EDUCATION PROGRAM

Our role in providing assistance and direct education inputs also extended through special workshops and talks to various tertiary groups. In particular students undertaking Museum Studies and Heritage Management courses as well as their teachers, have found the Living Museum a stimulating environment for examining the real world experience of these fields and have generally gone away with a strikingly-different impression of museum activity and ideology, compared to the mainstream and traditional institutes to which they are more commonly exposed. Our particularly strong relationship with the Deakin University Museum Studies department includes regular student visits.

There has been a noticeable increase in the number of talks and tours we have given during 1999. In particular, secondary schools have been using our facilities more frequently, both in independent small groups and organised class visits. This is a possible reflection of the resurgence in interest in history generally towards the end of 1999 with the subjects of Australian History, Aboriginal Culture and work experiences being among the interests. There has also been more emphasis among teachers on trying to give students first-hand experiences. Among the groups were regular visitors such as Marion College, Footscray Secondary College and Caroline Chisholm College, demonstrating another factor in the development of the Museum's education program - the return visit. Our popularity with particular schools is the result of having developed a rapport with certain teachers and gaining new teachers through word-of -mouth. While in the past, we have tried marketing strategies and developing curriculum-focussed programs, it is the development of our personal relationships and that seems to have the best results in this area.

The range of other groups visiting has continued to show the varied audience which our public interpretation and education approach has fostered. For example, the scouts and cubs took in an Aboriginal-focussed event where they heard Dreamtime stories by moon and firelight in the History of the Land Gardens and ate a bush tucker supper. They were given an adventure experience in the heart of the suburbs.

Other visiting groups included historical society gatherings, Probus, Lions Club, Rotary and U3A groups, walking groups, environmental organisations, professional associations and commercially-run tour groups. The regular visits by groups coming up the river in the 'Blackbird' of Maribyrnong River Cruises, gives us an additional captive audience of people who may not otherwise have ventured into the park.

The characteristics of the Museum's visitation continues to show great diversity. In the absence of the major international events which were a stand-out feature of the previous year, 1999 saw a progressive increase in casual visitors, both from the local area (particularly as the river trail and park become more popular recreational venues) and from other Melbourne suburbs as more people from the other side of Melbourne discover the distinctive attractions of the West.

The breakdown of visitors included approximately 5000 in organised groups including schools, charter groups and river cruises. Over 3000 attended various workshops, seminars, launches and other events, while the balance is made up of casual visitors and individuals looking for specific information, conducting research, accessing staff expertise or otherwise using the specialised resources of the Living Museum. These figures do not include the proportion of park visitors (over 200,000 in total) who make use of, or enjoy the facilities and installations in the park ,which are part of the Living Museum's wider outdoor campus. They include people who follow the self-guided trails, investigate the History of the Land Gardens, Top Factory or Pipe Stacks, relax in the Women's Shelter or among the indigenous gardens, or take in the other interpretive facilities in the park.

Visitor origin also continued to show a wide diversity with the largest group from Melbourne's Western Region and inner Melbourne areas (about 60%), the next largest group from other Melbourne suburbs and country Victoria (15% each), and about 5% each from interstate and overseas.