Baz finds perfect location for break

LEGENDARY director, writer and producer Baz Luhrmann and daughter Lilly have popped into homewares and fashion store The Other Shop in Oceana Walk to buy necklaces. Their visit to the Far North comes as the pandemic brought filming of his latest blockbuster on the Gold Coast to a halt.

A PUSH is under way to make legendary Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann a Far Northern tourism ambassador after his visit to the region.

Mr Luhrmann was photographed on Wednesday with his daughter Lilly in Cairns after the coronavirus halted the filming of his latest blockbuster on the Gold Coast.

The pair was seen at homewares and fashion store The Other Shop in Oceana Walk arcade.

Shop owner Jules Cooper said it would be a “great idea” to have Mr Luhrmann in an ambassadorial role to promote the region’s recovery from the coronavirus lockdown.

Ms Cooper also said it was uplifting for the city’s shops to have someone of his stature visit.

“Imagine the benefits if he took up a formal role with us,” she said.

“They never told me who they were and I didn’t realise until after they were gone.

“I was like ‘oh my god’ that was him.”

Ms Cooper said she took photographs of them only because they bought matching necklaces.

She also thought it was unique that he had a daughter with an American accent.

“I never take photos of shoppers and that was my first time,” Ms Cooper said.

“They were very lovely and endearing. They bought some

VISIT: Australian film director Baz Luhrmann. vintage clothes and we chatted about jeans.”

Nicole Moran, business development manager at Australia’s only bungy jump AJ Hackett, said she would jump on board any campaign to lure Mr Luhrmann to become the region’s ambassador.

“If he does get involved, it would boost morale, even though Cairns is a pretty happy place,” Ms Moran said.

“We’d probably make a jump themed around one of his movies and get him to jump.

“Something like this would be helpful and it’d be a nice way to have fun in our region.”

Tropical Tourism North Queensland has been contacted about the idea.

Mr Luhrmann was filming a new Elvis Presley biopic on the Gold Coast that has been put on hold because of the pandemic.