Bursting the Bubble on the Best Kept Secret in Queensland the Queensland Heritage Trails Network

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1 Bursting the Bubble on the Best Kept Secret in Queensland the Queensland Heritage Trails Network This paper was delivered by Greg Roberts at the First 2000 Lunchtime Forum Heritage Tourism: Culture and heritage, regional tourism, employment and development in celebration of International Museums Day, 18 May 2000 presented by the MAQ/RGAQ Training and Professional Development Program Introduction Our heritage is preserved in places, buildings, and collections. It also resides in the memories and stories of individuals, and the shared memories of communities. The Queensland Heritage Trails Network will link the major sites of Queensland s heritage to collectively showcase its stories to Queenslanders and visitors. Equally as important, the Network will be a major source of employment and development opportunities, it will conserve and nurture our heritage and expand tourism potential in outback Queensland. As the Centenary of its Federation approaches, the Australian and Queensland governments have joined with local governments and communities to restore and preserve our natural and cultural heritage. In excess of $110 million has been committed to link and present many of the significant features of Queensland s natural environment, aboriginal culture and social and cultural history through the development of the Heritage Trails Network with $48 million in Commonwealth funding; $39 million in Queensland Government funding and contributions from local government, sponsorships and the private sector exceeding $20 million. In total, 32 major regional sites around the State are being developed, and are built around the four key influences in Queensland s history and development: the coast; the outback; pastoralism and agriculture; and mineral discoveries. The evolution of the Network will develop over time into an increasingly rich and diverse range of heritage-based experiences that will ultimately increase Queensland s potential as a visitor destination. The Network is supported by a project team who collectively ensures progress in line with the Network s overall goals. This project team is housed within the Department of Premier and Cabinet and provides a centralised point of coordination for all 32 projects. Part of that support is in the form of communications, which plays an integral role in shaping expectations and raising awareness as to the existence of the Network. A major communication strategy has just been developed by the newly appointed Communications Manager, Jane Bullock. Key elements include an integrated marketing element of its overall marketing and road and project signage being visible is a fundamental element of success for recognition and awareness of the Network along tourism motoring routes. A comprehensive road signage strategy is being undertaken in conjunction with the Department of Main Roads, Tourism Queensland and the Network. The Vision for the project is as follows:

2 The development of a vibrant regional heritage Network showcasing the successive layers of Queensland s unique environment and heritage in a sustainable partnership between governments, the community and industry. The Network will progressively deliver best practice in the conservation, preservation, restoration, presentation and promotion of Queensland s rich natural, indigenous and cultural heritage and make a positive contribution to the celebration of the Centenary of Federation. The Network Australians are seeking a better understanding of their history, and of the complex issues that shaped the country. Visitors are interested in the distinctive regional histories and identities of Queensland. The Network is a means of responding to these needs and offers the opportunity for communities to utilise their history to support development. Further, in recognition of the challenges facing rural and regional Queensland to establish sustainable industries, the Network aims to provide economic and social benefits through this major tourism initiative. The Network will integrate existing and developing heritage ventures to value-add to the tourism and heritage resources of regional Queensland. These resources include heritage places and their contents; cultural heritage management expertise and tourism marketing. The 32 major projects were selected for their ability to: 1. Demonstrate authentic heritage; 2. Possess potential tourism links; 3. Support sustainable employment and training opportunities; 4. Provide interpretation of our natural and cultural heritage; and 5. Value-add to the Network overall. The Network will trace community and social development in Queensland during decades around and after Federation using the following thematic framework: 1. The environment 2. Indigenous societies and cultures 3. Rural development 4. Mining exploration 5. Transportation and communication 6. Settlements and society The Network will include heritage places, sites, buildings, collections and interpretation centres. They will be linked internally by the use of consistent signage and interpretive panels, developing the themes, and branding a range of disparate and distinctive experiences. External links and references to other elements in the Network will be established at the gateways. New interpretation facilities, and upgrading of existing facilities will be required to bring the regional elements into clear focus, to maximise their appeal to rural, regional and urban Queenslanders, and to visitors. The Network will work with existing State and Local Government agencies to enhance delivery and marketing opportunities and will seek partnerships with organisations, communities and businesses that support the heritage aims, to

