09 October 2008

Australia’s 'Green Cauldron' officially included in National Landscapes Program

Australia’s 'Green Cauldron' has been officially included in National Landscapes Program, which is a marketing project aimed at promoting several key tourist destinations around Australia as ecologically diverse holiday destinations.

The initiative is focusing on promoting the Green Cauldron, Kakadu, the Red Centre, the Great Ocean Road, Flinders Ranges, the Australian Alps, Australia’s Coastal Wilderness (Croajingolong National Park, Gippsland) and the Greater Blue Mountains as must-see natural wonders of Australia.

The Green Cauldron is a rainforest region stretching from Byron Bay to the Gold Coast, and inland towards the Great Dividing Range.

"Amazing, wild, diverse, elemental, mystical, breathtaking, special, very, very real and very, very green; this spectacular land is part of a living Gondwanan rainforest," Chair of the Green Cauldron Steering Committee Robyn Rae told The Northern Rivers Echo.

"Australia is blessed by its natural environment. This rainforest is now heritage-listed and it’s of priceless value and importance," the Federal Minister for the Environment Peter Garrett said. "It’s a large world with an extraordinary geological history."

"Nature-based tourism can continue to grow and contribute to the economy, which is critical to education and conservation and ways of building sustainable tourism for the long-term," he added.

The National Landscapes Program is specifically aimed at people looking for the "greener" option for travel. 

Tourism Australia, the Federal, State and Local Governments and tourism organisations and boards have also started targeting their marketing to entice more international travellers to visit Australia in response to dwindling tourist numbers. 

International tourists to Australia need an Australia travel visa, except for New Zealand passport holders.  Visitors wishing to travel the country can apply for a short-stay tourist visa, or ETA, which is valid for three months.  The conditions of the visa mean that tourists cannot work at any time during their stay in Australia.

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The Australian Visa Bureau is an independent consulting company specialising in helping people apply for an Australia visa.

Article by Jessica Bird, Australian Visa Bureau.