Christie’s Boxer and Pandoras Box solutions are putting the shine back into the Gold Coast’s Australian Outback Spectacular.
The popular attraction opened in 2006 and brings the outback to life with live performers, animals and immersive elements including lighting, sound, fog, wind and snow.
The arena, with its corrugated iron roof and galvanised railings, is fully themed to evoke the spirit of the Australian high country. Features include a winding billabong near the entrance and vintage wagon wheel light fittings.
According to Christie, while the show continued to impress, the image quality on the arena’s 35m x 9m high projection screen had declined. The venue decided it was time for a technology refresh.
The venue’s integration partner, Customised Technical Solutions (CTS), worked with Christie Australia to enhance the show with brighter, clearer images.
The dusty environment created particular challenges
CTS selected the Christie Boxer 2K30 for its affordability, as well as features including 4K upgradability. Challenges to overcome included high ambient light levels and the audience’s close proximity to the screen. The solution was an array of four Christie Boxer projectors, stacked in pairs, with a centre blend.
The ambience of the venue poses its own particular challenges for technology solutions – the show takes place on sand which aims to evoke ‘glistening high country snow’. Great for the audience, but not so good for tech kit as it creates a dusty atmosphere. The environment is also hot and humid.
To ensure smooth running despite the heat and dust, the projectors are housed in sealed environmental enclosures on individual sliding drawers, allowing them to slide out for easy maintenance.
A Christie Pandoras Box manages the content, ensuring the technical team has complete control over the entire workflow.
The result, says Christie, is an immersive experience that continues to thrill audiences and is now even better than ever.
