Bodies supported by the AusIMM Geoscience Society

National Rock Garden

The National Rock Garden (NRG) newsletter of 24 December 2022 published the following;

The Ngunnawal people are recognised by the ACT Government as the Traditional Custodians of the land of the National Rock Garden within the National Arboretum visit https://www.act.gov.au/ngunnawal-country

Accordingly, the NRG Steering Committee has been engaging with several local Elders regarding procedures and ceremonies which may be appropriate for the introduction of rock specimens onto their land.

A specific collaboration has been the development of a design for an Indigenous Welcome Feature at the entrance to the Rock Garden. Together with the Indigenous Elders, we were successful in applying for an ACT Government Environment grant to fund the design of the Welcome Feature, including transport and placement of rocks that will be part of the display.

In further collaboration with Elders, we were also successful in applying for an ACT Heritage grant to provide signage and online content to complement the entrance Welcome Feature. An important part of the online content will be delivered via the Canberra Tracks App, which uses augmented reality technology to enhance visitor experience beyond what is available from standard signs on Canberra self-drive heritage trails.

National Geotourism Council

The Newsletter of the Australian Geoscience Council including update on activities within working groups of the National Geotourism Strategy Newsletter 23-01, dated 10 March 2023 can be found here.

The current status of 7 working groups is outlined;

1. Relates to the development of new digital technologies to highlight and interpret natural and cultural heritage for geotourism
2. Relates to defining an approval pathway for major geotourism projects.
3. Has the goal of establishing a framework for creating high quality, sustainable geotrails.
4. Findings due in May 2023.
5. Relates to developing geotourism in regional mining communities with potential geoheritage and cultural heritage sites.
6. Is focusing on strengthen Australia’s international geoscience standing through geotourism excellence.
7. Is focused on developing and enhancing the geoscience interpretation and communication skills of everyone actively involved in the presentation of geosites, enabling the provision of accurate and thematic information in an accessible manner.

Article in 'The Australian Geologist'

The December issue of The Australian Geologist magazine contains a comprehensive report about the Australian Earth Sciences Convention (27-30 June 2023, in Perth), and highlights the most important theme on the ‘Critical role of geoscience in Australia’s future’ that will include several subthemes relating to geotourism, visit https://bit.ly/3P8M6tv.