developing victoria's goldfields into australia's cultural heritage region

DEVELOPING VICTORIA’S GOLDFIELDS INTO AUSTRALIA’S CULTURAL HERITAGE REGION

Final Report

Prepared by:Ray Tonkin

Sue HowardWayne StreetMegan Allen

February 2012

Australia’s Cultural Heritage RegionFinal ReportFebruary 2012

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................ 5

Chapter 1Introduction...................................................................................................................................... 12

Background ..................................................................................................................................... 12

Scope .............................................................................................................................................. 12

Methodology ................................................................................................................................... 13

Chapter 2 Project Rationale.............................................................................................................................. 15

Why a Heritage Tourism Destination ...............................................................................................15

Economic Value of Recognised Heritage Areas..............................................................................17

Target Markets and Market Segmentation ......................................................................................18

What Does an Area of Cultural Heritage Significance Look Like? ..................................................20

Why the Goldfields Region Could be a Heritage Tourism Destination.............................................24

Chapter 3 What Will Success in the Goldfields Region Look Like?..................................................................26

Chapter 4 Strategic and Policy Context............................................................................................................29

Municipal Policy Profiles 38

Chapter 5 The Goldfields Regional Characteristics..........................................................................................46

Chapter 6 The Region’s History........................................................................................................................ 58

Municipal Histories .......................................................................................................................... 60

Gold History Themes...................................................................................................................... 74

Goldfields Region Place Types........................................................................................................77

Preserving and Celebrating Local Heritage......................................................................................84

Chapter 7 The Contribution of Tourism and Heritage Tourism to the Victorian Goldfields................................86

The Economic Impact of Tourism in the Goldfields Region .............................................................93

Chapter 8

2


Review of Regional Tourism Services and Infrastructure ..............................................................102Regional Recreation Tracks and Trails 102

Summary of Tourism Services by Local Government Area ...........................................................106

Perception Surveys ....................................................................................................................... 131

Streetscape Evaluations ...............................................................................................................145

Other Streetscape Elements ........................................................................................................151

Summary........................................................................................................................................ 154

Chapter 9 Governance and Funding ..............................................................................................................155

Proposed Model 158

Chapter 10 Marketing and Communications Strategy .....................................................................................163

Regional Identity 166

Chapter 11 Final Recommendations and Implementation ...............................................................................167

Summary of Final Recommendations 167

Timetable for Implementation 179

Appendices Appendix A..................................................................................................................................... 182

Appendix B..................................................................................................................................... 192

3


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Project Team would like to thank and acknowledge the following people for their time, efforts and contributions to this project:

All members of the Project Control Group, with special mention of:• Chris Meddows-Taylor• David Bannear • Joel Chadwick• All those who gave their time and insight and provided the Project Team with feedback

including council officers, VIC staff and those in the tourism sector• Those from the museum and genealogical sector• Historical societies• Elissa Haley• RDV for their funding support and hosting of meetings

4


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The development of the Goldfields Heritage Region has been identified as an action in the Regional Strategic Plans for both the Loddon Mallee (South Region) and the Central Highlands regions. Both plans nominate the development of tourism in the Goldfields Heritage Region as a means of assisting in the diversification of local economies; contributing to liveability in the region; and celebrating and preserving the region’s unique and nationally significant heritage characteristics.

The Goldfields Heritage RegionGold was first found in Clunes and then Buninyong in 1851 and within a decade the population of the colony grew from 77,345 to 540,322. The sudden rush to ‘get rich quick’ resulted in a mass migration event that brought people from all over the world to Victoria. The gold rushes established and shaped communities around the region and continue to influence them through the physical appearance of towns, settlements and streetscapes; the landscape; transport routes; institutions; infrastructure; economic activity; and the culture of communities. What remains is testimony to the prosperity of the times and the vision of the many entrepreneurs attracted to the Victorian Goldfields over 150 years ago.

The Goldfields Heritage Region comprises 13 municipal areas and represents 28.2 % of the population of non-metropolitan Victoria.

The Goldfields Region of Victoria already has a reputation for providing visitors with an experience of Australia’s heritage and a link to the nation’s history. To brand the region as Australia’s Goldfields Heritage Region is an aspiration that would be based on a solid foundation – it is a legitimate and authentic claim.

Heritage as a brandThe heritage brand is used successfully to define significant tourism destinations around the world. The development of the World Heritage List and the enthusiastic pursuit of listing by countries have demonstrated the possible success of branding a region as having heritage significance. While history tells stories and identifies events; heritage is what we have inherited from that history and is the contemporary representation of those stories. The historical and heritage foundations of the Goldfields Heritage Region are strong and this brand potential deserves greater development.

In Australia “heritage” and “heritage tourism” are more closely associated with natural icons (Uluru, Kakadu, the Great Barrier Reef, etc.). The Goldfields Heritage Region provides an opportunity to broaden the concept and attract tourists who are seeking a cultural heritage experience. Evidence has shown that these people interested in cultural heritage tourism tend to spend more than other visitors.

Heritage protection and promotion is already clearly evident in Goldfields’ communities because it is important to the people who live there and is therefore a strong feature of municipal plans and policies. In many instances, development and improvement in this area can build on, and leverage off, activity that is already underway.

Goldfields tourism and the economyTourism is a significant contributor to jobs and economic activity in the region. A total of 39,334 jobs (23.95% of all jobs) in the Goldfields Heritage Region are in sectors that are either ‘tourism characteristic industries or tourism connected industries’. Australia’s regional industry structures have changed dramatically over the past half century and employment in regional areas is no longer dominated by agriculture, mining or manufacturing. Over three-quarters of all jobs (75.8%) are in service industries and this trend is also clear at regional and local levels within the Goldfields Heritage Region.

The Goldfields Heritage Region attracted 5.6 million domestic day visitors and 2.1 million domestic overnight visitors, who stayed 5.4 million visitor nights in 2010-2011. Over 50% of visitors to the

5


region stayed overnight in Bendigo, Ballarat and Hepburn Shire, and 62% of all tourism expenditure in the region is in these three local government areas.

A one per cent increase in visitors to the region would inject an additional $11,043,000 into the regional economy annually. Development of the Goldfields Heritage Region will achieve an increase in the number of tourists coming to the region, their length of stay and the dispersal of visitors across the region to smaller but still significant goldfields towns and settlements.

This report recommends strategies to improve streetscapes and civic precincts; information, interpretation and promotion; the restoration and the creative reuse of goldfields related buildings; accommodation improvements; improvements to existing touring and trail infrastructure and the use of new technologies to help reach, attract and inform visitors of the many reasons to visit and explore the region.

Achieving World Heritage listing for the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park is a shared aspiration across the region. The listing could anchor the Goldfields Heritage Region as an international tourist destination. Equally the existing National Heritage listing can be used to promote the tourism value of the region. New infrastructure and improved marketing is now required to support increased tourism activity, and should ultimately improve the chance of World Heritage Listing

Tourist InfrastructureTourism infrastructure varies across the region. Regional cities such as Ballarat and Bendigo, and larger towns such as Castlemaine, Ararat and Maryborough are well placed, offering some attractions and diversified accommodation. Other areas need a lot more investment. All areas could benefit from more investment, not just in attractions and accommodation, but supporting infrastructure such a food and wine, interpretation, visitor services and industry development.

The one area of tourism infrastructure that is truly regional is the existing touring and trail infrastructure and the potential to further develop these offerings.

The Goldfields Track provides great access to the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park. The Track is a way for walkers and cyclists to explore the unique cultural landscape created by gold and now protected in the Park. The Goldfields Track will become one of Australia’s great walks with further infrastructure development.

Road infrastructure throughout the region is of high quality. An opportunity exists to use this existing infrastructure and develop touring routes that encourage people to explore the entire region, gaining a greater understanding of the entire gold rush history.

The domestic and international tourism market is highly competitive. As stated above, the tourism services sector in the region must continue to develop. Improvements are warranted in accommodation, food and customer service, the presentation of key tourism precincts and the access to well maintained, well presented and accessible amenities. Unlocking the unique and interesting stories of the goldfields and presenting them thorough “new” media is also an important component of the Goldfields Heritage Region product and will underpin the marketing and promotion of the area.

Implementing the ProjectTo manage the development of the Goldfields Heritage Region requires a governance structure that can harness the resources of federal, state and local government and the private sector by working in partnership with a large number of stakeholders. It is recommended that ultimately a new administrative structure is put in place to take responsibility for the delivery of the project outcomes. However, initially a structure utilising existing administrative arrangements supported by a Goldfields Heritage Region Advisory Board is proposed.

Federal and state government funding will be required to deliver on the Development Proposals identified in this Report. Direct financial and in-kind support is also required from the 13 local councils in the region. It is believed that government investment and support can establish the preconditions for increased private sector activity in the region.

6


Vision

The Goldfields Heritage Region will be a premium tourist destination which makes a significant contribution to the economy and prosperity of Victoria. It will also benefit local communities by enhancing civic pride and increased economic activity

The Goldfields Heritage Region will be a unique, sought after destination in Australia providing high quality and authentic opportunities to experience the legacy of Australia’s gold rush in vibrant communities have consistently high quality infrastructure and services.

The region will be rich in well-preserved heritage assets that are used and presented in interesting, sustainable and respectful ways that celebrate the unique role of the goldfields in Australia’s cultural identity.

