Tourist dollars for drought-stricken outback Queensland could come from a two-pronged plan to lure tourists to a decommissioned top-secret US air base at Charleville, and a national bilby centre.

Tourism expert Brent Moyle is leading a team of sustainable tourism professors who have spent months investigating the viability of virtual reality and high-tech re-enactments of a secret WWII-era base at Charleville where 4000 troops were based.

Charleville hopes to attract more tourists to Queensland's outback. Credit:Tourism and Events Queensland

The secret bush air base was at the northern end of the "Brisbane line" where US forces planned to defend Australia against invading Japanese forces.

With 101 buildings, the base was larger in size than Brisbane's airport at Eagle Farm at the end of WWII.