever build a museum?” one remarked. That quote still stings — because it’s true.
The final report, completed in 2023, concluded that while a fully-fledged National Outback Film Centre might not yet be feasible, there was strong support for immediate, lower-cost initiatives. These included establishing a digital platform to attract filmmakers, repurposing an existing building for a media liaison hub, and showcasing our film heritage through walking trails and small-scale exhibits. I offered to help make this happen — to oversee the online presence and promotional tools that would put us on the map. But the Council had other plans.
They hijacked the project, as they tend to do, and — predictably — achieved nothing. The person assigned to drive the initiative left town, and so did the momentum. Two years later, the opportunity has vanished into the desert heat.
Now, in 2025, the “Coober Pedy Together” group has reportedly met with the SA Film Corporation. What came of it? Nobody seems to know — apparently, the group is still “digesting” the outcomes. One wonders if they’re also busy digesting past ideas and repackaging them as their own.
This feels like déjà vu: another group quietly stepping into a space that was already laid out by the community, claiming ownership while failing to acknowledge the groundwork others have done. Is this a new initiative, or is it a clever rebranding of a shelved project they once ignored?
The Fyfe report, for all its ambition, still exists. It’s a public document, and the community has every right to read it. If you’d like a copy, ask the Council — or reach out to me directly. I was there when it mattered.
Coober Pedy still has a chance to claim its rightful place in Australia's film landscape. But unless there’s accountability, continuity, and competent leadership — we’ll keep watching our best ideas get buried under bureaucratic apathy and spin.
Author: Jason Wright