Evolution of a National Park The Lake St. Clair region has undergone a lot of change in terms of how it is perceived by local populations and the international community.

The evolution of the area into a national park is an interesting example of how people’s values change. In the 19th and 20th century, Lake St. Clair was explored and exploited for mining and used as grazing land for introduced livestock. The native animals in the area were trapped and hunted for furs. Examine this primary resource park guide, first published in the 1950s - Why do you think the old practices stopped? List and discuss what new values have emerged in the Tasmanian community.

Values within conservation movements can also change over time. What was once considered environmentally acceptable in national parks before may not be the case today. Examine this photograph of the Lake St. Clair National Park during the 1950s - What would be the problem with this in today’s parks? Discuss other values or practices that may have changed.

The Boss-Walker guide to Lake St. Clair National Park reveals interesting insights into how people prepared to go into the parks for camping and walking. Examine the following pages. What has changed in relation to bushwalking and leisure pursuits since the 1950s? What remains the same?

Contemporary Times Lake St. Clair is now located within the greater area of the Cradle Mountain - Lake St. Clair National Park. This park is itself located within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (WHA), as declared in The National Parks ‘Visitors Guide’ is a contemporary source that can be used to highlight the differences between how the park was, and is used today. Consider the Lake from its first Big River Tribe inhabitants, to farmers and prospectors, the early walkers and to today as visitors within a World Heritage Area. How have people’s values differed? Have any remained the same? Could this change in the future? Taken from ‘Visiting National Parks’ pamphlet for Cradle Mountain-Lake St. Clair.