Parks Victoria - Annual Report 2009-10

ABOUT PARKS VICTORIAParks Victoria’s management responsibilities include:❚ 45 national parks❚ 25 state parks❚ 13 marine national parks❚ 11 marine sanctuaries❚ 3 wilderness parks❚ 30 metropolitan parks❚ 60 other parks (including regional andreservoir parks)❚ More than 2,700 natural features and conservationreserves❚ 10,412 formally registered Aboriginal culturalheritage sites❚ More than 2,500 non-Indigenous historic places.Vision and PurposeParks Victoria is committed to preserving the naturaland cultural values of the areas we manage. Ourvision is for an outstanding park and waterway systemprotected and enhanced, for people, forever.Parks Victoria supports recreational and tourismopportunities on public land and waterways. Allcommercial tour operators operating on public landand waterways are licensed by Parks Victoria.The parks and waterways attract 88.5 million visits eachyear. Of these visits, 49 million are to parks and 39.5million are to piers and jetties around the bays.Parks Victoria exists to:❚ conserve, protect, and enhance naturaland cultural values❚ provide quality experiences, services andinformation to its customers❚ provide excellence and innovation in parkmanagement❚ contribute to the environmental, social andeconomic wellbeing of Victorians.What we manageParks Victoria is responsible for managing anexpanding and diverse estate covering more than 4million hectares, or about 17 per cent, of Victoria.This area includes national parks, urban parks, largewilderness areas and 70 per cent of Victoria’s coastline.Parks Victoria also manages a representative system ofmarine national parks and marine sanctuaries. We arethe local port manager for Port Phillip Bay, WesternPort and Port Campbell and the waterway manager forthe Yarra and Maribyrnong rivers.Parks Victoria manages an asset portfolio of around25,000 assets. Assets facilitate recreational activities andexperiences for the community to learn, play, exploreand enjoy Victoria’s parks. They also play a key role inthe protection of natural and cultural features.Assets managed include:❚ 59 visitor centre buildings❚ 760 shelters❚ 1,039 toilets❚ 594 viewing lookouts❚ 62 playgrounds❚ 14,000km of roads❚ 1,254 pedestrian and vehicular bridges❚ 3,673km of walking tracks❚ 84 sporting facilities, e.g. golf courses,ovals and wickets❚ 236 piers and jetties❚ 92 water access points, e.g. boat ramps, rowinglaunches and slippings❚ 969 navigation aids.8 Parks Victoria - Annual Report 2009-10