Submission to Taskforce for Tourism and National Parks · Web viewCouncil gets the blame for stormwater litter on Parks beaches. Little Congwong beach which is subject to illegal

Taskforce for Tourism & National Parks Lynda Newnam [email protected] www.laperouse.info 28/8/08

Submission to Taskforce for Tourism and National Parks

28th August 2008 – Lynda Newnam – [email protected]. Box 77 Matraville 2036. URL: www.laperouse.info

Thank you for providing this opportunity to make a submission to the Tourism and National Parks Taskforce. Most of my observations of Parks operations will be confined to La Perouse where approximately 35% of the suburb is incorporated into Botany Bay National Park.

I think it is worth noting here that while the invitation to make a submission to the Taksforce is featured on the front page of the Tourism NSW website, “Consultation” on the DECC website appears in a sub-menu under “About DECC”. I would not have known about the Inquiry had I not found reference to it on the Nature Conservation Council(NCC) website. The NCC and the National Parks Association(NPA) have urged members to write in ‘defence’ of the status quo. While I identify strongly as an ‘environmentalist’ but I don’t assume that National Parks/DECC is the best organization to protect our natural heritage and can cite local examples in Botany Bay, from the protection of Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub at Prince Henry, to biodiversity at Cape Banks, to Little Terns at Molineux Point and Penrhyn Estuary. In terms of our ‘human and natural heritage’ my experience of National Parks can be summed up with the blunt observation: the Parks management of ‘natural’ and ‘human’ heritage at La Perouse makes Fawlty Towers look like a 4-star operation.

Now I hasten to add that there are obviously pockets of excellence throughout the State and dedicated staff who perform wonders in their local parks and many more who would, if they could, change the way things are done. This is what makes it even more frustrating. It is difficult to be critical of any organization knowing that many staff within are doing their best and trying hard to address so many competing demands. However, all organizations need to be “Learning Organisations”, and Parks is no exception. They can argue responsibilities for biodiversity, defined here as meeting ‘non-human’ needs and they can cite intergenerational equity for meeting human needs in the future but they shouldn’t use these as excuses to avoid addressing valid criticisms of how they conduct business right now. Parks, from my experience, is not a ‘can–do’ culture. Rather, it presents as a culture that rewards conformity to ideologically constructed values of heritage, discourages robust debate internally and avoids engagement with the broader community. Perhaps some of our parks might be better left

1

http://www.laperouse.info/

mailto:[email protected]




‘untouched’, whatever ‘untouched’ means. I don’t know the answer, but I do think the DECC/Parks have failed to engage the community at large in a proper debate on ‘the natural’ let alone best practice for enhancing biodiversity values. Conservation of our ‘human’ heritage should be an easier task but even that appears done with little accountability.As a member and former chairperson of the Botany Bay and Catchment Alliance I have often defended the environmental values of areas which ‘expert’ environmentalists and notable politicians refer to as ‘brownfields.’ Sitting at meetings with staff from Sydney Ports I’ve often heard that the Ports ‘created’ Penrhyn Estuary and Foreshore Beach. The word ‘created’ has a ‘God-like’ ring to it when uttered by civil engineers, but when the same language is adopted by those charged with advocating for the environment it is even more confronting. I’ve read assessments from DECC/Parks staff dismissing areas because the environmental values were considered low recognizing only a handful of key species in the assessment and failing to value potential because the magic ingredient ‘pristine’ was absent - and of course could never be reclaimed. In one classic study of the Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub at Prince Henry in 2003 a couple of sections of the ESBS was deemed of lower value but these section by pure coincidence were the very sections which needed to be removed to widen roads. The recommendation was made under the EPBC Act and the developer, Landcom, agreed to pay $100,000 to enhance ESBS values in nearby Botany Bay National Park. Five years on and still awaiting enhancements. On another occasion rare and threatened Little Terns nesting on Sydney Ports land were encouraged to leave when 400 star pickets and 4km of bunting were spread about the area – on the advice of Parks. According to Parks the numbers were too low for a viable breeding population and the birds were required to locate themselves at Towra Point where a Little Tern Warden would tend to them. In an interview for Film Australia’s “Wilderness”, Tim Low, the author of many ‘nature’ books including “Feral Future” and “The New Nature”, has this to say in response to the question –

Q: What does the word ‘wilderness’ mean to you?Wilderness has grown into the one of the biggest buzzwords in Australianhistory—I mean, it’s a marketing tool, it’s a way of selling holidays and calendars and diaries. It’s just gotten a bit over the top. When I hear the word ‘wilderness’, to me it’s about remote places where there’s been no human impact and people can never get a sense of belonging and I have a problem with that because I think that there’s an environmental crisis and the way to overcome that is for people to feel close to nature, and the word ‘wilderness’ is ultimately alienating because you can never really belong in it—you can be a kind of transient visitor just passing through but you don't really belong there and I think we need a relationship with nature that’s

2




based on a much greater sense of belonging and being in rather than passing through.

