Letter to the Editor: Tower on Denmark’s former visitor centre ripe for re-imagining, writes Leslie Glasser

The unused tower at the Denmark Visitor Centre is hard to miss — and for many, it raises an obvious question: why is such a prominent structure sitting idle?

Originally, the tower was built to house an enormous glass water barometer, intended as both a scientific feature and a point of interest.

When that installation was removed, the tower was left without a purpose.

That may have been the end of the story — but it doesn’t need to be.

In fact, the tower represents a genuine opportunity for Denmark to create something distinctive, engaging and memorable — the kind of attraction that adds to our town’s character and draws visitors for the right reasons.

Rather than seeing the tower as redundant, we might consider how it could be re-imagined.

There are several possibilities that would make excellent use of the structure.

Reinstating the original water barometer, restoring the tower’s intended role and an unusual piece of scientific curiosity.

Installing a Foucault pendulum, a simple but elegant device that demonstrates the rotation of the Earth.

At Denmark’s latitude, it would complete a full rotation in about 42 hours — a quiet but powerful reminder that we are standing on a moving planet.

Creating a camera obscura, where a rotating optical system projects live images of the surrounding landscape into a darkened room.

These installations are rare and, to the best of my knowledge, do not currently exist in Australia.

This alone could make it a unique attraction

Any one of these would be worthwhile. Combined, they could transform the tower into something truly special — an experience rather than just a structure.

Denmark already offers natural beauty in abundance. What we lack are distinctive, built features that visitors remember and talk about.

This could be one of them — a relatively modest project that makes clever use of something we already have.

The next step is simple: start the conversation.

There would be real value in the shire and the community exploring what might be possible, and whether there is support for turning this idle tower into an asset again.

It would be a pity to let the opportunity pass.

Leslie Glasser

Denmark

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