always a local: DES FLANAGAN

period of my life I remember a lot of time the landscape.

Can you tell us where you are now?

Currently I’m playing the role of Christian in Moulin Rouge! The Musical – so I live in Sydney in January and then we move on to Perth and Brisbane before we get back to Melbourne in August. Melbourne has predominantly been my home for the last 10 years.

What are some of your career highpoints?

Being part of Moulin Rouge! The Musical opportunities. Singing the National Anthem at the 2021 Melbourne Cup or singing with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra as a guest, welcoming live music back to Melbourne after the

Rouge! The Musical will be hard to beat for the rest of my career I’m sure - it is an absolute privilege to be a part of this show. It’s such an iconic piece of musical theatre. Christian is a beautiful role to play and Global Creatures are an incredible company to be working with.

What’s the first thing you do when you return to the North East?

Anything that will make me feel nostalgic about the area. That usually means places I often visited or worked. Primarily I go straight to Beechworth appreciate how beautiful it is, or go out to our family property and notice how much things have changed in the period since I last visited.

After living away from the region, what about it has stayed with you?

The longer I’m away I realise (without bias) that North East Victoria has to be one of the greatest regions I’ve ever been to in Australia. It has everything to some of the most stunning country and a rich history to connect to.