In our urban areas, where most of the population of NSW reside, we can make claims to restoration, regeneration and conservation but hardly to pristine let alone wilderness –varying degrees of brownfield perhaps. The La Perouse peninsula, which is the neighbourhood I am focusing on in this submission, was subject to tipping, sandmining and similar invasive activities and as a consequence there are few ‘high’ environmental values in the landscape. Despite this, there are pockets of ESBS where the soil has been marginally disturbed and the National Park does boast around 350 native plant species and over 100 bird species. Certainly for an area so close to the Sydney CBD it presents some interesting floristic displays in Spring with large stands of flannel flowers and woody pears which make it particularly desirable for coastal trekking.

La Perouse has a number of attractions for both the overseas and the domestic tourist market and most of these are under the control of the Parks Service. I have resided in La Perouse since 2000 and have observed the following shortcomings which impact marketing opportunities.

1. Poor communication2. Plan of Management lacks budget, marketing plan, and there appears no

accountability for meeting listed targets3. Poor neighbourhood/catchment engagement skills4. Poor promotion/understanding of the ‘products’ 5. Little coordination with local LGA6. Poor management of natural heritage7. A culture that militates against individual initiative and a ‘can do’ approach

CONTEXT

La Perouse is located 20minutes along the Eastern Distributor from the CBD, approximately 15 minutes from Sydney Airport, and 25 minutes from Sydney’s Southwest along the M5. There are direct and regular buses from Circular Quay. Botany Bay National Park itself is located on the South at Kurnell and on the North the area extends from the Coast Cemetery and Cape Banks on the

3




Eastern side of the peninsula west to Bare Island and Astrolabe Cove. The South is managed in a separate Parks ‘Area’ and Parks ‘Region’ to the North. The Northside managers are located at Nielsen Park, Vaucluse. There are two major community forums operating in La Perouse. The first is the La Perouse Precinct Committee which is open to anyone residing in La Perouse and neighbouring suburbs of Little Bay and Phillip Bay and the second is the La Perouse Land Council where members must be able to demonstrate Aboriginal descent to participate. Around 31% of the population of La Perouse are of aboriginal descent, suggesting that there are also opportunities to showcase aspects of Aboriginal Culture in an authentic Aboriginal settlement. This is in contrast to the usual tourist settings at Darling Harbour, The Rocks, Circular Quay.

On the La Perouse peninsular, defined as the suburbs of Little Bay, Phillip Bay and La Perouse, the approximate breakdown of landholdings are as follows:

Department of Lands leaseholdings (including Golf Courses, Cemetery, Market Gardens, Boatshed Café, Helibase, Yarra Bay Sailing Club) and other Government Departments 50%

Botany Bay National Park 20%

Residential (including Prince Henry and Department Housing) 20% Randwick City Council Open Space 4%La Perouse Aboriginal Land Council 3% Other 3%

Until late July 2005 the local member for Botany Bay National Park (northside) was Mr Bob Carr. The present member is Mr Michael Daley.VISITATIONS

Visitations to the Park(northside) were recorded at around 400,000 annually in the Plan of Management, written in 2000. Since then numbers have increased, I would suggest significantly, with the opening of the M5 East and the introduction of parking meters to beaches further north. The

area is particularly popular with residents from Sydney’s south-western suburbs as well as attracting a few international tourists, the French because of the Laperouse heritage. Popular

4



http://laperouse.info/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/reptile21.jpg


weekend attractions include the Snakeman, John Cann (a family tradition for nearly a century) and the Boomerang man, Laddie Timbery (another local family tradition). The safe, non-surf beaches are particularly popular. There are 6 café/restaurants and 2 of these opened in 2007. There is one commercial premise vacant which could operate as a commercial Bush Tucker Café, booking centre for Bush Tucker tours and gallery for local aboriginal artefacts.

MAJOR FEATURES The main features on the Peninsular from the Western beaches around to the Eastern Beaches are as follow(see map below): The properties controlled by Parks are indicated by * below the map.

Industrial Complex and Shipping – The western boundary of the headland is defined by the DPWorld terminal and Banks’ Wall. Prince of Wales drive terminates at the Visitor Lookout at Molineux Point. The landscape of cranes, container ships and bulk storage containers stands in stark contrast to the Aboriginal settlement directly across from it at Yarra Bay.

5




Bicentennial Park – Managed by Randwick City Council, it incorporates a section of the Botany Bay Walking and Cycling Trail http://kaimiaway.org.au/docs/botanybaytrail.pdf and includes the monument commemorating the first landing of Cpt. Phillip on 18 January 1788.Pioneers Cemetery – This is part of Botany Cemetery with headstones from

the Devonshire Street cemetery including pioneers such as John Cadman.Heritage Chinese Market Gardens – This 7ha site was heritage listed in 1999 in recognition of the significant and long-standing Chinese association with Market Gardens - the only remaining example in the Eastern Suburbs. The Gardens are operated by 3 tenants belonging to Chinese clans(houses) who have been

farming in the area for over 100 years.

