Parks Victoria Annual Report 2000-01

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4 Enhancing the Visitor ExperienceParks Victoria strives to make each visitor’s experienceenjoyable, safe, informative, uplifting and restorative. Thisgoal underlies much of the work we do. One of the mostimportant tasks we completed during the year was the firstcomprehensive assessment of the level of service we provide.This study examined the adequacy of facilities and services at1500 visitor sites, which will enable us to set priorities andidentify where improvements need to be made. We alsoemployed 48 seasonal rangers, mainly in regional areas, toensure we provide quality service to visitors during ourbusiest times.Information, Interpretation and EducationParks Victoria’s Information, Interpretation and Education(II&E) policy is designed to help manage visitor behaviour andpublic safety, conserve and protect park values and promoteunderstanding and support for park management policiesand practices.An integrated II&E training program was developed to ensureParks Victoria staff have excellent skills in planning anddelivering these integrated II&E programs. Staff will begintraining in 2001-2002.InformationThe Information Centre 13 1963Public awareness of Parks Victoria’s 24-hours-a-day, sevendays-a-weekinformation line has continued to grow eachyear, with 140,603 calls received, an increase of 6.3 percent.Our experienced operators answer a wide range of enquiriesabout parks, camping, events and the organisation.The Website www.parkweb.vic.gov.auParks Victoria’s various websites received almost 12 millionhits, a substantial increase of almost four million hits over theprevious year. This growth can be partly attributed to amarketing campaign targeting youth hostels, Internet cafes,Tourism Victoria’s overseas offices and Tourist InformationCentres. Visitors to the website are able to downloaddocuments such as the annual report, parknotes, brochures,approved management plans, discussion papers andother reports.The website will play an increasingly importantcommunication role as Internet usage increases, allowing usto reduce the numbers and volume of brochures produced inprint form, in line with our commitment to environmentalsustainability and best practice.InterpretationOne of Parks Victoria’s most important roles is to educatevisitors – in relevant and entertaining ways – about thenatural and cultural wonders that abound in Victoria’s parksand heritage sites. This interpretation process can take theform of ranger-led activities, guided walks, campfire nights,slide shows, information signs, publications and other media.More than 12,000 visitors participated in a wide range offace-to-face interpretation programs led by rangers, CampHosts and volunteers. The following table overleaf providesdetails of some of these programs. It does not includeparticipation in tours that represent a major component ofa park visit, such as tours at The Mansion at Werribee Park.Left to right: A new walkway for visitors at Wilsons Promontory National Park;Primary School Children learning more about the exciting aspects of theenvironment with a Parks Victoria Ranger; Parks Victoria Ranger enhancingthe visitor experience at Crystal Brook Falls, Mount Buffalo National Park.24
Park Examples of activities No. of participantsWilsons Promontory NP Junior Rangers, Rockpool Rambles, spotlight walks, etc. 4860 (summer)800 (autumn/Easter)Mt Buffalo and Alpine NPs Guided walks, slide shows, spotlight walks 1286 (summer)Buchan Caves Reserve Special cave tours, children’s activities 335 (summer)[54,221 people went onstandard guided cave toursover the year]Dandenong Ranges NP Children’s activities 300 (spring/summer)Cape Conran CP Rockpool Rambles, geology walk, Breakfast with the Birds 584 (summer)Croajingolong NP Spotlight walks, slide talks 400 (summer)Grampians NP Campfire nights, rock art tours 361 (Easter)The Mansion at Werribee Park Billy tea and damper, craft activities 2680As well as these face-to-face programs, visitors benefitedfrom new interpretive displays and signs at numerous sitesacross the State. Some of the key messages contained inthe State of the Parks 2000 Report were also incorporatedinto displays.EducationEducation websiteParks Victoria’s education website is continuously beingimproved with the addition of new features. Teachers canmake bookings for staff-led activities on-line and student andteacher enquiries can also be addressed on-line. An on-lineenvironmental quiz has been added to the features andschools are now able to post their stories directly onto thesite. The site exceeded expectations with approximately270,000 hits during the year.Education CentresParks Victoria operates four Education Centres that provideexcellent service to schools across the State. These centresare located at Wilsons Promontory, Grampians andDandenong Ranges National Parks and at the Mansion atWerribee Park. As well as a diverse range of qualityinterpretive activity programs provided by our educationstaff, the year’s highlights also included the fourth annualresidential development program for teachers at WilsonsPromontory; a Careers Information Day at GrampiansNational Park in which students learned about being parkrangers; successful Teacher Open Days at the Mansion atWerribee Park; and the extremely popular Careers DiscoveryDay and school holiday programs at Dandenong RangesNational Park.The numbers of students involved in activities at the ParksVictoria’s Education Centres are shown below:Student Category Dandenong Grampians NP Wilsons The Mansion atRanges NP Promontory NP Werribee ParkPrimary 1579 2706 3632 6659Secondary 1938 2424 3410 283Tertiary/Other 72 507 370 142Total 3589 5637 7412 708425
Page 1: P ARKS VICTORIA ANNUAL REPORT 2000-
Page 4 and 5: International Year of VolunteersVol
Page 6 and 7: Key AchievementsClockwise from left
Page 8 and 9: Clockwise from left: There is a gre
Page 10 and 11: 1 Chief Executive’s MessageIn thi
Page 12 and 13: Corporate GovernanceBoard of Member
Page 14 and 15: The BoardPeter BuzzardFCA, FAICD(Ch
Page 16 and 17: The ExecutiveLeft to right:Mark Sto
Page 18 and 19: 2 Protecting and Conserving Our Her
Page 20 and 21: Left: Elders from Rumbalara Aborigi
Page 22 and 23: 3 Working with the Community and Ou
Page 24 and 25: Partnerships at WorkParks Victoria
Page 28 and 29: School PartnershipsThe Victorian Yo
Page 30 and 31: Clockwise from left: Tour operator
Page 32 and 33: Nature enthusiasts can explore plen
Page 34 and 35: 5 Wildfire ManagementIn its managem
Page 36 and 37: Left: Parks Victoria has over five
Page 39 and 40: Compliance with Building Act 1993Pa
Page 41 and 42: Table 1: 2000-2001 Corporate Perfor
Page 43 and 44: Financial Review of Operations and
Page 45 and 46: Statement of Financial Position at
Page 47 and 48: Notes to the Financial StatementsTh
Page 49 and 50: Notes to the Financial Statements20
Page 53 and 54: Notes to the Financial StatementsAr
Page 59 and 60: Designed by Scimitar and printed by

Parks Victoria Annual Report 2000-01

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