Naracoorte Caves
Bringing extinct Australian megafauna back to life — projected inside a World Heritage cave.
This project was a unique challenge: creating a new visitor experience for the Naracoorte Caves, South Australia’s only World Heritage site. The caves are home to one of the most significant fossil collections of Australian megafauna — species that disappeared more than 60,000 years ago.
As part of a broader masterplan review, we were asked to explore how technology could reveal the stories embedded within these remarkable fossil beds. This led to the creation of a new audiovisual experience that imagines how these animals might have looked, moved, and lived — and how their remains came to rest in the caves.
The Challenge
Projection-mapping detailed animations onto an uneven, organic cave surface — while protecting the heritage site — required careful engineering and some of the most satisfying creative problem-solving we’ve done.
Scientific Collaboration
Working closely with Dr Liz Reed and a team of palaeontologists was key to the design process. We collaborated with illustrator and animator Chris Edser to ensure every movement and anatomical detail balanced drama with scientific accuracy. Together, we brought five megafauna species back to life, projection-mapped directly into the contours of the Victoria Fossil Cave.