A reality television juggernaut has catapulted the North Queensland gold town of Charters Towers into the national spotlight, with local authorities predicting a tourism boom.
The latest season of Australian Survivor premiered last night, showcasing the region's diverse landscape – from arid, rocky outcrops to lush greenery and waterways.
It is the second time the blockbuster series has been filmed in regional Queensland after the COVID-19 pandemic put the brakes on international production.
Charters Towers councillor Sonia Bennetto said the premiere had been highly anticipated among locals, who had welcomed the production with open arms.
"It certainly sent a tingle in the heartstrings when we saw our beautiful region light up on the screen," Ms Bennetto said.
The big-budget production employed 350 crew members, who set up camp on the outskirts of Charters Towers for several months.
But the council is confident the benefits will not end there.
"It's definitely going to attract more visitors to our region," Ms Bennetto said.
"We have so much variety and attractions in our landscapes alone, so I think this will create a conduit for the world to be able to really see what we can offer for travellers of all ages to come through and experience what we have."
'A thousand miles from civilisation'
Charters Towers local Ian Dietrich, the Deputy Headmaster of All Souls St Gabriel's School and a self-confessed Survivor fan, said it was exciting to see the region on national television.
"My home is 40 kilometres away from the site where they filmed Survivor, and when they played the opening [scene] and said they were a thousand miles from civilisation, I was a little bit concerned," he laughed.
"As locals, we were able to watch and go, 'Oh there's Lolworth Creek, oh there's Big Bend, oh that's Echo Hole' – just icons and parts of our region that we know."
Mr Dietrich said the Survivor crew had been eager to get locals involved in the production.
"About August and September, they were sending around emails to the different schools, asking if any of the teenagers or early twenties were able to help out with bussing [people], catering, even pretending to be contestants," he said.
"So, when you see on the show some bodies actually playing the games or the challenges before the real contestants, they were locals that were in there giving it a bit of go."
'An invaluable marketing tool' for the future
Businesses are hopeful the national spotlight will do wonders for the region's profile in 2022 and beyond.
Local real estate agent Julia Fraser said 2021 already saw unprecedented interest from people outside the region and interstate looking to relocate to Charters Towers during the pandemic.
"In the last few months alone, families moving to Charters Towers from the capital cities like Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne have increased by over 30 per cent," Ms Fraser said.
Charters Towers Chamber of Commerce president Wayne Miller said the region's tourism potential had typically been undercapitalised.
"We all hope the spotlight on Charters Towers and the environment we live in will create a big interest in relation to tourism, which will obviously have a long-term benefit for the economy of the region," Mr Miller said.
"Maybe we'll get visitors from places we've never thought of before.
"It's an invaluable marketing tool."
