Geotourism Workshop
Angus M. Robinson, Managing Partner, Leisure Solutions® and Chair, Geotourism Standing
Committee, Geological Society of Australia
Geotourism - Pathways for Future Development in Australia
Abstract
The serious pursuit of ecotourism in Australia was 'kick started' nearly 25 years ago through the
establishment of Ecotourism Australia Ltd which now represents some 500 operators in Australia.
Whilst the potential for Geotourism, a related field of 'nature based' tourism was first recognised in
Australia in 1996, the concept was only conceptualised locally by the convening of a Global Geotourism
Conference in 2008, with the subsequent establishment of geotourism constituency groupings firstly
by the Geological Society of Australia in 2011 and by Ecotourism Australia through the creation of the
Geotourism Forum launched at the Global Eco conference in November 2013. In 2008, the then
Kanawinka 'Global' Geopark (a key instrument of geotourism delivery) was established in Victoria and
South Australia, but its status was not ratified by Australian Governments in council in 2009, with the
result that geopark development in Australia has now very little support by government agencies.
Consequently for geotourism to reach its potential, new pathways for development need to be explored
and implemented, particularly in the context of government interests in nurturing regional
development and new job creation. The Australian Government's Australian National Landscapes
Programme (now administered by Ecotourism Australia) and the development of a range of geotrail
projects offer exciting new opportunities for geotourism growth, whilst not overlooking Australia's
extensive protected areas as venues for enhancing geological and landscape interpretation and
education as part of the overall 'nature-based' tourism mix. This presentation will focus on case study
examples of existing and proposed geotrails.
Biography
An exploration geologist by profession, Angus established his business, Leisure
Solutions®, in 1993 and is now engaged in ecotourism/geotourism activities as an
eco-certified tour operator. In recent years he has served as inaugural Chair of the
Geotourism Standing Committee of the Geological Society of Australia and in 2013,
he was appointed inaugural chair of the Geotourism Forum of Ecotourism
Australia Ltd. Previously, over a 15 year period, Angus was engaged in executive roles relating to
technology park development and hi-tech industry association work, during which time he developed
and led a range of industry-focused, collaboration arrangements with a number of 'sister' associations
throughout North Asia, South-East Asia and the USA. In earlier years he has enjoyed roles as the
Director, Commercial Services at Taronga Zoo, as the inaugural Director of Sydney's former
redeveloped Geological and Mining Museum, and has managed the Mt Hotham Alpine Resort
conservation area in Victoria.
Prof. Ross Dowling OAM, Professor of Tourism, Edith Cowan University
Geotourism – A Powerful New Tool for Sustainable, Regional Development
Abstract
Geotourism is a new global phenomenon which fosters sustainable development. In essence it is
'geological' tourism which specifically focuses on geology and the landscape. It promotes tourism to
geosites, the conservation of geodiversity, and an understanding of Earth sciences through
appreciation and learning. Thus geotourism encompasses visits to geological features, use of geo-trails
and view points, guided tours, geo-activities and patronage of geosite visitor centres. Geotourists can
comprise both independent travellers and group tourists, and they may visit natural areas or
urban/built areas wherever there is a geological attraction. Geotourism is based on geology interpreted
through its components of Form (landforms and landscape), Process (how the landforms were formed)
and Time (when and how long did these processes occur). This forms the basis of a more holistic
understanding of the environment and its component parts and thus provides the resident or tourist
with a greater connection to the environment in which they live or are visiting. Geotourism attractions
are now being developed around the world primarily as a sustainable development tool for the
development of local and regional communities. A major vehicle for such development is through
Geoparks, which are rapidly growing in number around the world. Kanawinka Geopark is Australia's
sole geopark. This presentation suggests that Geoparks represents a fantastic opportunity for regional
areas to foster local conservation along with benefits for local communities. This is illustrated through
a number of examples of Geoparks from around the world.
