SCT HERITAGE STRATEGY RELEASED

At the SCT Board meeting on 13th December 2010 the following resolution was passed:

The Sapphire Coast Tourism Cultural Heritage Working Group recommends that the Sapphire Coast Tourism Board receive the Sapphire Coast Heritage Tourism  Strategy 2011 – 2015 developed by EC3 with the Cultural Heritage Working Group.

The Working Group notes the challenge for the Sapphire Coast is to match the stories to the experiences in a way that keeps the visitor in the region longer. Key gaps in the existing suite of collateral, visitor information and experience delivery include:

•            Specific information linking stories, attractions, products and experiences; 

•            Consistent stories and information on where stories can be experienced in‐region

•            Itinerary based maps or guides for iconic heritage experiences;

•            Story‐tellers of Indigenous and European heritage and culture; and

•            Linking places and attractions together to create trails through interpretation.

A gap analysis has been completed for each of the ‘iconic stories’ and recommended strategies to further develop these stories in a way that will deliver world class experience for the visitor are provided.  

The consultants advised that the success of the strategy rests with local businesses and the community and their willingness to buy‐in to the stories and bring them to life. The working group also notes the importance of the Bega Valley Shire Council, The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Services and the local Land Councils with the parks Boards of Management.

The need to continue to develop these on going relationships to buy into the stories and bring them to life. 

The document is available for public circulation and we encourage you to circulate it, discuss it, build on it and play with the ideas in it.

Any comments welcome.

STC Cultural Heritage Strategy

The Final SCT Cultural Heritage Strategy has been completed and is available to download along with a Year One Action Plan. Both are in PDF format. The documents will be considered by the Cultural Heritage Working Group and the SCT Board at their December 13, 2010 meetings.
These documents should be considered as working documents - to be considered as informing the basis for action and implementation by the Sapphire Coast Tourism Board, The Bega Valley Shire Council, National Parks, Local Land Councils, other government agencies and the local communities.

Strategy Extensions

The two draft extensions to the strategy are now available for comment. They are The Bundian Way and Naturally Inspired. 

The additional two stories are emerging, with the potential to attract the “Experience Seeker” – Naturally Inspired and the Bundian Way. While these two stories have significant potential for heritage tourism development further research and development is required before they are visitor ready.

The Bundian Way  is an ancient trading route and pathway that runs over 260km from the highest part of the continent, the Australian Alps, to the coast at Twofold Bay in Eden. Thought to be over 40,000 years old, the Bundian Way and the network of ancient pathways of the region are thought to predate the Silk Road, the Roman roads and other ancient trade routes. The Bundian Way has a remarkable shared history linking both natural and cultural heritage, Aboriginal values and European history. The network of pathways crossing Yuin, Ngarigo, Jaitmathang and Bidawal country connected the people and their ceremonies (Blay 2005) as well as Dreaming Tracks and trade routes across the continent (Kabaila 2005).
The Naturally Inspired story lives on as part of the culture and lifestyle of the region and is a real contributor to why people choose to move to the Sapphire Coast. The lifestyle of the region is enhanced by its art, culture and a connection to nature, which forms part of the social fabric of the Sapphire Coast and enhances the region’s identity as one still involved in the humble endeavours of primary industry. This creates the sense of an authentic community that would attract and engage the “Experience Seeker”.
We would love to hear your thoughts on these two extensions. 

Part One Released

The draft of part one of the strategy is available for download

Draft Part One SCT Cultural Heritage Strategy

These stories and the consultants recommendations will further develop the basis of the strategy. Comments on the report are due by July 16th and the implementation of the strategy will begin in August through the Sapphire Coast Heritage Tourism Working Group. All comments are welcome

On-Site Workshops

Thank you to all those who participated in the weekend workshops!

We heard some amazing stories of creation, geology, dreaming and a connection to nature (see below) that only added to the core themes of:

The Killers of Eden - Aboriginal Killer Whale partnerships, Ben Boyd, Davidson Whaling Station working with the Killer Whales, Old Tom and the Killer Whale Museum, the Whaling Walk, the story of Boydtown.

Meeting of the Waters - the closest point to the Continential shelf, the meeting of two ocean currents, geological wonders, the cruel sea and how she gives and takes, abundant fishing and marine life, the scientific signficance of the Sapphire Coast, where the rivers meet the sea, fishing stories and families.

In the Shadow of the Mountains - Aboriginal dreaming trails, geological links to Montague Island and the Continential Shelf, Fertile Soils (the Tilba Soils), Ancient Rivers of Gold, Explorers Entrepeneurs and Mysteries, Conservation and Protection.

Anyone who could not make it along is welcome to contact Kate Vallely on 07 3238 1911 to share their story. The team are now identifying the locations and stories that should be developed as a first priority. This will be compiled in a report due in late May.

