The On Track project and Knowledge Community was officially
launched in Alice Springs at the Desert Knowledge Cooperative
Research Centre conference in Alice Springs on 14 February by the
Project Leader, Dean Carson (Dean's speech is here).
The Community is the place where project researchers, Steering
Committee members, outback communities, industry and government can
come together to share information, ideas and stories on aspects of
the project. It’s a ‘one-stop-shop’ for those
interested in contributing to this major national project on 4WD
tourism.
Realising the vision will require the collection and analysis of a
wide range of information about people, places and experiences.
That information is currently stored in many forms by many
organisations and individuals. For example, your organisation may
know about where 4WD tourists like to travel and may be able to
provide us with records of tour trip itineraries, emerging
'hotspots' and so on.
We would like to invite you to join the On Track Knowledge
Community. Members of the Community receive regular reports on
different aspects of the project and the knowledge that the
research team is building up. You can use this knowledge to help in
your own business or community context.
Members of the Community are also asked to provide information to
the research team so that the knowledge base can continue to grow
and improve. For example, Community members in Victoria helped us
survey 4WD enthusiasts about their travel behaviour and level of
interest in desert-based experiences. Community members in the
Northern Territory have helped us locate statistics on accidents
and emergency service calls involving tourists in off-road
environments. Community members have provided us with maps of 4WD
itineraries, details of specific product developments, and
documentation of management issues. Importantly, they have provided
us with other contacts who can make a contribution to the
Community.
We welcome your feedback on any of the reports or presentations we
send out. We will try wherever possible to respond to any requests
for information that you might have. As the Community grows, we
will look for opportunities for different forms of knowledge
exchange which may include meetings or online discussion
groups.
Our ambition is that members of the Community will benefit from a
more direct engagement in our research and that the research will
likewise benefit from input from a diverse range of
stakeholders.
Become involved!
The On Track project relies on contributions from people who
know the issues and have access to critical information. Aboriginal
communities and Land Councils, tourism businesses and investors,
4WD enthusiasts, regional tourism associations, park agencies,
local governments, emergency services and other infrastructure
providers, community groups, education and training providers and
standards or accreditation agencies are amongst those who might
want to become involved.
We welcome your active participation in the Knowledge Community so
please email andrew.taylor@cdu.edu.au or
dean.carson@cdu.edu.au
to sign up.