Geotrails
Abstract
Geotrails focus specifically on the geology and landforms of an area but also include interpretation
about the fauna, flora and human use of the area. There are many different types of geotrails and they
can occur in either natural or built environments. This presentation will describe a range of different
types of geotrails from a number of countries. They include walk trails and drive trails, in both rural
settings to urban settings. A more detailed case study is illustrated of the Trail of Time, a 4.6 km
geotrail on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, USA. The walk represents 4.6 years of
geologic history with each meter walked on the trail representing one million years of Grand Canyon's
geologic history. The trail is an interpretive walking timeline that focuses on Grand Canyon vistas and
rocks and invites visitors to ponder, explore, and understand the magnitude of geologic time and the
stories encoded by Grand Canyon rock layers and landscapes. The exhibit follows the existing paved
rim trail on the South Rim of Grand Canyon between Yavapai Observation Station and Grand Canyon
Village and is marked by brass markers every meter, representing one million years of time. Viewing
tubes and other interpretive materials help visitors connect the rocks visible in Grand Canyon to their
place along the geologic timeline. The physical Trail of Time is supplemented with an electronic webbased component called the Virtual Trail of Time (http://tot.unm.edu).
Biography
Professor Ross Dowling OAM is Foundation Professor of Tourism in the School of
Business, Faculty of Business & Law, at Edith Cowan University in Western
Australia. He works internationally in the field of geotourism development and is
the author of numerous publications on the subject as well as being co-editor of the
three books: Geotourism; Geotourism: The Tourism of Geology and Landscape,
and Global Geotourism Perspectives. Together with his wife Wendy Dowling, they are Directors of the
tourism consultancy Ideology Pty Ltd (www.ideology.net.au), through which they have convened three
Global Geotourism Conferences in Australia (2008), Malaysia (2010) and the Sultanate of Oman
(2011). Alongside his work on fostering Geotourism development, he advises the Geoparks movement
on Geotourism. He is an Advisor to UNESCO's Global Network of National Geoparks, is a Member of
the Asia Pacific Geoparks Network Advisory Committee, and is Chair of Australia's Geoparks Forum.
Alan Briggs, Lecturer in Tourism, Murdoch University
Establishing a Geopark from the Ground Up - A Community Process
Abstract
While there have been many Geoparks established to date the determinants of successfully
establishing a Geopark through community participation have not necessarily been developed in a
structured way with the community. Many Geoparks have been the result of Government initiatives
and the calculated need to develop tourism as a means of creating wealth through business and
employment, from a government perspective. This research considers the process for establishing a
community lead Geopark, initiated by the community, for the community.
Biography
After 40 years in Western Australian government working in areas of forest and
land conservation and management; recreation and tourism, Ministerial office for
Forests and the National Trust, Alan retired from the government way of life.
After achieving his MBA, Alan lectured in tourism at Edith Cowan University from
1997, becoming an Adjunct Lecturer in 2009, an appointment still held at this time. Alan established
Natural Heritage and Culture taking on consultancy tasks. Alan was a long term committee member
of FACET and has strong interests in Eco-tourism, Geo-tourism and Geoparks and Indigenous
engagement in land management, tourism and geoparks.
In 2010 Alan was offered the opportunity to lecture full time in tourism on campus at Murdoch. Alan
commenced study towards a PhD in March 2012 at Murdoch University. The research will focus on
stakeholder perceptions of establishing a Geopark.
Dr. Ivor Roberts, Executive Director, WA Department of Mines and Petroleum
Co-presenter: Michael Freeman, Project Manager, Legislation and Compliance Branch,
Mineral Titles Division, WA Department of Mines and Petroleum
Incorporating More Geological Themes into Ecotourism - A Basis for More Successful
Business Cases
Abstract
Ecotourism focuses on the sustainable, responsible conservation of natural areas where the
environment has been conserved and the well-being of the local people is sustained and natural history
and education is promoted. The most attractive natural areas are often spectacular landforms where
additional overtones have come into play between the ecological and cultural attributes of the areas.
Landforms have a geological cause. Everybody can appreciate the sights of the spectacular features.
But often it is the geologically educated eyes only that see and understand the deeper causes behind
the scenery. Geotourism for most people would be visitation to see and reflect upon the landforms,
and with a broader approach to see them in harmony with the ecological and cultural aspects of the
lands. In this paper we will explore links between geotourism and ecotourism, focussing on how
geotourism can expand the visitor's experiences in natural areas, allowing for enhanced revisiting
through the increased depth of understanding of how the features formed through geological times to
arrive at their present forms. Revealing the underlying dynamic Earth processes that generate the
landforms can markedly enrich and enhance the visitor's experience Enhancement of the visitor's
experiences will improve the business cases of local tourist operators and those providing services to
the visitors. The basic requirement is for the valuable geological understanding to be developed and
interpreted for the benefit of those operators and the visitors. Geologists, therefore, must acquire
better interpretive skills, to generate site, local and regional descriptions needed for the non-geologist
to appreciate the history of the Earth and its present-day landforms."