Yarra Bay House - Yarra Bay House was built in 1903 to house the supervisor of the Cable Station(now Laperouse Museum). The building, surrounding estate and nearby Hill 60 and an area adjacent Prince Henry are owned by the La Perouse Aboriginal Land Council.

Yarra Bay Sailing Club - Sailing Club provides training programs for youth and continues because of extensive volunteer input. The Club struggles financially not assisted by local crime issues which inform perceptions of area.

Frenchman’s Bay & Yarra Bay – popular beaches, western facing and therefore notable for sunsets.

*Laperouse Headland Monuments – the obelisk and Receveur Tomb. Have particular significance for French community and regularly visited by French dignitaries in

6



http://kaimiaway.org.au/docs/botanybaytrail.pdf

http://laperouse.info/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/laperouse-monument-early.jpg


addition to annual celebrations of mass for Friar Receveur, Bastille Day and Laperouse Day. The burial mass was the first mass performed in Australia. Receveur was the first priest and scientist buried in Australia.

*Laperouse Museum – Barnet designed building. Telecommunications history (first connection with NZ February 1876), Laperouse expedition. *Macquarie Watchtower – the first ‘customs house’ in Australia built during Governor Macquarie era.

*Bare Island – Barnet designed building and first Royal Commission which forced Barnet’s resignation. Significant military history, site of filming for Mission Impossible II, significant scuba diving site, site where Banks collected shells. Parks do have a brochure available on this site.*Happy Valley – significant Depression Camp site. This story is statically interpreted near the entry to the National Park; creek runs (at

times) into Botany Bay but in parts is severely impacted by weed species. Makes a poor impression on entry to the Park.

*Congwong Bay – Site where the Olympic Arts Festival was opened in 2000. Site used for filming. The Bay has often been the only number 1 ranking area of Botany Bay tested by the EPA for bacterial contamination. Protected beaches popular with families and

7




for snorkeling. DECC refers to the smaller of the 2 beaches as ‘the beach adjacent to Botany Bay National park’.*Henry Head and Headland walk – area where Banks and Solander collected during stay in Botany Bay (according to botanical analysis by Benson and Howells). Around 350 native species recorded around the area. Significant flora display, dominated by flannel flowers, in Spring. The National Park(northside only) holds some of the most significant stands of the remaining 1% of Rare and Threatened Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub. Walks and Species Lists at : http://laperouse.info/?page_id=18 Opportunities for access for mobility restricted vistors at Henry Head which could be organized in cooperation with NSW Golf Club.*Browns Rock and other sites around the coast are popular with fishers. The coastal track from Little Congwong Beach to this site has been fenced off and fishers have to walk about 3 times the distance. It is argued by Parks that this is because of potential impacts on vegetation but most of the vegetation is bitou and other weed species. A track joining the Little Congwong Track would also allow for an alternate track for the return walk from Henry Head. A relatively small number of people with influential networks oppose a track because it would disturb the current access and activities they enjoy and bring more visitors into the park.NSW Golf Course – top Australian Golf Course hosting Australian Open in 2009.

*Cruwee Bay – site where Cook first collected water in Botany Bay. *Minmi Wreck –

8



http://laperouse.info/?page_id=18


*Cape Banks – listed for its entry to Botany Bay and fine sandstone. Site for whalewatching. . Significant site for shorebirds and raptors and rare and endangered Themeda australis. Marine conservation reserve area around to Henry Head and site of ongoing studies by UNSW and University of Sydney.

Site used for filming. * Banks Battery – WW2 military heritage regarded as highly significant in recent study, includes tunnels where rare and threatened Eastern Bent Wing bats roost. Military Heritage

as significant as North Head. North Head in 2007 was handed back to the Federal Government.

*Coast Cemetery – associated with history of Prince Henry Hospital and deaths of infectious disease patients and nurses and recently with reburials of aboriginal remains.

*WW2 Military Residences

Golf Courses and Prince Henry Development – includes a number of historic sites including Museum as well as Geological dig with records of Wollemi Pine pollen.

