The City of Ballarat and its local government counterparts are celebrating following the Australian Government's announcement that it has officially given the green light for the Victorian Goldfields to seek World Heritage Listing, marking an historic milestone after 35 years of continued advocacy.
The addition of the Victorian Goldfields to Australia's World Heritage Tentative List signifies a major step forward in the efforts to achieve UNESCO recognition, which can only receive a formal nomination for consideration following 12-months of Tentative List status.
The World Heritage bid is the initiative of a regional partnership made up of the 15 local councils and the Victorian Goldfields Tourism Executive, led by the City of Ballarat and the City of Greater Bendigo. The Victorian Government announced $2 million to progress the Victorian Goldfields World Heritage nomination in 2023.
The Victorian Goldfields Tentative List submission begins to tell a unique story that includes and goes beyond mining and the goldrush - a story of the region's gold bearing landscape, the experiences of Traditional Owners and of the men, women and children who came from all around the world and of technological innovation and global expansion.
At its core, it highlights how the Victorian Goldfields represents the most extensive and best-surviving nineteenth century global gold rush landscape anywhere in the world.
The Victorian Goldfields is currently represented in the Tentative List submission by:
- the Castlemaine Goldfields and Historic Townships, with pre-eminent alluvial diggings of an early major gold rush in Victoria
- Creswick and the Deep Lead Landscape as an unparalleled example of this rare type of gold mining
- Bendigo Historic Urban Landscape as one of the world's most notable gold rush cities
- Lalgambuk (Mt Franklin), an area that evidences Aboriginal connection to Country before, during and after the gold rushes
- Great Nuggets Historic Landscape which embraces diggings that yielded the greatest concentration of the largest gold nuggets the world had ever known
- Walhalla Alpine Mining Landscape with its steep topography that guided settlement centred on Victoria's richest gold mine.
Other places mentioned in the Tentative List submission for inclusion at the World Heritage nomination stage, which will be developed in 25/26, include:
- Ballarat Historic Urban Landscape
- Beechworth Historic Township and Sluicing Landscape
- Whroo and the Balaclava Open Cut Mine.
It's also possible that other locations not mentioned in the above will also be included.
City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Tracey Hargreaves said this approach respects the complexity of each site and allows for thorough research and meaningful consultation.
"Our submission is currently in a phase of refinement as part of the overall Victorian Goldfields bid, and it's essential to take the necessary time to ensure that all aspects are well-prepared for the final nomination," she said.
"Ballarat is widely acknowledged as one of the foundation bookends to the whole listing, and we know that our iconic historic urban landscape, along with the story of Eureka, will be integral to the success of the World Heritage bid. We envisage it will feature prominently in the final nomination submitted to UNESCO."
Getting the Victorian Goldfields on Australia's Tentative List now was necessary as Australia can only make one nomination to UNESCO per year and there are many other places from around Australia in the queue.
Achieving UNESCO World Heritage status will bring extensive benefits to the region's local communities. A 2024 economic assessment found that the listing could see 2.5 million new visitors to the Victorian Goldfields Region over 10 years, with an estimated visitor spending increase into local economies of over $500 million.
Over the same period more than 2000 new local tourism jobs could be generated, along with nearly 2000 construction phase jobs.
The next 12 months will see ongoing community consultation, as well as engagement with regional leaders in Ballarat, Bendigo and surrounds in order to gather support of the historic bid and ensuring the Victorian Goldfields is recognised on a global stage, conserving it for future generations to appreciate and enjoy.
