BUSINESSES are hopeful a new Red Dog film will be made in Dunolly next year, increasing tourism to the "struggling" small town.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The sequel to the popular movie will feature the early life of the now deceased star of the film, Koko, a kelpie bred in Dunolly by Len and Carol Hobday.
Dunolly Golden Triangle Motel owner Graham Ashton said it would be great if The Koko Story was filmed in Dunolly.
"Businesses in small towns need every little bit of help they can get," he said.
"We don't get much advertising so it's a battle to attract tourists and stay afloat.
"At the moment we are only breaking even.
"It would be great to get a boost and have more people visit Dunolly.
"I loved the first film.
"I bought it on DVD after seeing it at the cinema."
Dunolly Quality Meats owner Andy Gibbs said after Red Dog was screened in 2011 there was an increase in tourism to the small town.
"You'd see people coming into the shop you'd never seen before," he said.
"They'd ask about Red Dog.
"It can sometimes be hard living in a small town such as Dunolly.
"Young people flee to attend university as soon as they can.
"Farmers in surrounding communities have struggled the past two decades.
"Small towns are getting smaller, so it's fantastic when there's positive publicity such as this.
"Hopefully, even more people will come to visit.
"We have a lot to offer."
As the star of the hit film Red Dog, Koko appeared at awards ceremonies and on TV shows, before dying just before Christmas last year.
Producer Nelson Woss, who took the charismatic canine around the country to promote Red Dog, then brought him home as a family pet, plans to shoot The Koko Story next year.
It will dramatise how he became arguably the country's most famous dog since the one on the tucker box outside Gundagai.
- With The Age
