Dave Legend

It’s time to disappear ‘Ayers Rock’ and reappear the ancient and sacred ‘Uluru’

This unique, groundbreaking magical illusion is supported by Uluru-Kata Tjuta Traditional Owners.
5% of all funds raised will support the Indigenous community of Mutitjulu at Uluru.

Hi I’m Dave Legend and I’m a magician from Sydney. Luritja Elder Vincent Forrester and I need your help to pull off one of the biggest Magical Illusions Australia has ever seen. 

Above: Luritja Elder Vincent Forrester and myself (Dave Legend)

Together, Vincent and I will disappear the antiquated and disrespectful ‘Ayers Rock’ — a false icon that brought nothing more than climbing, polluted waterways and disrespectful souvenirs — and reappear sacred 600-million-year-old monolith Uluru in all its glory. This will involve completely ‘disappearing’ and spectacularly ‘reappearing’ Australia’s Big Red Rock before a live audience.

When David Copperfield  famously vanished the Statue of Liberty in 1983, in front of millions of people watching from home and a live audience, it highlighted the preciousness of freedom and how it could be taken away in an instant.

 Above: Copperfield's Statue of Liberty Vanish (1983)

Every Grand Illusion is an opportunity to tell a story, we hope that this Magical Illusion will highlight the spiritual and cultural significance of Uluru at a time when all eyes are on the Red Centre, with a historic climbing ban that came into effect on October 26. We believe this is a story that has the potential to unite all Australians in mutual admiration and respect for this sacred and important rock.

We have the full permission from the Anangu people (Uluru’s Traditional Owners) to perform this incredible magic show, but now need your help to make it happen.

Above: En route to the sacred and wondrous Uluru

The Journey So Far

A David Copperfield-inspired Grand Illusion is kind of like the Holy Grail for a magician like me. And I’ve always felt that Uluru, with its spectacular emergence from the desert, would make for an incredible illusion. So that’s how it started, I just wanted to make something really, really big disappear.

Above: Inspecting a small scale model of Uluru

But three years ago I met Uluru’s Traditional Owners to try to figure out how to make the illusion a reality. Admittedly, I didn’t know anything about Indigenous culture or the struggles Indigenous people face.

From my first meeting with Uluru’s Elders, I was struck by their kindness and generosity. I was recovering from an operation at the time, and I remember how the Elders, despite their old age, went of their way to accommodate me. From the outset, despite what must have seemed like a crazy goal, I was made to feel incredibly welcome.

Since then I’ve come to understand the deep significance of Uluru, a spectacular desert monolith, and as a place where ancestral knowledge stretching back thousands of years is inscribed and passed down.

Above: Pitjantjatjara Elder Sammy Wilson and myself

I’ve discovered that tourism has not only been disrespectful, but has at times actively worked against the local community. For example, a locally-run coffee cart in Mutitjulu was banned, and a road was built around an Indigenous-run petrol station. Sadly, all the Traditional Owners have ever wanted is an opportunity to have a say in their own matters.

Learning all this, the goalposts for my illusion shifted, and I decided I wanted to use my magic to facilitate a message that came from Uluru’s Custodians. So I teamed up with Elder, community leader and artist Vincent Forrester to develop a story that would reset tourism in a positive light, educate the wider public about Uluru’s significance and encourage us to celebrate Uluru as an ancient and sacred site we should all be proud of.

This is Goodbye Ayers Rock, Hello Uluru... and it can only happen with your help!

Above: Planning the illusion with Luritja Elder Vincent Forrester

The Illusion – What, Where, When?!

If we are successful in raising funds necessary for our Magical Apparatus, the illusion will take place 2km from Uluru beneath a spectacular desert sky.

The illusion will be performed live to a physical audience present at the site in March 2020.

An illusion of this scale has never been achieved in Australia, and if we are successful, our effort will be recorded in The Guinness World Book of Records.

But more importantly, we anticipate that our Magical Illusion will be a cultural moment we can all share in. The message of Uluru’s celebration will be front and centre of any media coverage and awareness we’re able to generate. 

The Rewards

By pledging anything above $20 you’ll have exclusive digital access to the illusion.

A feature documentary by award-winning director Anna Broinowski is being made about my journey to make this illusion. It’s called Uluru & The Magician, and there are some amazing doco rewards on offer including a copy of the film, and VIP tickets to the World Premiere.

For those of you who are magically-inclined, I’m offering access to my digital library of magic lessons. You can also book me as a roving magician at your Christmas party or as a trade show magician to build the crowd at your expo or conference – check out my website for more info.

Don't forget that 5% of all pledges support the Mutitjulu community!

Above: Teaching magic to kids in Mutitjulu

Sponsorship Opportunities Available

Companies looking to sponsor this once-in-a-lifetime event can look no further! This Magical Illusion—50 times bigger than David Copperfield's 1983 Statue of Liberty vanish—will have worldwide appeal to all demographics, from children right through to adults. As well as the illusion being streamed worldwide, and existing in perpetuity on YouTube, the event will be captured in a feature documentary that will release in cinemas and beyond. For less than the price of a National TV ad, we're offering you an opportunity to connect with Uluru, an Australian icon of global importance, in a historic event that will be remembered for years to come. 

For more information, please contact us via [email protected]

Any pledge big or small is much appreciated. Let’s make magic together!

TIPPING POINT: $20,000

With your support we will be able to complete the illusion to a minimum standard — but it will definitely happen! Creating a Magic Illusion is expensive and involves renting equipment, purchasing raw materials and assembling the apparatus. Tipping point funds will also enable a sound system and music to accompany the illusion. 

STRETCH TARGET 1: $35,000

Our first stretch target will help us cover all travel expenses for the Magical Illusion team and pay for a venue. We'll also employ a local Mutitjulu events assistant to help us set up the Magical Arena and ensure the illusion runs smoothly. 

STRETCH TARGET 2: $50,000

$50k is what we ideally need to pull off one of the most spectacular illusions Australia (and the world!) has ever seen. We'll be able to bring this illusion to life in the fullest possible way with all bells and whistles and quality-enhancing elements — we're talking costumes, sound effects, lights, props! We're reappearing Uluru... it's got to be BIG!