Lighting up Falls Creek with permanent installations

Alpine Resort Board of Management

Falls Creek | Taungurung, Jaitmatang & Pangerang Country, Victoria

Falls Creek is a major tourist destination in North East Victoria, set at a high altitude surrounded by the Alpine National Park. Falls Creek Resort supports a broad range of tourism and recreation offerings to foster a thriving mountain experience.

Economic sustainability underpins the viability of all alpine resorts due to the high operating costs. High visitation across the snow season is crucial for building confidence in traders to operate and invest in their businesses across the year. The resort attracts guests by providing vibrant destination experiences, both on and off the slopes.

In 2022, after two challenging winter seasons due to COVIDSafe principles curtailing visitation Falls Creek Resort Management looked to support local traders through the snow season by dispersing visitor flow across the Village, and to increase visitor spending after dark. The Village is organised in a ‘leaf’ configuration, with slaloming streets branching out into dead-end zones where businesses are located. It requires guests and patrons to navigate steep gradients on snow-blanketed roads and icy staircases bridging the different tiers of the village.

In consultation with the Falls Creek Culture Committee, Artbox selected four sites based on their isolated location and ambient lighting. Artbox collaborated with lighting artists Additive to explore new technologies for the site-responsive design and build for the interactive installations.

Four permanent lighting installations were installed on the outskirts of the Village. Each installation's customised design enhances the zone's appeal and encourages visitation through safer pathways. Installations beautified the 'dead zones' by leveraging snow formations and the frequent fog for dramatic effects.

The result was a marked increase in visitor flow throughout The Village after dark. Word-of-mouth led visitors to seek out each location, fostering a cultural atmosphere in the local community in the evenings. In turn, this boosted the local economy with an increase in the number of patrons to businesses in each activity centre.

Falls Creek Resort successfully revitalised its economic sustainability by enhancing the nighttime experience to attract and increase visitor exploration across areas of The Village.