National Trust of Australia

The Australian Council of National Trusts (ACNT) is a national organization for community-based, non-government organisations that promote and conserve Australia's natural and historic heritage.Cathy Pryor, "A force for the regions", The Australian 4 December 2003 p 15 (Features section); via Australia/New Zealand Reference Centre, EBSCO (database online) accessed 19 August 2011.
Begun in 1965, it joined together the eight National Trusts in each Australian state and territory. It provides them with a national office and national and international presence."National Trust of Australia" in Trischa Mann (ed), Australian Law Dictionary accessed 30 September 2011 via Oxford Reference Online, Oxford University Press."National Trust" in Bruce Moore (ed), The Australian Oxford Dictionary (2nd ed, Oxford University Press, 2004) via Oxford Reference Online, Oxford University Press accessed 30 September 2011.

Together, the National Trusts own or manage over 300 heritage places. About 7000 people work as volunteers with and there are 350 paid employees. Around 1,000,000 people visit the properties and their collections in Australia each year.

 Member organisations 
The member organisations are:

 Organisation  Jurisdiction  Founded  Actual members   Properties Managed  Properties Owned  Official website  Notes National Trust of Australia (New South Wales)  New South Wales  1947  30,000  18  38  http://www.nationaltrust.com.au  National Trust of Australia (Victoria)  Victoria  1956  13,000National Trust of Australia (Victoria), Submission to the Productivity Commission Inquiry into the Conservation of Australia’s Historic Heritage Places   40  32  http://www.nattrust.com.au   National Trust of Australia (Tasmania)  Tasmania  1960  ?  9  9  http://www.nationaltrusttas.org.au  National Trust of Queensland  Queensland  1963  ?  ?  ?  http://www.nationaltrustqld.org   National Trust of South Australia  South Australia  1955  ?  120  120  http://www.nationaltrustsa.org.au   National Trust of Western Australia  Western Australia  1959  ?  ?  ?  http://www.ntwa.com.au   National Trust of Australia (ACT)  Australian Capital Territory  ?  ?  ?  ?  http://www.act.nationaltrust.org.au   National Trust NT  Northern Territory  1976  ?  ?  ?  http://www.nationaltrustnt.org.au 

 History 
It was based on the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty in England. Local campaigns to conserve native bushland and save old buildings were the forces that led to the first Australian national trusts in New South Wales in 1947, South Australia in 1955 and Victoria in 1956. They were followed later by Western Australia, Tasmania and Queensland.Graeme Davison, "National trusts" in Graeme Davison, John Hirst and Stuart Macintyre (eds), The Oxford Companion to Australian History, Oxford University Press, 2001 via Oxford Reference Online, Oxford University Press accessed 30 September 2011.

Annie Forsyth Wyatt (1885-1961) was the driving force behind the beginning of the National Trust in Australia. She lived for much of her life in a cottage in Gordon, New South Wales, which is still standing. 

 References 

 Further reading 
 Ian Wyatt, Ours in Trust (1987), covers the early years of the NSW National Trust
 Mary Rhyllis Clark, In Trust (1996), recollections of the Victorian Trust pioneers

 Carol Cosgrove and Susan Marsden, Challenging times: the National Trust of South Australia 1955–2005, National Trust of South Australia, Adelaide 2005 

Category:Australian culture
Category:Organisations based in Canberra
Category:1965 establishments in Oceania
Category:1960s establishments in Australia
Category:Non-profit organizations of Australia
Category:Conservation