Cirrus@Austlit

'On the fortieth anniversary of the publication of Russell Ward's Australian Legend, it is timely to evaluate the strength of the bush legend in contemporary Australia. One way of doing this is to consider how elements of the legend have been taken up in tourist products and this study, which takes up on an earlier study undertaken in 1988 (Trotter, 1992), looks at the impacts the Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame and Outback Cultural Centre in Longreach (the Hall) has had on the town, the region, and broader spheres. Also celebrating an anniversary in April - its tenth - the Hall has, over the decade, become a significant outback tourist site; and the journey there has acquired almost pilgrimage status. It has put Longreach 'on the map'; and it has also provided a model for towns and regions aspiring to a 'heritage-led' economic recovery.' (Introduction)