Defining the geography of creativity in a regional Australian university

There is a growing body of research which shows that thriving creative industries and cultural activities are crucial for the health and vitality of a region and its communities (McHenry, 2009; Andersen, 2010; Comunian et al 2010, Gibson and Klocker 2005, Lewis and Donald 2010, Waitt and Gibson 2009). Creative industries are not focused on urban centres alone; in fact, the digital environments on which the creative industries rely means the physical location of the creative workforce is becoming increasingly less relevant. The development of a new National Cultural Policy in Australia, plus the unrolling of a government funded high speed National Broadband Network (NBN) in 2012 are presented as significant opportunities to reconfigure creative activity in regional and remote Australian communities. While the creative industries in metropolitan centres have received focussed attention, this paper critiques the relevance of constructs such as Richard Florida's creative cities and creative class to non-metropolitan, rural and regional settings. Instead, a 'geography of creativity', more finely calibrated to regional contexts will be presented, illustrated by case studies and current research in regional creativity undertaken in the Faculty of Arts at Charles Sturt University.