9




Before describing the 7 key points I will give an outline of how I came to this point. When I moved from Redfern to La Perouse with my husband and three children in 2000, we were keen to be active in supporting the National Park. Along with other local families we formed a group called Laperouse Explorers. This was established as a chapter of the CSIRO’s Double Helix Club and under this umbrella we also established a Sydney Water Streamwatch Group. We also worked with the local Little Bay Scouting Group. The National Parks ranger attached to this area encouraged us to start a program of weeding on a Saturday morning. Everything was going well and then she left abruptly, for reasons concerning the management at Vaucluse. Weeding sessions continued with a local field officer. He has an extensive knowledge and passion for plants so this arrangement was also fine. Then in 2003 our group sought support for a DEH grant. It required Parks management at Vaucluse to sign off as landholder and to handle any funds, were we successful. I had signed off as a community group coordinator for a Parks submission the previous year. The proposal was to enhance the entry to the park by stabilizing the banks of the creek, weeding and regeneration. Parks would not support the proposal and thereafter ceased releasing the field officer to work with us on weeding sessions. We continued however, and I kept Parks informed by email of upcoming weeding sessions. About a year later I was sent an email on the evening before one session advising that as there was no supervisor for our group we couldn’t weed the following day. It was put politely in terms of OHS requirements and I was asked to arrange with one of the rangers suitable times when we could weed. He was not agreeable to weekend sessions so it eventually became impossible to get people, particularly school aged children and we had to call it a day. The field officer who was caretaker of Bare Island at the time attended the last session and he later said to me that ‘they don’t want you in the park’. He added that he could tell me now as he was retiring. Last year the Area Manager that had hitherto been responsible for La Perouse was assigned to the Goat Island Project and an Acting Area Manager appointed. After his appointment we were able to arrange Clean Up Australia Day and a series of cleanups for the Clean Beach Challenge. We were also able to arrange for one of the field officers to lead a Rainforest Walk just before Christmas. This was attended by local residents and scouting families. There was also support expressed for a ‘Caring for Country’ grant proposal for a landscape plan which would incorporate an alternate coastal track on the Henry Head walk. But after a number of reminders I was not able to obtain Parks specifications for this. The track would enhance visitor experiences in the area and at the very least provide a sensible path for fishers at Browns Rock, but there appears to be major obstructions to doing any of this. I am a volunteer for a number of organizations and one of these is the DPI’s Fishcare program. The Clean Beach Challenge and the Clean Up days were organized under the banner of the La Perouse Headland Coastcare Alliance which included the Precinct

10




Committee, Fishcare, Streamwatch, Little Bay Scouts, Kooloora Community Centre. In March this year the Fishcare Coordinator was telephoned by someone who would not identify himself to complain that it was inappropriate for me to be suggesting a track. This person implied that I was abusing the affiliation I had with Fishcare and hence was ‘reporting’ me. There are a number of other experiences I could expand on if required which relate to impediments to providing better and broader visitor experiences. The following are key issues with a few examples for each.

1. POOR COMMUNICATON

For a prospective new visitor researching a visit the first port of call is likely to be the free National Parks Booklet and/or the DECC Website.The booklet lists the State’s National Parks and other Reserves by Directorate. La Perouse and Botany Bay National Park is located in the Central Directorate and is administered in two regions within this Directorate – Illawarra on the South with La Perouse on the north in Sydney. The Park therefore has a common Manager at Directorate level but not at the Regional nor the Area level. The map of the Central Directorate lists Kurnell (on the South of Botany Bay) but no longer lists La Perouse. It was removed from the map 3 years ago. La Perouse attracts a different audience to Kurnell but is lumped with it. (Note also that the Plan of Management for Botany Bay National Park, written in 2000, has a Kurnell-centric approach. It was coordinated by the Acting Area Manager for the South at that time.) For a potential visitor it can be confusing to know where the attractions are located. Even experienced researchers can be confused. In one commercial visitor guide for Sydney the author has included the La Perouse section of Botany Bay National Park and refers to a walk that is located at Kurnell. I have alerted Parks managers to the omission of La Perouse from the map and to the confusion regarding the presentation on the website and have not received replies.The Website also fails to describe major attractions at La Perouse. The Receveur story is left off. The photograph accompanying Laperouse Museum is a collection of fish hooks. There is very little static interpretation of the attractions. Cape Banks has nothing. Nothing on the whales, nothing on the Military history, nothing on the Minmi, nothing on the Military Residential Complex. There is a one-sided installation for the Coast Cemetery and another for the Jennifer Street Boardwalk. There is a 2-sided board at the Happy Valley entry to the Park but nothing near the Snake Pit which is opposite the bus terminus where the majority of tourists arrive. There is nothing at Henry Head, nothing for the Laperouse

