Ipswich loses Narnia location war

Peter Foley | 19th June 2009

20th Century Fox

JUST picture it - the royal ship The Dawn Treader sailing down the Bremer River as Lucy and Edmund return to Narnia, encountering dragons, dwarves and lost warriors before reaching the edge of the world in Queens Park.

It could all have come true had the producers of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader chose Ipswich and not the Gold Coast as the location for the new film.

“They had narrowed their site preferences to us and the Gold Coast and decided to go with the Gold Coast,” Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale said yesterday.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is the third instalment in the Chronicles of Narnia series following The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian.

If it's any encouragement to Ipswich, author CS Lewis wrote four more books in the Chronicles of Narnia series.

Nevertheless, Ipswich City Council (ICC) is already opening other avenues to entice the film industry into the city.

Mindful of the economic benefits, the council's office of economic development is reviewing film industry activity and processes in Ipswich.

The aim is to streamline the process for film folk coming into the city and promoting Ipswich as “film friendly”.

That means smoothing the application process for road closures, parking, parks use and other activities.

Cr Pisasale said that included creating an online application and payment system.

He said ICC had met with the Pacific Film and Television Commission (PFTC), Gold Coast and Brisbane councils, film producers and location scouts to gauge trade preferences.

“It's all part of developing our marketing campaign to sell the economic and lifestyle advantages of Ipswich nationally and internationally,” he said.

Recent Ipswich film projects:

• Ubermensh - filming just wrapped up in the old Commonwealth Bank building.

• Pullin TV is planning a reality show pitting female drivers against each other at Willowbank Raceway.

• Ipswich is short-listed for the Spanish version of The Mole.