Writing about parks
Considerations for your story
We’ve curated the following information for journalists and writers to help spark inspiration and for consideration when writing about the Parks Victoria estate.
We love the special and unique places that we look after and want all our visitors to have a great experience, while respecting, caring for and protecting them for the future.
Things to do
Build the perfect story or itinerary for your audience whether it’s walking, 4WDing, horse riding or kayaking. A great starting point is our Things To Do page.
Need somewhere to stay? From camping to roofed accommodation, our Where To Stay page shows you what we have to offer.
Safety in nature
Is your story or destination impacted by seasonal considerations such as weather warnings for flood, wind or fire?
Encourage readers to plan ahead and check park conditions on our website before visiting.
Want to include some safety tips for your audience? Whether it’s water safety, campfire safety or being bushfire aware find out more on our Safety in Nature page.
Thoughtful photography
Do the images in your story encourage safe behaviour, observance of signs and barriers? We understand that you and your readers want to get awesome photos to share with family and friends to tell them about your adventures.
Leaving tracks and scaling barriers is not only unsafe for visitors but can also have long term impacts on the environment and cultural sites. Our video series Bigger Than You explores some of unfortunate outcomes that can occur when visitors don’t observe signs and directions.
The recreational use of drones and remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) by visitors is not permitted under Parks Victoria regulations. Commercial filming on Parks Victoria managed land requires a permit, including to use RPAS.
Natural beauty (rubbish in parks and waterways)
Keeping our parks and waterways clean and beautiful is the responsibility of all visitors.
Encourage readers to pack a rubbish bag and portable hand washing equipment.
Plan ahead and check what facilities are available at your destination or nearby to try and ensure you are as best prepared as possible.
Access all abilities
Parks Victoria has a range of facilities, programs and equipment to assist people of all abilities to enjoy our wonderful parks and waterways.
Among our amenities are all-terrain wheelchairs, beach wheelchairs and autism friendly visits, check out some of the accessible options that are available to visitors across the state.
Keep it fresh
Are you republishing existing content? Make sure you check our website to ensure you have the latest information about sites and attractions.
Each park listing on our website has a ‘change of conditions’ section which contains the latest information about park’s conditions and closures.
Traditional Owners
Acknowledging and including the Traditional Owners of the land can result in a richer story of the culture and land you are writing about for visitors.
Aboriginal Victoria’s Welcome to Country and Acknowledgements Map is a great tool for knowing whose Country you are writing about.
At Parks Victoria we are proud to work with Traditional Owners through our Managing Country Together approach to jointly care for this special Country.
Nature is alive
Our parks are home to rare and unique ecosystems, which requires our support and care to protect the flora and fauna that live there. It’s best to leave the environment as undisturbed as possible.
Fallen debris such as leaves and wood are valuable habitat for many critters, and shouldn’t be used as firewood because they are home to certain creatures. Crevices under logs and hollows in trees provide safe places for mammals, reptiles, birds and invertebrates to live and are the perfect place to protect their young from predators.
Rock stacking may create an alluring image, however many insects and mammals head under rocks to live, reproduce or escape predators, so when you move a rock, you might destroy a home. So encourage your readers to leave things as they found them, and to try and not disturb things.
If you are writing about wildlife, the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) lead on wildlife welfare, so your questions may be best directed to them.
Stay on track
By staying on marked tracks, you are helping nature to stay healthy. The tracks in parks are maintained for visitor enjoyment and safety and keep the parks health by reducing the spread of weeds, preventing erosion and protecting habitat.
Parks Victoria has many popular mountain biking parks, hiking trails and walks. Creating tracks, trails or damaging vegetation in parks attracts heavy fines.
Who manages the land?
While Parks Victoria cares for many unique sites across the state, there are also a range of other public and private land managers who care for the environment.
The best way to know if the land is managed by us is to do a search of our website. If it doesn’t appear, it is likely that the land may be managed by a Council, another Victorian Government Department or Authority like VicRoads or the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) or a private land owner.
Some sites even have a range of land managers depending on the natural assets, amenities and arrangements in place. So it's best to check who is managing your particular site of interest.