9 INFORMATION, INTERPRETATION AND EDUCATION individual places can provide a Interpretation plays an important role in convenient focus for the interpretation of developing understanding of people’s a broader landscape. Landscapes enable past history, and past and Australia’s a higher and more appropriate level of contemporary expressions of beliefs, management for historic places which, hopes and aspirations. while appearing individually less significant, are components of a Interpretation, where possible involving distinctive landscape of greater local communities, will be used to importance, for example the mining facilitate and encourage public landscapes of Central Victoria. awareness and support for the long-term protection of historic places and objects, Goals particularly those representing key To assist the community and visitors historic themes. to understand and appreciate the Parks Victoria is one of the few dynamic relationship between organisations that can tell a wider history and the ways in Victoria’s which the current landscape and historical story by interpreting landscapes environment have developed. it manages as a whole. This can be achieved by the presentation of To use the key themes, where thematically linked places as part of the appropriate, to determine strategic broader cultural landscape. In particular, projects in managing and presenting themes can help explain the relationship historic places and objects. between history, the current Victoria’s landscape and environmental change. To become a leading presenter of the historic places and objects within Some of the key themes are best its heritage estate which represent reflected in landscapes rather than at the key historic themes outlined in table 1. specific places, though The Mt Alexander Diggings Project has improved access to and interpretation of the historic mining remains such as the Garfield Waterwheel foundations, located within the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park. The diggings project has been developed in partnership with the Mt Alexander Shire and the local community.
9 INFORMATION, INTERPRETATION AND EDUCATION Interpretation plays an important role in developing people’s understanding of Australia’s past history, and past and contemporary expressions of beliefs, hopes and aspirations. Interpretation, where possible involving local communities, will be used to facilitate and encourage public awareness and support for the long-term protection of historic places and objects, particularly those representing key historic themes. Parks Victoria is one of the few organisations that can tell a wider historical story by interpreting landscapes it manages as a whole. This can be achieved by the presentation of thematically linked places as part of the broader cultural landscape. In particular, themes can help explain the relationship between Victoria’s history, the current landscape and environmental change. Some of the key themes are best reflected in landscapes rather than at specific places, though individual places can provide a convenient focus for the interpretation of a broader landscape. Landscapes enable a higher and more appropriate level of management for historic places which, while appearing individually less significant, are components of a distinctive landscape of greater importance, for example the mining landscapes of Central Victoria. Goals To assist the community and visitors to understand and appreciate the dynamic relationship between Victoria’s history and the ways in which the current landscape and environment have developed. To use the key themes, where appropriate, to determine strategic projects in managing and presenting historic places and objects. To become a leading presenter of the historic places and objects within its heritage estate which represent the key historic themes outlined in table 1. The Mt Alexander Diggings Project has improved access to and interpretation of the historic mining remains such as the Garfield Waterwheel foundations, located within the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park. The diggings project has been developed in partnership with the Mt Alexander Shire and the local community.