Braveheart-ed Ned Kelly: historic films, heritage tourism and destination image

Abstract

There has been a great deal of interest in how feature films may create attractive destination images. Research has primarily focussed on films which promote scenery and to a lesser extent nostalgic rural cultures. In contrast, there has been little attention paid to historic films. The 2003 release of Ned Kelly provoked a great deal of media interest in how that film might promote tourism to north-eastern Victoria. This article examines Ned Kelly in terms of issues of authenticity, destination image and the development of heritage tourism.