Exploring the Key Stories

You are invited to explore the three heroic stories on Friday 30th April, Saturday 1st May and Sunday 2nd May in a 'progressive workshop' which will be held in a variety of location throughout the region.
The progressive workshop is designed to provide an opportunity for EC3 Global to meet with stakeholders  to discuss the development of the Sapphire Coast Heritage Tourism Strategy. Mark Olsen from EC3 Global will be meeting with stakeholders at each location to have an in-formal discussion regarding the project and the particular heritage stories and experiences at the individual site. The meetings will not be structured workshops but will provide an opportunity for stakeholders to have a face-to-face conversation with Mark and identify challenges and opportunities in the development of heritage tourism in the region. Discussions around the development and delivery of the identified heroic stories will be the focus of the meetings with stakeholders.
Every body is warmly invited to join us and take part in these conversations by coming to any of the following meeting points on the times and days outlined below
You are more than welcome to join Mark for the entire journey. Please  contact Kate Valley to register your interest in attending one of these meetings. Background PDF

Friday 30th April
12.00pm	Bermagui Pub
1.00pm	Blue Pool, Bermagui
2.30pm	Montreal Goldfields
4.00pm	Pam’s Store, Tilba

Saturday 1st May
9.00am	Mumbulla Creek Falls
11.00am	Tathra Wharf
1.00pm	Merimbula Wharf
2.30pm	Eden Killer Whale Museum
3.30pm	Rotary Lookout, Eden
4.30pm	Sapphire Coast Marine Discovery Centre

Sunday 2nd May
9.00am	Davidson Whaling Station
11.00am	Green Cape Lighthouse
1.30pm	Mt Imlay Picnic Area
Stakeh

KEY STORIES SELECTED

One of the key outcomes of the developing the Sapphire Coast Heritage Tourism Strategy is the identification and development of three ‘heroic stories’ for heritage tourism in the Sapphire Coast. Feedback and input from the Sapphire Coast Tourism Cultural Heritage Working Group and other regional stakeholders throughout the first two phases of the project have identified the following hero stories and other supporting regional stories for the Sapphire Coast. The selection of the three heroic stories was based on an assessment

of the heritage stories and experiences against an agreed set of selection criteria.

Heroic Stories

• Killers of Eden –Amazing tales of humans and killer whales working together; incorporating both Indigenous and European culture and folklore and linking directly to some of the region’s most popular tourism ventures.

• In the Shadow of the Mountains – the geological and ecological history of three mountains and the fertile Bega Valley, the mysteries of special natural places such as Gulaga, Mt Imlay and Biamanga and the connection of land

and culture.

• Meeting of the Waters – the geological processes (meeting of two ocean currents) that have created the abundance of sea life along the coast. This story links to science, research, and both Indigenous and European stories.

Regional Stories

• Naturally Inspired – tales of a creative energy stemming from nature; inspiring music, arts and culture; and events (e.g. Four Winds, Folk fest, etc) starting with the early poets.

• The Bundian Way – an ancient Indigenous trade route thought to be one of the oldest trade routes on the planet linking the coast to the mountains.

• The Tyranny of Distance – an unspoilt, protected and geographically secluded stretch of coastline home to great walks, ship wrecks, scenic drives (eg Tilba to Tathra) and a history of human courage (e.g. the sailors from Preservation Island and their journey to Port Jackson).

• Out of sight, Out of mind – how Eden was to become the Nation’s capital and illegal trade and activities flourished away from the colonies.

• Inspiring Endeavours – the history of trade and enterprise including indigenous trails (e.g. Bundian Way), the Matthew Munn story of Merimbula as a corn mill and enterprises such as Bega cheese.

• Against all Odds – the villages and communities of the gold fields, heroic tales of Indigenous and settler survival, and how nature continues to shape the landscape.

Indigenous Protocol

The Sapphire Coast Cultural Heritage Working Group adopted the following protocol at its meeting on 16th April 2010
At all times, the Sapphire Coast Cultural Heritage Strategy seeks to be culturally inclusive, particularly in respect of the indigenous community. It is anticipated that some projects might be in partnerships and others culturally distinct. The participation of the Indigenous Community will be actively sought and , where the community wishes to develop its own projects, the Sapphire Coast Cultural Heritage Strategy will support those projects within the constraints of its capacity.

Challenges for tourism development in the Region

Workshop Results: What are the key challenges for tourism development in the Sapphire Coast Region?

