From the heights of Mt Keira to the art gallery in the city's heart, the search is on to find Wollongong's coolest location.A research team from the University of Wollongong wants residents to describe their favourite places, as part of a project called Cultural Asset Mapping for Regional Australia (CAMRA).The end result will be an interactive 3D map allowing users to zoom around the most popular hangouts and hear audio from the people who frequent them.
Where is Wollongong's coolest location? Post a comment below."We're asking where the creative places are, the coolest places are, or where (locals) take their visitors," Professor Chris Gibson, of UOW's School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, said."Basically places they think are an asset to the region."CAMRA doesn't only give people reason to spruik their favourite locations, it also helps developers make decisions for maximising the city's economy."Examining culture ... helps planners make better decisions about cultural infrastructure," Prof Gibson said.The CAMRA team, led by Prof Gibson, organises "mapping lounges", letting people draw their favoured locations on a map of the Wollongong Local Government Area.Mappers also explain their choices for a tape recorder.The first mapping lounge was held at the Viva La Gong festival at MacCabe Park on Saturday, yielding 160 maps and more than 2000 minutes of interviews.Andrew Warren, a PhD candidate working on the CAMRA project, was surprised by some of the places people had chosen as cultural hot spots."Port Kembla is emerging as a cool, creative place," he said."In the past it's been seen purely as an industrial place so I didn't think it would be valued for its culture."Prof Gibson said he was pleased people were so enthusiastic to tell their stories."We need as many people as possible from the public to participate," he said."The more diverse views we get, the more accurate the final picture is."CAMRA's Culture Map blog began operating yesterday for Wollongong residents to discuss issues confronting their community."It's like Facebook for culture," Mr Warren said."Anyone interested in local cultural life can go on and discuss what can be improved."The final opportunity for people to map their coolest places is December 1, at Wollongong City Gallery.CAMRA is running a postcard campaign to inform people about how they can get involved. The postcards can be found in libraries, cafes and community centres.Visit the blog HERE.
