Discovery Parks Unleashes Bruce, Australia’s First Official Bark Manager
The new mascot integrates purpose-driven, character strategy, backed by agency expertise and AI technology to deliver a distinctive brand asset across all channels.
Australia’s holiday parks just got a new hire - a red Border Collie named Bruce has been appointed as Discovery Parks’ first-ever Official BARK Manager. Designed as a character-led brand asset, Bruce will help travellers discover the freedom, fun and variety of park stays nationwide, while showcasing the brand’s pioneering use of AI in storytelling and content creation.
About Bruce
Bruce wasn’t born into management - he earned it. Once a stray roaming Australia’s wide-open spaces, he learnt the scent of eucalyptus and the sound of camp chairs opening at sunset.
Eventually, he found Discovery Parks - water parks, pump tracks, sausage sizzles and neighbours swapping stories as the sun went down. A place to unwind and Do It All. He decided to stay - and help guests, both two- and four-legged, find their spot too.
Discovery Parks welcomed more than 70,000 dogs across its network in 2025, and Bruce is making sure 2026 is even bigger.
"I've seen a lot of backyards, but Australia's is the biggest one there is. My job is to help every guest find their spot -whether that's a cabin deck at sunset or a quiet patch of grass under a gum tree." , said Bruce, Official Bark Manager, Discovery Parks.
Why Bruce Matters
Bruce is more than a mascot. Frontify Futures research shows that ‘mascot-led campaigns are 37% more likely to drive brand linkage and 30% more likely to command attention’. Bruce will give Discovery Parks a distinctive voice across TV, social, digital and in-park experiences. He embodies the “Do It All” spirit and connects with every guest type - from families to grey nomads.
"Bruce is our ‘Do It All’ promise brought to life, providing a long-term platform to connect with guests wherever they encounter the brand.", said Lahnee White, Chief of Digital Businesses and Group Marketing, G'day Group.
Crafted by People. Powered by Innovation
Bruce was created using a mix of traditional creative craft and AI-assisted innovation. Discovery Parks worked with BORN on strategy and character design, Goodman Brothers built him as a fully realised 3D character, and AI tools helped refine his coat, expression and voice.
His bespoke AI-generated voice enables high-volume content creation while keeping full creative control in-house. Using tools including Nano Banana, Kling, ElevenLabs and HeyGen, Bruce-led content can be produced at speed and scale - all while maintaining the brand’s personality and guardrails.
"We built Bruce properly with craft and strategy, then used AI to continue bringing him to life at speed and scale without losing brand integrity. That’s what innovation in brand marketing looks like right now," said Lahnee White.
Bruce isn’t just a good boy - he’s a great brand strategy, ready to help Australians switch off, explore more, and Do It All at Discovery Parks.
Production & Technology Credits
Creative agencies: Born, Last Humans
Character design & CGI: Goodman Brothers - Bruce built in Unreal Engine
Audio & sound design: Mighty Sound
Tech & AI: Nano Banana, Kling AI, Eleven Labs, Adobe software
AI toolkit partner: Absolutely AI - training the technology and upskilling teams for faster, on-brand content production
Media enquiries: Brittany Harmer, Corporate Communications Manager | 0415 655 191, brittany.harmer@discoveryparks.com.au.
About G’day Group
Founded in 2004 with three caravan parks in WA, G’day Group is now Australia’s leader in regional accommodation experiences with more than 340 properties across the country.
G’day Group operates more than 90 holiday parks and resorts under the Discovery Parks and Resorts brand, with properties in iconic regional destinations, including Kings Canyon, Rottnest Island and the world famous El Questro. The Group is also home to G’day Parks, a network of 240+ independently owned, licensed parks and the G’day Rewards loyalty program, which has 260,000 paid members.
Beyond holiday parks and resorts, the Group owns Wikicamps, Australia’s largest regional travel community and the #1 paid app in the AppStore with more than 300k monthly active users, as well as Bookeasy, a specialist provider of booking management systems and technology solutions to leading destination management authorities in Australia and New Zealand (operating as BookIt).
G’day Group has property assets valued at $2 billion and is on track to become a $2.5 billion business by 2026. The company is majority owned by Australian Retirement Trust and founder and CEO Grant Wilckens is a Board Director of the South Australian Tourism Commission and former Chair of the Caravan Industry Association of Australia.
