Barooga Sporties’ Enhances Award-Winning Light Show
A much-loved light and sound experience delivered by Barooga Sporties is set to receive further upgrades, reinforcing its place as both a valued community asset and a regional tourism attraction in the Murray region.
The Club is preparing enhancements to the immersive outdoor show ahead of the winter season, including improvements to lighting, sound and visual elements, designed to elevate an experience that has already attracted visitors from across NSW and Victoria.
The show — known as Bullanginya Dreaming — takes visitors on a journey through Indigenous history and culture along a 1.8-kilometre night-time walking trail. It blends Bangerang Indigenous insights with the elemental forces of light, water and sound, creating a sensory experience that is as educational as it is visually captivating.
The trail features 12 distinct installations, each telling a story connected to Country, the environment and the cultural legacy of the Bangerang people.
Highlights include activations such as Welcome to Country, Patterns of Nature, Flora & Fauna, Cosmos, Waterways, Regeneration and Reflection.
“You walk through the quiet of the bush, then you emerge into an activation, spend some time there, and then you’re back into near pitch black again before the next one,” says Barooga Sporties CEO Tony Tranter.
The experience, already a multiple award winner, is set to get even more incredible.
“We’re adding new elements like holograms and upgrades to the light and sound show,” Tony says.
“We’re hoping to have those ready by winter, which is really the best time to see it.”
Tony says this sense of space is one of the key features that sets the experience apart from other light shows.
“A lot of light shows are in gardens where you move from one activation straight to the next in a big compact crowd,” he says.
“What sets ours apart is the space. You’ve got time between activations and people really like that.”
Because the trail winds through natural bushland, guests are transported to the start and collected at the end via courtesy buses from the Club — part of the ticketing experience.
The show tells a Dreaming story connected to the land, presented in a way that is accessible and family friendly. Tony says the intention has always been to create something respectful and welcoming for the community.
The attraction’s quality has been recognised regionally and internationally, including global awards for storytelling and innovation — a remarkable achievement for a regional club-led initiative.
“We actually won an international award that’s linked to Disneyland for storytelling, which is pretty special for a small regional community,” Tony says.
Bullanginya Dreaming has become increasingly popular with visitors travelling between Melbourne and Sydney, many of whom plan overnight stays in the region to experience the show. Families, in particular, have embraced it as a natural stopping point along the journey.
“We see a lot of people stopping here as part of a longer trip,” Tony says.
“Families especially, if they’re travelling with kids. This is a really natural stop along the way.”
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