A year on from the launch of Perth’s virtual Heart of Gold Discovery Trail, a Mandarin translation of the self-guided walking tour will be released at an exclusive first-look event tomorrow Friday 30 November.
Hosted by Gold Industry Group Chairman and Perth Mint Chief Executive Officer Richard Hayes with special guest the Minister for Mines and Petroleum; Commerce and Industrial Relations; Electoral Affairs; and Asian Engagement the Honourable Bill Johnston MLA, leading travel agencies, tourism operators and media will be the first to experience the interactive gold adventure in Mandarin via the Heart of Gold Australia app.
Beginning at the famed Golden Eagle nugget replica in Elizabeth Quay, attendees will traverse the city through time and finish their journey at the historic Perth Mint, where their excursion will culminate in a tour of Western Australia’s premier gold exhibition and a live gold pouring performance.
“The Heart of Gold Discovery Trail connects three great industries – gold, education and tourism – and fosters a united sense of pride and connects residents and visitors to the legacy of gold in our State,” Mr Hayes said.
“We are delighted to bring this unique and educational initiative to the Chinese community in their native language so they too may learn of the significant contribution earlier generations who immigrated to Australia made toward the discovery of gold,” Richard Hayes continued.
The Perth #heartofgold Discovery Trail showcases the State’s remarkable gold mining story, guiding trailblazers through the city taking in various historic landmarks built during the early gold rush era.
Appealing to locals, students, families and visitors alike, the free Heart of Gold Australia app uses a variety of interactive features to tell the tales of a city built on gold including augmented reality games, fascinating audio-visuals, fun widgets and timeless photos.
Participants will now be able to choose their preferred language of either English or Mandarin in which to complete the golden adventure.
The launch of the translated material comes after a reverse option of the trail was released in October 2018, allowing participants to choose either Elizabeth Quay or The Perth Mint as the starting point from which they may embark.
Part of a long-term community engagement program aimed at educating the broader public on the importance of Australia's gold industry, the initial success of the Perth Heart of Gold Discovery Trail has since inspired the release of a primary and a secondary school program and lesson plans for HASS and STEM students, a second Heart of Gold Discovery Trail in the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, and new gold trails currently in development for the eastern states with planned release dates of 2019 and 2020.
The expansion of the trail as a tourism product for international markets comes after the announcement of Tourism Australia’s National Long-Term Tourism Strategy (Tourism 2020) and the China 2020 Strategic Plan, which are the result of government and industry partnerships to deliver targeted products and experiences.
In 2017, China was Australia’s second largest inbound market for visitor arrivals and largest market for total spend and visitor nights, and it continues to be Western Australia’s top market in terms of visitor spend contributing $285 million to the State’s economy in the year ending March 2018.
The Perth Heart of Gold Discovery Trail is a Gold Industry Group community initiative sponsored by The Perth Mint, Gold Fields, Ramelius Resources, City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Northern Star Resources, Gold Road Resources, Mining Education Australia, St Barbara Limited, AngloGold Ashanti Australia and Saracen Mineral Holdings.