Wolf Creek 2 may boost Kimberley tourism
Tourism promoters in the Kimberley are hoping for a wave of visitors on the back of the release of feature film Wolf Creek 2.
The original movie, which depicts the East Kimberley's iconic Wolfe Creek Crater in the first 10 minutes, took a whopping $28 million at the box office in 2005.
Wolf Creek 2 was released last week with Australian actor John Jarratt again reunited with his rifle and flannelette shirt to portray outback serial killer Mick Taylor.
Taylor is one of the creepiest characters ever to roam the Australian outback.
But instead of scaring people away, tourism bodies hope the movie will have the opposite effect.
Australia's North West chief executive Glen Chidlow said while the content of the film might not inspire visitors, due to its gory nature, he hoped it would be good exposure for the region.
In Wolf Creek 2, before things get ugly there are stunning aerial shots of the giant crater located about 150km from Halls Creek.
The 300,000-year-old Wolfe Creek meteorite crater is the world's second largest and stands about 60m tall, or roughly the same height as an 18-storey building.
"It is a remarkable site and definitely already an attraction for visitors to the Kimberley," Mr Chidlow said.
"The movie is obviously not based on a theme that promotes the region, but there is a curiosity value that might encourage people to visit Wolfe Creek Crater as they travel through the Kimberley."
The Department of Parks and Wildlife, which manages access to the crater, said because it was not within a national park that required registration, they were unable to gauge if there was a spike in visitors following the release of the first film.
However, Halls Creek Visitor Centre Travel and Tourism manager Chris Telenta said he was sure an increased interest in the landmark could be attributed to the horror flick.
He said the impact of the first film was still evident today.
If the first movie was anything to go by, the sequel would boost interest in the region again.
"Many people remember the name (Wolfe Creek), just because of the movie," he said.
"The majority of people visiting us tend to visit Wolfe Creek, as long as the road is open.
"Many are also booking a scenic flight over the crater."
Mr Telenta said the visitor centre would try to promote other spots such as Purnululu National Park and China Wall to tourists who were in town to see Wolfe Creek.
It has taken Wolf Creek co-writer and director Greg McLean the best part of a decade to get the sequel to his phenomenally successful, R-rated feature debut, off the ground.
It was intended to be shot three years ago at $13.2 million, but an investor pulled out on the eve of production.
The revised $7 million budget is still almost six times that of the original.
The sequel has also received a relatively benign MA15+ rating after censors slapped the first movie with an R18+.
On Monday, McLean announced via Twitter the sequel had made a killing at the Australian box office, taking in 35 per cent more than the original. It grossed $1,702,073 on 218 screens nationally from Thursday to Sunday of its opening weekend.
