Similar projections have previously been done on the Warrnambool breakwater.  

South West Coast sitting member and candidate Roma Britnell said it made sense for the festival to come to the south-west after the expansion into Ballarat, Bendigo and Geelong.

“Imagine the breakwater or Fletcher Jones Silver Ball in Warrnambool or the grain silos and historic buildings in Portland lit up with moving projections and images,” she said.

“The addition of White Night to the south-west’s events calendar would bring massive economic benefits and provide more opportunity for local art groups to run workshops."

Mrs Britnell said White Night encouraged visitors to stay overnight, eat in local restaurants and cafes and browse local stores.

“This year in Ballarat an extra 400,000 people came to town, generating about $3 million in extra economic benefit. We’ve seen similar figures in Geelong and Bendigo,” she said.

“The south-west could benefit in the same way.”

Mrs Britnell said an event like this would give people a positive experience in the region and encourage people to make return visits.

“We’ve seen from the Port Fairy Folk Festival what happens when people visit a town for an event. Sometimes they fall in love with the place and decided to either come back regularly or decided to relocate,” she said.

“It’s a key policy of the Liberal Nationals to re-establish the Victorian Major Events Corporation and for that organisation to have a focus on events in regional Victoria.

“It’s part of our bigger plan for real decentralisation and population growth. Real decentralisation isn’t just about moving a government department to a regional area, it’s about improving liability and encouraging people to look seriously at regional Victoria," she said.

In March this year White Night transformed the city of Ballarat for the second time with projected imaging.

The Geelong debut White Night event was held on October 13 with colourful projections and wondrous installations to music performances and interactive works.

The Bendigo event was held on September 1.