It was election night in 1932 and the sunbaked, sleepy hamlet of Cloncurry was unusually abuzz.
But something else stirred in the red-dirt town that night as five daring thieves hatched a cunning heist.
Armed with six keys, stolen from the pockets of a blundering bank manager, the bandits broke into the strong room of the National Bank and made off with £11,000.
The culprits were never caught. Now, the legend lives on in the short film The Bank Manager.
The film was shot on location by local directors at Quamby Studios, Luke and Madeleine Chaplain, and featured Aussie actors Gyton Grantley (Underbelly, House Husbands), Jason Wilder (Kidnapped, Great White, We Were Tomorrow), Paula Nazarski (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, The Second) and Jordan Abbey-Young (Thor: Ragnarök, Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan).
Rolling out the red carpet
Those involved in the project say the north-west Queensland region has the potential to become a thriving hotspot for filmmakers due to overwhelming support from the local council and investors.
"They're hungry for more film projects out here," Mr Chaplain said.
"They're even talking about building a wild west town because the landscape is so diverse."
The region has already played host to several productions including Australian Survivor 2021 with a council film incentive program enticing projects out to the region.
"I know film producers worldwide are looking to Queensland," Mr Chaplain said.
"It's quite revolutionary what Cloncurry Shire Council is doing with their film incentive."
He said the council's willingness to adapt was a huge incentive for filmmakers.
"This problem-solving attitude, along with the region's diversity of architecture and landscapes, makes it the perfect filming location," he said.
"The council has said to us, 'Let's make this the new wild west Hollywood and let's get people out here'," Ms Chaplain said.
The opportunity to shoot a film in the outback attracted actor Gyton Grantley to the role of Mr Banks.
"It's just fascinating out here," he said.
"I love this country.
"The whole vibe of outback Australia is just so unique."
Cloncurry Shire Mayor Greg Campbell challenged the likes of Baz Luhrmann and Steven Spielberg out to the area.
"The feedback we've had from people in the industry is that almost any type of western or action movie could be shot out here," he said.
"We're a shire with rugged ranges, watercourses, dams, amazing scenery, and endless skies.
He said the region also had the hire companies, accommodation, catering and construction capacity to help.
"There's no reason why producers like Spielberg, Baz Luhrmann, wouldn't come here," he said.
"Send your scouts because we're open for business."
The Bank Manager will hit the Australian film festival circuit in 2023 before being released to the public at a later date.
"This is definitely only the beginning for us," Ms Chaplain said.
"We're really hoping to make this great story into a feature film or a TV series.
"The sky's the limit."
