Visitors' Centre

Key questions and understandings

• People's perceptions: who cares about fire?
• How do people's views of fire differ over time and place?
• What are traditional Indigenous uses of fire?
• What are some myths and misunderstandings about fire?
• What are some of the issues associated with burning and sustainable land management that have been identified by the community?

Fire in northern Australia is more frequent and widespread than fire in southern parts of Australia. Fire is used as a valuable tool for north Australian land managers. As they all play different roles in managing fire effectively they should be aware of all the effects of fire and the need to appreciate other land users. 

Students could: 

• compare (using a venn diagram or comparison matrix) southern bushfires to northern fires using the interactive maps;
• interpret results from a public survey about fire and compare the community survey findings from different groups or compare their own/others responses;
• compare and contrast historical European perspectives of fire with Indigenous perspectives of fire;
• analyse perspectives (comparing and classifying, identifying and linking characteristics to examine reasons for points of view) in the meeting room and in the community survey results;
• interpret satellite and GIS maps to help understand some potential misconceptions of fire;
• reflect on people's needs and concerns highlighted in the survey results and consider how they might inform their public awareness campaign.