10 Sourcing, gathering and verify information

The visitor centre at Kakadu is a great place for visitors and new Tour Guides to initiate an understanding of the area.

In order to be an effective tour guide in Kakadu National Park it is important to be able to access visitor information and identify if it is accurate, current and appropriate for an audience.  Visitor information could include:

• practical information such as:
  • where to purchase fuel, water and other essentials and suggestions on how to plan itineraries
  • permission requirements, the location of camping sites, and where to pay
  • the location of dining or other food outlets, such as supermarkets
  • location of accommodation other than camping sites
  • attractions such as walking tracks, lookouts, waterfalls, indigenous art sites and festivals
  • wheelchair access or other considerations relating to disabilities
  • the location of information/interpretive centres
  • the location of swimming pools
  • emergency centres, emergency call devices and;
  • information that visitors should be aware of in relation to physical threats, such as heat, crocodiles, insects end other natural threats today health and safety.

• information that will help build knowledge, such as:
  • understanding the living cultural landscape and indigenous beliefs about creation
  • considering biodiversity; geological and natural landscapes and habitats; appreciating arts and crafts; and developing awareness of what can lead to cultural respect
  • understanding the environment of indigenous language, and;
  • other information that could be of interest to visitors or help visitors behave in a way that supports effective management of the park, but is not included in this unit to prevent duplication in an accompanying unit is:
    • a history of the park
    • the international significance of the park
    • the unique nature of how the park is managed
    • the culture, the artworks and artefacts of the local indigenous people in more detail
    • interpretive and facts about the natural environment within the park.

To learn to the practical information and information to help visitors build knowledge, you, as a potential tour guide, need to become familiar with Kakadu and its surrounding area. Your learning could be initiated by visiting the area, but it can be also achieved by reading the information provided in this unit and researching for yourself.

Verifying the information and developing strategies to ensure your knowledge and the information you provide to others is current, accurate and aligned with the wants of traditional owners and the management of the park is essential. The following YouTube clip describes how you can evaluate the credibility of academic sources and whilst this is not the same as it is for visitor information the skill of evaluating is aligned and transferable. Please watch the clip:

After reading, watching and engaging with this eBook and the notes within this topic’s Learnline Library, you will be directed to a directed to a quizz and an activity that will assess your knowledge of the information provided and question the methods you use to determine if accurate, current and appropriate. 

As you work through this eBook, consider:

• is the information you are being provided accurate and current
• is the information you are being provided appropriate, and if so, to who
• how do you know if the facts are being reliably sourced. Have you checked? What would you check against?