Development Proposals

Based on the research and the data collected, a number of inter-related Development Proposals have been prepared. These Development Proposals have the overall objective of growing and diversifying regional economies, by attracting more tourists, who will stay longer and travel more widely in the region.

1. Infrastructure Investment

It has been demonstrated both locally and overseas that tourists are attracted to pleasant places that provide attractive and comfortable environments with a good level of amenity. Equally, such places will attract businesses which can profit from these environments. The Goldfields Heritage Region has numerous towns and villages with potential to improve their physical appearance and amenity and in turn attract greater commercial activity and tourist visitation. Equally, the retention of visitors in the region requires the provision of a range of accommodation options. Where that can be achieved in a heritage-sensitive manner it must be encouraged.

1.1 Conserving our Goldfields Heritage – A Heritage Restoration Scheme with the capacity to revolve by providing loans to councils or private owners for works on significant built heritage assets and artefacts. As a revolving fund this will provide a longer term source of development funds for the region.

Aims: to provide a long term source of funds to be made available for important townscape elements, in particular commercial buildings to be restored and reused, and to encourage public and private sector investment and encourage the development of tourist focussed enterprises in small towns and villages. This fund could be used to assist in the conservation of heritage artefacts, related to gold mining; themselves important in helping describe the landscape of the goldfields.

Benefits: Adequate funds to restore, reuse and interpret key gold heritage buildings and sites. Development of heritage tourism product that will complement and add value to other key tourism opportunities in the region i.e. nature based tourism, health and wellbeing and food and wine.

1.2 Enhancing Goldfields Townscapes and Streetscapes – Providing funds to enable municipalities to establish urban design strategies and undertake enhancements on significant streetscapes.

7


Aim: To develop high quality and integrated streetscape improvement projects in key destinations in townships across the Goldfields Heritage Region.

Benefits: High quality improvements to streetscapes in key civic and tourism precincts in towns for the benefit of local communities, economies and tourists. More tourists who will stay longer and travel more widely in the region will result in job creation, growth and diversification of regional economies.

1.3 Accommodation Development Prospectus - Accommodation development options across the region for high yield tourists in key locations

Aim: To attract investment in the re-development of existing accommodation facilities and to attract new investment in accommodation properties to increase accommodation options, including some which utilise heritage buildings.

Benefits: Improved accommodation options by opening 500 new rooms in apartments, motels, hotels, resort or serviced apartment complexes, and 500 refurbished rooms in existing accommodation complexes.

.

2. Product Development

This set of development proposals is designed to improve the attractions on offer to tourists in the Goldfields Heritage Region. These proposals are built around the rationale that many visitors look for more than pleasant streetscapes, retail and eating opportunities. Whilst some visitors are satisfied with these options, the desire to retain visitors in the region and justify improved accommodation inevitably leads to the need to provide other things to do within the region. These development proposals are directed to that end.

2.1 Goldfields Touring Routes – Creating Touring Routes that link the main entry points, highways and freeways, railway lines and bus routes to the region’s key attractions and towns.

Aim: To develop the Goldfields Touring Routes as one of Australia’s Top 10 driving experiences, by developing a cross regional marketing body to oversee development of directional, interpretation and marketing material.

Benefits: Downloadable information about touring routes, locations and people and other innovative uses of new technology to attract and entertain visitors.

2.2 The Goldfields Track – Complete Goldfields Track infrastructure, develop marketing campaign and establish the experience as one of Australia’s top 10 walks and rides.

Aim: To complete the development of the Goldfields Track to become one of Australia’s Top 10 walks and rides.

Benefits: Heritage tourism product that will complement and add value to other key tourism messages in the region i.e. nature based tourism, health and wellbeing and food and wine. Augment the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park bid to be on the World Heritage List through quality interpretation, services and amenities on the Dry Diggings Track. Becoming a major attraction for cultural heritage tourists.

2.3 Unlocking the Secrets of the Goldfields - Commission writers to reveal the entertaining Goldfields stories with sub regional and local themes.

Aim: To commission writers to research and tell the overarching Victorian Gold Rush story, as well as the unusual, personal and relevant stories of the Goldfields region’s gold rush, its

8


individuals, its consequences and worldwide impacts and to publish the stories in accessible and readable hardcopy, interpretive signage and in new media to provide interest and context for those visiting the region.

Benefits: Tourism product for cultural tourists providing experiences that give insight into the circumstances, events and consequences of the gold rush.

2.4 A package of material/collateral for virtual and real visitor information sites – Information about the offerings of Australia’s Goldfields Heritage Region with support from website, new media, and smartphone/tablet applications.

Aim: To develop a consistently branded package of collateral that brings together the facts, significance, tourism attractions, products and offerings from the Goldfields Heritage Region, with specific information on the products from each Local Government Area.

Benefits: A cohesive message about the heritage characteristics of the region and localities for promotion. Provision of downloadable information about touring routes, locations and people and other innovative uses of new technology to attract and entertain visitors.

2.5 Inscribing the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park on the World Heritage List Move toward the inscription of the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park on the World Heritage List.

Aims: Achieve World Heritage Listing of the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park to acknowledge the importance of the Victorian gold rushes as part of a series of nineteenth century mass migrations across the world, and provide an international focus to the history and heritage of the Victorian goldfields.

Benefits: Heritage tourism product that will complement and add value to other key tourism messages in the region i.e. nature based tourism, health and wellbeing and food and wine. The establishment of an aspirational destination that is attractive to a group of high yield visitors. The promotion of the historical significance of the Park and region nationally, and to therefore increase visitation and investment in quality tourism products.

2.6 Interpretive Centre and other tourist infrastructure for the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park - Establish a centre for the presentation of the goldfields story. In particular this centre should be located in or near the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park and will explore and interpret the history and physical nature of the region

Aims: To provide a central place to tell the history and heritage of the Victorian goldfields and in particular to describe the history and significance of the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park.

Benefit: Increased visitation to the region and an outlet for information about the region and its tourism products.

2.7 Historical Societies and Genealogy – Supporting existing Institutions and pursuing the development of genealogical tourism in the Goldfields Heritage Region.

Aims: To ensure that there is a well-developed and sustainable collections sector that can advocate for and support the heritage branding of the region and facilitate access to unique and authentic stories of the Goldfields. To assist in developing the capacity of historical societies to service genealogical tourism.

Benefits: Increased and improved information for tourists about the region and its gold heritage. An opportunity to increase visitation by capitalising on the growth of community interest in ancestry and the fact that so many Australians can trace their ancestry to the Goldfields. A heritage tourism product that will complement and add value to other key

9


tourism messages in the region i.e. nature based tourism, health and wellbeing and food and wine.

2.8 Facilitate the re-use of significant heritage places for tourism purposes - Identify opportunities for product development and promotion of significant Goldfields’ heritage assets and promote the re-use of those assets for higher yield economic purposes.

Aims: To identify a range of opportunities for the re-use and development of significant heritage places throughout the region and to promote the re-use and development of these places.

Benefits: The growth and diversification of regional economies and jobs by attracting more tourists who will stay longer and travel more widely in the region. High quality improvements to streetscapes in key civic and tourism precincts in regional towns. The reuse of existing infrastructure.

2.9 Gold Heritage Event Coordination – Better promotion and coordination of events relating to the gold heritage of the region.

Aim: To coordinate a regional approach to heritage related events to better maximise visitor attraction and experiences.

Benefits: Heritage tourism product that will complement and add value to other key tourism messages in the region i.e. nature based tourism, health and wellbeing and food and wine

3. Capacity and Partnership Building

An ambitious program such as is outlined in the Development Proposals in this report requires well managed and co-ordinated organisation arrangements. This group of proposals is designed to:

establish technical expertise; facilitate cross regional collaboration and support for communities outline a marketing and communications strategy; advance the notion of Goldfields heritage as an economic, cultural and community

development driver in the region by embedding heritage in the plans, policies and strategies of regional organisations; and

establish organisational and governance arrangements to ensure delivery of the projects

3.1 Building Local Capacity and Leading Change

3.1.1 Heritage Tourism Development –Tourism sector development and opportunities and heritage project development with the provision of technical expertise and collaboration. Aims: Ensure that there is awareness of the area as Australia’s Goldfields Heritage Region across the tourism services sector and increase the capacity of the local operators and workforce to meet the needs of high yield tourists. Provide access to expertise for the development of heritage tourism related assets and or promotional activities.

Benefits: A competent and professional tourism sector workforce meeting the needs of increasingly demanding high yield tourists. Better food and wine services.

3.1.2 Setting the Policy Direction - Advancing the Goldfields’ heritage as an economic, cultural and community development driver in the region by embedding heritage in relevant plans and policies.

10


Aims: Embed the development of the Goldfields Heritage Region in key strategies across three levels of government. Attract resources and build the heritage region concept through collaborative networks.

Benefits: Sustained and structural commitment to the concept. Growth and diversification of regional economies and jobs by attracting more tourists who will stay longer and travel more widely in the region.

3.2 Governance

3.2.1 Project Management Structure - A governance framework and project management structure that can deliver the vision for the Goldfields Heritage Region.

Aim: A high level strategically focussed project management team to advance the development of the Goldfields Heritage Region concept.

Benefits: Capacity to attract resources and partner with others to achieve project objectives.

