Minutes of the Tourist Attraction Signposting Assessment Committee Sydney Region meeting Tuesday 17 May 2016 at the offices of Blue Mountains City Council 2 Civic Place Katoomba Members David Douglas Phil Oliver Maria Zannetides Also present Wendy Dollin Regional Coordinator TASAC and Drive, Destination NSW Guidance and Delineation Manager, Roads & Maritime Services (RMS) TASAC Secretariat Tourism Development and Events Co-ordinator, Blue Mountains City Council AGENDA ITEMS 1. DELEGATIONS / PRESENTATIONS & REGIONAL SIGNPOSTING ISSUES 1.1 Blue Mountains signposting issues The following matters were discussed: i. Great Blue Mountains Trail: Blue Mountains City Council is establishing a regional cycling and walking trail from east to west across the Blue Mountains ridgeline that will be accessible from all towns, villages and train stations. The trail is being developed in stages with the section from Katoomba and Blackheath already in place and a section between Katoomba and Leura currently underway. The trail s promotional brochure is being updated to reflect the new section. Following recent discussions, Council will signpost the trail in accordance with standards set out in RMS s Bicycle Guidelines (i.e. black bicycle/pedestrian symbols on a white background). During the discussion, the following suggestions were made with respect to the current revision of the promotional brochure: Adding information about the length of trail sections and the degree of difficulty would assist prospective users as would an indication of the location of bicycle hire facilities. Adding bike or bicycle to the trail s name would differentiate it from trails suitable for motor vehicles. The use of the word Great in the name of the trail does not add to users understanding of the nature of the experience and it seems unnecessary. Lone Pine Peace Park: The park is within Gordon Falls Reserve, which also contains Leura Park. The park has sandstone entrance gates built in 1920, which list the names of Leura residents who served overseas during World War I, including 14 killed in action. Lone Pine Avenue and Park is listed as a local heritage item in Blue Mountains LEP 2015. It comprises three pine trees, three temporary flagpoles and a Handshake for Peace monument, which was established in 2015. Maria visited the park the day prior to the meeting and the following points were discussed: Final 27 May 2016 1 of 8
Council intends to prepare and install interpretive signage at the Peace Park. It also intends to revamp an existing interpretive panel about the history of Gordon Falls Reserve, which is located near the sandstone entry. War memorials in towns and villages around the State are generally of local interest and are not eligible for tourist signposting on State roads. However, Councils are able to install signage for them on local or regional roads if they wish. A gate across an internal park road prevents vehicular access to Lone Pine Peace Park. Instead, motorists need to park before the gate and walk a few minutes to the location. A designated parking area with a site map should be established at an appropriate location prior to the gate to assist visitors wishing to access the Peace Park. Any tourist signs which Council installs on its roads should include a distance to the Peace Park. 1.2 Members report on site inspections The following observations were made arising from site inspections in area: i. It was noted that entry signs for towns and villages in the Blue Mountains LGA have been refreshed to reflect Council s current design and colour preferences. However, city entry signs have not been refreshed and, in comparison, the city entry sign in advance of the Glenbrook town entry sign on the Great Western Highway looks dated. The eligibility of the Toy and Railway Museum at Leura for tourist signposting on State roads has lapsed and a new application is required. Action: Secretariat to contact the operator to request that an application be lodged. 2. NEW TOURIST SIGNPOSTING APPLICATIONS 2.1 Banjo Paterson Memorial Park, Orange The park commemorates the birth and life of Australian poet Andrew Banjo Paterson, who was born at Narrambla homestead near Orange, which was owned by his aunt and uncle, Rose and John Templer, who also owned Templer s flour mill. Narrambla homestead and the mill no longer exist but the homestead is thought to have been nearby and ruins of the mill are visible within the park. The site is listed as a heritage item in Orange LEP 2011 - Narrambla Templer s Mill ruins (including Banjo Paterson memorial) at 330 Ophir Road, Lot 1, DP 190898. The park is in a rural area north east of Orange off Ophir Road and about 6.5 km from the Mitchell Highway. It has an area of approx. 0.8 ha and is open daily during all hours. A driveway along the park s northern boundary with Ophir Road leads to a car parking area towards the centre of the site. The park commemorates Banjo Paterson in the following ways: Final 27 May 2016 2 of 8
