A very unique venue and first of its kind in Australia – Australian Outback Spectacular – has launched a new production celebrating the spirit of the horse and the Australian Outback. The original high energy show “Spirit of the Horse” brings to life the legendary story of Phar Lap and the Australian horse with the authentic experience of tradition, unique Outback atmosphere, country music and typical laconic sense of humour.

Every aspect of ‘Australian Outback Spectacular’s’ world-class arena, which has the capacity to host 1,000 guests, has been planned and designed to make this new production truly unique. The show consists of lively characters, highly trained horses, talented animal stars, original music, special effects including lighting, which all need to work perfectly together to immerse guests into the spirit of the Australian Outback and commemorate the legend of the iconic Phar Lap.

With a 15 year history in the Events Department at Village Roadshow Theme Parks and riding the horses for most of his life, Shane Phillips was the right person to become the General Manager of Australian Outback Spectacular. He explains: “When you are at the beginning of producing an unique show like “Spirit of the Horse”, you need to think big and see the overall picture. You need to know right from the start what experience you want to deliver to your audience. You can’t compromise on any aspect of the show, you just need to find ways to bring your fantasies and ideas to reality. We are working with a great team of professionals at Australian Outback Spectacular, who share a passion for creating this exciting original show and an unforgettable entertainment experience for millions of our visitors”.

As Lighting and Projection Designer of the new show, Clint Dulieu has specified a number of new Robe Moving Lights to be added to the existing lighting system within the venue, which consisted of over 300 static luminaires and 250 color scrollers. Working closely with the ULA Group project team, Clint was introduced to the latest technology available on the market from the Robe stable of entertainment lighting products. After trialing the latest fixtures in the challenging outback environment and seeing the unique possibilities of the quad chip LEDWash features, Clint recommended the purchase of 24x Robin 600 LEDWash as a necessary addition to the existing lighting rig. Clint comments: “These great powerful LED Moving heads have brought a new dynamic into the show. They are extremely bright and provide a comprehensive and even light coverage across the whole arena”.

Four ColorSpot 700E AT fixtures also joined the rig to add some special visual effects during the show. One of the main stars of the show is a brand new 35m wide high definition digital projection system, which streams authentic pictures of the Australian Outback. Add to all of that heavy fog produced by MDG low fog machines, some rain and a few other surprises, like the mustering helicopter that swoops high above the arena to round up a runaway herd and you really do get lost in the courageous spirit of the red land. The stunning special effects and electric atmosphere will have you on the edge of your seat for the majority of the show.

The original music was composed and written by Australian country music legend Lee Kernaghan exclusively for this show.

Since its inception in 2006 , the show has entertained over one million people from all over the world re-telling the story from Australian Outback and paying tribute to the Australian stock men, women and the “Spirit of the Horse”.