3.2.2 Communications and Marketing Framework – A marketing strategy, lobbying framework, communications plan and regional identity that will ensure the aims and objectives of the project are endorsed, supported and adequately funded and that the efforts are recognised by the targeted market

Aim: Development of an overarching plan that will ensure the identification of key stakeholders, funding opportunities and opportunities to engage and attract the target market.

Benefits: A coordinated approach to communicating with, and lobbying funding partners and stakeholders, resulting in well-funded projects that attract more visitors to the region.

11


CHAPTER 1.INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND

The Victorian Goldfields: Australia’s First National Heritage Region Development Project was conceived in 2011 with the objective of identifying the needs and development priorities for the region to become a world class tourist destination.

The Goldfields Region (represented by the local government area partners in this project) was the primary focus of the Victorian gold rush: One of the world’s mid-nineteenth century gold inspired mass migration events. It is now a recognised heritage region in Victoria, with the legacy of the gold rush still evident in the landscape, streetscapes, public buildings and gardens and amongst a diverse industry base. Agriculture, viticulture, manufacturing, information technology and tourism are all important economic drivers that have developed from the settlement patterns and legacy of the gold rush.

Gold was discovered in Clunes in July 1851 and shortly after in Buninyong. Within weeks, bigger deposits were found at Ballarat, and within months more discoveries followed over a wide area, including Daylesford, Creswick, Maryborough, Bendigo, Heathcote, St Arnaud, Ararat, Deep Lead, Stawell, Castlemaine and Mount Alexander. Over the next three years, more diggings opened across a wide area to the north of Melbourne.1 This area became known as the Victorian Goldfields.

The region is identified as the area in central and western Victoria which contains physical and social evidence of these Victorian gold rushes that commenced in 1851 and influenced the economy and development of the region for the next 100 years. Such evidence includes buildings, infrastructure, landscapes, monuments, gardens, cemeteries, organisations, groups and institutions that derived from the gold rush, its riches, communities and industries.

The region therefore includes the cities of Greater Bendigo and Ballarat, the Rural City of Ararat and the Shires of Campaspe, Central Goldfields, Golden Plains, Hepburn, Loddon, Mount Alexander, Northern Grampians, Macedon Ranges, Pyrenees and Moorabool (see map 1.1 on page 49) all of which demonstrate evidence of the gold rush, as outlined above.

SCOPE

The National Heritage Region Development Project specifically sought to identify: local, state, national and international cultural heritage characteristics of the region and

associated tourism interests of Victoria’s Goldfields region; the successful ingredients – e.g. infrastructure, accommodation, product, content, training and

marketing – that are integral to the success of regions elsewhere competing on the world tourism stage;

current gaps between what the region offers now and what it needs to offer in the future; and the regional opportunities and investments required to become Australia’s heritage tourism

region and a world class tourist destination.

An underlying objective of the project was the pursuit of World Heritage Listing for the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park. This objective is dealt with specifically in the report’s Development Proposals.

Other requirements of the project included: a summary of regional themes, heritage places/precinct/attractions/events, and associated

12


tourism interests and businesses; identification of the latest tourism and economic research with particular focus on

employment, diversity of local businesses, sustainable development of villages, and interstate/international marketing;

a framework to assist in the development of a marketing strategy, including recommended content/communication channels to promote the region interstate and internationally. In respect to the latter, emerging tourism markets such as China were to be given special attention;

an assessment of a range of potential employment and training opportunities arising from this project, and

a framework for community and stakeholder consultation and cooperation.

METHODOLOGY

The authors of this report (the Project Team) were commissioned in August 2011 and worked closely with the Project Control Group (PCG), comprising Local and State Government representatives from the region. The PCG provided regular feedback to the Project Team on the process, findings and directions of the project.

In undertaking the study, tourism and economic research data was examined.

A large number of state, federal and local government plans and strategies relating to heritage and tourism were analysed to establish the level of existing support for heritage and tourism development in the region. Interviews were conducted with key representatives of organisations, government departments and groups providing tourism services; organisations and networks that manage and plan for heritage development and protection; and tourism facility and services providers.

Surveys were used to capture the perceptions of people involved in the provision of tourism facilities and services, and assessments were done by the Project Team of the standard of infrastructure that supports tourism experiences.

The Project Team commenced the project with the understanding that the current situation at a regional level involves a complexity of factors which need to be either addressed or accommodated in building the Goldfields heritage tourism region as an integrated world class heritage tourism destination. These include:

knowledge that what the Goldfields region currently offers (as a heritage and tourism product) is good within Victoria, but lessens interstate and more significantly, internationally;

the fact that there has been a major shift in tourism over recent years, with visitors now seeking experiences rather than just opportunities to observe;

a ‘less than favourable’ current international economic climate and high value of the Australian dollar impacting on the growth market potential from the international sector;

a diversity of existing marketing and promotion structures and activities to a range of markets; only a limited number of large tourism operators exist within the region (e.g., Sovereign Hill),

which is dominated by a host of small operators, many of which are run as hobbies, lifestyle businesses, or diversifications from core business activities (such as farming or wine making);

a need for mechanisms to ensure cooperation across the region, between organisations, departments, communities and within community groups;

the Ballarat-Bendigo region has been identified as one of the 20 priority employment areas across the country;

the region is still suffering from effects of flooding in September 2010 and February 2011; the region has labour and skill shortages that are impacting on the tourism and hospitality

industries; there is uncertainty over regional structures as the Goldfields Campaign Committee has

dissolved and the Regional Tourism Board implementation process has not yet been completed;

the Australian and Victorian governments both acknowledge that more investment is required in tourism to be competitive within Australia and internationally; and

13


the implementation of the recommendations arising from this report must be seen as a long term project (or series of projects) and provide a strategic basis for development within the region.

14


CHAPTER 2.PROJECT RATIONALE

WHY A HERITAGE TOURISM DESTINATION?

In undertaking the project, the Project Team researched and considered the value of national and world heritage listed places, in order to understand the possible tourism impacts and potential social and economic outcomes for the Goldfields region.

What is a National or World Heritage Place or Site?

National or world heritage places and sites of significance are those that are recognised to have exceptional cultural or natural value to the Australian community or are of Outstanding Universal Value (the term used by the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO).

The World Heritage Convention is an agreement between signatory nations to value, protect, study and conserve places and sites of exceptional cultural and natural significance (Outstanding Universal Value).

World Heritage Places and Sites are nominated voluntarily by World Heritage Convention signatory nations, and have been assessed and inscribed in the list by the World Heritage Committee. As of November 2011 this included 725 cultural sites, 183 natural sites and 28 mixed properties in 153 countries.

World Heritage Site selection criteria are:i. to represent a masterpiece of human creative genius;

ii. to exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design;

iii. to bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared;

iv. to be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history;

v. to be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change;

vi. to be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance. (The Committee considers that this criterion should preferably be used in conjunction with other criteria);

vii. to contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance;

viii. to be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth's history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features;

ix. to be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals;

15


x. to contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation.

The protection, management, authenticity and integrity of properties are also important considerations.1

Areas of national heritage significance are recognised for attributes that contribute to Australia’s national identity. Places, sites and areas of National Heritage Significance are assessed by the Australian Heritage Council and added to the national list by the Federal Minister for the Environment.

1 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO World Heritage Centre 1992-2012, 3/01/12 http://whc.unesco.org/en/criteria/

16

http://whc.unesco.org/en/criteria/


ECONOMIC VALUE OF RECOGNISED HERITAGE AREAS

The power of recognised lists, such as Australia’s National Heritage List or the World Heritage List, lies in their ability to be marketed as aspirational and exclusive. The significance of such destinations, identified by their capacity to meet rigorous criteria and the exclusivity of the list ensures that each destination is seen as offering something special and unique, a powerful marketing and branding tool in a highly competitive and choice-heavy industry such as tourism.

In 2008 a study titled Economic Activity of Australia’s World Heritage Areas 2008 was undertaken which, among other things, reviewed the economic impacts of the World Heritage Listing of 15 of Australia’s World Heritage Areas (WHA) at a regional state/territory and national level.

In all instances except for Macquarie Island and Lord Howe Island, the expenditure of visitors provided a major economic stimulus. However, there are caveats on this research; the methodology used analysed all expenditure associated with visitors to a WHA and there is no way to tell from the secondary data how much of that expenditure is attributable to the WHAs alone.

The report states that work by Buckley and Blackwell (2008) concludes that a World Heritage designation appears to yield significant increases in the proportion of international visitors to individual sites.2

Tourism market share is a valuable, but difficult thing to gain. Today’s tourists, both domestic and international, travel more regularly, generally spend less, consider the world their playground, want experiences not just observations and increasingly are personalising their holidays.

However, successful attraction of tourists can be lucrative. In the Goldfields region 39,334 jobs (23.95% of all jobs) are in sectors that are either tourism characteristic industries or connected industries and domestic visitors alone spent $1.16 billion in the Goldfields region in 2011. The tourism sector is Victoria’s second largest, bringing $15.8 billion into the State’s economy last year and is recognised by both the Federal and State Governments as important for the economic growth of regional communities, with 46% of national tourism expenditure spent in regional areas. The economic worth of tourism to the Goldfields is explored and analysed in more detail in Chapter 7 of this report.

2 Gillespie Economics and BDA Group Economics and the Environment. Economic Activity of Australia’s World Heritage Areas. Final Report 2008.