i. A marble obelisk erected in 1947 has an inscription referring to Paterson s birth on 17 February 1864 at Narrambla Homestead, which stood 8 chains (160 metres) north east of the memorial. An information panel adjacent to the obelisk gives a brief history of Templer s Mill, which stood on the site until about 1870. The mill s ruins are about 30 m east of the information panel. i A memorial resting place made up of a large metal cut-out style sculpture of the poet (from waist to head) with associated seating. The resting place is about half way between the car park and the park s frontage to Ophir Road. A motion-activated, 15 minute sound track about Paterson is in the process of being installed at the resting place. The audio material is delivered in chapters reflecting key stages in Paterson s life and work, including readings from several of his poems. Council considers that most visitors would listen to part of the audio track before moving on. A bronze sculpture of Paterson mounted on a brick plinth is located to the east of the car park. A metal plaque attached to the plinth gives Paterson s birth and death dates (17 February 1864-5 February 1941). Other text on the plaque cannot be read in the photo provided. As indicated above, the site s interpretive features are widely spaced from each other within the park. To assist visitors identify and locate the various features a labelled site map should be installed in the car park. A site map should also be installed at the obelisk on Ophir Road so that anyone stopping at the off road layby in front of the obelisk (and who may not proceed to the internal car park) can learn about the other features. There are no toilets at the park, which is in a rural setting. Council has indicated that the nearest public toilets are in Newman Park, March Street Orange, about 4.2 kms to the south. It has confirmed that the site is not commercial in nature as there is no entry fee and no goods are offered for sale, many visitors will take in only one part of the park and the average visit is between 10 to 15 minutes. For these reasons Council considers the site to be a short stay noncommercial attraction and does not need to provide toilets. It was noted that the park has interpretive material at three locations that are some distance from each other and any visitors who choose to fully explore all the material may stay longer than would be typical for a short stay attraction. However, in view of Council s advice about the length of average visitation, it was agreed to exempt the site from providing public toilets but to assist visitors, Council will be required to install a notice in the car parking area stating the location of the nearest public toilets in both directions. The application has been referred to the Heritage Division of the Office of Environment and Heritage for comment. Action: Banjo Paterson Memorial Park is potentially eligible for tourist signposting in the Historic Properties and Sites category subject to the views of the Office of Environment and Heritage and evidence that Council has installed the motion activated sound track, the notice at the car park about the location of the nearest public toilets and site plans at the car park and the obelisk. A site inspection will be arranged when these actions have been completed. Secretariat to advise the applicant as above. Final 27 May 2016 3 of 8
2.2 Bygone Beautys Teapot Museum, Leura In August 2015, following a major redevelopment, a dedicated space for a teapot museum was added to an antique shop and tea room in Leura. The museum s operating hours are from 10 am to 5.30 pm daily and it displays over 3,100 teapots. Another 2,500 teapots are presented in the adjoining retail area and tea room. Objects in the museum span five centuries and include teapots from all over the world. They are presented in tall, glass fronted cabinets along the museum s walls and ten lower cabinets in the centre of the room. The displays are grouped in 19 categories relating to geographic origin (e.g. Australia; Eastern Europe; Western Europe; China; and England) and themes relating to design or use (e.g. Breakfast Sets and Tea for Two; Children s Tea Ware and Miniatures, Advertising and Souvenir Ware; and Animal Characters). The category names are shown at the top of the wall cabinets. However, only about 100 objects in the cabinets are individually labelled to indicate their name, manufacturer, location / country of origin and year of production. Other interpretive information comprises: a) Two large wall mounted panels in the building foyer (adjacent to the museum space) that welcome visitors, give information on the origins of tea and the history of the tea ware collection. b) A Teapot of the Week is presented in a cabinet at the entry counter and is supported by a laminated information sheet with details of its