THE VISION

 

OMOA aims to celebrate the diversity of the Australian outback regions, unveiling some of their mysteries, natural environment and people. OMOA will reveal the contemporary spirit of the outback and is expected to become a major tourism drawcard in Queensland, complementing existing tourism attractions such as the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame & Outback Heritage Centre (Longreach), Outback at Isa (Mt Isa), Qantas Founders Museum (Longreach), and the new Desert Dreaming Centre (Barcaldine) to name  a few. OMOA is not so much focusing on history and heritage, but rather on the present and future of the outback, as expressed by immersive and multi-sensory experience installations for the visitors.

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THE SITE

 

Charleville is the largest town within the Murweh Shire, located 747 km west of Brisbane, Queensland. Murweh Shire is a predominantly rural area, with an estimated population of 4,010 in 2021 and a population density of 0.10 persons per hectare (.idcommunity, 2022). Rural land is used largely for agriculture, particularly sheep and cattle grazing and grain growing. The Bidjara People are the traditional Custodians of this land.

 

OMOA will be located in the Top Secret Tourism Precinct, which is the new tourism precinct of Charleville. Occupying an area of approximately 600 hectares and located between the downtown to the west and the bush to the east, the precinct includes two main types of activities: the housing, depot and local government services - including the airport; and the core tourism activities in the centre (~100 hectares). The latter includes the WWII Secret Base museum and tour, the Cosmos Centre & Observatory, a planetarium, and the Royal Flying Doctor Service's hangar Visitor Centre.

 

Two Master Plans were developed for this Top Secret Precinct and the most recent one (2021) defines the preferred location for OMOA. Please access the Master Plan documents and other information regarding this competition in the Documents tab. 

The natural landscape, also known as the Mulga Lands, is characteristic of the eastern Queensland bush: expansive flat plains, red dirt soil and dry types of vegetation (lowland grasses, shrubs and mulga trees). Much of the site terrain was flattened during the different phases of the airport development.

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ELEMENTS TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION

 

This competition offers a fantastic opportunity to create a new architectural landmark at both local and national level, as well as strengthening community engagement and pride, specifically in demonstrating understanding and promotion of the knowledge, practices and contributions of First Nations and Bidjara people. However, the OMOA location and Charleville’s fierce climate embed some constraints that cannot be ignored. Some elements to take into consideration include 

 

- Exemplar Building: OMOA must meet or exceed current standards and implement best practices, particularly in museology, universal accessibility and sustainable development

- Innovative Design: OMOA is aiming for a 5 star rating commitment agreement at NABERS (the National Australian Built Environment Rating System). This includes innovative solutions to provide extremely low maintenance, efficient energy, water and waste management,  and excellent indoor environment quality of the proposed spaces

- Agile Design: the architecture must allow for flexible spaces that respond to various activities and changing needs. OMOA must become a living platform, increasing dialogue and exchanges through accessible and convivial public spaces

- Resilient Ageing: in addition to complimenting the proposed site and asserting its presence in a contemporary and environmentally and culturally sensitive manner, the architecture must successfully stand the test of time

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BUDGET

The construction budget is estimated at  AU$ 6,500,000 including GST. 

OMOA will include a building of 700m2 plus 800m2 of external landscaping and parking.

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