17


TARGET MARKETS AND MARKET SEGMENTATIONTourists are diverse and ever changing. They can be defined in many different ways.

High yield tourists are those that have a propensity to contribute socially, environmentally and economically to the destination they are visiting. They are therefore looking for opportunities to participate in, experience and explore their destination, whether that be by partaking of local produce, experiencing local art and culture, participating in an event or festival or learning something new. High yield tourists are, by their very nature, likely to be interested in areas of cultural and heritage significance, because of the destination’s unique and aspirational characteristics.

Cultural visitors are identified as those who have attended a theatre performance, or other performing arts; a cultural festival, fair or event; visited a museum or art gallery; or attended a history or heritage site or participated in a craft workshop.

Cultural visitors typically stay at a destination for a longer period of time and have a higher average spend per visitor than non-cultural visitors. The top two cultural tourism activities for both domestic and international visitors in 2008 were visiting heritage buildings, sites or monuments, and visiting museums and galleries.

This project has analysed and developed projects and proposals that aim to increase the number of high yield cultural tourists to the Goldfields region with the view to increasing the economic impact of heritage tourism, in turn generating more employment opportunities and investment in community infrastructure.

Within the target market of high yield tourists, this project as identified market segments, based on the Roy Morgan Value Segments.3

Markets are increasingly becoming more diverse and fragmented; audiences are narrower in focus and more demanding of targeted information. Increased education, income and social mobility has resulted in a higher degree of individualisation, particularly for the tourism sector, where people are expressing self-determination - building their own holiday and seeking out deals and value for themselves. An effective way to target visitors is to break them into segments based on what motivates them, or their value base.

This approach is consistent with Tourism Victoria’s targeted marketing of the regions, which is reflected in the various marketing and advertising campaigns that have been rolled out over the past decade or more.

Value Segments – Traditional Family Life, Socially Aware and Visible Achievers

Traditional Family Life – 20% of the population - This pattern of thinking personifies middle-ageing Australian home owners with relatively stable incomes that meet the needs of the smaller household. Energies revolve around the ideal of becoming grandparents or getting children to come home for visits or at least to keep in touch. Health and spirituality dominates a sense of meaning and purpose in life and being well-respected in the community is very important.

Socially Aware – 15% of the population - This pattern of thinking is usually associated with the highest socioeconomic group in the community. This mindset is the speciality of public servants, pressure groups, business analysts and politicians of all political colours. These "insatiable information vacuum cleaners" are addicted to finding out or trying anything that's new or different and persuading others to accept their opinions, priorities and lifestyle preferences.

3 Devised by Michele Levine of Roy Morgan Research and Colin Benjamin of The Horizons Network.

18


Visible Achievers – 17% of the population - This pattern of thinking is associated with the proof of having made it up in the seemingly never-ending social ladder. Personal recognition, higher incomes, job satisfaction and other tangible rewards of success such as travel, recreation and high-quality homes, vehicles and holiday location provide the very best of visible good living.4

These value segments are already identified by Tourism Victoria as those who travel to the Goldfields region, seeking out the history and heritage, education and food and wine tourism products for which the region is recognised.

4 Roy Morgan Research, 2010, 26/01/12. www.roymorgan.com/products/values-segments/values-segments.cfm

19


WHAT DOES AN AREA OF CULTURAL HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE LOOK LIKE?

The underlying feature of all sites of significant heritage value is their uniqueness. This feature in turn makes them attractive tourism destinations, as many people desire holidays or travel to include noteworthy experiences. Ease of travel has meant that holidays have become not just periods of leisure or rest, but about aspirational experiences that are often very different from people’s day to day lives.

Analysis by the Project Team of cultural heritage tourism destinations around the world has determined that successful destinations require this same element of uniqueness and aspiration, supported by infrastructure, industries, products and a tourism friendly culture.

Table 2.1 and 2.2 attempt to provide comparison points between some of Australia’s quite diverse ‘successful’ tourist destinations.

The selection of destinations has been comprised through suggestions from the Project Team, Project Control Group, those featured prominently on Tourism Australia’s website and those that received very high customer satisfaction ratings in Tourism Research Australia’s 2011 visitor surveys. It is not comprehensive, but aims to deliver a list of attributes that can be used as a guide or benchmark in establishing tourism infrastructure and product.

The list of destinations has been divided into those whose primary attraction is their natural form, and those that have been built.

The list of attributes or success factors has been compiled by: assessing the features of each destination; and grouping the type of information which seemed to be consistently offered by destinations

(suggesting this was the information potential tourists wanted).

The information was then grouped under broad headings that also correlate to the outcome themes identified in the tender response.

In undertaking the desktop research, it was identified that the overarching success factors of accessibility, information, accommodation, attractions and events required another layer of information to provide meaningful comparison, to then allow the testing of those success factors.

20


Table 2.1 Tourism Attributes of a Selection of ‘Successful’ Natural Cultural Heritage Destinations

Destination Bay of Fires

Blue Mountains*

Phillip Island

Red Centre* Great Barrier Reef*

Kakadu* Ningaloo* Frasier Island*

Success Factor Rating: 0 = not present, 1 = poor, 2 = average, 3 = good, 4 = very good/excellent Accessibility Close proximity to

commercial airport (2 hours)

2 3 2 4 4 1 0 3

Rail 0 3 0 0 4 0 0 0Road 1 4 4 4 4 3 3 4Tours 2 4 3 4 4 4 3 3Hire facilities 1 3 3 3 4 3 2 3

Information Well known? 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 4Can I easily find out more

3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

When I’m there can I find out more

0 4 4 4 4 4 4 2

Is it marketed aspirationally?

3 2 3 4 4 4 3 2

Accommodation 3 - 4.5 star 2 4 4 4 4 2 3 35 star 0 3 0 3 4 0 0 0B&B 0 4 3 0 4 0 2 3Low budget 0 3 3 4 4 4 3 4Self-contained 0 4 3 3 4 0 3 3Farm Stay 0 3 3 0 4 4 3 0Resort 2 3 2 3 4 0 3 2

Attractions and Events

Restaurants 0 4 3 3 4 0 3 0Event calendar 0 4 4 4 4 3 3 0Supporting attractions/towns

3 4 3 2 4 1 2 3

*Denotes those with World Heritage status

21


Table 2.2 Tourism Attributes of a Selection of ‘Successful’ Built Cultural Heritage Destinations

Destination Sovereign Hill

Sydney Opera House*

GSTR# Byron Bay and region

Broom Cairns Port Arthur* Gold Coast

Success Factor Rating: 0 = not present, 1 = poor, 2 = average, 3 = good, 4 = very good/excellentAccessibility Close proximity to

commercial airport (2 hours)

3 4 3 3 4 4 2 4

Rail 4 4 3 4 0 4 0 4Road 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4Tours 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4Hire facilities 3 4 4 4 3 4 2 4

Information Well known 3 4 3 3 4 3 3 3Can I easily find out more

4 4 3 4 4 4 4 4

When I’m there can I find out more

4 4 1 3 4 4 3 4

Is it marketed aspirationally?

2 1 2 3 4 3 2 3

Accommodation 3 - 4.5 star 4 4 3 4 4 4 3 45 star 1 4 1 4 3 3 0 4B&B 2 4 2 4 3 4 2 3Low budget 3 3 3 4 4 4 3 3Self-contained 2 4 3 3 3 4 3 4Farm Stay 2 2 3 3 0 2 0 2Resort 2 3 2 4 4 3 0 4

Attractions and Events

Restaurants 3 4 3 4 4 4 3 4Event calendar 3 4 2 3 3 3 3 4Supporting attractions/towns

3 4 3 3 4 4 3 4

*Denotes those with World Heritage status

# GSTR = Great Southern Touring Route

22


While there is no definitive list of must-have products and services that define a successful heritage tourism destination, there are a number of contributing factors that are shared:

Rich in heritage assets Authentic experience Point of difference or uniqueness Unified or consistent experience or focus across the area or site Contributes to the economic development of the surrounding region A strong commitment to conservation and preservation Supporting tourism industries and infrastructure that is diverse in nature, but of consistent

quality Provides opportunities for interpretation, education and exploration Easily accessible by a range of different modes of transport Part of communities that value the tourism sector

It is clear that competition is fierce and many other parts of the country are seeking a slice of the heritage tourism action. Australians are interested in gaining a greater appreciation of their heritage, but when faced with a choice between Uluru and a visit to the central goldfields of Victoria, the former is likely to win, not because it is easier and cheaper to reach, but rather because it is more likely to provide a dramatic and engaging experience. When faced with a choice between a visit to Sovereign Hill and just about any other goldfields town in the region the choice will probably go to Sovereign Hill. Not because it is any easier to reach and nor cheaper. Rather, it provides a packaged experience which will be guaranteed to engage the tourist. Other locations may expect the tourist to find the experience and more often than not miss it.

23


WHY THE GOLDFIELDS REGION COULD BE A HERITAGE TOURISM DESTINATION

The Goldfields region certainly has all the makings of a successful cultural heritage tourism destination. The region’s heritage assets are renowned and well recognised in Victoria and across Australia. The gold rush brought a generation of entrepreneurs who not only pursued their riches, but established a whole range of independent and ambitious communities. These towns often boasted grand architecture, vibrant cultural institutions such as art galleries, theatres and mechanics institutions and beautiful public gardens and infrastructure, most of which still exist today.