11




Monument and Bare Island. There is for the Receveur Tomb but with no reference to de Bougainville who commissioned and paid for the Tomb nor to Governor Brisbane who granted the land. Lack of interpretation of key Aboriginal ‘items’ is also an issue. But to be fair to Parks, there is difficulty in achieving consensus on the model for interpretation and there is also the problem of conservation. Rock carvings for instance may be better left uninterpreted rather than risk vandalisation. I would note however at this point that there is could be some generic interpretation of the Headland as a whole which included the significance of the Aboriginal landscape. For instance, a Visitor Map could be located in/near the historic bus shed at the La Perouse bus terminus.The Laperouse Museum is open Wednesday to Sunday. There is no brochure on Botany Bay National Park and it has not been stocked for years. Apparently there are brochures in boxes with the title Kamay Botany Bay National Park. Some years ago there was a bid to change the name of the park and the Aboriginal word chosen was Kamay. It is in fact recorded in the Botany Bay National Park Plan of Management. It was argued that Kamay was ‘the’ Aboriginal name for Botany Bay. Kamay may be associated with the people of the western shores but not necessarily the people of the northern shores. Kamay may have been used in reference to the Bay but it may also be the word for ‘spear’. Apparently, when the local Precinct chairman attended a consultation meeting concerning the renaming of the Park he was asked to leave. Suffice to say this was an example of poor communication. In 2006 another attempt was made to persuade local Aboriginal families at La Perouse that Kamay should be adopted and the Area Manager at Kurnell led the delegation. I spoke to her at the Museum and asked why Parks wanted to diminish a name which celebrated the environment which after all predated all human habitation. I suggested that if any name should be changed Sydney Harbour National Park was the logical candidate as Lord Sydney was the colonial bureaucrat overseeing the dispossession. I also suggested that Cook had taken care in arriving at the name having first discarded ‘Stingrays Harbour’ and ‘Botanists Bay’. ‘The name Botany Bay was a reminder of the importance of the environment at a time when environmental issues have greater currency’, I said ‘and the Botanical/environmental reference is all-inclusive. ‘Kamay by contrast was associated with spears and only one of the original groups around Botany Bay’. My attempt to engage in discussion was terminated by her curt reply: ‘it(Botany) is just one man’s name for it’. The ‘one man’ was Cook and the person who had just spoken was the Area Manager responsible for the Cook legacy at Kurnell.

2. PLAN OF MANAGEMENT

12




The Plan of Management was written in 2000 and adopted in 2002. It lacks a Marketing Plan. There are short-term and long-term targets, few of which appear to have been addressed. There is no budget. There are 4 field staff located at La Perouse with one living on site at the Museum and 2 others in residences in the Military Residential complex at Cape Banks. The ranger for La Perouse works out of Vaucluse. Another ranger resident on Bare Island works out of Vaucluse. The La Perouse Aboriginal Land Council have use of one of the houses at Cape Banks and other staff member who works at Kurnell are located there as well. When the Walking Coast Sydney Clovelly to Cronulla section was launched at the Laperouse Museum earlier this year I spoke to committee members about various issues, including the problem of over-night accommodation. While walkers can stop over in places like Coogee there is nothing on the La Perouse peninsula even though it takes more than a full day to inspect all the sites. I suggested then that there might be possibilities for turning one of the Cape Banks residences into a commercial B&B. The resident field officers would still be there and it could offer the opportunity to expand their roles which now are mainly contained to litter collection and lawn mowing. I can imagine Parks managers would find all sorts of reasons for not wanting to do something like this but that doesn’t make it a bad idea. Certainly the walkers saw some merit in it. Nor is it a bad idea to provide toilets at Cape Banks. There is a toilet block and it was renovated by scouting parents some years ago. The licence that Scouts had at Cape Banks was not renewed by Parks in 2003 and in 2004 by an act of parliament the area that was used as a Scout Camp (marked out by Bob Carr himself in the mid 80s) was excised from the Park and handed to the Department of Lands. Then in 2006 ,just a matter of days before tenders closed for the Emergency Helicopter service contracts, a 20 year lease was given to Surf Life Saving for it’s ‘Westpac’ Helicopter (the service didn’t consult with Department of Health about the Cape Banks site and didn’t have its contract renewed.) The toilets were returned to the Parks estate and remain locked even though visitors are attracted to the area for the military heritage, the Cape, the whalewatching and so on. I write letters about the toilets and don’t receive replies.

3. POOR ENGAGEMENT WITH NEIGHBOURHOOD AND CATCHMENT

The population for the suburb of La Perouse at the 2006 census was 391. When asked to describe their ancestry a number of respondents ticked more than 1 box. The breakdown is as follows: Australian - 179; English - 83; Irish - 34; Greek - 22; Scottish - 20; Australian Aboriginal - 13; New Zealander - 9; African - 10; Chinese 10; Italian - 9; Maori - 7; Cypriot - 7; - Swedish - 8; Maltese - 6; European - 6; Oceanian - 4; French - 3; Russian - 3; German -3; Danish - 3; Bulgarian - 3.

13




The most recent Community Consultation was conducted in May this year to discuss the management of conservation of heritage items on the Headland. These included Bare Island, the Laperouse Museum, and the Laperouse Monuments. The workshop was held 4pm – 7pm on a weekday. Amongst those who attended was the French Consul-General.

From the Introduction to the subsequent report:

As part of community consultation on the development of the La Perouse HeadlandConservation Management Plan (CMP), a series of workshops were held with specificcommunities in May 2007 and March 2008. The aim of these workshops was to explorecommunity attachments to the La Perouse Headland and document the socials valuescreated by community associations with the place.

A Community Workshop was held on 8 May 2008 to bring people from differentcommunities together in a final workshop to develop a shared vision for the future of theheadland to inform the development of policy in the CMP.

The references in the report to resident = 2, to French = 6, to Aboriginal = 24, to biodiversity = 1, to sustainability = 0, to budget = 0, to State Plan = 0.

