Australia’s National Landscapes Program is a partnership between Tourism Australia and Parks Australia to identify and promote Australia’s most exceptional natural and cultural experiences to an international tourism audience known as the Experience Seeker. The Program aims to utilise existing networks and resources to provide a collaborative and sustainable approach to tourism planning, development and conservation.
The Northern Territory boasts three National Landscapes – Australia’s Red Centre National Landscape; Australia’s Timeless North National Landscape and the Kimberley National Landscape.
Australia’s Red Centre National Landscape
Australia’s Red Centre National Landscape (ARCNL)was the first National Landscape announced by the Commonwealth in December 2006. The area covers a vast region of the red centre including the iconic natural wonders of Uluru, Kata Tjuta, the MacDonnell Ranges and Kings Canyon. Chair of Australia’s Red Centre National Landscapes Steering Committee is Jo-anne Harkin, Regional Director for Tourism NT in Alice Springs. The Steering Committee comprises the three tiers of Government with representatives from the Tourism, Arts, Pastoral Industries and the Business Community as well as the Central Land Council.
Achievements of ARCNL include:
- Repositioning Alice Springs to Uluru as one holistic experience within the National Landscapes framework.
- Working collegially, across governments, with Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park to broaden visitor experiences and strengthen Indigenous participation.
- Utilising positing in marketing and infrastructure development, for example the Red Centre Way signage project.
- Building a Red Centre Discovery Way Centre, with 50% of the project investment being contributed to online and downloadable information on interpretation of the West MacDonnells National Park.
- Forming a Red Hot Stories Team to provide wider stakeholder engagement for the Steering Committee and to provide information to Tourism NT and Tourism Australia.
- Working in partnership to deliver training to businesses that currently work with, or could employ Indigenous personas as guides in the tourism industry.
Australia’s Timeless North National Landscape
The Commonwealth Tourism Minister launched the then-called “Kakadu National Landscape” in July 2008. The landscape takes in key attractions including Kakadu, Nitmiluk, Mary River and Garig Gunack Barlu National Parks, the townships of Katherine and Jabiru and West Arnhem Land. The name Australia’s Timeless North was adopted in October 2011. The Australia’s Timeless North National Landscape Steering Committee has the responsibility to progress the National Landscape’s Programs aims at a regional level and to manage the region’s participation into the National Landscape Program. The key responsibilities are: governance, participation in the National Landscape Program, champion the destination positioning, provide leadership.
The Steering Committee, which is chaired by Tourism Top End, reflects the tourism, economic and conservation interests of the Landscape and includes key representatives from Parks Australia, NT Parks & Wildlife, Commercial Tourism operators – Kakadu, Katherine Town Council and the Chair of Kakadu Tourism Consultative Committee. Claire George is Tourism NT’s representative on this Committee, please contact Claire on 08 8999 3836 or claire.george@nt.gov.au for additional information.
Kimberley National Landscape
The Kimberley National Landscape highlights Australia’s remote north-west corner and incorporates Gregory and Keep River National Parks, in the Northern Territory. Claire George is also on the reference group of the Kimberley National Landscape. Her contact details are above.
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