3 maximise its potential to deliver employment opportunities throughout Queensland. As well as expanding the existing base of heritage management and interpretation, the Network will support the following services and functions: Heritage enterprise centres to preserve trades and practices associated with industrial heritage, and to support commercial production of representative heritage merchandise; Significant new attractions, particularly in non-costal regions, to provide the critical mass needed to promote private investment in tourism-related enterprises; Enhancement of community museums and keeping places to significantly raise the quality of cultural heritage experiences available in regional Queensland; and Increased professional support for local museums, including training programs, specialist services, and assistance with project funding. The benefits of the Network approach include: Creation of employment in regional centres; Increased opportunities for diversification of regional economies; Engagement of community expertise, knowledge and support; Creation of diverse tourism opportunities; Improved preservation and management of the State s heritage collections and places; Authentic heritage-based tourism experiences presented in a comprehensive package; Increased opportunities to value-add to existing heritage resources, and enhance understanding of the cultural and natural heritage of Queensland through national and international promotion; Retention and development of specialist trades/skills in regional areas; Increased opportunities for the development of Indigenous business ventures; Reinforcement of regional and local identity; and Development of a framework to value-add to regional programs and services of Departments across all levels of Government. NETWORK ELEMENTS TO ENSURE SUSTAINABILITY The first key element is adequate funding The heritage sector usually suffers from inadequate funding, and heritage is often regarded as an encumbrance or burden. Many heritage projects are based on catch-up maintenance, rather than on securing a new future for the building or place by creating a viable new use. The funding available from this initiative should allow not only conservation works needed to heritage places and objects to be carried out, but also provide for their improved presentation and ongoing management. It will also offer a fresh view of our heritage as a source of development opportunity. The $110 million initiative was successful in gaining the support firstly of the Queensland Government, and then of the Commonwealth. The reasons for their support are likely to do with the fact that the initiative concerns itself with rural and regional development and employment, and uses heritage as a vehicle to

4 increase opportunities for diversification of regional economies. So although funding will be provided for heritage projects, it is in the context of addressing other significant issues. It is also important that the Network presents an inclusive view of heritage, one in which most communities can see themselves. The Network represents a change to our conceptual framework for heritage conservation, and opens the opportunity for channelling funds earmarked for development into heritage conservation projects. The second element is the use of best practice planning to direct the funding The expenditure of funds on capital works projects is being preceded by planning. Although many of the projects existed in some form, either actual or notional, before the announcement of funding as part of the Network, reviews are being held to ensure they are developed in-line with best professional practice. Heritage professionals in Australia are accustomed to the use of conservation plans to direct work on buildings with heritage value, but less used to working within the context of the inter-related studies needed to secure a future for the place. Depending on the nature of the project, this may include: Concept development plans looking at options for development; Feasibility and business planning; Conservation planning; Museum planning; and Interpretation and display plans. Another area of planning is in the research of historical content for displays, and planning of interpretations. The Network is establishing a Historic Themes Framework that will trace social development in Queensland using a thematic framework based on the themes of development of Queensland. Outcomes to date include the preparation for publication of two thematic studies, one concerned with the built environment, the other with movable heritage. The first is Queensland Cultural Heritage Context Study by Dr Thom Blake, and the other, by Kylie Winkworth is entitled, Thematic Studies of Museum and Heritage Collections: a guide for museums, heritage networks and communities. The themes from Dr Blake s study include: Peopling the land Exploiting/utilising the land Movement of people, goods & information Building settlements and dwellings Maintaining order...and so on The Historical Framework will provide a mechanism to link national and state historic themes with the regional expressions of these themes, and local stories. As Kylie Winkworth states, Thematic studies are a useful tool to identify the most significant and regionally distinctive heritage, and can be used to improve its conservation, management, interpretation and promotion. Thematic studies help research and collate the particular stories and memories embodied in our heritage places. They provide us with a sense of place, by evoking the history, geography and setting, evolution, development, characters and events that defined that place. The information generated by the work then forms the basis for interpretation of these places and collections, linking them to the locality and

