USQ tourism students tour rail museum

Bachelor of Business (Tourism Management) students from the University of Southern Queensland's (USQ) Springfield campus recently toured The Workshops Rail Museum at Ipswich to assess its value as a cultural asset for an upcoming assignment.

Tourism student Kim Brownsey was among the group who will now assess the cultural asset's use for tourism in the area as part of their course assessment.

They will consider the museum's socio-cultural history, the physical state of the buildings and historical artefacts, cultural values and significance and how the museum has been commodified for tourism use for their assignments.

Kim said he had been very impressed by the museum following the tour.

'It is a cultural icon in the Ipswich district, the birthplace of rail in Queensland. There is so much meaning behind the trains and workshops for the local people,' Kim said.

'It attracts visitors mainly from Brisbane and Ipswich, but is now putting itself on the domestic and international tourism map.'

The field trip was especially relevant to the second year student as he hopes to pursue a career within tourism development and management within the Brisbane region when he finishes his studies.

'There are a lot of opportunities to continue to highlight awareness of cultural tourism attractions such as The Workshops Rail Museum within the local market and beyond,' he said.

USQ Tourism Lecturer Dr Narelle Beaumont said the museum field trip was an excellent opportunity for students to put theory into practice.

'The Workshops Rail Museum is a perfect example of a much loved cultural tourism attraction,' she said.

'Ipswich is proud of its rail history and so much of it has been preserved through the museum for locals and visitors to the area to enjoy.'

'The students will now spend time assessing the museum as part of their course assignment and should have some valuable suggestions for future marketing, management and promotion of the workshops.'

To find out more about tourism courses and majors available to USQ Springfield campus, go to www.usq.edu.au or phone 1800 640 678.

Media Contact:  Jo-Ann Sparrow, USQ Media, +61 7 3470 4119 or 0438 309 096