Table of Contents
Vision
The Victorian Goldfields World Heritage Master Plan (the ‘Master Plan’) positions the Victorian Goldfields as Australia’s foremost World Heritage Journeys destination. Renowned universally, captivating global audiences and honouring the richness of First Peoples experiences and the global goldrush story. It promotes and cultivates social capital, community pride and confidence, and it seeks to enrich the quality of life for all who call the region home.
The Master Plan charts an ambitious course towards reaping the benefits of World Heritage listing of the Victorian Goldfields. By strategically investing and providing targeted support, we have set the groundwork for a remarkable transformation over the next decade and beyond. Delivering the master plan will support and provide surety for businesses and communities and investors in our regional communities.
Strategic Focus
The Master Plan’s overall strategy is to maximise the benefits that will flow to the region from a World Heritage Inscription. The prioritised actions are designed to:
- Encourage and support visitors to travel and explore beyond the existing major hubs and routes.
- Provide for incremental and progressive regional regeneration.
- Support and evolve existing visitor hubs.
Ambition
The Master Plan is intended to be a living document with changes and updates added to it as the Victorian Goldfields World Heritage bid progresses along. It is a blueprint for enabling the actions and priorities for driving the visitor economy and growing the region prior to and following the World Heritage designation.
The Master Plan has been funded by Regional Development Victoria, the 15 Victorian Goldfields local governments and the Victorian Goldfields Tourism Executive.
The Master Plan has been developed by Arup in consultation with key stakeholders including Local, State and Australian Governments, participating Registered Aboriginal Parties, local communities, and the tourism industry.
The Master Plan is a ‘living’ document – it will continue to evolve over time as the World Heritage bid shapes up and more people engage with the bid.
Key Moves
The Master Plan on a page sets out the principles on which it is based, the five key themes and key moves.
Plan on a page. Arup 2024
Key Move 1: World Heritage Journeys. Arup 2024
Underpinning the whole planned transformation is Key Move 1, a region wide initiative – the progressive development and implementation of World Heritage Journeys. This concept is new for Australia. It places the Victorian Goldfields at the forefront of global tourism developments. Based on an emerging model promoted by UNESCO and National Geographic, it is designed to take visitors to not only the high-profile sites but to destinations and attractions that are less frequented places and on journeys which encourage and support a deeper engagement with local cultures, heritage, and environments.
It enables visitors to create and curate a unique journey where the Victorian Goldfields rich history, culture, landscapes, stories and communities can be explored and uncovered. World Heritage Journeys steers and disperses visitors towards a diverse range of destinations and offers a range of travel options. This key move, detailed in the Master Plan, also supports the progressive, more even, and sustainable distribution of the expected economic benefits from a major growth in tourism.
World class access, placemaking, storytelling and infrastructure improvements and conservation works to ensure vibrant, high quality heritage destinations and townships across the Victorian Goldfields and provide world class visitor infrastructure. Great places to live are great places to visit!
Examples of initiatives include:
- improved active transport infrastructure and connections between key destinations
- improved conservation of key heritage places and areas
- public realm and streetscape improvements
- Enhanced/new accessible and inclusive interpretation
- Improved access and safety including roads and parking
- Address digital connectivity and blackspots
- Upgraded facilities and infrastructure including toilets and potable water.
Signature experiences will create emotional connection and act as key drivers of visitation along the journeys, creating awareness of the Victorian Goldfields, nationally and internationally and supporting local communities.
Initiatives include:
- Co-designed regional and community experiences
- Partnering with and supporting iconic attractions
- Connecting creative regions and communities
- Showcasing hidden gems at historical reserves
- World Heritage Hubs – elevating the experience of place
Targeted capacity and capability building to help local business and industry elevate the quality, consistency and strength of products and services to create world class experience and maximise economic benefits.
- First Peoples World Heritage Cultural Tourism Development Program
- Product and service and quality program
- Accommodation attraction and quality program
- World Heritage guide program
Branding, marketing and events are required to position Victorian Goldfields as an international product for the strength of experience it offers the entire region and to raise awareness of its stories and experiences.
Initiatives include:
- Events and festivals program and strategy
- Market, brand and promote the Victorian Goldfields, including World Heritage Journeys and proposed World Heritage site
Key Challenges
What are the Key Challenges Facing the Victorian Goldfields?
Catalysed by World Heritage listing, investment in the Victorian Goldfields can address many of the region’s key challenges:
- Far too many of the Victorian Goldfields’ significant heritage assets are largely unrecognised, under-utilised and under-resourced. This severely limits the full potential of these assets to benefit the entire region.
- There is pronounced socio-economic disadvantage across some areas of the Victorian Goldfields with pockets of population decline and severe poverty. This can embed vulnerability and impacts resilience and can make sustainability and recovery from major disruption difficult.
- Often historically competitive, highly localised and untargeted public investment has meant that the private sector has not had the level of certainty needed to commit to high impact and beneficial investment in tourism initiatives and businesses.
- In many parts of the Victorian Goldfields there is a prevalence of poor- quality visitor experiences, products and services that contribute to an unevenness in visitation and severely impacts capacity, attraction and economic returns to community.
Economic benefits
World Heritage listing is estimated to be worth $1 billion to the region over 10 years.
Economic Benefit Assessment, MCa 2024.
Want to contribute?
World Heritage can bring benefits like visitors, jobs, and new experiences and we want to know what things that make your community a great place to live right now, and what could be better and tell us what stories you most value and would like to know more about in your local area. This is your chance to have a say in the future of the Victorian Goldfields.
