Sarah Oliver
A historic gathering of 13 regional councils, including Moorabool, will be held tomorrow in support of the Victorian Central Goldfields World Heritage Listing bid.
Spokespeople for the event include Ballarat mayor Daniel Moloney, Greater Bendigo mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf, co-patron of the World Heritage listing bid Denis Napthine and Victorian Goldfields Tourism executive chair Chris Meddows-Taylor.
Representatives from the 13 councils will also be present at the gathering, which will be at Clunes Town Hall at 11am.
The bid is for the Central Goldfields to be included in the World Heritage List – a list of sites across the world that are of outstanding universal value to humanity and are in need of protection.
The natural landscape of the area formed about 500 million years ago, with indigenous Australians having lived there for at least 50,000 years.
Central Goldfields is part of the Kulin Nation, who’s people remain strongly connected to the land.
The area also offers a rich history of the first settlers and gold rush period, with many buildings and sites constructed during those early settler days.
A statement from Ballarat council said: “The listing would provide the opportunity to share Australia’s extraordinary story of the Central Victorian Goldfields with people from across the globe and create social, cultural and economic opportunities for every community and person across the region.”
The process of being included on the heritage list includes developing the bid, growing the region’s profile, building local capacity and attracting investment to the area.
Details: goldfieldsworldheritage.com.au/
