Mining Exchange Ballarat, 1888 (top image)
Mining Exchange, Bendigo, 1872 (image below)
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There are wide criteria for listing by UNESCO’s World Heritage Convention, from a masterpiece of human genius to exhibiting an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological site or landscape which illustrates a significant stage in human history. Across the world, most are cultural listings and fewer are natural listings. There are currently 1,121 sites across the world that are officially recognised by the World Heritage Convention eg the Cornwall and West Devon mining landscape was officially designated in 2006. Only 19 UNESCO recognised sites are in Australia, including Uluru, Great Barrier Reef, Sydney Opera House and Melbourne's Royal Exhibition Building.
The Central Victorian Goldfields led the world's gold production in the 1850s. This event created an exceptional cultural landscape that in turn enriched the capital city, Melbourne. And even Victoria’s multiculturalism came from the goldfields which were melting pots back then. So it is not surprising that local politicians and historians have long discussed putting sites across the region's Central Goldfields on the World Heritage List. Now Victorian councils are pushing for UNESCO to formally recognise the area, following a $50,000 state government investment in developing the bid.
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Shamrock Hotel Bendigo
Originally built in 1854
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Joss House Bendigo
built by and for Chinese miners in the 1860s
Ballarat Mayor Samantha McIntosh and Bendigo Mayor Cr Margaret O’Rourke had attended the 15th Organisation of World Historical Cities Congress in Krakow, Poland in 2019. There the Australians confirmed they planned for the International Council on Monuments and Sites Sustainable Tourism Committee to visit the region next year. Both mayors joined the Heritage Advisory Committees.
ICOMOS is a non-government, international organisation dedicated to the conservation and protection of cultural heritage places. It is one of the two advisory bodies to provide the World Heritage Committee with evaluations of the cultural and natural sites nominated for World Heritage Listing. In time, ICOMOS will tour the entire Central Goldfields area to assess the historical treasures.
12 councils in Central Victoria are backing the bid: City of Bendigo, Macedon Ranges, Mount Alexander, Central Goldfields, Campaspe, Loddon, Hepburn, City of Ballarat, Ararat Rural City, Golden Plains, Northern Grampians & Pyrenees. And these councils are being supported in their bid by two former Victorian premiers from opposing parties, Liberal Denis Napthine and Labor John Brumby. Both became patrons of the bid for UNESCO World Heritage listing.
Back in Australia, councillors from these 12 shires etc came together in June 2020 to plan the goldfields’ UNESCO bid. After the discussions, there was a walking tour of Ballarat’s cultural landscape that included Reid’s Guest House, Federation University Justice Building in Camp St, Hop Temple laneway and Ballarat Trades Hall Building.
The final bid should include mines, architecturally significant buildings and natural landscapes at the heart of Victoria’s gold rush. So research will needed to determine which sites will be included in the bid, minimally Sovereign Hill near Ballarat and Castlemaine Alluvial Diggings National Heritage Park. The Heritage Park includes mines, panning in river beds, gullies where gold was discovered and the remnants of historic houses.
In 1854 Ballarat miners, disgruntled with the way the colonial government administered the goldfields, swore allegiance to the Southern Cross flag at Bakery Hill and built the Eureka Stockade at the nearby diggings. As soon as the stockade was lightly guarded, government troops attacked, killing dozens of diggers (and soldiers). Eureka was a significant event in the development of Australia’s eventual government and attitudes towards democracy and egalitarianism, and must be included in the bid.
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Reid’s Coffee Palace, originally built by German immigrant Joseph Reid
He opened a bakery to serve migrant workers flooding in for the gold rush.
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Eureka Stockade Memorial Gardens
East Ballarat
Mining Exchange, Bendigo, 1872 (image below)
There are wide criteria for listing by UNESCO’s World Heritage Convention, from a masterpiece of human genius to exhibiting an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological site or landscape which illustrates a significant stage in human history. Across the world, most are cultural listings and fewer are natural listings. There are currently 1,121 sites across the world that are officially recognised by the World Heritage Convention eg the Cornwall and West Devon mining landscape was officially designated in 2006. Only 19 UNESCO recognised sites are in Australia, including Uluru, Great Barrier Reef, Sydney Opera House and Melbourne's Royal Exhibition Building.
The Central Victorian Goldfields led the world's gold production in the 1850s. This event created an exceptional cultural landscape that in turn enriched the capital city, Melbourne. And even Victoria’s multiculturalism came from the goldfields which were melting pots back then. So it is not surprising that local politicians and historians have long discussed putting sites across the region's Central Goldfields on the World Heritage List. Now Victorian councils are pushing for UNESCO to formally recognise the area, following a $50,000 state government investment in developing the bid.
