Submission to the Taskforce on Tourism and National Parks
Revised Closing Date - COB Monday 29 August 2008
This submission has been prepared to advise the Taskforce of issues of importance
to Hawkesbury City Council, which are relevant to the examination and reporting
undertaken by the Taskforce on Tourism and National Parks including:

…opportunities for an enhanced level of sustainable tourism in NSW's parks
and reserves

…which is also compatible with the conservation of the natural and cultural
heritage values of those areas
Hawkesbury City Council's Vision and Strategic Direction
The taskforce's terms of reference align with Council's Vision of ensuring:
Lifestyle, Environment, Access and Opportunity @ Hawkesbury
and most specifically with its strategic direction:
Environment
Sustainable and livable communities that respect, preserve and manage the
heritage, cultural and natural assets of the City
Hawkesbury Local Government Area
The area size of the Hawkesbury Local Government Area (LGA) is 2776 square
kilometres and it is home to more than 62,000 residents who live in a series of towns
and villages throughout the rural hinterland.
There is approximately 2,011 square kilometres of National Parks in the Hawkesbury
LGA.
This equates to approximately 72.44% of the LGA is National Parks.
The area size and percentage does not include Comleroy State Forest.
Hawkesbury Cultural Plan 2006-2011
The taskforce's terms of reference are congruent with specific elements within
Hawkesbury City Council's Cultural Plan 2006-2011. This plan was developed in
accordance with recommendations set out in the publication, Cultural planning
guidelines for local government, 2004. Sydney: NSW Ministry for the Arts and
Department of Local Government.
Adopted by resolution of Council on 30 May 2006, the Hawkesbury Cultural Plan
2006-2011 incorporates the ideas and comments arising from community workshops
and consultations. The Cultural Plan, which was also placed on public exhibition for
a period of 28 days, includes 5 goals and key strategies, with 38 actions dropping
from those.
Some significant points made within the plan could be summarised as being:
1. Culture in the Hawkesbury is strongly influenced by the local environment
including the area’s distinctive landscape and the central role played by the
Hawkesbury River.
2. Culture includes landscape, places and buildings that provide a foundation for
local artistic expression and participation.
3. Residents value the natural and built heritage of the LGA but recognising that
development - or higher usage - is inevitable, want to see it done in a controlled
and sustainable manner.
4. Cultural and educational leisure activities play an important role in linking
development and growth with environmental and social sustainability.
5. Public transport and telecommunications infrastructure are critical planning
issues for improving lifestyle and visitor access and amenity within the LGA.
6. Future higher use of the LGA should also provide opportunities for economic
growth within the LGA, through compatible and innovative entrepreneurial
activity.
7. Collaborative opportunities between Hawkesbury City Council and other
stakeholders is important for the purposes of resource sharing and the delivery
of sustainable environmental and cultural outcomes for residents and visitors.
8. Residents want to have input into planning, program design and
implementation.
Notes to these points - from the Cultural Plan 2006-2011
1-2. What is culture?
…Most Australians however recognise that culture is more than the arts and is relevant to their
lives, that it provides a sense of belonging and has an impact on their quality of life.
Generally culture represents connections between people and between places and people. It can
include the impact of history, geography and local character represented in the built environment,
and by population patterns. Culture celebrates local distinctiveness and helps people understand
significant aspects of their local communities – their traditions and memories. Culture includes
creativity and creative products but also those places and buildings that provide a foundation for
local artistic expression and participation. Importantly culture also provides opportunities to
develop and evaluate those values that provide a basis for living together, for what we believe and
how we choose to act.
In the Hawkesbury, culture has been defined as having the arts and creativity at its core but it is
also influenced by the local environment including the area’s distinctive landscape and the central
role played by the Hawkesbury River. Culture in the Hawkesbury recognises the role played by
history and heritage, including Indigenous heritage, in influencing local identity and sense of place.