These frontier mining communities had a culture of self-determination and from that came grand ideals and strong social and political values, which had influence across the nation. Sites of national political and social significance can be visited across the region.

Each town or village has its own part of the gold rush story to tell, offering a wealth of tourism experiences. While the stories of the gold rush are different across the region and the impacts vary greatly, it is the one thing that unites and defines the area.

The region incorporates areas with other well established brands or marketing messages, such as the ‘Wellbeing’ marketing message of the Daylesford and Macedon Spa Country, and ‘Natural Environment’ around Halls Gap in Northern Grampians Shire. Recognition as Australia’s Heritage tourism destination neither contradicts nor diminishes these messages. The thrust for the wellness theme links well with the gold heritage in the twin towns of Hepburn Springs and Daylesford, where the streetscapes are characterised by heritage buildings that date to the gold rush; the surrounding landscape, which was ravaged and denuded by the diggers; and mineral springs which were developed and treasured by Swiss and Italian migrants who came to find their fortunes and then settled in the area.

As already discussed, tourism is well established in the region as an important industry sector, transport links are strong, of high quality and provide easy access to most parts of the region, and the area has a strong foundation of tourism product, attractions, and accommodation and service industries to build upon.

The existing and well-resourced network of historical societies, Visitor Information Services and genealogical associations provides a strong base to develop greater interpretative information for a growing tourist market.

Stakeholders throughout the Goldfields region unanimously support the proposal to recognise the area as Australia’s heritage tourism region. The proposal is also a key action in both the Loddon Mallee and the Central Highlands Regional Strategic Plans. However, individual local government level strategic plans and policies are less explicit on the role of Goldfields heritage. Agreement on the vision and the pathways to a coordinated approach in establishing Australia’s heritage destination is critical.

Cornish Mining World Heritage Site

The establishment of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site offers a great insight into how a cultural heritage region might take shape and how effectively the concept can be communicated and marketed. The landscape of Cornwall and West Devon was transformed in the 18th and early 19th centuries as a result of the rapid growth of copper and tin mining. Innovation and advances in technology developed by the Cornish miners enabled the region to produce two-thirds of the world’s supply of copper at that time.

There are great similarities in the stories that can be told about the Central Victorian Goldfields with regard to the geology of the region, mining processes, and infrastructure developed to support mining, settlement and transport, global influence, innovation and invention, people, society, and culture and institutions.

24


DOES THE PROPOSED REGION APPROPRIATELY REFLECT THE GOLDFIELDS STORY?

The Goldfields Region as described in the brief for this project embraces all central Victorian municipalities which were in any way impacted by the discovery of and mining for gold.

The region, when described by these municipal boundaries, does not reflect the true extent of gold discovery, mining and associated impacts. These municipal boundaries are a modern construct designed for a broad range of administrative purposes. They do not necessarily reflect common histories and heritage.

For example, Campaspe Shire is based at Echuca on the Murray River and to many people its history is best represented by the stories associated with the river. However, at the southern end of the Shire around Rushworth and Whroo there is a very evocative story about gold. As has been discovered in completing analyses for this project, using tourism figures for Campaspe in no way reflects the impact of its gold heritage, which plays a minor role behind the river, its history and heritage in attracting visitors.

Equally, the impact of gold on the tourism potential of the modern Golden Plains, Moorabool, Macedon Ranges and Loddon Shires is limited to specific and limited parts of those municipalities or, as with the case of Macedon Ranges, specific stories around the support role played by towns and settlements in the Shire.

In the municipalities of Ararat, Ballarat, Central Goldfields, Greater Bendigo, Hepburn, Mt Alexander, Northern Grampians and Pyrenees the evidence of the gold stories is far more pervasive and more easily able to be interpreted and presented as a tourism product.

In no way does this means that the Goldfields region should be limited to this latter group of municipalities, but rather it must be acknowledged that the tourism development effort in the other municipalities may not be primarily the stories associated with gold.

A VISION OF THE GOLDFIELDS REGION AS A HERITAGE TOURISM DESTINATION

The Goldfields Heritage Region will be a premium tourist destination which makes a significant contribution to the economy and prosperity of Victoria. It will also benefit local communities by enhancing civic pride and increased economic activity.

The Goldfields Heritage Region will be a unique, sought after destination in Australia providing high quality and authentic opportunities to experience the legacy of Australia’s gold rush in vibrant communities that have consistently high quality infrastructure and services.

The region will be rich in well-preserved heritage assets that are used and presented in interesting, sustainable and respectful ways that celebrate the unique role of the goldfields in Australia’s cultural identity.

25


CHAPTER 3. WHAT WILL SUCCESS LOOK LIKE IN THE GOLDFIELDS REGION?

A heritage tourism region in the Goldfields will build on the area’s identified strengths of the: depth and wealth of heritage assets within the region; authenticity of the region’s heritage; existing tourism market share and positioning of the region; and well-established events calendar.

It will address or provide the impetus for changing many of the service, product and infrastructure gaps outlined in Chapter 8.

HERITAGE ASSETS

A national and world recognised heritage tourism destination will maximise the opportunity of its heritage assets by having common experiential standards across its touring routes, tracks and trails, VICs, accommodation, public amenities and information and interpretation material. This will require the development of guidelines and Service Level Agreements across the region, new information both in hard copy and electronic form and a governance model for the ongoing management of the touring routes.

The long term aim is to secure World Heritage Listing of the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park. In pursuing this objective the experience of the Cornish Mining Sites provides valuable guidance. The promoters of the World Heritage nomination pursued their objective by assuming that the listing would logically happen and that in the meantime the sites would be treated as though they were listed and therefore would be presented and promoted as such.

The Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park has already gained protection under the National Parks Act, is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register and included on the National Heritage List. So it is in a strong position to assume that world listing will ultimately eventuate and the place should be interpreted, promoted and managed as though that was the case.

Efforts need to be made to ensure that there is an immediate high quality interpretation facility which explains the importance of the site to the broader community. This could be achieved through a physical site, and/or more quickly through an online interpretative and visitor information centre.

Outcome: A greater understanding by the Australian community of the role of the gold rushes in establishing the Australian identity and culture and more precisely an understanding of the role of this site as an important archaeological remnant of the early gold rushes.

AUTHENTICITY OF REGION

The authenticity of the region’s heritage assets will become increasingly important as more and more people are attracted to the area and seeking more information about the region. A restoration fund, to assist owners (public and private) to conserve and restore their heritage assets, will be required, as well as a mechanism to assist in the sustainable redevelopment of assets to ensure viable business and product offerings.

An important element of authentic heritage is the gathering and recording of stories and historical facts associated with the assets. The role of local museums, historical societies and genealogical

26


groups is critical in this. Actions should be explored to support and strengthen these important community assets. Outcome: A series of cities, towns and settlements that celebrate the importance of the

gold rushes to the region’s development. This includes restored and appropriately occupied buildings and streetscapes that are attractive to visitors and in themselves promote the value of the region’s gold heritage.Ability for visitors to readily access stories and information about the places they visit.

MARKETSHARE

A region-wide marketing strategy will provide links across the already extensive marketing and promotional activities that occur around the region. The regional marketing strategy will rely heavily on new media and will construct a framework for engaging stakeholders and developing an inclusive regional identity and brand.

The gaps to be addressed include: awareness of and consistency of message about the region’s significance and point of

difference; unification of the region behind the project; private product, accommodation and service industry investment; quality of public infrastructure and amenities; and consistency of customer service.

The development of a region-wide marketing strategy and gold heritage regional identity will assist in establishing a consistency of messages across the area. It should also assist in the development of appropriate and consistent collateral, material and information for tourists that can be accessed all over the region.

Another important step will be to provide engaging, fun and personal information about the region and its sub regions, giving each community an opportunity to tell its part of the gold rush story.

Outcome: A regional destination that is appealing to a wide range of high yield tourists because of its branding, consistent messaging and easily accessible, engaging information, all of which consequently combines to create a destination that this market aspires to visit.A region that is appealing to a wide variety of people because it uses new technology to enable visitors to personalise their trip to the region.

MARKET POSITIONING AND IDENTITY It will be important to provide a mechanism for implementing the various projects required and ensure equity and commitment. The Project Team believes that ultimately the project is sufficiently unique and complex for it to warrant its own management board. However, in the beginning it would be more appropriate for this to be established as a Goldfields Heritage Region Advisory Board reporting to and advising a sub-committee of the two Regional Planning Committees led by the two chairing council CEOs.

An important role will be establishing a regional identity. There will need to be extensive lobbying, stakeholder engagement and close links with private sector operators. It will be important to share information with and between local councils particularly in the areas of strategic and heritage planning, heritage restoration, investment and development, private sector interest and state and federal funding opportunities.

27


Outcome: Consistent and integrated planning and development of the region’s heritage assetsSuccessful marketing of the regionSuccessful bidding and lobbying of funding partners

ACCOMMODATION, PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AND ATTRACTIONS

A coordinated list of potential product and investment opportunities will be developed, and the Project Management Team will work with local councils to ensure the appropriate strategic, land use planning and economic development strategies are in place to facilitate private opportunities.