5 regional and national themes. The thematic study opens the possibility of serial exhibitions spread throughout a region, with each museum telling part of an extended story, presenting a sense of place within an integrated and cohesive picture of Queensland s heritage. The third crucial element is supporting community participation Research from around the world has identified that communities that have the capacity to plan for, and then take control of their futures, have a greater chance of prospering than communities that rely on support from outside, usually from Government. Community capacity building is the process by which communities grow this "self-reliance ability. Although the Queensland Heritage Trails Network will not in itself contribute to a community s ability to grow its capacity for long-term sustainability, the participatory nature of the project development is an attempt to direct the funding to aid community development and incorporate community expertise, knowledge and support. The challenge for the project and the desired outcome of the Community Participation Strategy is to create more jobs in regional Queensland. Specifically, the Strategy will contribute to this outcome by seeking to engender commitment and ownership in the communities where funded projects are located; and encourage those potential projects in these and surrounding communities which maximise the benefit from the investment. The final important strategy is the creation of partnerships The Network initiative is predicated on the establishment of partnerships between the Commonwealth Government, the State Government, Local Governments, and their respective communities and relevant peak industry bodies. It will reinforce the connections between different communities and between heritage places. Although the projects will cover a range of distinctive experiences, they will be linked by their development of interpretive themes, by the quality of the experience they offer, and by their references to other elements in the Network. These places will create a marketable network for tourism to regional Queensland. Part of this marketing will be implemented through the Network Information Technology Platform that will carry Network and project information for a range of audiences. The Network model will also provide an opportunity for Government agencies to coordinate their work. It is easy to lose sight of the fact that although different Queensland Government agencies have their own programs for which they are responsible, they share common objectives. An ideal outcome of such collaboration would be an improved policy framework to ensure cross agency support at least between those organisations with heritage responsibilities. Support from government is important to ensure that individual projects develop in line with the Network s overall goals; strong linkage with the community who will have the responsibility for securing the ongoing future of the projects is crucial. All the projects are to be guided by steering committees, which have the responsibility to ensure the viability of the projects. The membership of the individual steering committees reflects the interested parties, and typically includes local government, community groups, the Department of the Premier

6 and Cabinet, Environmental Protection Agency, Tourism Queensland and Arts Queensland. Their job is to match the process with the aspirations. Network Wide Projects As mentioned previously, in addition to the 32 major projects, there are also a number of Network-Wide projects including: A training needs analysis; Indigenous participation; Education materials to complement the queensland school curriculum; Collaborative marketing; Road signage; Community grants program; and Community participation strategy. Training Needs Analysis An Employment and Training strategy is being developed over 2 stages. Stage 1 of the Training Needs Analysis (TNA) saw the completion of: The secondary research data collection report And stage 2 includes the development of a Training Plan which makes recommendations for the training needs of the whole Network and comprises: Cultural heritage training package; Cultural heritage training pilot project; Certificate course for workplace trainer and assessor; Indigenous business initiative pilot; Series of workshops and short courses for volunteers; Traineeships for tradespeople; Community jobs plans; and Literacy and numeracy assessments. The next step in the process is to identify possible funding sources for the initiative and to prepare performance objectives for the nine recommendations of the Training Program. Indigenous participation Every site will present Indigenous cultural heritage information and recognise the contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to the development and growth of the Queensland economy. In fact, the initial discovery and settlement of regions across the State would never have occurred without the assistance of traditional landowners, whose intimate knowledge of landscape and weather patterns was crucial in determining the success of such ventures. Education Materials

7 In order to enhance school children s awareness of the history that shaped Queensland, a range of education materials and resources will be developed including multimedia kits and a website to complement the Queensland school curriculum. A comprehensive research database will also be made available on the Internet site. Collaborative Marketing The Network project team will work with Tourism Queensland to plan the future marketing strategy. It is intended to involve regional tourism authorities and operators in the development of this strategy. All marketing will recognise the benefit of a collaborative approach with a regional focus. It is widely recognised by the tourism industry that visitors are more likely to travel to a destination offering a number of attractions as opposed to those individual attractions. Market research will also be undertaken periodically to determine the overall positioning of the Network and to establish the motivations for visitors to travel to a particular destination. In addition to the overall Network marketing strategy, this research will be made available to all project partners for individual marketing purposes. There will obviously be significant advantages in marketing from a Network perspective with consistent branding or badging and promotion of authentic and therefore credible experiences. The Centenary of Federation in 2001 followed by Year of the Outback in 2002 will also provide significant promotional opportunities. IT/Multimedia Platform The Network Information Technology Platform is one of the suites of four complementary and integrated programs that will deliver the Queensland Heritage Trails Network. The Platform will carry Network and project information for a range of audiences, and provide a mechanism to support the delivery of information sourced by the range of parties with interest in the Network. Conclusion To conclude I will provide a brief overview of those projects that have a direct relationship to the museum and gallery industry and the delivery mechanism for the project: As stated earlier, the QHTN project consists of: A program of capital works, comprising 32 major projects; A grants program of over four years, for competitive grants up to $100,000 for museum and conservation projects; An information technology platform, to enable a range of organisations, with differing capacities and resources, to deliver digital content; and A set of tools, including contextual frameworks and a project development handbook, to enable community groups to develop museum/conservation/interpretation projects that conform to generally accepted standards of practice.

