Inspirational Landscapes


Inspirational landscapes are landscapes that evoke a response – awe, excitement, creativity, action, reflection, or curiosity.

They are the landscapes that people celebrate and reflect on, and their meanings and symbolism are frequently expressed through art – in painting, photography, music, performance, poetry or literature. Inspirational landscapes are those that we take pleasure in and enjoy exploring. They are the landscapes that people take action to protect. And most of all, they are the landscapes that give meaning and spiritual connection.

In Stage 1 of the Inspirational Landscapes project, for our client the Australian Heritage Commission, we explored the qualities that make certain landscapes as ‘inspirational’. The result was a methodology for assessing the heritage significance of these places.

Now all 4 volumes of the Stage 1 project are available on Context’s website.

Read the Project Reports

Read the Perspectives Essays

Eleven Australians have written ten evocative perspectives on inspirational landscapes – ranging from personal and evocative stories about people and place, through to more analytical essays. Each is short, interesting and very readable – you can download them individually as PDFs here. They are also in Volume 2.