Culture is also influenced by the Hawkesbury’s rural lifestyle and traditions as represented by the
area’s role in agriculture and horticulture. In the Hawkesbury education and learning are part of
culture as are aspects of sport, recreation and tourism. Hawkesbury Cultural Plan p. 7
3.Sustainable development
"Many participants in the workshops noted the unique role that the Hawkesbury’s natural setting
plays in enhancing the area’s cultural heritage. The cultural landscape of the Hawkesbury – the
river, the flood plains, the topography, the backdrop of the mountains, the built reminders of
patterns of settlement – all contribute to confirming that the Hawkesbury is a special place whose
cultural heritage needs to be respected and valued. Development seems inevitable but planning
decisions in relation to heritage need to be sympathetic to cultural values and controlled to ensure
sustainability and the sensitive integration of old and new. Hawkesbury Cultural Plan p. 15
4. Cultural Tourism
"The Canadian National Committee on Cultural Tourism extends this definition [Cultural Tourism] by
referring to cultural tourism as “educational leisure activities, which enhance the visitor’s
awareness and appreciation of natural and/or human history of another region. Cultural tourism is
the art of participating and relating to peoples and places that have a strong sense of their own
identity. It is not just a spatial and time experience, but a mode of experience that encourages a
more open, more universal way of thinking”. Cultural heritage and tourism: presentation by Dr
Russell Staiff, UWS on 26 July 2005 at Hawkesbury Cultural Forum, Hawkesbury Cultural Plan p. 16
5. The Tyranny of Distance
"The Hawkesbury is a desirable place to live and work but it is also disadvantaged by the ‘tyranny of
distance’. Distance between places within the LGA presents challenges for locals as well as for
visitors, and distance between the Hawkesbury and the rest of Sydney was identified as an issue for
many workshop participants. Distance presents critical planning issues for the Council. It impacts on
public transport and also on telecommunications. Hawkesbury Cultural Plan p. 18
6. Cultural Industries and Economic Development
Creative entrepreneurs are highly sought after in 21st century cities. As economies shift from a
manufacturing to a services orientation, it is the ideas and innovators that provide a critical edge.
In the Hawkesbury the overwhelming numbers of businesses are small businesses employing less
than 5 persons and it is likely that many of these businesses support or potentially support new
ideas and innovation. Hawkesbury Cultural Plan p. 17
7-8. Consultation and Partnerships
Cultural life in the Hawkesbury is enhanced by the encouragement of and demonstrated
commitment to active cooperation between individuals, organisations, institutions, businesses and
governments. A shared approach to planning, program design and implementation will foster
creative capacity and encourage mutual respect including respect for Indigenous heritage and
culture. Hawkesbury Cultural Plan p. 25
Recommendations to the Taskforce
1. Given the percentage of the Hawkesbury Local Government Area which is National
Parks, that Hawkesbury City Council be identified as a key stakeholder / partner.
2. Work with other local councils or WROC in supporting innovative entrepreneurial
activity which in turn sustainably supports increased visitation to / use of national parks
as well as their adjacent LGAs in the Sydney North West Growth Centre
3. Review the Hawkesbury Cultural Plan 2006-2011 during examination and reporting
phase, as well as those of other Local Councils
4. Include an inventory of educational and leisure activities, displays and exhibitions and
cultural programs currently undertaken by National Parks and Wildlife Services within
the national parks and reserves in the Hawkesbury LGA
5. Include an inventory of educational and leisure activities, cultural programs, art and
museum exhibitions currently undertaken by Hawkesbury City Council and investigate
opportunities to collaborate on these for mutually beneficial outcomes
6. Include an inventory of buildings within the national parks and reserves as well as in
the adjacent Hawkesbury LGA that could be used for dynamic public programs,
displays and exhibitions
7. Foster partnership activities with local community groups such as historical and art
societies via relevant local council staff
8. Establish an Artists Studio Retreat in a national park within the Hawkesbury LGA that
provides a venue across all artforms for artists to focus on environmental issues
associated with river and valley ecologies
9. Develop a major interpretive program to promote and improve access to the
Hawkesbury’s rich landscape including parks and wilderness areas
10. Investigate public art programs and interpretive trails in partnership with Hawkesbury
City Council and other WSROC councils
11. Consult with accredited Visitor Information Centres on their promotional requirements
for National Parks and Wildlife Services
12. Identify transport and telecommunications infrastructure constraints within the City of
Hawkesbury LGA and make recommendations on overcoming any barriers.
13. Investigate National Parks catering to heavy impact recreational users (for example
4WD and trail bike users) within regional parks.
Hawkesbury Cultural Plan 2006-2011
The full document is available via Hawkebsury City Council's website
http://www.hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au/community/1013/23832.html