• ‘Us and them’ divide – local parochialism and apathy 

• Unlocking local experiences e.g. dairy farms 

• Knowledge of history and stories by locals (need local famils) 

• Unconnected villages / hamlets 

• Engaging with Indigenous people 

• Hearing the stories first hand - Get taken by a ‘guide’ 

• Funding for a building at Montreal Goldfields 

• Accelerating the connections – schools 

• Getting the message across the ‘gap’

• Identification of compelling and distinctive stories and experiences that can be developed in authentic products

What is missing ?

"hero stories"

On the 15th of March a meeting was held Sapphire Coast Cultural Heritage Working Group to mobilise the project. One of the key outcomes of the meeting was the identification of possible ‘hero stories’ for heritage tourism in the Sapphire Coast:

• Marine Discovery – the geological processes (meeting of two oceans) that create the abundance of sea life we have today. Links to science , research, and folklore.

• Naturally Inspired – tales of a creative energy stemming from nature; inspiring music, arts and culture; and events (e.g. Four Winds, Folk fest, etc) starting with the early poets.

• Killers of Eden – An amazing tale of humans and killer whales working together linked to whaling history, Indigenous heritage, and a violent past.

• The tyranny of distance – an unspoilt, protected and geographically secluded stretch of coastline home to great walks, ship wrecks, scenic drives (eg Tilba to Tathra) and a history of human courage (e.g. the sailors from Preservation Island and their journey to Port Jackson).

• Out of sight, out of mind – how Eden was to become the Nation’s capital and illegal trade and activities flourished away from the colonies.

• Inspiring endeavours – the history of trade and enterprise including indigenous trails (e.g. Bundian Way), the Matthew Munn story of Merimbula as a corn mill and enterprises such as Bega cheese.

• The Bundian Way – an ancient Indigenous trade route thought to be the oldest trade route on the planet linking the coast to the mountains.

• In the shadow of the mountains – the geological and ecological history of the fertile Bega Valley, the coastal strip and the mysteries of special natural places (Goolaga, Mt Imlay, Lake Wallaga, etc).

• Against all odds – the villages and communities of the gold fields, heroic tales, and how nature continues to shape the landscape.

• A Cultural Corridor – the coast road as an artist’s visual journey. 

• Paradise found – how for generations people have found their own ‘Garden of Eden’ on the Sapphire Coast with

its natural beauty and relaxed lifestyle.

Are there other stories that need to told or that better link the products and experiences in the region?

See page nine of Marks 1st report for a preliminary list of Sapphire Coast Heritage products and experiences. What is missing?

Mark's First Report

Mark Olsen has prepared a report on his workshop with the Working Group which contains the slides from his presentation  and the results of the groups response to the questions outlined in the last posting. You can download the report as a PDF. He has also provided a project overview with the time line and questions.  which you can also down load. Please feel free to circulate these documents to anyone you feel may be a stake holder or interested in this project. The project is working to a very tight time line - it is important you circulate this to anyone you think might be interested

EC3 and SCT Cultural Heritage Working Group Meeting

Mark Olsen from EC3 met with the SCT Cultural HeritageWorking Group this week and workshoped the project. He said that the challenge for the Sapphire Coast is to bring its heritage ‘alive’, to capture the attention of and engage the consumer. For this reason, the EC3 Global team have adopted a ‘story‐based’ approach to the preparation of the Heritage Tourism Strategy, including the development of iconic heritage story lines linking to precincts, journeys and experiences throughout the region.

The workshop was based on four key questions which each member of the working group was asked to respond to:

1. What are the three most important heritage stories/experiences in the Sapphire Coast Region?

2. Is there one heritage story/experience in the Sapphire Coast Region that only the locals know or is not currently shared with visitors but should be ?

3. What are the key challenges to heritage Tourism development in the region?

4. What does success in heritage tourism look like in the Sapphire Coast ?

The response was diverse and stimulating, with a surprising number of over laps.

The SCT Board was also asked to respond to these questions and the invitation is extended to anyone else in the community to contribute their local knowledge. This process of consultation with the community will continue over the next few weeks. Mark is preparing a report on the first workshop.

Consultants Appointed

EC3 Global have been appointed the Consultants to research and develop The Sapphire Coast Tourism Strategy. EC3 Global with ZOIK has pulled together a team of professional strategic tourism planning and marketing specialists to deliver a visitor focussed and practical Heritage Tourism Strategy for the Sapphire Coast region. The EC3 Global Consulting Team has extensive, practical experience in tourism master planning and destination management for tourism including the development and management of cultural heritage and natural heritage. The team has worked extensively throughout regions in Australia and has specialist knowledge of the planning, product development, infrastructure and marketing challenges and opportunities for the Sapphire Coast region.

ZOIK is a collective of skilled marketing and advertising professionals with the expertise to provide cost effective and innovative advertising solutions for the services industry. As a fully integrated creative agency ZOIK offers a team of senior advertising and creative professionals with experience in producing successful consumer communication projects. ZOIK has extensive experience in designing and implementing destination and tourism product marketing plans with measurable objectives, schedule of actions and itemised budgets.

