Central Goldfield UNESCO World Heritage Bid gets state governement funding

Work is continuing on the Central Victorian Goldfields World Heritage bid following the allocation of $3.8 million in the state budget.

Victorian Goldfields Tourism executive chair Chris Meddows-Taylor said funding would help ensure the group could take a successful bid to UNESCO who needed to be convinced that the proposed sites were "unique in the history of the world".

The bid is the work of 13 councils in Victoria's west, spearheaded by the City of Ballarat and the City of Greater Bendigo.

READ MORE: Funding for UNESCO bid

While the project was floated in the 1980s, work has ramped up since 2020 advocacy and pushed further by state and council investment in July 2020, December 2021 and October 2022.

Mr Meddows-Taylor said the exact parameters of the spending needed to be clarified during discussions with the state government.

He said there was a lot of work to be done over the next three years to secure a successful bid and this money would help fund the progress.

A successful bid will put the region on the world stage and feedback from experts has re-assured Mr Meddows-Taylor that the proposal is strong.

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He said increased tourism, showcasing Aboriginal history and additional support for heritage conservation in the region would be the main outcomes of a successful bid.

Following the development of two new visitor economy partnerships, one based in Ballarat and one in Bendigo, Victorian Goldfields Tourism will focus completely on the UNESCO bid, while all bodies will work together to increase tourism in the region.

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