The home of the Big Prawn may seem like an unlikely spot for a shrine to INXS, but the band's manager says it's the perfect location for a museum to honour the rock stars.

Chris Murphy, who managed INXS from 1980–1995 and now manages their brand, wants to build an X-shaped museum to house the band's memorabilia in the northern New South Wales town of Ballina.

He said anyone who questioned Ballina as the ideal location for the facility should "bugger off".

Band manager Chris Murphy wants an INXS museum built in Ballina, NSW. ( ABC News: Nic MacBean )

"INXS spent an enormous amount of time touring the north coast of New South Wales; it was one of their favourite places," Mr Murphy said.

"I've been offered to go to Perth, Victoria, Sydney, but to be honest, one: I live here. Two: it's becoming a very creative centre.

"It's possibly the fastest-growing creative centre in the world. This region is like a blank canvas with really interesting people and it's exciting."

A formal application to build the facility is yet to be lodged with the Ballina Shire Council, but Mr Murphy hoped it would be built in an industrial estate close to the Ballina-Byron Gateway Airport.

The INXS museum proposed for Ballina will be shaped like an X. ( Supplied: Chris Murphy )

Funding could make vision a reality

New South Wales deputy premier John Barilaro and Nationals MLC Ben Franklin this week announced $3.95 million to develop an 'innovation precinct' in the Ballina industrial area.

"This could be a visionary site for our community, to have a museum dedicated to INXS, situated on the land right behind the airport," Mr Franklin said.

"If that comes to pass that would put Ballina on the map internationally."

Ballina mayor David Wright said the funding could help make Mr Murphy's vision a reality.

"The piece of land right next to the airport needs to be developed, it's very expensive to develop, and the money will put in all the services and the fill," he said.

"It's not pie in the sky. If the INXS museum goes in, you'll be able to see the X on the ground coming in from the airport.

"I've always wanted to create jobs and traineeships for the youth in our area and this will allow that. That's what we're looking forward to — creating great, upmarket jobs on the 35 hectares we've got to develop."

An artist's impression of the inside of the proposed INXS museum at Ballina. ( Supplied: Chris Murphy )

'It will happen', says manager

Mr Murphy said he had no doubt the museum would be built in Ballina.

"Ballina has been a sleepy part of the Northern Rivers but it's waking up very fast and this is a very exciting time and I'd hate to think there would be anybody who would not see this as a very exciting opportunity," he said.

"It will happen."

He said the band members had also expressed their support for the idea.

"It's like asking a pharaoh 'Do you want a pyramid?'" Mr Murphy said. "Which pharaoh said 'No thank you, I don't want a pyramid'?

"Obviously it's very exciting for them and over the years they've become so accustomed to me saying 'We're going to take over the world' and I think they've become a little bit accustomed to me when I say these things they say 'Okay, sounds good, Chris'."

Mr Murphy said he came up with the idea after moving his INXS archives from shed to shed, and being asked to stage exhibitions at existing museums.

"I started thinking 'Could we build a purpose-built facility to house the archives plus some commercial office space for ourselves and other innovative companies?'" he said.

"I got together with a young architect and we came up with this whacky idea to build an X building, and a lot of the ground floor space will be an exhibition area.

"I want journalists to come from Germany or France or anywhere in the world to have a look at this one innovative building."