Cultural Attractions of Australia – a collection of the nation’s most iconic attractions – celebrates the diverse history, art, culture and sport that has defined Australia’s identity. It provides a range of immersive experiences that connect individuals and groups with the artists, curators and experts who create, protect and showcase our key cultural attractions. As the demand for these authentic journeys of discovery grows, it is timely to highlight how the collection supports sustainability and offers sustainable tourism experiences.
The collective and its members are committed to sustainability. The historical value that is an essential part of most of these landmarks may be described as sustainable. Cultural Attractions experiences that honour our First Nations people encompass elements of both historical and future sustainability, as do those that showcase our government’s history, settlement stories and our nation’s sporting achievements. For each member of the collective, protecting and sustaining our nation’s story is at their heart.
Says Annabel Sullivan, Executive Officer, Cultural Attractions of Australia, “We recognise that travellers are increasingly making choices about their tourism and travel experiences based on their commitment to sustainability. We’ve created five case studies to showcase our portfolio’s extensive sustainability initiatives.” .
Cultural Attractions reviewed its members’ sustainability goals and programmes considering the following six principles:
- Honour our First Nations people, from whom we have much to learn
- Showcase the attraction’s voice for sustainability – a voice of advocacy and education
- Promote and share the collection’s tourism stories that inspire sustainability
- Identify and unpack sustainability practices in experiences
- Identify storytellers for sustainability
- Articulate where current attraction redevelopments are responding to the need for sustainability.
The case studies highlight the exceptional sustainability credentials of several members.
CASE STUDY 1: Fremantle Prison
Australia’s most intact convict site, Fremantle Prison holds exceptional cultural significance, uniquely highlighting both this country’s settlement history and international colonial history in the 19th century.
As a place of universal value, Aboriginal heritage and archaeology, Fremantle Prison is protected and maintained by a Heritage Management Plan. To ensure conservation of the site, all projects are guided by heritage architects and builders, and thorough research has been undertaken to document the traditional building methods and materials used. Each project uses materials compatible with the original build, such as limestone, quarried locally and limestone mortars. The history of First Nations people is being preserved by recording and communicating their story at the prison and on the land, prior to English settlement. Visitors can view a collection of items left behind by prisoners or uncovered in archaeological projects, alongside highly valued prisoner art.
Cultural Attractions of Australia experiences here include a Behind Bars Tour taking in original buildings, a Fremantle Prison Art Tour showcasing 140 years of prisoner art, and a Torchlight Tour to discover the darker side of Fremantle’s prison history.
CASE STUDY 2: Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)
The home of Australian Rules Football and the birthplace of Test Cricket in Australia, the MCG is the country’s largest sporting ground, the world’s largest cricket ground, and among the world’s most sustainable sporting arenas. The MCG’s setting is established on meeting grounds of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Kulin nation, and First Nations culture is celebrated through a Reconciliation Action Plan.
The ground is managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC), a signatory to the UN Sports for Climate Action initiative, which places emphasis on concern for the environment. Systems for managing water, energy use and waste are all employed, including a ground-breaking water recycling plant and rainwater harvesting initiatives. As a result, potable water usage has been halved. Moreover, a recent LED upgrade has also resulted in a 50% reduction in electricity consumption, and in 2022, the MCG became the first major stadium in Australia to run on 100% renewable power. In addition, MCC officials have set a target to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040.
While the MCG aims to develop sustainability focused tours at the stadium, visitors can go behind-the-scenes on Cultural Attractions of Australia’s guided MCG Tours, visit the Australian Sports Museum or experience both on an MCG Premium Access Tour.
CASE STUDY 3: Bangarra Dance Theatre
For more than 30 years, Bangarra’s contemporary First Nations dancers have drawn on 65,000 years of culture in performances that preserve Australia’s Indigenous cultures through theatre, music and movement, as well as stories inspired by the customs and Songlines of Elders.
Bangarra’s creative process involves years of Cultural exchange across the many Country’s that exist across Australia through research, community engagement and permission seeking from the Elders and custodians of Culture and story. Through active consultation in the creation of narrative and performance, Elders share their Language, stories, songs and dances, which are then honoured and shared with audiences across Australia on stage, including at the Sydney Opera House. The performance is then brought home and performed for the community on Country, in gratitude for the relationships, respect and integrity of these connections.
As a Cultural Foundation, Bangarra offers a range of learning opportunities like Winhanga-rra, which provides resources for teachers and students in Australia, from early learning through to tertiary studies. Rekindling, one of Bangarra’s youth programmes, works with community leaders and Elders to provide dance residencies to secondary-school-aged Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. And dance and music fellowships are offered to graduates and early career artists to develop talents and preserve culture.
Bangarra Dance Theatre is one of nine performing arts companies housed in the 100-year-old Walsh Bay precinct. Cultural Attractions of Australia offers the immersive Behind-the-scenes at Bangarra Dance Theatre experience, encompassing an Acknowledgement of Country and Smoking Ceremony followed by canapés and cocktails, a guided tour of the Walsh Bay studio, a performance at Sydney Opera House (June or July), or exclusive access to the rehearsal room (rest of the year).
CASE STUDY 4: Sydney Opera House
With its striking design by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, the Sydney Opera House is one of the world’s most iconic cultural attractions. Celebrating its 50th anniversary, the legendary space is home to eight resident performing arts companies including Opera Australia.
The Opera House balances a programme of world-class performances with an ambitious sustainability remit. Built on Tubowgule, Gadigal Country, the Opera House supports the 2007 United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. In addition, it has a 6-star Green Star performance and is one of the few World Heritage Sites to achieve such recognition, thanks to Utzon’s early sustainability initiatives. The building achieved carbon neutral certification in 2018, and plans to become climate positive position in 2023.
The House is lit up by LED, creating efficiencies in energy, lowering UV emissions and eliminating mercury elements. Supporting a research project with the University of Technology, an artificial reef has been established along the seawall to return marine life to the harbour. Moreover, single-use plastics are banned, and transport links at Circular Quay facilitate access to the Opera House by ferry, train, lightrail and bus.
Cultural Attractions of Australia experiences highlight cultural and sustainability themes via the Sydney Opera House Architectural Tour, Tour and Dine – Sydney Opera House, Sydney Opera House: Taste of Opera – A Private Recital, and Sydney Opera House: Badu Gili: Wonder Women.
CASE STUDY 5: Port Arthur Historic Site
UNESCO World Heritage-listed as one of 11 Australian convict stations, the Port Arthur Historic Site is a place of universal interest for its 40-year history as a penal settlement during the imperial era, where convict labour was key to colonisation. Its surviving buildings and landscape, bricks and stonework, records and preserved artefacts, show visitors an authentic picture of life at this Tasmanian penal settlement during the 19th century.
This is possible thanks to ongoing heritage and infrastructure works to preserve the site, utilising a dedicated conservation team comprised of people with specialist skills in building and object conservation, including gardeners, stonemasons, archaeologists, interpreters and collections specialists. The site also offers programs for university students that encompass research opportunities for those studying cultural heritage management, architecture, archaeology, history and interpretation.
The site proactively sources local products, employs local suppliers and contractors, and is committed to waste and water management, and reducing energy usage on the site.
The immersive tours you experience at the Port Arthur Historic Site explore the buildings, ruins and gardens and uncover the history of the site. The Wheel of Fate tour can include engaging with a conservation specialist. Explore the site on Commandant’s Carriage Tour or the Escape from Port Arthur Tour.