Shamrock Hotel Bendigo
Originally built in 1854
built by and for Chinese miners in the 1860s
Ballarat Mayor Samantha McIntosh and Bendigo Mayor Cr Margaret O’Rourke had attended the 15th Organisation of World Historical Cities Congress in Krakow, Poland in 2019. There the Australians confirmed they planned for the International Council on Monuments and Sites Sustainable Tourism Committee to visit the region next year. Both mayors joined the Heritage Advisory Committees.
ICOMOS is a non-government, international organisation dedicated to the conservation and protection of cultural heritage places. It is one of the two advisory bodies to provide the World Heritage Committee with evaluations of the cultural and natural sites nominated for World Heritage Listing. In time, ICOMOS will tour the entire Central Goldfields area to assess the historical treasures.
12 councils in Central Victoria are backing the bid: City of Bendigo, Macedon Ranges, Mount Alexander, Central Goldfields, Campaspe, Loddon, Hepburn, City of Ballarat, Ararat Rural City, Golden Plains, Northern Grampians & Pyrenees. And these councils are being supported in their bid by two former Victorian premiers from opposing parties, Liberal Denis Napthine and Labor John Brumby. Both became patrons of the bid for UNESCO World Heritage listing.
Back in Australia, councillors from these 12 shires etc came together in June 2020 to plan the goldfields’ UNESCO bid. After the discussions, there was a walking tour of Ballarat’s cultural landscape that included Reid’s Guest House, Federation University Justice Building in Camp St, Hop Temple laneway and Ballarat Trades Hall Building.
The final bid should include mines, architecturally significant buildings and natural landscapes at the heart of Victoria’s gold rush. So research will needed to determine which sites will be included in the bid, minimally Sovereign Hill near Ballarat and Castlemaine Alluvial Diggings National Heritage Park. The Heritage Park includes mines, panning in river beds, gullies where gold was discovered and the remnants of historic houses.
In 1854 Ballarat miners, disgruntled with the way the colonial government administered the goldfields, swore allegiance to the Southern Cross flag at Bakery Hill and built the Eureka Stockade at the nearby diggings. As soon as the stockade was lightly guarded, government troops attacked, killing dozens of diggers (and soldiers). Eureka was a significant event in the development of Australia’s eventual government and attitudes towards democracy and egalitarianism, and must be included in the bid.
Reid’s Coffee Palace, originally built by German immigrant Joseph Reid
He opened a bakery to serve migrant workers flooding in for the gold rush.
East Ballarat
In my opinion the Ballarat and Bendigo's mining exchanges, the great stock exchanges of the Goldfields in the C19th, must also be featured. After all, Victoria’s modern values began in the goldfields and at the Eureka Stockade. Other sites that could be listed: Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park, Maldon and Clunes historic streetscapes and the Hotel Shamrock Bendigo. And note all the beautiful churches that were built in the later C19th, and the wonderful post offices, town halls and court houses. Plus sites that show the contribution of Indigenous Australian and Chinese Australians eg Bendigo's Joss House is a historic temple that was built in the 1860s by Chinese miners.
Even before the COVID lockdown, the two ex-premiers had hoped a successful bid would spur another gold rush by bringing international recognition to Victoria’s goldfields. Now they are emphasising that private sector investment in hotels, restaurants and other tourist businesses would be extremely welcome, boosting the tourist economy. A UNESCO listing would create great publicity and would put central Victoria on the post-COVID global map again. And a successful bid should encourage governments to spend money preparing the sites, many of which have been well preserved.
Even before the COVID lockdown, the two ex-premiers had hoped a successful bid would spur another gold rush by bringing international recognition to Victoria’s goldfields. Now they are emphasising that private sector investment in hotels, restaurants and other tourist businesses would be extremely welcome, boosting the tourist economy. A UNESCO listing would create great publicity and would put central Victoria on the post-COVID global map again. And a successful bid should encourage governments to spend money preparing the sites, many of which have been well preserved.
Historians say gold rush era architecture in the region should definitely be included in the bid. But the region has half a million people, covers 40,000 square ks (17% of the state), and includes hundreds of significant gold mining sites and architectural treasures. These councils want the birthplace of the 1850s Victorian goldrush to be given international recognition but if there were too many treasures, the final list would need to be limited by the Victorian Goldfields Tourism Executive.
The Executive is co-funding the project, committing $200,000 over 2 years to progress the World Heritage Listing bid. The money will be used to conduct community and industry engagement across the region and will also aid development of a sustainable tourism plan. But any formal pitch for World Heritage status will need to be made by Australia’s Federal Government. Note that the Federal Government has sofar provided no assurance it will participate.
The Executive is co-funding the project, committing $200,000 over 2 years to progress the World Heritage Listing bid. The money will be used to conduct community and industry engagement across the region and will also aid development of a sustainable tourism plan. But any formal pitch for World Heritage status will need to be made by Australia’s Federal Government. Note that the Federal Government has sofar provided no assurance it will participate.