Biography
Ivor Roberts is the Executive Director, Mineral Titles Division, Department of
Mines and Petroleum, WA, a position he was appointed to in May 2010. Prior to
this position he was the Manager Mineral Resources in the Geological Survey of
WA including some time acting as Assistant Director in the Geological Survey he
gained extensive exposure to the activities of the mineral industry and high levels
of government. Ivor commenced at the then Department of Minerals and Energy,
WA, in 1997, initially in the position of Regional Manager for the Geological Survey
in Kalgoorlie. He joined the WA Government department from a teaching position in the Western
Australian School of Mines in Kalgoorlie and prior to that he held academic and research positions at
several universities including the University of New South Wales. Ivor is a keen advocate for geology
and the spreading of geological knowledge through the broader community.
Co-presenter: Michael Freeman, Project Manager, Legislation and Compliance Branch,
MIneral Titles Division, WA Department of Mines and Petroleum
Michael Freeman is Project Manager within the Mineral Titles Division,
Department of Mines and Petroleum, WA. His role is to help facilitate mineral
exploration and development in areas of land-access difficulty. Prior to the present
position he held various geological positions within the Geological Survey of WA
working to protect mineral resource access through the State planning processes.
Before joining the Geological Survey he was a successful gold explorer near
Kalgoorlie and had worked on detailed coal-seam modelling in WA's Collie Basin.
He moved to WA from the Northern Territory Geological Survey where he has been the author of the
first NTGS 1:250,000 geological map in 1986 and had run a very successful night course on Geology
and Landforms for the Public for nearly a decade. Michael has always been keen on interpretive
geology and is enthusiastic about introducing people to the wonders of the geology under our feet.
Albert Teo, Deputy Chair, Asian Ecotourism Network
From Ecolodge to National Geographic Unique Lodges of the World
Abstract
From a basic ecolodge 20 years ago to a charter member of National Geographic Unique Lodges of the
World in 2015. We promote our USP as we continue to upgrade, innovate our facilities and product
and pushing the boundaries of our human resources by emphasizing on our core values of five"C"
namely competence, consistence, commitment, character and care. We submitted for tourism awards
which motivate our staff and reinforces our brand of being sustainable, authentic and experiential.
Everyone of our 20 rooms was dedicate to world renowned conservationists.
Biography
A graduate in Economics (Honours) from the University of London in 1977, Albert
Teo has been in the tourism industry for the last thirty seven years. A keen
photographer, he has trekked over 1,000km in Borneo, published ten books
including the best selling Sabah -Land of the Sacred Mountain, Journey through
Borneo, Saving Paradise-The Story of Sukau Rainforest Lodge authored with Carol
Patterson and the latest book, A Souvenir of Sabah Malaysian Borneo.
His companies Borneo Eco Tours and Sukau Rainforest Lodge have won numerous international
ecotourism awards including Asia's Leading Green Hotel at the 17th World Travel Award 2010 and the
2012 SKÅL International Sustainable Development in Tourism Award for Tour Operator at the 73rd
SKÅL International Congress in Korea.
Albert is presently focusing his energy on developing social entrepreneurship through his
community/environment foundation, Borneo Ecotourism Solutions and Technologies or BEST
Society. www.bestsociety.org . In 2014, BEST Society received the UNWTO Ulysses Award for
excellence and innovation in tourism in NGO category at Madrid, Spain. Albert has served in various
positions in the tourism industry including Sabah Chapter Chairman of Malaysian Association of
Tours and Travel Agents MATTA, Chairman of Sabah Tourist Association 1985/86, Board of Advisor
of The International Ecotourism Society TIES, USA, Marketing Committee, Rural Tourism product
development committee of Sabah Tourism Board. Albert was also a member of the finalist selection
committee for the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards of World Travel and Tourism Council WTTC for five
years.