Living Heritage
Australia's National Heritage magazine
Vol. 1 No. 1 Winter 2007
Department of the Environment and Water Resources, July 2007
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About this publication
Message from the Assistant Minister
Australia is a remarkable nation with a remarkable heritage. Our nation's stories are nowhere more powerfully told than through the places where our history has unfolded.
From the desolate outpost of Mawson's Hut in Australia's Antarctic Territory, to the Batavia Shipwreck Site and Survivor Camps Area on the Houtman Abrolhos archipelago off Western Australia's shores, we find the extremes of human endurance.
In the exquisite Sydney Opera House, and the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, we celebrate our distinctive Australian culture. At the Australian War Memorial on Anzac Parade in the Australian Capital Territory, and the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park in Victoria, we contemplate the events that have profoundly shaped us as a nation. From Recherche Bay in Tasmania, to the Dinosaur Stampede National Monument in Queensland, we see how Australia's natural history has changed the world's understanding of Terra Australis Incognita.
These are some of our national heritage places. They are the windows into our distinctive landscapes and character. The Australian Government established the National Heritage List in 2004. Since then, we have added 43 places that tell our stories and symbolise our future as a nation. They are, quite simply, the best of the best.
Throughout 2007 the Australian Government honours the people, events and places that have touched us all, dedicating the annual heritage theme to celebrating Australian Spirit, a theme deeply engrained in Australia's identity as a nation, from our past to our present and future.
The Department of the Environment and Water Resources is currently implementing a new strategic vision for our National Heritage. Research shows that Australians want to know about their heritage - the places that reveal who we are to the world. A key part of this vision is to retell the stories that have captured the national imagination, but most of all to showcase the places that collectively map our unique natural and cultural heritage.
I hope that, through this magazine, you will enjoy articles about what makes these places special, and the stories that make them live in our hearts. Here, over the coming months, you will see the National Heritage List taking shape as more places are added after an exhaustive assessment of their national heritage values. You will learn about forthcoming events, and discover ways that you and your community can participate in major celebrations and activities at national heritage places. Welcome to our national heritage.
Signed
The Hon. John Cobb MP
Assistant Minister for the Environment and Water Resources
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