Outcome: recognition that the region is open for business and able to respond to new private opportunities quickly and appropriately, resulting in new investment

PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE, ASSET AND AMENITIES INVESTMENT

New funds for reinvestment in infrastructure in key civic precincts will allow the region to develop a consistent quality of public amenity such as streetscapes, toilets and town entrances. This is critical to providing a sense of destination to visitors and ensuring that the region offers a cohesive and quality experience to visitors and local communities.

Design outcomes will not be prescribed, but all councils across the region will have access to resources to develop well designed streetscape programs that celebrate the municipality’s heritage.

A restoration fund will provide the impetus for many individuals and councils to undertake much needed restoration and conservation works.

Outcome: Increased public pride, business investment and sense of community.Greater sense of a united region with a strong sense of self for visitors

EVENTS

Establishment of a regional events framework that includes a regional calendar, season of shared heritage events and festivals. A major events subcommittee within the proposed Project Management Team will assist in the attraction or development of new regional events that will build on the strengths of the region’s already strong event calendar and assist the region in competing in this highly competitive market.

Outcome: The region is recognised as a coordinated heritage festival destination, offering integrated, relevant events that build upon the region’s key heritage tourism offerings and play a key role in attracting people to the region.

28


CHAPTER 4. STRATEGIC AND POLICY CONTEXT

HERITAGE IN THE GOLDFIELDS REGION - POLICY AND PLANNING CONTEXT

There are a large number of plans and strategies that impact directly and indirectly on heritage management and conservation, infrastructure development and tourism from the national, state, regional and the local level. At the local level they are being prepared by councils and tourism and business groups. They are also being prepared at the regional level through existing clusters of LGAs with input from state and federal government through Regional Development Victoria (RDV) and Regional Development Australia (RDA). There are state and federal government plans and policies that are impacting on the marketing and the development of the tourism sector in this region.

Heritage in the Goldfields region is identified as a tourism driver for part of the study area in local plans, regional, state and national strategic planning documents. There are tourism plans that have been prepared that inform the way that resources are currently being allocated to parts of the region from the state and the federal governments.

The disparate elements that contribute to the development of a successful tourism offering mean that plans that also relate to education and training, transport, information technology, economic development, land-use planning also impact on the region’s capacity to grow and develop a successful tourism industry with a focus on heritage.

The following is a summary of key plans, policies and research reviewed and the direct implications for the advancement of the Victorian Goldfields as Australia’s heritage region.

NATIONAL PLANS AND POLICIES

Economic Importance of Tourism in Australia’s Regions 2011

This plan establishes that tourism plays an important role in the Australian economy with 46% of tourism expenditure spent in regional areas. It compares the value of each region’s tourism industry to its local economy and ranks each region by the relative importance of tourism to their local economy. The only tourism region in the study area in the top 20 is the Spa Country Region (Daylesford and Macedon) where the estimate of economic importance is tourism is 14.3%. It highlights the vulnerability of a wide range of communities to impacts upon the tourism industry.5

Strategic Issues for Australian Tourism 2008

This report identifies a large number of common issues experienced across Australia in the tourism sector. It underpins the development of a national tourism strategy and participants in the process suggested that the focus of the strategy should be on cultivating best practice destinations with clearly defined role and responsibilities.6

Key issues identified in this project are largely the same as the key issues identified in this study area and included:

• developing a strong and capable workforce;• increasing the industry’s leadership and self-management capabilities;• increasing advocacy and the recognition of the importance of tourism;• developing the industry’s viability, productivity, innovation and response mechanisms;

5 The Economic Importance of Tourism in Australia’s Regions. Tourism Research Australia, April 2011.6 Strategic Issues for Australian Tourism 2008. Char-Lee McLennan. Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism 2009.

29


• increasing the effectiveness of industry institutions and structures;• taking a holistic and transparent approach;• reducing constraints on investment;• gaining greater insights into consumer behaviour; and • supporting the industry through strategic and applied research.

Heritage Strategies

Whist the Commonwealth does not have a specific heritage strategy (it is understood it is working on the development of one) it has, for some time, adopted a heritage conservation strategy which focuses on the development and management of the National Heritage List and the representation of Australia and Australia’s interests in the World Heritage Committee. This included the nomination of places for inclusion on the World Heritage List and any advocacy necessary to ensure the inscription of such places. The Australian Government has also been active in assisting smaller Pacific nations in promoting their involvement with the UNESCO and the world heritage processes.

STATE GOVERNMENT PLANNING AND POLICY CONTEXT

Regional Tourism Action Plan 2009-2012

The Regional Tourism Action Plan recommends increasing demand for regional tourism experiences. It is informed by the Government’s 10 Year Tourism and Events Strategy and the Tourism Victoria Business Plan and aims to provide a guide to respond to challenges impacting on tourism growth in regional Victoria.

The Goldfields region is the only region in the State that has history and heritage as primary product strength, along with arts and culture and festivals and events. The Grampians region’s product strengths are regarded to be nature and adventure tourism, indigenous heritage and wildlife.

The Regional Tourism Action Plan: highlights a drop in the number of visits to the more distant regions or those beyond a short

radius of Melbourne; establishes that international tourists represent 2.8% of tourists to the regions and represent

an area of growth; identifies the short-comings in regional tourism industry structures and recommends the

implementation of new Regional Tourism Boards, Regional Tourism Associations and Local Tourism Associations with different roles to play;

recommends improvements in the supply and quantity of tourism experiences and investment in regional aviation and improvements to major road infrastructure;

recommends making guidelines around destination signage clearer; recommends making secure investment and infrastructure priorities around Victoria’s natural

asset base and the tourism strengths of each region; and recommends advancing priority investment projects in each region and advocating for tourism

to be incorporated in all relevant government investment and infrastructure planning.

The Plan observes that increasing demand has been thwarted by the limited funds for major campaigns and a range of issues with the structure of the Regional Campaign Committees. The plan commits to working on improvements to the online tourism capabilities to assist regional Victoria, the building up and promotion of touring routes and supporting the development of tourism and community events, and the attraction of more business events to regional Victoria.

The plan identifies the importance of addressing skills, service standards and environmental sustainability. Commitments to improvement in the plan include an expanded Tourism Excellence Program; completing the Workforce Development Plan; investigating ways to mitigate against the impacts of climate change and support for crisis management in the sector.

30


At the time of writing an evaluation of the implementation of the plan was not available although some initiatives including the restructuring of some of the Regional Tourism Boards had commenced.

For the Goldfields region the product strength of culture, heritage and history were acknowledged and highlighted. Under the headings of Investment and Infrastructure, Marketing and Business Development there were a number of specific recommendations to be achieved by collaboration between state government, tourism boards, local government, industry and investors. The recommendations were:

Investment and Infrastructure;• Resolve on the future of the Regional Tourism Boards.• Advocate for the development of a hotel associated with Sovereign Hill.• Tourism and infrastructure product development to capitalise on opportunities in Bendigo -

Chinese Precinct, gallery expansion, high quality accommodation with conference facilities, and championship golf.

• Ballarat – Arts and Cultural precinct improvements, Lake Wendouree infrastructure improvements, accommodation and conference facilities.

• Boutique accommodation associated with heritage, arts, culture, wine and food.• Tourism product and infrastructure to support the Great Dividing Trail.

Marketing;• Leverage off the new Goldfields marketing campaign. • Use the Bendigo high quality infrastructure and reputation as a cultural tourism destination to

develop sustainable cultural events.• Leverage of the region’s proximity to Melbourne and the Great Southern Touring Route.• Highlight the arts, theatre and cultural links to Melbourne and the Goldfields region and

investigate major exhibitions.

Business Development;• Investigate packaging art galleries and museum in the region.• Continue to maximise the strategic relationship between Bendigo and Ballarat.• Investigate opportunities to develop food and wine in the region.• Support the region in its application for world heritage listing for the Castlemaine Diggings

National Heritage Park • Develop the industry’s understanding of e-marketing opportunities.

The Plan is instrumental in the allocation of State Government funds and resources. The initiative to establish the region as Australia’s Goldfields Heritage Region, while not explicitly stated as an objective, is consistent with the plan. This project will need to form part of the Plan’s next iteration.

Victoria’s Arts, Theatre and Cultural Heritage Tourism Action Plan 2010-2014

This plan is guided by the strategic directions expressed in the 10 Year Event Tourism and Events Industry Strategy, The Tourism Victoria Business Plan 2009-2012 and Regional Tourism Victoria Action Plan 2009-2012. Importantly, it articulates how Tourism Victoria seeks to evolve key tourism segments including arts, theatre and cultural heritage.7

Victoria has established itself as the leading cultural destination in Australia. While many of the plan’s actions focus on the cultural assets of Melbourne, it acknowledges the rich history and heritage experiences in regional Victoria. The plan identifies a range of actions in relation to:

• building consumer demand for cultural tourism experiences;• growing the competitive advantage of the cultural tourism sector; and • improving industry coordination to support growth.

It is in this plan that a definition of what is a cultural visitor and what do they do is expressed. This is important in the context of this project. As outlined earlier, cultural visitors are identified as those who

7 Victoria’s Arts, Theatre and Cultural Heritage Tourism Action Plan 2010-2014. Tourism Victoria.

31


have attended a theatre performance, or other performing arts; a cultural festival, fair or event; visited a museum or art gallery; or attended a history or heritage site or participated in a craft workshop.