The Aboriginal Land Council owns significant parcels of land on the La Perouse peninsula including Yarra Bay House and surrounding estate, rental properties, Hill 60 and a parcel of land at Jennifer Street. There are aspirations amongst some members of ‘the community’ that the Park should be handed back/co-managed. There are opportunities to do so much with the current Land Council estate. An upmarket backpackers at Yarra Bay House next to the Sailing Club is just one example. A commercial bush tucker café on the commercial strip at the loop is another. This particular venture could incorporate a training program not unlike the initiative seen at the bush tucker café at the ATP. If the potential of the current Parks properties, such as the Museum and Bare Island, were realised then these would enhance the market for Land Council/Guriwal corporation owned facilities and services. There are so many opportunities on the Headland as a whole but these won’t begin to be realized until there is some honesty and transparency in dealing with all the stakeholders. There was mumbling when

the NSW Golf Course lease was renewed a few years ago. Some people thought it too should be handed back. This is one of the top courses in the country which next year will host the Australian Open. The State Government has a backlog of

14




infrastructure projects to fund and it doesn’t have the capacity to be subsidizing poorly managed Parks.

Bare Island is a magnet for scuba divers. It is one of the premier dive sites in Sydney. There are stories to tell from the fort built to defend Sydney against the Russians to providing accommodation for WW1 returned soldiers to the filming of Mission Impossible 2. They could be statically interpreted and the area could be permanently open and used commercially – a dive shop, a café, commercial accommodation perhaps. There is a good argument that the whole site be handed to Sydney Ports to manage as a Visitor Centre which could incorporate additional interpretation of the maritime history of Sydney and provide conference facilities. Port Brisbane boasts a Visitor Centre of note. Currently all the activity offered by Parks is confined to 3x1 hourly tours on Sunday afternoon – and often these are cancelled. The fee for tours is not value for money compared to other attractions in Sydney. The area of Bare Island which is accessible is popular with walkers, fishers, and divers. Further details at www.botanybaywatch.com.au of the marine life and significance as a dive site.

All this resource going to waste. The only person to benefit appears to be a Parks ranger who works out of an office at Vaucluse.

The La Perouse Precinct Committee is a community consultative committee of Randwick City Council. It is the only forum open to all residents and/or property owners and it meets monthly. In 2004 the Committee’s Chairperson wrote to Dr Fleming, then Parks director, inviting him to send a representative to meetings. Parks is a major landholder/stakeholder on the Headland and operations impact the residents, attendance at meetings, it was argued, would give the opportunity to further relationships between the Parks and its neighbours. The Regional Manager replied positively to the invitation and the Area Manager attended the first meeting in late 2004. He stated that there would be a community meeting to discuss the future of Bare Island to be held late January or February 2005 – ‘all cards on the table’. No such meeting eventuated and a Parks representative has since attended a total of 2 Precinct committees – 1 in 2004 and 1 in 2005. I should note here that the current Acting Area Manager has been responsive in other areas but overwhelmed in what appears a no-win role.

4. PROMOTION/UNDERSTANDING OF PRODUCTS

Parks appear to have a poor understanding of the value of the ‘products’ under their control.

15



http://www.botanybaywatch.com.au/


The most recent example comes from World Youth Day(WYD). The Receveur Tomb is the site of the first Catholic Mass in Australia and WYD presented the biggest opportunity that Parks will probably ever have to market the Receveur story. Even though the week was held during school holidays Parks made no change to the usual hours of the Museum. It remained closed on the Monday and Tuesday. The Bare Island Tours which only operate on a Sunday afternoon, were cancelled at short notice on the both Sundays. There was no provision for the pilgrims who did come to La Perouse during this period to access the Tomb. On one afternoon there were two groups observing mass, one gathered near the grave site and another around the Macquarie Watchtower. There is no reference to Receveur on the Parks website. Receveur was a Franciscan Friar and by all accounts a passionate scientist. He is recorded in the Laperouse journals descending extinct volcanoes and climbing mountains in pursuit of scientific discoveries. The altar stone that would have been used by the senior of the two priests on the Laperouse Expedition for Receveur’s burial mass was recovered from the wreck of the Boussole and presented by the French Government as a Bicentennial Gift along with the preserved portion of the eucalyptus tree which had grown near the grave. These items were sent to the Maritime Museum in Paris earlier this year for their exhibition on Laperouse. Parks did not offer to send replicas nor to make replicas to have available for the WYD. So for the pilgrims who did get to the Museum when it was open the two key items were absent. The latest Parks newsletter with information about WYD contain no mention of the ‘Birthplace of Catholicism in Australia” http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/explore/issue03/#story04 nor the pilgrims who celebrated mass on their property at La Perouse.

