Queenstown for Geopark – heritage and requirements

The Queenstown region possesses some unique features which perfectly match the requirements for a Geopark. Any tourists traveling to Queenstown can see the different rock formations and landscapes that make the West Coast very unique to explore. Its outstanding mix of cultural and mining heritage, geological features and wilderness values can rightly aspire to gain this top recognition, which in term can be the tool the community needs to become a major tourism destination. The concept which best describes the unique type of heritage of the Queenstown region is that of a “colonized wilderness”. Queenstown is the heart of a unique “mining civilization in the wilderness”, defined by three main elements: the cultural mining landscape and the settlements; the hydroelectric heritage of the region, deeply interlinked with the mining history; and the natural heritage, a mix of outstanding geological features and of unique wilderness. In order to achieve a Global Geopark recognition, three requirements must be met: a suitable, comprehensive heritage interpretation; a viable tourism strategy, based on the Geopark assets and beneficial for the local community; an effective structure and management plan for the Geopark.

What is a Geopark?

A Global Geopark is a brand devised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to promote the sustainable development of regions which possess an outstanding geological, natural and cultural heritage. Geoparks ae recognised worldwide as a prestigious recognition granted by the UNESCO. The prefix “Geo” indicates geological heritage. Geoparks, though, are not just about rocks and geology. Complex landscapes and mixed heritage values made of cultural geological and natural heritage are rather the focus of the Geopark brand. Many Geoparks around the world have a history associated with mining.

What is the concept behind the Queenstown Geopark?

The concept on which the heritage interpretation for the Queenstown region is conducted is that of a colonized wilderness. It highlights the outstanding mix of cultural, natural and geological heritage of the Queenstown region. Its main elements are: the settlements and the mining heritage of the Mt Lyell Mining and Railway Company; the hydroelectric heritage of the region, which is directly linked to the mining history and has a prominent place in the colonization of the wilderness; and the wilderness itself, the natural assets of the region which comprise outstanding environmental features and unique geological heritage.

Are there other Geoparks in Australia an around the world?

There are currently 58 Geoparks around the world. Most of them are in Europe and in Asia. Australia’s first and only Geopark – Kanawinka - has been declared in 2008, and it comprises regions of Victoria and South Australia. Australia has created an Australian Geopark Network, which oversees the process leading to the declaration of other Geoparks throughout the country. Currently, in addition to the Queenstown Geopark, at least two more regions – in Queensland and New South Wales – aspire to gain Geopark status in the short term.