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Tourism
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Tourism continued
The forests have become one of the playgrounds of Melbourne, especially in autumn, winter and spring. The increasing number of visitors has put its own pressures on the forest environment, while new types of recreational activities change the ways the forest is being experienced. The owners of four wheel drive vehicles, trail bikes and mountain bikes demand increased access along forest tracks. Most visitors now come by car; they require wider and better roads to whisk them into the forest. Authorities arrange 'natural' attractions to meet tourist expectations: they curve the roads to take advantage of the best views, and establish look outs along the route. Signs and brochures tell the tourist what to see, and nature trails are provided to point out privileged parts of nature. More facilities like restaurants, public toilets, look outs and picnic areas are required; and gradually suburban features have crept into the towns in the forest, so that a visit to the forest can be hedged around with familiar activities. Tourism can be described as 'the mass production and management of sightseeing experiences'. There is a sense in which the forest experience is becoming more 'packaged', less 'different' each year, in response to the demands made by an increasing number of visitors. The forest's 'wilderness' aspects are tamed and controlled.
Acknowledgement Material in these pages is largely drawn from the book by Tom Griffiths and Museum Victoria: Forests of Ash: An environmental history. Melbourne, Cambridge University Press, 2001 This publication is for sale from Museum Victoria. |
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