The top two cultural tourism activities for both domestic and international visitors in 2008 were visiting heritage buildings, sites or monuments, and visiting museums and galleries. The number of international visitors doing this has been steadily growing.

Developing signature cultural events for the Victorian Goldfields alongside utilising digital technology to engage potential cultural tourists are key initiatives articulated in this plan.

Victorian Heritage Strategy

The Victorian Heritage Council adopted a Strategic Plan in 2011 which sets the following directions for its role in heritage conservation in Victoria.

Engage Victorians in discourse about our cultural heritage and ensuring its contribution to identity and quality of life.

Champion and support exemplary heritage conservation policy and practice. Be an innovative, effective and respected Heritage Council. Fulfil statutory obligations with diligence and determination.

Regional Planning and Policy Context

The development of Australia’s Goldfields Heritage Region in the Victorian Goldfields is a priority action identified in two regional strategic planning documents prepared during 2009 and 2010 through collaboration between members of the community and different tiers of Government. These planning documents are the Loddon Mallee Regional Strategic Plan and the Central Highlands Regional Strategic Plan.

The plans were developed to identify the most important issues in the regions and present a framework for the way stakeholders can work together to maximise opportunities and manage growth and change in a way that benefits communities. They will assist in the way the regions identify, prioritise, support and deliver on projects.

Both plans specifically nominate the establishment of the region as Australia’s Goldfields Heritage Region as a key action to assist in the diversification of local economies; contribute to liveability in the region and celebrate and preserve unique characteristics that have national significance.

Loddon Mallee Regional Strategic Plan – Southern Region

The Loddon Mallee Regional Strategic Plan articulates six strategic directions and an aspirational statement that establishes the importance of prosperous towns and settlements and the development of a vibrant regional city in Bendigo - a centre where high quality arts, recreation, cultural, educational and health services will continue to be developed. It also states that the region will boast a diverse economy attracting new investment in a range of industry sectors including manufacturing and where the natural, indigenous and goldfields heritage will be appreciated and protected.

The six strategic directions are to: 1. manage our population growth and settlements;2. strengthen our communities;3. strengthen and diversify our economy;4. improve our infrastructure;5. improve education and training outcomes; and 6. protect and enhance our built and natural environment.8

8 Loddon Mallee Regional Strategic Plan – Southern Region.

32


Strategic direction number three includes a priority action; “to establish Australia’s Goldfields Heritage Region linked to the Goldfields Heritage as an iconic destination to value our natural environment and promote tourism within the region”.

Other strategies supporting the development of small towns, improved broadband, improved arts and cultural infrastructure in Bendigo as well as airport and convention facilities can contribute to success of the establishment of Australia’s Heritage Region. Another priority action supporting this Study is to prepare and implement Regional Settlement Growth Plans. Some towns within this Study scope have been identified in the Regional Settlement Growth Plan as priorities i.e. Maldon, Castlemaine, Maryborough, Inglewood and Wedderburn.

This project can also contribute to the wellbeing and liveability of small communities by recognising the importance of community events and celebrations and by promoting the need to enhance the physical appearance and infrastructure of some small towns.

Central Highlands Regional Strategic Plan

The Central Highlands Regional Strategic Plan sets out a series of integrated strategic directions and actions designed to realise a vision for the region. Among the major attributes of the region are its compactness and proximity to Melbourne, concentration of Australia’s gold mining heritage, a well-developed and integrated higher education and training system network and a restructuring economy embracing new opportunities in such areas as IT, advanced manufacturing, education and tourism.

Tourism has traditionally been important in the region. A network of tourist facilities provide a strong base; Ballarat with Sovereign Hill; the Grampians National Park and Australia’s premier spa and mineral springs district at Daylesford-Hepburn. These are nationally known, but the region is also well known for its cultural heritage and relationship to our national identity.

New change management strategies are needed that build Heritage Tourism with Tourism Victoria’s well developed Nature Based Tourism Strategy so that the region can experience the significant benefits that will flow from increased visitation, particularly from international tourists.9

Loddon Mallee Regionally Significant Trail Network Report

The Trail Network has identified seven priority trail proposals that have the potential to attract domestic and international visitors to the area. They have been selected because they can showcase the unique landscape and cultural features of the Southern Mallee Region, invigorate local communities and enhance the reputation of the region. The report makes a number of recommendations about the management and coordination of the trails, research and data collection, trail development, marketing and maintenance.

The report covers six councils in the study area and of the seven key trails identified for development five have links to the gold heritage of the region.10 Those trails are:

the Goldfields Track - connects Ballarat to Bendigo via 210 km of tracks suitable for walking and in several sections mountain bike riding. It passes by a number of key gold heritage towns and settlements including Creswick, Daylesford, Hepburn, Fryerstown, and Chewton. It passes through the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park, Mount Alexander Regional Park, Box Ironbark Forests, gold mining relics and the historic Coliban channel system;

Captain Melville’s Trail – a 56 kilometre trail beginning at the Loddon River in Bridgewater through to the Morning Star Mine near Inglewood;

the Diggers Trail - anoff-road cycling and walking trail that is linked to the Goldfields Track and the historic steam train between Castlemaine and Maldon the townships of Castlemaine, Newstead, Maldon and Guildford;

9 Central Highlands Regional Strategic Plan, Page 13.10 Loddon Mallee Regionally Significant Trails Network August 2010 - Community Vibe.

33


the O’Keefe Rail Trail - extending the existing Trail from Bendigo beyond Axedale to Heathcote; and

Waranga Trail - commences at Heathcote using low use forest roads through the Heathcote and Graystone National Park. The trail would then travel through the historic ghost town of Whroo to Rushworth.

The report profiles the needs of different trail users and establishes that the most frequent users of these trails are local. There are significant opportunities for increased use by tourists seeking to experience the gold rush environment if investment is made in marketing and infrastructure development. This will benefit local people who use the tracks for recreation and health purposes and can also benefit communities through increased visitation and economic activity.

Heritage Conservation Policy

An important underpinning of this project is a critical mass of gold rush heritage remaining in the area. The preservation of sites with special relevance to the gold rush story has been achieved by a great many people and organisations that care about the history of their area, but also through the introduction of heritage conservation policies.

In the early days the heritage conservation movement had a focus on the preservation of grand pieces of architecture and preferably pieces in public ownership. Since the 1980s there has been a wave of reform that has had to acknowledge not just buildings and monuments, but neighbourhoods, precincts and places. The philosophy embodies the concept that historic buildings should be adapted for new uses and continue to play a useful role in the life of a community.

State government reforms at that time focused on supporting local government in its heritage conservation efforts. Public policy around heritage conservation moved from buildings and monuments to heritage legislation with broad conservation objectives outlined in town planning statutes administered at the local government level.

Economic Development Policy In Local Government

Increasingly local government is playing a greater role in driving of economic development. Councils play an effective role informing what are termed as preconditions for a competitive economic environment. These preconditions include things like:

efficient and effective infrastructure; an appropriately skilled workforce; supportive governance structures; and strong links between learning and research institutions and business to encourage industry

innovation.

A business environment (and people) conducive to new opportunities will involve responsive local government working as a facilitator for a well-defined and targeted end. Those facilitation opportunities include:

the Planning Scheme and Municipal Strategic Statement (MSS); specific infrastructure and or development projects; business information and advisory services; and management of a coordinated approach.

“A major economic impact of tourism is employment creation. Tourism relies on what economists call the propensity to consume. With tourism visitors eating drinking and staying in the area chances are that local production of goods and services will increase leading to more jobs.”11

11 Destination Central Goldfields – Strategic Tourism Plan 2010-2020

34


Tourism helps provide revenue for resident amenities and strengthens a sense of place and civic pride. Not only do communities benefit from economic impacts in dollars and cents but also from the quality of life to which it contributes. In essence tourism is a tool for enhancing what the community love about their region - from the natural environment to its heritage and culture.

Local Government Legislated Role

The purpose of local government is to provide a system under which councils perform the functions and exercise the powers conferred under the Local Government Act 1989. All local councils in Victoria have responsibility for the administration of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 as it relates to land within their municipal boundaries.

Councils are responsible for the peace, order and good government of their municipal districts and play a big role in providing supportive environments that enhance community wellbeing and the liveability of communities.

There are a number of functions prescribed in the Local Government Act that are pertinent to this project and provide a context and rationale for councils’ central role in the delivery of this project. They include:

advocating and promoting proposals which are in the best interests of the local community; planning for and providing services and facilities for the local community; providing and maintaining community infrastructure in the municipal district; and any other function relating to the peace, order and good government of the municipal

district.12

With 13 local governments across the Study region there are many plans that councils prepare that impact on heritage and tourism both directly and indirectly. For instance, through the management of infrastructure, the development and maintenance of urban and natural environments, the preservation of history and heritage, community development and planning, the provision of tourism and information services and the provision of a conducive economic environment. A summary and discussion of those plans follows.

Gold Heritage in Council Plans and Strategies

Councils ready to move on development of their heritage tourism assets have acknowledged the importance of heritage in key strategic documents and have identified opportunities to invest in the development of those assets. In addition to the MSSs, other documents supporting the development of heritage tourism assets are likely to include the Council Plan, Heritage Studies, Tourism Plans, Arts and Cultural Strategies and Economic Development Plans.

