Victoria’s Goldfields Are Now Closer to World Heritage Recognition

 

Victoria’s Goldfields have been added to Australia’s World Heritage Tentative List, bringing the area a step closer to World Heritage status.

The Goldfields are the most well-preserved and extensive gold rush landscape in the world, and Wolrd Heritage status will ensure the extraordinary history and heritage of Victoria’s gold rush era is preserved while boosting tourism.

The Premier of Victoria and Member for Bendigo East Jacinta Allan says the potential for a World Heritage status on the tourism economy is great. ‘World Heritage sites are on bucket lists of tourists worldwide’, she said.

Six key areas of the Goldfields have been included on the tentative list and as the nomination progresses, more may be added.

The areas included are:

• Bendigo Historic Urban Landscape
• Castlemaine Goldfields and Historic Townships
• Creswick and the Deep Lead Landscape
• Great Nuggets Historic Landscape (Tarnagulla, Moliagul, and Dunolly)
• Lalgambuk (Mt Franklin)
• Walhalla Alpine Mining Landscape

Millions of tourists travel through Victoria each year, contributing over $1.8 billion to its regional economy. A World Heritage listing is expected to bring more money into regional economies with visitors from around the world coming to experience this unique area.

‘Australia is home to some of the most spectacular places in the world. These places tell our unique story’, said Minister for the Environment and Water, Tanya Plibersek.

There are many historic sites along Victoria’s Goldfields Track | Photo by Reanna Clark

About Victoria’s Goldfields

The Goldfields cover over 20% of Victoria’s landmass, telling the story of a time in Australia’s history in which the country started to flourish.

Thousands of migrants came to Australia to take part in gold rushes across the land from 1851 onwards. Gold mining became a part of Victoria’s identity and sparked the building of townships and infrastructure. The area is also where we see the cultural markers of First Nations communities, including the Dja Dja Wurrung and Gunaikurnai peoples.

‘From the historic streets of Bendigo to the grand buildings of Castlemaine and the untouched mining landscapes of Walhalla – the Goldfields stand as a living testament to those who came to Victoria, seeking a better life and how they transformed the state’, Premier Allan said.

The area has beautiful hiking trails through the bushland | Photo by Reanna Clark

Australia’s World Heritage Tentative List

The project to be added to Australia’s World Heritage Tentative List has been a partnership between the Albanese and Allan Governments, First Nations groups, alongside 15 local councils and other organisations.

Minister for Planning, Sonya Kilkenny said, ‘As we progress toward a World Heritage nomination, we are honouring every part of the Goldfields history, the triumphs, the struggles, and the profound impacts on all communities – including our settlers, migrants, and First Nations people’.

If the nomination is successful, the Victorian Goldfields will join the likes of the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, and the Sydney Opera House on the World Heritage list.

Feature image thanks to @ben.savage