Goldfields World Heritage bid gaining momentum

A GROUP of interested community members and key stakeholders gathered at the La Trobe Art Institute earlier this week to learn about the ongoing bid to obtain a coveted World Heritage listing for the Victorian Goldfields.

The discussion focused on informing attendees about the positive outcomes if the bid is successful.

The Victorian Goldfields are believed to be the most extensive, coherent and best-surviving gold rush landscapes in the world, and World Heritage status would potentially lead to immediate and long-term benefits including more investment, tourism and jobs.

The evening event included a presentation from City of Greater Bendigo World Heritage Strategic Projects Officer Trevor Budge, who is also on the World Heritage bid project team.

A panel comprising Mr Budge, Euan McGillivray of the Bendigo Historical Society, Bendigo Tourism Board chair Kath Bolitho, Bendigo Heritage Attractions CEO James Reade, and City economy and experience manager James Myatt also took questions and comments at the end of the two-hour-plus session.

 

Mr Budge said if the bid succeeds, the benefits for Greater Bendigo and other places in the Victorian Goldfields will be far-reaching, with a significant increase in tourism from across the world wanting to experience our gold rush story.

“The economic modelling forecasting estimates a Victorian Goldfields World Heritage site could attract 2.5 million new visitors to the region over 10 years, injecting more than $500 million into local economies,” he said.

“A World Heritage Listing would [also] help conserve our heritage.

“There’s a lot of people right across the Victorian Goldfields that are working to try and conserve our heritage, [and] this gives an even bigger focus to it.”

Mr Budge also explained that World Heritage branding is the most recognised brand globally in terms of tourism and its quality.

“You don’t expect to see [it] linked with something that’s not reasonably important or of reasonable quality, so it’s a designation about those places which really are of outstanding universal value,” he said.

The Victorian Goldfields bid is expected to be formally submitted to UNESCO in February next year, with a final outcome likely to be determined after mid-2027.