Safeguarding Australian heritage trade skills

Heritage trades in the Australian context are identified in this paper as significant aspects of the nation’s indigenous and non-indigenous intangible heritage which underpin the Australian ethos. It is argued that there is a pressing need to safeguard these trades and crafts within their unique cultural context by releasing them from the time warp of tradition and convention associated with pre- and early Western industrialisation. One example of this is the National Carriage Factory project being developed at the Cobb+Co Museum in Toowoomba, Australia. Based on a network of strong partnerships, this demonstration project for safeguarding heritage trades and crafts will ensure their future relevance to the nation through formal and informal training programmes for the younger generation within a framework of community practices and with support for creativity and innovation. This project offers to create economic, social and cultural wellbeing for both the artisans involved and the community in general.