origin, design features etc. Twenty laminated sheets relating to previous teapots of the week are attached to the museum s walls. Presumably space limitations prevent the display of all the information sheets relating to these teapots in the museum. c) A slideshow of 51 images is presented on a screen in the entry area. Many of the slides relate to teapots of the week and others show the recent renovations that led to the creation of the museum. d) Part of a lower shelf of a cabinet in the entry area (below the screen mentioned above) shows the teapot manufacturing process with labelled examples of each stage. e) The museum has temporary exhibitions that change four times each year. These are presented in some of the glass cases located in the centre of the museum. The current exhibition relates to tea napery through time and themes for the next four temporary exhibitions have been nominated. The following concerns were noted: i. Interpretive information is currently not sufficient to present the museum s objects in a fully engaging and informative manner that educates visitors. Most of the museum s displays are in cabinets labelled by category but the rationales for these are not explained and elaborated upon. While it is understood that individual labels are being progressively added, currently only 3% of the more than 3,100 teapots in the museum have them. Displays of large numbers of objects without adequate thematic explanations of the category groups and with very few individual labels tend to be overwhelming for visitors. It makes it difficult for visitors to appreciate social context or the reasons why objects are interesting or important and can lead to a loss of engagement. Final 27 May 2016 4 of 8
i iv. Several of the glass cabinets in the centre of the museum space have no category labels or individual labels for the objects they contain. Several large cabinets along one of the museum s walls are empty, giving the museum an unfinished appearance. The material in the slideshow in the entry foyer moves too quickly for the text in slides to be read. v. A method should be developed to display all information sheets relating to previous teapots of the week, e.g. in loose leaf binders so visitors can peruse them at leisure. Similarly, a reference system needs to be devised to help visitors locate previous teapots of the week within the museum. vi. v vi ix. The interpretive information associated with the current temporary exhibition Tea Napery through Time is not sufficient. Only one short, three sentence paragraph in the exhibition label relates specifically to tea napery (the remaining text is about the origins of tea drinking) and none of the items have individual labels. A large number of items are placed in the entry foyer without obvious rationale or sufficient labelling. Consequently, it is easy to miss both the Teapot of the Week display and the display relating to the stages of teapot manufacture. The signs in the foyer indicating the entry and exit points for the museum space are placed above eye level and are easy to miss. There is no directional signage from the rear parking area to the lift into the building. Existing signs on local roads refer to the museum as Bygone Beautys Treasured Teapot Museum, which is considered to be too long for signposting purposes. It was therefore noted that the name on any future tourist signposting on State roads would be Teapot Museum. Action: Considerable progress has been made in establishing the museum. However, further development of the museum and entry space is required to address the matters noted above, especially the first three points in order to fully satisfy the requirements for tourist signposting. Secretariat to advise the applicant as above. 3. CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES OF 20 APRIL 2016 The minutes of TASAC s meeting of Wednesday 20 April 2016 in Mullumbimby (Northern Region) were confirmed. The Committee members and Secretariat advised that they had completed all the actions attributed to them from the meeting. Final 27 May 2016 5 of 8
4. MATTERS ARISING FROM PREVIOUS MEETINGS 4.1 Wonganella Winery, Bobs Farm Since the last meeting, a site inspection report was received from Janelle Gardner, Tourism Development and Events Coordinator at Port Stephens Council. which confirmed information in an application for Wonganella Winery. On 5 May 2016 a letter was sent to the operator advising of the attraction s eligibility for tourist signposting and RMS Hunter Region was also informed. TASAC noted that Wonganella Winery is eligible for tourist signposting in the Wineries category. 4.2 Port Stephens Winery, Bobs Farm Since the last meeting, a site inspection report was received from Janelle Gardner, Tourism Development and Events Coordinator at Port Stephens Council, which confirmed information in an application for Port Stephens Winery. On 5 May 2016 a letter was sent to the operator advising of the attraction s eligibility for tourist signposting and RMS Hunter Region was also informed. TASAC noted that Port Stephens Winery is eligible for tourist signposting in the Wineries category. 