The Laperouse Museum owes its existence primarily to the French Government, French community in Sydney and to major French organizations. Contributions to the Museum totaled around $1million by 1990. The Museum and Monuments represent a strong connection between France and Australia. The Maroubra electorate has attracted French families particularly since the establishment of the French School. The Museum however is in decline. Because there is little expertise in the area of museum management, it is poorly managed, with major sections of the exhibition compromised. There could be opportunities to seek further French investment but there are no incentives. There is currently an exhibition at

the Maritime Museum in Paris on Laperouse which was to come to the Maritime Museum in Darling Harbour later this year. Because of funding cuts

16



http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/explore/issue03/#story04


it won’t but the obvious place to hold it is in the Laperouse Museum. This could never be done with the current configuration of storerooms, junkrooms, offices, and poorly utilized Exhibition space but it might have been a possibility if the Parks were seriously committed to this asset. The French government and French community in Australia have already contributed and would possibly contribute more if there was certainty but there is none. (Photo- French School Art Exhibition ‘China Theme’ June 2008)

5. POOR NATURAL HERITAGE MANAGEMENT

The following post is taken from a major Bird Watchers website:

Date: Wed, 2 Jan 2002 09:14:59 +1100

Hi all

Despite the smoke haze and 33 degree heat, a 3.5km return walk to Henry Head at La Perouse (Sydney) yesterday was quite nice.

Great Cormorants perched on a cliff top, being 2 adults and one sub-adult which was panting in the heat. A grey-headed male Nankeen Kestrel sat on top of a power pole and preened, and at times held its wings out, hoping to catch some of the slightly cooler sea breeze. Tawny-crowned Honeyeater, Eastern Yellow Robin and Grey Butcherbird were heard. Some Yellow thornbills were in the melaleuca. An adult and immature Kelp Gull were on the rock platform near the fishermen.

Fertilised Microtis (Australian native orchid) was found, as was Calochilus paludosis in full flower. Fantastic Cloanthes stoechadis was in flower, and a Jacky Lizard chased and ate an ant.

Cheers and Happy Times with Nature

The Cloanthes stoechadis which has been a feature of the walk was cut down last year. I made enquiries of the Acting Area Manager but could not get an answer as to why. The local Field Officers rarely get detailed to weed projects and knew nothing so I could only assume that weeding contractors working under direction from Vaucluse managers removed it by mistake. Two years ago I enquired about ‘selective’ damage to native plants which I observed after extensive spraying of glysophates (again organized from Vaucluse) and was told that the damage was caused by the drought. In the same period the Parks had overseen the aerial-spraying of a film crew who had paid to use an area at Cape Banks. The local council never aerial sprays but addresses its invasive species problems with a program which includes enlisting and maintaining volunteers.

The main entry to the Park on Anzac Parade is overgrown with Cape Ivy and the Happy Valley creek smothered with a variety of weed species.

17




In 1974 a survey was undertaken by botanists from the Sydney Botanic Gardens and over 350 native species were recorded. Some of the species have not been sighted in recent years. The Botanic Gardens website contains a list of the species but there is no promotion in a walking guide and the only static interpretation is at the entry of the less utilized Jennifer

Street Boardwalk.

The local Field Officers rarely work on weed eradication. Their primary work is mowing lawns and collecting litter. There are no attempts to reduce the lawns with strategic plantings nor to address the litter issues in collaboration with Randwick Council. There are no attempts to expand the jobs that the local field officers undertake even though there are opportunities to do so.

6. COORDINATION WITH LOCAL COUNCIL

Visitors to the La Perouse headland ‘stray’ across jurisdictions. Very few residents let alone visitors know the exact boundaries between Council and Parks property. Council gets the blame

for stormwater litter on Parks beaches. Little Congwong beach which is subject

18




to illegal use by nudists has at times been referred to in correspondence from Parks as ‘the beach adjacent to the National Park’. The situation at Little Congwong has deteriorated over the period of Parks management from the mid-80s. The illegal activities at Little Congwong and surrounds, including a recognized ‘beat’, discourage visitors and it is difficult to deter nudists who have had exclusive use of the area for the past 20 years, despite protests to authorities from the Precinct Committee and local Aboriginal elders during that period. The main nudist group are media savvy. They are typically articulate Australian or European born while the majority of visitors displaced are of Middle Eastern or Asian heritage. The path connecting the two beaches was constructed in 2000 and it was at this point that the problem should have been properly addressed. It has taken many years to get Parks to agree to joint signage with Police and Council. The signs, which were recently installed were first vandalized with spray paint and when these were cleaned they were removed completely, i.e. the metal pole was cut at ground level and signs and poles carted away. (Photo - Indonesian tourists who would not venture around to Little Congwong Beach because of illegal use.)

