Parks Victoria - Annual Report 2009-10

circulated in The Sunday Age and Sydney MorningHerald in April 2010. It was also screened on NationalGeographic’s channel.Number of LicencedTour Operators270239267281311Premier John Brumby announced in June 2010 that theGreat Ocean Walk will be completed with a further $4.1million from the Regional Infrastructure DevelopmentFund. The grant will fund track realignments, newtrailheads, a new underpass and extended campsites.400300Supporting licensed tour operatorsParks Victoria licenses tour operators, many of whichare small businesses operating in regional areas, whorun tours and activities on Victorian public land. At30 June 2010, there were 311 operators licensed, a 14per cent increase on 2008-09. Of these operators, 235held one-year licences and 76 held three-year licences.Licensed tour operators provided activities for 185,041people during the year, made up of 88,241 adults and96,800 children.200100Bushwalking is the most common activity offered byoperators, with 52 per cent offering it as a tour activity.Other activities include: bus tours (provided by 30 percent), bird watching (provided by 20 per cent) andcanoe or kayak tours (provided by 19 per cent).Nine licensed tour operators were contracted by ParksVictoria to help with a variety of fire recovery projects.Tour operators delivered track assessments andmaintenance works, heritage assessments and fourwheel-drivetrack assessment. The program assistedtour operators whose businesses were recovering fromthe 2009 bushfires. Projects were completed at theWilsons Promontory National Park, Cathedral Rangesand Bunyip state parks and Walhalla Historic Area.EventsEach year Parks Victoria supports hundreds of eventsas an organiser, sponsor, contributor, venue provideror exhibitor.Highlights from this year’s program of events include:❚ Organising and hosting the inaugural InternationalHealthy Parks Healthy People Congress❚ Sponsoring the Clean Up Australia Day campaign andits launch on the Yarra River005/06 06/07 07/08 08/09 09/10❚ The Legends on the Lawn concert, Spring HarvestPicnic, Cadbury Easter Egg Hunt and a series ofTwilight Cinema evenings at Werribee Park❚ Sponsoring the Victorian Regional Achievement andCommunity Awards and Victorian Tourism Awards❚ Providing in-kind support for events on the YarraRiver during the Moomba Festival and runningRanger Roo activities in the Children’s Garden.Education and interpretationParks Victoria’s education and interpretationprograms aim to increase community knowledge andunderstanding of Victoria’s parks and biodiversitywhile promoting Healthy Parks Healthy People. Morethan 130,000 people participated in education andinterpretation programs during the year.The program includes talks and activities that are rundaily at Buchan Caves and the Werribee Park Mansion.Interpretive activities are also delivered through theJunior Ranger Program over school holidays at SerendipSanctuary and Wilsons Promontory, Mount Buffalo,Point Nepean, Great Otway and Dandenong Rangesnational parks.Parks Victoria - Annual Report 2009-10 25