The plan to see the goldfields gain world heritage status was first raised in the 1980s when future Premier John Brumby was the Member for Bendigo.

HAVE YOUR SAY BELOW? Are the goldfields worthy of a world heritage listing?

My Brumby long advocated for a 14,000sq/km space bordered by Ballarat in the south and Charlton in the north be recognised as the best example of the landscape created by the 19th century goldrush.

READ MORE: Regional council lead the push for goldfields world heritage listing.

The push is listed as part of the City of Ballarat's Heritage Plan and it is hoped within 5-10 years, a declaration, supported by 13 regional shires and councils, can be made by UNESCO.

For many regions, a world heritage listing has become a driving force for both domestic and international tourism.

Hepburn Councillor Don Henderson said the state government had funded enough money to get studies underway which would hopefully be completed within the next 12 months.

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"What's unique about the goldfields is the way gold was mined and by whom it was mined," Cr Henderson said.

"Not only did we have the strong Chinese culture, but you had just about every race on earth get on a boat and come here. Up at Daylesford you have your Swiss-Italian influence.

"Up further north in the golden triangle you have the area which yielded the world's biggest nugget, in fact the biggest series nuggets in the world. Some of the mines yielded the purest gold ever seen.

READ MORE: Exploring the Chinese goldfields migration

"It's not just about gold, but also the culture that came with it."

Cr Henderson said the work being undertaken was "turning up gems" of information, including the Berry Number One mine which once had a future US president in Herbert Hoover work on it.

"Each shire has put money up and it's something the state government has supported," he said. "The next stage is to get that body of work down, we're fortunate there is a lot of history readily available or already been researched. There's a lot of information out there that is not always seen."

Australia currently has 20 UNESCO world heritage sites.

It has four cultural sites including convict sites and the Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens. The country has 12 natural sites including the Great Barrier Reef and Shark Bay Western Australia and four mixed sites included Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and Kakadu National Park.

READ MORE: Bendigo, Ballarat and 11 other councils join forces for heritage listing.

Councillor Samantha McIntosh has been a driver of Ballarat's involvement.

She said independent studies had shown that a world heritage listing could bring up to $68 million a year in additional income to the region.

"Post COVID-19 we're looking at domestic tourism, we know people from Melbourne are looking for weekends away, some of the country areas like Charlton are very interesting, people will love those areas and being out in the fresh air surrounded by so much history," she said.

"When we're working in with shires and councils around us, we have a stronger and greater presence.

"We need to get over the parochial ownership of a project and raise this as a group. If you do that it becomes quite pronounced globally.

"In the past people have turned their backs on their neighbours rather than embracing each other going forward."

Cr McIntosh said the central goldfields regions held a unique position as the last remaining of its type and size anywhere in the world, with development such as what has occurred in California all but destroying its history.

"It has been discovered that the Central Goldfields area is the most significant goldfields left in the world," she said.

"This will allow us to grow job, grow opportunities, have something very attractive and at the same time make our regional areas available for everyone to enjoy."

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