7. CAN’T DO CULTURE OF CONSTRAINTS

During the premiership of the former local member, the Parks estate throughout NSW increased by 2.6million ha. The challenges to accommodate this increase, do more with a declining budget(in real $ terms) are enormous and require local solutions. Working with local communities and forging partnerships, where possible and appropriate, with organizations which can provide financial and ‘in-kind’ assistance is essential. But the operative word is ‘partnership’. It is just not a case of taking the money and then failing to deliver. Parks managers need to understand that their ‘clients’ are not restricted to a few ‘ideologically aligned’ organizations which like them think Treasury coffers are overflowing. In the case of La Perouse the French Community has already contributed significantly (over $1million for the Museum and continuing grants for the upkeep of the Monuments) and has demonstrated commitment and passion for a history which is a national symbol for the bonds which exist between our two nations. In June this year a special commemoration ceremony was held at the Laperouse Monument to mark the 180th anniversary of its completion. The Commander of the French Pacific Fleet laid a commemorative plaque and later described this in a comminque with the Consul-General as the highlight of his career. Such is the importance of Laperouse in French History. Botany Bay is a bay of exploration. It contains the stories of Cook, and the crew of the Endeavour, the scientific discoveries of Banks and Solander and

19




the botanical art of Sydney Parkinson as well as the last camp of Laperouse and the last resting place of the young French Franciscan scientist Receveur. The significant meeting that took place was between the French explorers and the English officers sent to found a colony 8 treacherous months sailing from home. In the case of Laperouse and his men it had been almost 3 years since their departure from France. Both parties found their paths literally crossing in Botany Bay on the same day. Laperouse entrusted his last journals to Phillip and they were forwarded onto France. Clarke records Receveur, inspecting his butterfly collection and requesting a specimen. French speaking Lt. King writes warmly of Laperouse. Botany Bay is promoted by Parks as the Meeting Place of Cultures and the theme of exploration and all the challenges that it imposed are diminished. The anniversary of Cook’s Landing is now referred to as ‘The Meeting of Cultures Celebration”. Yet the first real meeting of cultures occurred on Sydney Harbour when the local aborigines were forced to fight, flee or adapt to the invaders. By comparison Cook and Laperouse were ‘fleeting’, not meeting. They were like tourists not settlers and the Bay today with Kingsford-Smith Airport continues this theme. In Samoa the Captain of L’Astrolabe and members of his crew had been massacred. The stopover in Botany Bay for Laperouse was necessary as they had to build a new longboat. The good company of the English was a pleasant surprise. Laperouse was in no mood to engage the locals given the Samoan experience and a sense of this can be gained by reading his journals and letters. Yet, the book which informs Parks’ current approach to Botany Bay is “Botany Bay, A Meeting of Cultures”, by Maria Nugent. The author appears not to have read de Bougainville, has no understanding of the environmental campaigns, forces a duality where none exists, and doesn’t come to grips with the broader historical context which drove exploration in the 18th century. It’s reads like a book with an agenda and it upset some local aboriginal elders.This is not to argue that there are not later examples of genuine cultural exchanges around Botany Bay but the symbolic first meetings, where both sides were meeting with a knowledge of the permanency of cohabitation, were on Sydney Harbour. Around 1996, I recall the public being asked to provide submissions on what they thought should be the function of Government House as the incoming Governor intended to reside at his home in Bronte. I wrote at the time that it should be a place of reconciliation which provided a venue for Aboriginal performances, a permanent gallery for Aboriginal art from around Australia, a bush tucker café and an aboriginal artist in residence program. Government House could have formed the ‘holy trinity’ of icons on the Harbour along with the Bridge and the House by providing the best possible piece of real estate to celebrate the cultures that were swept aside when the First Fleet landed in Farm Cove. My submission was politely acknowledged and as expected ignored. Prime real estate

20




indeed! Instead, the Government has opted for Botany Bay to address reconciliation. It doesn’t fit the history of exploration and science. It ignores the biggest story at Farm Cove but it is ‘out of sight’ of the main game. The Parks service has the task of tidying up the loose ends. This is one of the significant constraints to marketing the many historic sites and stories on the La Perouse peninsula. FINAL

The way forward requires honesty and transparency at levels higher than senior managers in Parks. The culture of exclusiveness and lack of accountability to the public at large must change. The service as a whole will not move beyond the position of ‘never passing up an opportunity to pass up an opportunity’ until this is addressed. Protection of biodiversity is used as an argument against change when too often there are individual fiefdoms under threat which are being protected. Plans of Management should be reviewed by the Tourism Taskforce to ensure that they include Marketing Plans, budgets, accountabilities which are properly audited, responsive visitor/stakeholder feedback protocols, invasive species eradication/management plans, conservation plans, and volunteer plans. Local managers should work with neighbouring communities. This includes attendance at peak community forums on a regular basis, collaboration with local schools and community groups. They should also work with local LGAs to achieve ‘whole of government’ outcomes. The Plan of Management should be comprehensive so that the manager in charge can operate with a degree of autonomy in achieving the agreed outcomes. The devolution of decision-making should extend to staff on the ground. Empowerment of staff fosters a ‘can-do’ attitude. Should the Taskforce be interested in piloting a review of a Plan of Management, and enhancing visitor opportunities, please consider Botany Bay National Park(La Perouse).I am happy to respond to any questions which the Taskforce may have.

21



Documents

Submission to Taskforce for Tourism and National Parks · Web viewCouncil gets the blame for stormwater litter on Parks beaches. Little Congwong beach which is subject to illegal