The methodology proposed by the EC3 Global team, aims to deliver a practical strategy to deliver iconic heritage stories and experiences appealing to the Experience Seeker market. The aim is to link these directly to the branding and experiences of Australia’s Coastal Wilderness branding and experiences. It is their understanding that the Experience Seeker target market are motivated to immerse themselves in ‘stories’ and ‘experiences’ and that there is a need to deliver these in contemporary and innovative ways, rather than only selling ‘products’.

Expected Outcomes

The Heritage Tourism Strategy will, for each heritage element, where relevant:

· Identify high quality experiences at optimal locations

· Identify relevant experience, information, marketing, product and infrastructure gaps

· Provide strategies to address these gaps including relevant commercial and investment opportunities

· Identify labour intensive heritage management programs and package them in a form where they can be readily proposed in heritage employment grant programs (in particular the Commonwealth’s $65m Heritage Grants (Jobs Fund) program – see

http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/programs/jobs-fund/index.html

· Identify strategies for linkages between the heritage element on offer and other identified heritage elements in the Heritage Tourism Strategy and the presentation and promotion of the ACW brand

· Noting existing protected area management programs, identify any additional action that may be required to ensure tourism does not negatively impact on heritage values

· Provide a prioritised list of actions, time frames and responsibilities to ensure delivery of experiences

· Provide internet ready web page material (including information and images) that allows the strategy to woven into the SCT web site (linked to the promposed ACW site) and be available for inclusion on regional heritage related web sites (businesses and organisations)

Strategy Background

The project will produce a strategy to deliver cultural heritage tourism in the Sapphire Coast.

The Sapphire Coast has rich natural, Aboriginal and European historic and cultural heritage, and boasts magnificent outdoor recreation opportunities as well as spectacular world class coastal wilderness and forested scenery.

The region is a key component (along with Victoria’s East Gippsland) of Australia’s Coastal Wilderness National Landscape (ACW)

The SCT Business Plan has a section on Cultural and Heritage Tourism (Section 5.4) which discusses the nature of the Indigenous, historic, cultural and natural heritage in the region.

Section 5.5 outlines plans for new tourism product.

5.5.3 Cultural and Heritage Tourism

See section 5.4. In line with the socio-demographic trends (section 3.1.4) and emerging preferred activities (section 3.2.1) the Board will develop a program to enhance cultural and heritage tourism. The Board will in particular foster partnerships with community organizations and assist where practicable with the development of cultural events, artistic programs and the provision of information and interpretation programs.

The Cultural Heritage Strategy will compliment the Australian Coastal Wilderness initiative of the National Landscapes program and its target Market The Experience Seeker:

There are three things enunciated by Tourism Australia as being at the core of Australia’s global tourism appeal – our people, lifestyle and environment. There is also a global consumer who finds these assets appealing (Experience Seekers).

National Landscapes identify those areas that provide the very best of Australia for the Experience Seeker – people who travel to experience difference and like to “get off the beaten track” and immerse themselves in local culture. Importantly, the Experience Seeker also stays longer and travels more widely than other visitors – bringing greater benefit to Australia’s regional economies.

SCT wishes to maximise the opportunities provided by the region’s recognition as a world class attraction. This strategy is based on three elements:

1. Keep the target market longer

Having attracted the ‘experience seekers’ to the region SCT wishes to entice them to increase their length of stay with products that match their aspirations to learn, engage and experience. SCT believes that, within the NL core experiences there are a further suite of outstanding attractions in the region (particularly the region’s natural, historic and cultural heritage) that will be of particular interest this market.

2. If you are renowned to one discerning and demanding market others will follow.

SCT is motivated by the tourism axiom:

Get the message right for the few ideal visitors and the rest will respond- always. A cutting edge brand position statement with exceptional delivery of the brand promise will attract and audience to that brand whose depth and breadth will be astounding. (G Whitfield).

The basis of the strategy is thus, by getting it right for one demanding market (Brand Australia’s experience seekers), the offering will have a very high degree of relevance to a range of other potential visitors, domestic and inbound. The appeal of this element is enhanced by the finding quoted above that, re domestic tourism “ the largest average annual growth is in cultural and heritage activities, forecast to increase by 1.7% per year on average between 2006 and 2020.”

3. If the visitor is coming here for a top class event – keep them here

The region is becoming increasingly well known for quality cultural events, in particular the Four Winds Festival, the Merimbula Jazz Festival, the Cobargo Folk Festival and the Bermagui Sculpture on the Edge event.

The strategy will seek to provide a framework for event organisers to weave the region’s brand edge into their event presentation and promotion.