Protected Areas Management

Australia has a proud history in being early adopters of the ideas which resulted in land at Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of Sequoias in California being set-aside in 1864 for public use and recreation. The first Australian National Park was the Royal National Park (an hours drive south of the Sydney CBD), which was declared in 1879. Since those early days, the management and acquisition of protected areas such as national parks has matured to include nature conservation and cultural heritage values alongside the original values of visitor experiences and aesthetics.

With twelve years experience as the Principal Landscape Architect for the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Savage Consulting director Peter Savage is well placed to add value to your visitor infrastructure projects within protected areas. Whether it's a project to build a day use area, lookout, camping ground, staff infrastructure or a walking track, Peter has designed them in many different landscape settings from desert to rainforest.  Savage Consulting has continued to work with protected area managers to develop visitor facilities.

Peter has had a particular interest in the design and construction of walking tracks, having witnessed the ease with which nature destroyed many poorly constructed walking tracks in southeast Queensland during the 1980s. This resulted in the rediscovery and refinement of the original laws of walking track design espoused by Forest Ranger Jack Gresty. These principles were adopted by QPWS and were the core elements of regular walking track schools run for the benefit of the staff of national parks, forestry, local government and Indigenous organisations.

Peter was elected by his peers in the protected areas managers community, to chair the Australian Standards Committee which wrote the two Australian Standards pertaining to walking track classification and infrastructure design.

Projects completed:

• Walking track condition audit and maintenance plan for Queensland Conference and Camping Centre at Mapleton.
• Visitor facilities at Lake McKenzie and Indian Head, Great Sandy National Park, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.
• Protection and visitor facilities to Gatton Art Site (Chalawong) for QPWS.
• Cape Hillsborough National Park day use area, QPWS.
• Site protection and visitor infrastructure to the Dinosaur Trackway, Lark Quarry, QPWS.
• Site protection and visitor facilities, Burke & Wills Dig Tree, Nappa Merri, QPWS.
• Walking track and lookout, The Boulders. Mulgrave Shire Council.
• Campground and Day Use Area, Dalhousie Springs, Witjira National Park, South Australian Parks & Wildlife Service.
• Co-author with Rob Davern, the Australian Walking Track Manual.
• Design of lookout – Chalkies Beach, Haslewood Island for QPWS.
• Design of 2 lookouts on Whitsunday Island for QPWS.
• Design of the Centenary Walking Track, Lamington National Park.
• Design for upgrade of Python Rock Walking Track, Lamington National Park.
• Design of refurbishment works to the Border Track, Lamington National Park.
• Design of upgrade to the Ocean Circuit Track, Burleigh Head National Park.