Caring for Country — The Otways and You - Parks Victoria

Strategies for visitorsNational Park and Otway Forest Park presentsa ‘stand-out opportunity for nature basedtourism’.The Great Ocean Road strategy (DSE 2004b)contains strategies for strengthening protectionof public land and parks, protection ofenvironment and landscapes, and developmentof sustainable tourism in the region.The Tourism Plan for Public Land in theOtway Hinterland (DSE 2005) providesspecific recommendations for developing andpromoting tourism in the hinterland areas.Park managers have regular liaison and workin collaboration with the highly organised localtourism associations: Surf Coast Tourism andOtways Tourism, and the regional bodiesGeelong-Otway Tourism and Shipwreck CoastTourism.A licence is required to provide tourismservices in Great Otway National Park andOtway Forest Park. Parks Victoria and DSEwork closely with licensed tour operators toensure that tours are compatible with parkmanagement objectives. There are 140 (as of2008) licensed tour operators licensed toconduct tours in the parks, including 4WDtouring, sightseeing, educational activities andbushwalking. Licensed tour operators provideenhanced services for visitors who prefer tohave additional interpretation, guidance,instruction, catering or accommodationprovided while visiting the parks. They alsohelp to promote park values and appropriateusage of the parks.Key tourism opportunitiesThe following key tourism opportunities areexciting potential developments for the parks.They are not, however, overnight ventures, andrequire substantial long-term assessment,planning, partnership and commitment fromthe public and private sectors, and arepresented for consideration with theexpectation that they can only proceed subjectto development assessment criteria (section3.4).Indigenous tourismThe Otway parks provide significantopportunities for Indigenous tourism, a highlysought product by international visitors. Parkmanagers are keen to work closely withTraditional Owners and Aboriginal groups toexplore opportunities for Indigenous tourismbusinesses and products that are authentic,respectful and support Aboriginal communitydevelopment and engagement. These couldinclude (among other things): provision ofinterpretive services such as guided shortinterpretive walks or multi-day camping safariswith a focus on indigenous sites, stories, foodand culture; supply of services to visitorswithin the parks such as provision of fuel forcamp cooking and facility maintenance; anddissemination of park information to visitors.Demountable accommodationTo attract people who are seeking a morecomfortable camping experience, the Otwayparks are suited to the provision of a limitednumber of high-end camping options. Purposebuilt demountable accommodation/standingcamps offer immersion in nature, whileproviding a high degree of comfort andsecurity for campers.Nature based accommodation ‘eco-lodge’adjacent to Great Otway National ParkThe development of a nature-basedaccommodation ‘eco-lodge’ adjacent to GreatOtway National Park offering high quality,energy efficient ‘green’ accommodation andassociated services has been identified as anopportunity in Tourism Plan for Public Landin the Otway Hinterland (DSE 2005). It wouldserve as a key marketable product, wouldbetter connect park visitors with the naturalenvironment and meet an identified gap inaccommodation options.Great Ocean Walk enhancementsDestined to be ‘one of the worlds great walks’,the Great Ocean Walk will continue to bedeveloped and enhanced in line with the GreatOcean Walk Strategic Directions Plan 2009-2014 (Parks Victoria 2009) to firmly establishit as a nationally and internationally recognisedicon. Sections of the walk that run along roadsare to be re-routed onto walking tracks toprovide for a high quality walking experience.Cooperative partnerships have been developedwith private sector accommodation andtourism providers for mutually beneficialproduct development, promotion and provisionof services. Opportunities exist to enhance therange of services currently provided on thewalk, such as enhanced interpretiveexperiences including interpretation of38 Great Otway National Park and Otway Forest Park Management Plan