2002 was the United Nations International Year of Mountains and the International Year of Cultural Heritage. ‘Mountains of Meaning’ was the cultural heritage component of a bigger conference, Celebrating Mountains, that sought to explore the heritage, environment and tourism of Australia’s mountains..The conference was co-ordinated by the Australian Alps Programme in partnership with Australia ICOMOS and held from 24 to 27 November 2002 in Jindabyne, New South Wales.

Ramsay, Juliet and Marilyn Truscott. 2005. Intangible values of Mountain landscapes: Methods and models. Historic Environment 18(2): pp. 2.

I’m here to talk about celebrating mountain heritage, its Facts and Fantasies – its Myths and Legends – its associations and meanings, or rather one legend in particular and its expression today. In doing so I shall touch briefly on such expressions elsewhere and possible tensions or conflicts that may arise in the management of such associations and meanings.