4.3 Murray s Brewery, Bobs Farm Since the last meeting a site inspection report was received from Janelle Gardner, Tourism Development and Events Coordinator at Port Stephens Council, which confirmed information in the application and a letter was sent to the operator of Murray s Brewery on 5 May 2016 advising of the attraction s eligibility for tourist signposting and RMS Hunter Region was also informed. TASAC noted that Murray s Brewery is eligible for tourist signposting in the Primary and Secondary Industry category. 4.4 Historic Gundagai No comments were received following referral of an application for Historic Gundagai to the Heritage Division of the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage and the application was finalised accordingly. A letter was sent to the operator on 29 April 2016 advising of the attraction s eligibility for tourist signposting and RMS South West Region was also informed. TASAC noted that the Historic Gundagai is eligible for tourist signposting in the Historic Properties and Sites category. Final 27 May 2016 6 of 8
4.5 Pioneer Village Museum, Kangaroo Valley Additional information has been received in response to TASAC s request in December 2015 regarding an application for signposting for the Pioneer Village Museum. The additional information demonstrates that: i. Entry signage has been altered to more clearly state the museum s opening hours / days. The signs now show that the museum is: Open 10 am to 4 pm Mon-Wed-Fri-Sat-Sun Open daily in NSW School Holidays i iv. The applicant has accepted TASAC s view that tourist signposting will refer to Pioneer Village Museum, without the need to include Kangaroo Valley. Displays at the museum have been cleaned and interpretive materials refreshed in response to comments made by Museums and Galleries NSW. Museums and Galleries NSW s advice that a detailed collection policy be prepared for the museum has been passed on to the Historical Society who will factor this into their future planning. It was noted that a site inspection report in support of the application had been received from Joe Puglisi, Manager of the Shoalhaven Visitor Information Centre, in December 2015. Action: Pioneer Village Museum is eligible for tourist signposting in the Museums category. Secretariat to advise the applicant as above. 5. INQUIRIES RECEIVED SINCE LAST MEETING The following inquiries received in the period since the last meeting were noted: 5.1 Urunga Boardwalk (RMS) 5.2 Cattai Wetlands, Coopernook 5.3 Mudgee Historic Railway Station 5.4 Tramsheds, Harold Park 5.5 Lone Pine Peace Park, Leura 6. POLICY ISSUES 6.1 Local Council signage guidelines Wendy suggested that it would be beneficial if the NSW Tourist Signposting Manual could explicitly encourage councils to adopt similar policies in local guidelines in order to improve consistency in tourist signposting across the State. The Committee members thought the idea had merit and agreed to consider including it in the next version of the Manual. Final 27 May 2016 7 of 8
6.2 Signs for a Scenic Drive at Kariong Wendy advised that a sign on the Central Coast Highway before the Kariong exit is in such poor condition that it has become illegible. The Committee indicated that scenic drives are not one of the drive products that can be signposted on State roads under the Tourist Signposting Manual. Under the provisions of the manual, only numbered tourist drives and themed touring routes can be signposted from State roads. Action: Phil to raise the matter with Ken Saxby at RMS Hunter region with a view to replacing the Scenic Drive sign with a white on green sign that lists appropriate focal points. 6.3 Proposed visitor information centre at Kurrajong It was noted that a proposed visitor information centre at Kurrajong would not be eligible for road signage as its accreditation will be at level 3. Only centres accredited at level 1 or 2 are eligible to be signposted with an italicised i symbol on the road network. Centres accredited at level 3 can display the symbol on their property, subject to Aurora guidelines. 7. OTHER BUSINESS 7.1 TASAC Meeting Schedule Please refer to Attachment 1 for the schedule of meetings for the next six months. The next Sydney Region meeting will be held on 17 May 2017 at a location to be determined. 8. NEXT MEETING The next meeting will be held on Wednesday 15 June 2016 at Wyong in TASAC s Hunter Region. The meeting concluded at 12.05 pm Attachment 1 TASAC Meeting Schedule Region Location Date 2016 Hunter Wyong 15 June 2016 South West Wagga Wagga 6 July 2016 Western Bourke 24 August 2016 N / A TBA 21 September 2016 Northern Coffs Harbour 19 October 2016 N / A TBA 16 November 2016 Final 27 May 2016 8 of 8