Blue Lagoons and Coconut Palms: The Creation of a Tropical Idyll in Australia
Version 2 2024-09-17, 02:06Version 2 2024-09-17, 02:06
Version 1 2023-05-16, 17:28Version 1 2023-05-16, 17:28
journal contribution
posted on 2024-09-17, 02:06authored byCA Pocock
The Great Barrier Reef is regarded as an 'Australian icon'. It is an internationally recognised World Heritage site managed for its 'natural' values. However, it is a location where visitors rarely enjoy Australian landscapes. This paper contrasts the sensuous engagement of past visitors with contemporary tourist experiences. Analysis of historic and contemporary visual and written materials suggests that tourist landscapes of the Reef have been transformed significantly during the 20th century. In particular, experiences of Reef islands characterised by Australian bush have been displaced by those of a generic Pacific location. The coconut palm, as a symbol of earthly paradise, has played an important role in realising both an imagined landscape and the physical transformation of tourist locations. Whereas the tourism industry is often regarded as responsible for the promulgation of such generic images, this study suggests that they are the product of a shared imagination to which both the tourism industry and tourists subscribe.
History
Publication title
Australian Journal of Anthropology
Volume
16
Issue
3
Pagination
335-349
ISSN
1035-8811
Department/School
Management
Publisher
Australian Anthropology Society
Publication status
Published
Place of publication
Sydney
Socio-economic Objectives
189999 Other environmental management not elsewhere classified