Council & Business
8 June, 2023
Government funding to boost Goldfields’ World Heritage listing
The push to secure a UNESCO World Heritage listing for the Victorian Goldfields has been further backed by the Victorian Government, with $3.8 million to mean “all systems go” in securing a listing. The government included the funding as part of...
The push to secure a UNESCO World Heritage listing for the Victorian Goldfields has been further backed by the Victorian Government, with $3.8 million to mean “all systems go” in securing a listing.
The government included the funding as part of the 2023/24 budget and builds on an existing $500,000 that was announced in November last year.
The bid is being led by the City of Greater Bendigo and City of Ballarat, alongside the Victorian Goldfields Tourism Executive, co-patrons and former premiers John Brumby and Denis Napthine on behalf of 13 central Victorian councils.
It’s understood a World Heritage listing would deliver long-lasting benefits to communities across the Goldfields region, bringing world-wide recognition and attention, as well as an estimated $1 billion to the region over 10 years.
In the short-term, a targeted tourism investment strategy will start delivering benefits, building on a masterplan for the project which is currently being finalised.
Victorian Goldfields Tourism Executive chair and Central Goldfields Shire councillor Chris Meddows-Taylor said the government funding showed a commitment to the project, which could now take off.
“This funding that we’ve received is clearly the government’s decision that we’re going ahead with this,” he said.
“The minister has already approached the Commonwealth Government about this so things are moving very quickly which is great news.
“The government has made a commitment to seeing this through and this funding means it’s now all systems go.
“We can now realise those tourism benefits and in the Central Goldfields Shire, we are placed beautifully to reap those benefits.”
The bid for a World Heritage listing covers an area of around 40,000 square kilometres, or 17 percent of the state, with key sites and locations to be chosen for a World Heritage listing.
Cr Meddows-Taylor said Maryborough would have a key role in the push for World Heritage.
“This funding is basically to cover intensive development over the next three years to really get all those sites nominated for a World Heritage Listing, to get the actual submission done, to finalise the tourism masterplan and to have everything ready for UNESCO,” he said.
“The exciting thing is that Central Goldfields Shire is right in the middle of that and World Heritage, I think, will be a boon to tourism, visitation and business right across the shire.
“We are right between Ballarat and Bendigo, the two key cities in this bid and Maryborough will play a very important part, I think, in pushing this bid forward.”
The 13 councils partnering in the bid are Ararat, Campaspe, Central Goldfields, Ballarat, Greater Bendigo, Golden Plains, Hepburn, Loddon, Macedon Ranges, Moorabool, Mount Alexander, Northern Grampians and Pyrenees.
To get involved in co-designing an exciting future for the Goldfields region and to learn more about the bid visit www.goldfieldsworld heritage.com.au