8 The Museum Development Grants Program of Arts Queensland (AQ) and the Community Heritage Grants Program of the EPA, have been identified as providing additional grant funding for the Network, making a total of approximately $6 million for the period. AQ has identified to potential grant applicants that Network-compatible projects will be given priority in the assessment process for the previous and current grant rounds. Many of the 32 identified major projects fall within the area of museum and gallery development. Funded projects include three new indigenous cultural centres, a new rock art research and exhibition centre, three new art galleries, seven new museums, three new digital multimedia gateways in existing museums, and extensions to four existing museums. Six of these projects constitute significant new museum regional infrastructure for Queensland, and account for the bulk of the funding. They are: The Workshops, Ipswich - $15 million A major cultural and heritage centre will be developed in the heritage-listed complex of buildings in the North Ipswich Railway Yards. Global Arts Link, Ipswich - $3 million A regional museum and art gallery has been developed on the site of the old Town Hall, Ipswich. Mackay Regional Gallery - $4 million A new regional gallery and social history exhibition facility will be developed in Mackay. Qantas Founders Museum - $7 million A new museum will be developed adjacent to the historic Qantas Hangar at Longreach Airport. Mt Isa Mining Heritage - $4 million A multi-site museum will be developed at Mt Isa to present the mining heritage of the city. Far North Queensland Heritage Network - $11.8 million A multi-site museum, comprising site interpretation, museums, and multimedia will be developed in Far North Queensland to present the natural and cultural heritage of the wet tropics. In addition, major Indigenous cultural infrastructure will be developed, including: North Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islander Cultural Centre, Townsville - $3 million A major cultural centre will be developed in Townsville to provide facilities for communities of north Queensland.

9 Torres Straits Islander Cultural Centre, Thursday Island - $1 million A keeping place with cultural workshop facilities and a retail outlet, will be developed on Thursday Island. This project will have structural links to the Townsville Centre. Delivery At a State level, the project is being delivered through the Department of the Premier and Cabinet in a planned and strategic approach. This is being done in partnership with relevant key agencies which include: Arts Queensland/ Tourism Queensland and Environmental Protection Agency. The Project Team consists of: Project Director: Phil Stay 5 Principal Project Officers: Greg Roberts, Andrew Sivijs, Niall Macken, Penny Cook and Tory Jones Communication Manager: Jane Bullock 2 Project Officers: Craig Wall and Robyn Green Finance Manager: Jevena O Brien And a contracted Project Officer for Training: Gaill Macciocca. Projects have been allocated to the 5 Principal Project Officers based on their expertise in the areas of heritage and urban design, architectural conservation, heritage tourism, museum and art galleries and natural and cultural heritage. As well as being responsible for individual projects, Project Officers will also manage a number of network-wide issues. Projects have been allocated as follows: Mr Greg Roberts: Mackay Gallery, The Workshops and Global Arts Link at Ipswich, Miles Heritage Centre, Stockman s Hall of Fame in Longreach and the Thursday Island Cultural Centre. Greg will also be responsible for forging alliances and partnerships for all 32 projects and liaison with other Government agencies. Penny Cook: ATSIC Cultural Centre in Townsville, the Maryborough Heritage Gateway, Mt Isa Mining World and the Cobb and Co Museum in Toowoomba. Additionally, Penny will oversee the Historic Framework for the Network, built and moveable heritage and establishing alliances outside of the 32 Network projects. Niall Macken: Charleville Cosmos Centre, Qantas Founders Museum in Longreach, Waltzing Matilda Centre at Winton, Richmond Marine Fossil Museum, Cloncurry Heritage Centre, and the Dinosaur Trackway at Lark Quarry. Tory Jones: Australian Workers Heritage Centre at Barcaldine, the Jondaryan Woolshed, Glengallan Homestead at Warwick, the Blackall Woolscour, Mount Morgan Mining Centre and Rockhampton Customs House. Andrew Sivijs: Charters Towers The World Theatre, the Townsville Network Gateway, Far North Queensland Network, Quinkan Interpretation Centre at Laura and the Coen Telegraph Station. Project Officers will also form a buddy arrangement whereby officers will form pairs to ensure there is shared information in the event that one officer is unavailable.

10 At the Commonwealth level, it is being delivered through the General Manager, Cultural Development, Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. Funding to projects is dependant upon each complying with relevant Commonwealth, State and local authority environmental, heritage and planning laws. Authors: Greg Roberts, Niall Macken and Jane Bullock, Queensland Heritage Trails Network By Greg Roberts, Niall Macken and Jane Bullock, Queensland Heritage Trails Network