National and World Heritage

The Victorian Heritage Register is not the only form of heritage protection in Victoria. Places can also be included on the National Heritage List and the World Heritage List.

World and National Heritage sites are protected by law through the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

If a place is included in both the Victorian Heritage Register and the National or World Heritage List, applications to change these places may be assessed by Heritage Victoria through the Bilateral Agreement.

World Heritage sites in Victoria

World Heritage listed places have outstanding universal value. There are 20 World Heritage sites in Australia, with two in Victoria. These are:

• Budj Bim
• The Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens

Budj Bim is in the traditional Country of the Gunditjmara Aboriginal people and is one of the world’s most extensive and oldest aquaculture systems. The Budj Bim lava flows provide the basis for the complex system of channels, weirs and dams developed by the Gunditjmara in order to trap, store and harvest kooyang (short-finned eel – Anguilla australis). Visit the Budj Bim website for more information.

The Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens

The Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens is in Melbourne on the country of the Wurundjeri people, who maintain an ongoing connection to the site and surrounds. It is the only example of a nineteenth-century Palace of Industry from a world fair which is in its original garden setting. It is included in the Victorian Heritage Register and is protected by Commonwealth and State laws.

Find out about the committee that manages the Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens.

Current Victorian World Heritage bids

• Victorian Trades Hall
• Victorian Goldfields

The Victorian Trades Hall and Victorian Goldfields are being progressed for potential World Heritage Listing.

Victorian Trades Hall

The Victorian Trades Hall was added to Australia’s National Heritage List in October 2023. Located in Melbourne’s CBD, it is the world’s oldest continually active union building and is home to generations of trade union history – from winning the 8-hour working day to leading campaigns on equal pay, conscription, and apartheid.

It is being considered for inclusion on the World Heritage list as part of an international bid. It achieved the first step towards this on 15 December 2023, when it was included in Australia’s World Heritage Tentative List.

Victorian Goldfields

The Victorian Goldfields is recognised by experts as the most extensive, best surviving goldrush landscape in the world. Its rich history brings together stories of First Peoples living on Country, the goldrush, and subsequent waves of immigration.  The Victorian Goldfields was added to Australia’s World Heritage Tentative List on 31 January 2025.

Status of the Victorian Goldfields World Heritage bid

A Tentative Listing signals that the Australian Government considers the Victorian Goldfields to be of Outstanding Universal Value and suitable for inscription on the World Heritage List. It acts as a placeholder only and has no legal or legislative impacts.

Bid participants

A collaborative partnership of 15 councils across Victoria, Traditional Owner groups, the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments and local and international experts are working together on the bid.

Sites included in the bid

Six sites were included as part of the Tentative Listing:

• Castlemaine (Castlemaine Goldfields and Historic Townships)
• Creswick (Creswick and Deep Lead Landscape)
• Bendigo (Bendigo Historic Urban Landscape)
• Walhalla (Walhalla Alpine Mining Landscape)
• Lalgambuk (Mount Franklin)
• Moliagul (Great Nuggets Historic Landscape)

There are additional locations that are part of the World Heritage bid that were not included in the Tentative Listing. This does not mean that they have been excluded. The nomination is expected to develop significantly over time and may include additional sites not currently included in the Tentative List.

Funding for the bid

In 2022 Regional Development Victoria provided $500,000 to the Victorian Goldfields Tourism Executive and the local government partnership, which matched funds of over $125,000 to deliver a draft Tentative Listing submission and a Sustainable Tourism Master Plan. The Victorian Government granted $2 million to Heritage Victoria to progress World Heritage Listing over three years from 1 July 2023.

Benefits of a World Heritage Listing

A World Heritage Listing will ensure that the story of the Victorian Goldfields is shared on the world stage. It is expected to create widespread social, cultural and economic opportunities for people and communities across Victoria.

An economic benefits assessment of the bid projected that World Heritage Listing will result in the creation of new jobs and a significant increase in regional visitation, investment and spending. It will also highlight the devastating impacts of the gold rush on First Peoples and serve as an opportunity for truth-telling.

Next steps

The Victorian Goldfields must remain on Australia’s Tentative List for at least a year before being nominated for World Heritage Listing. The earliest this could occur is 1 February 2026.

Extensive research and consultation is underway with Victorian Government departments, councils, Traditional Owner groups and communities as the journey towards World Heritage Listing progresses.

National Heritage sites in Victoria

National Heritage listed places have outstanding significance to the nation. There are 29 National Heritage sites in Victoria, including:

• Rippon Lea House and Garden
• Victorian Trades Hall
• Murtoa No.1 Grain Store
• The Melbourne Cricket Ground
• Glenrowan Heritage Precinct
• Echuca Wharf
• The Great Ocean Road

World and National Heritage sites are protected by law through the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

Page last updated: 10/02/25