Collectively these documents direct council activity at the local level and contribute to establishing the profile and importance of these issues in communities. The directions expressed in these strategic documents are determined by the contributions of community members alongside other policies, strategies, research and legislative activities.

Through the development of planning schemes and the administration of development controls emanating from those schemes, councils are responsible for the protection of heritage places and sites. All councils within the region have included heritage overlay controls within their planning schemes and all have heritage studies and policies which are used to administer those controls. By reviewing other relevant and current council plans and strategies it is possible to assess the strength of councils’ commitment to the preservation and development of heritage assets and the role that heritage plays in local communities, economies, culture and identity.

Table 4.1 offers an overview of the current profile of gold heritage in council strategies and plans from around the region. It shows that amongst the 13 councils in the study area there are five councils with

12 Local Government Act 1989 – Sect 3E.

35


current policies and plans that support a concerted effort to develop infrastructure and services that would support the establishment of the area as Australia’s Goldfields Heritage Region.

According to a review of plans available on council websites and provided at stakeholder interviews, Moorabool and Macedon Ranges do not see the gold heritage in their communities as particularly noteworthy or relevant to the local culture or identity. Campaspe Shire, which is based in Echuca on the Murray River, has an economy and identity strongly linked to the river. However, at the southern end of the Shire around Rushworth and Whroo there is a very evocative story about gold.

Other councils, including the Pyrenees and Northern Grampians, have acknowledged the presence of the gold heritage in their Council Plans and some of their key strategies and they have also identified other tourism product strengths besides heritage, like nature based tourism and wine and food trails. They emphasised their diverse local economies which may or may not have significant tourism activity. Plans to increase the profile of gold heritage assets and activities may not be evident. Mount Alexander, Hepburn, Golden Plains, Loddon, Ararat and Central Goldfields acknowledge, and are well placed to exploit, the gold heritage of their areas because it is part of their local identity, culture and tourism. Bendigo and Ballarat have plans and policies in place that reflect perceptions of these two prosperous regional cities as heritage towns born of the gold boom that started in the 1850s.

36

Table 4.1 Summary of Key Strategic Plans

SUMMARY OF KEY STRATEGIC COUNCIL PLANS City/Shire Council

Plan Tourism Plan

Economic Development Plan

Heritage Plan

Arts and Culture Plan

Other

1 Ararat 2 2 2 2 0 Streetscape improvements mooted Gun San Museum identified to bring to life the stories of Chinese miners who were instrumental in the establishment of the town

2 Ballarat 4 0 2 3 2 Preserving Our Heritage Together Grants and Loans Scheme available for valued heritage precincts and homes. Tourism Plan in draft form

3 Bendigo 4 0 2 3 2 Thematic Heritage Study underway Arts and Culture Plan with focus on historic collections

4 Campaspe Shire

2 2 2 3 0 The focus of tourism related activity is on the River Murray and gold heritage is related to a relatively small portion of the Shire

5 Central Goldfields

4 4 0 2 0 Extensive Tourism Plan with emphasis on Heritage and the Arts developed

6 Golden Plains

1 3 2 2 0 Prepared detailed Tourism infrastructure Development Plan. No VIC but have produced a smartphone/tablet application with details about the tourism offer across the Shire including key gold related heritage sites.

7 Hepburn 3 2 0 3 0 Destination Daylesford is an extensive Tourism Review and Plan to underpin the Australia’s Spa Capital Campaign

8 Loddon 1 3 3 2 0 Recent plans acknowledge gold heritage development opportunities9 Macedon

Ranges 1 1 1 2 2 Tourism Impact Study identifies impacts of visitation but not why people

visit. Heritage planning undertaken in some precincts but not complete 10 Mount

Alexander 3 0 1 2 3 Partnership and funding priorities project identifies Goldfields Track,

Shire Heritage Study and Town Hall Restoration as key projects 11 Moorabool 1 0 0 2 0 Heritage plan development mooted in Council Plan to augment Bacchus

Marsh Heritage Study 12 Northern

Grampians 2 2 2 2 3 Significant nature based tourism activity around Grampians and reflected

in plans. Diversified local economy 13 Pyrenees 1 0 0 3 0 Other tourism product strengths like nature based tourism and wine

making identified as prioritiesKey0 No current plan provided at interview or available on website 1 No comment about Gold Heritage in Plan or Actions 2 Value of Gold Heritage assets acknowledged in Plan but no specific actions identified 3 Value of Gold Heritage to community, culture and economy expressed and actions identified in individual plans 4 Value of Gold Heritage to community, culture and economy expressed and actions identified and integrated across council activity

PLANNING STRATEGIES

All councils in Victoria are required to have a Planning Scheme established under the provisions of the Planning and Environment Act 1987. Each scheme must contain a Municipal Strategic Statement (MSS) which outlines the aims and objectives for land use planning within the municipality.

All councils within the Goldfields region have established objectives and strategies for the identification, management and interpretation of heritage places and sites within their MSSs. These are particularly pertinent in understanding the commitment and obligations of each of the councils with respect to the management of their goldfields heritage and in any number of instances enunciate the understanding of the relationship of the municipality’s cultural heritage to its tourism industry and economic prosperity. Following are extracts from the MSSs.

ARARAT The municipality contains a number of places of post European historic and culturalsignificance which are important to the local and wider community and must be protectedand enhanced for their conservation and tourism potential. The sites (which weredocumented in the Ararat Heritage Study 1994) include buildings, bridges, trees,landscapes and general environments of national, state and local significance. The AraratHeritage Study Review (2001) has added to this and has identified seven heritage precincts.

Objectives include:To protect, conserve and enhance areas, features and sites of historic, Aboriginal, natural and cultural significance.

Strategies include: identifying and protecting heritage places; encouraging sympathetic forms of development adjacent to heritage sites; considering guidelines (including the Aboriginal cultural resource grid maps) produced by

Aboriginal Affairs Victoria; assessing heritage applications in accordance with the Ararat Heritage Study 1994; and assessing heritage applications in accordance with the Ararat Heritage Study Review 2001.

BALLARATIt is important that future development within Ballarat and its townships makes a positive contribution towards the high quality presentation of the City by recognising the character of its setting and preserving valued heritage and natural landscape elements. This will maintain an important component of the City’s liveability. This is also integral to maintaining Ballarat’s reputation and integrity as a tourism destination for authentic heritage and cultural experiences. The positive attributes of the city’s presentation are evident but a number of negative characteristics are also apparent and present an opportunity for improvement.

Objectives include:To protect and enhance the quality and character of the City’s presentation, considering its context in its built and natural environments.

Strategies include: requiring that new development is sympathetic with existing built form and its heritage

significance; and ensuring that advertising signage is controlled in a manner that achieves its commercial

objectives and makes a positive contribution to the overall presentation of the general streetscape.

CAMPASPE The Aboriginal and historic heritage assets of the Shire are recognised as being vital features of the man-made and natural environment and are irreplaceable records of our cultural development. They are important for the continued economic, social and cultural development of the community. These assets include the Port of Echuca which is recognised as the “anchor” tourist attraction in the region; the Rushworth Town Centre with its intact nineteenth century main commercial street; and the Whroo historic area.

Rushworth has a small economic base focused on tourism, heritage and essential services.

The development opportunities and constraints of the town include: Rushworth is distinguished by its unique pre-1914 streetscape and landscape character

(especially the High Street precinct) and has a National Trust Heritage Precinct classification; and

the absence of major employment opportunities may result in low growth pressures in the next 15 years. Rushworth has a small economic base focused on tourism, heritage and essential services. Rushworth is predominantly surrounded by the box iron bark State Forest that provides significant opportunities and constraints. Rushworth is well located with regard to major regional centres and is increasingly becomingly popular with commuters. Population projections indicate that Rushworth’s population is expected to remain steady to the year 2020.

CENTRAL GOLDFIELDSPastoral settlement occurred at Carisbrook in the 1840’s, although gold mining, in various forms, was the initial reason for the region's development and set the land use and settlement patterns that are evident in the Shire today. Gold is proudly the origin of the Shire's name.

Heritage buildings, streetscapes and places provide the Shire and its towns with their distinctive identity and image. Heritage is also the foundation of the Shire’s tourism industry.

The heritage of the Shire has been documented in several studies including the City of Maryborough Heritage Study (1992), Shire of Bet Bet Conservation Study (1987), Talbot and Clunes Conservation Study (1987) and the Tullaroop District Heritage Study – Stage One (1999).

Whilst there are currently 11 buildings on the State Heritage Register a further sixty-one (61) buildings, objects, historic sites, mine sites and structures are proposed for the Victorian Heritage Register. Included is a cluster of heritage buildings in the civic precinct area of Maryborough and various buildings in the townships of Talbot and Dunolly. A total of sixty-four (64) new entries are similarly proposed for the Register of National Estate (some being different sites to the State Register proposals).

Key issues include: significant heritage streetscapes, buildings and precincts exist in Maryborough, Dunolly and

Talbot; Maryborough Railway Station has become a heritage and tourism icon for the shire; further heritage identification and subsequent protection in the planning scheme is required

for buildings, streetscapes and places located in the Shire’s urban centres; cultural tourism in Central Goldfields is closely associated with the shire’s heritage assets; interpretation and awareness of the Shire’s heritage would be improved by better

interpretative signage and heritage brochures; evidence of pastoral cultural settlement (e.g. homesteads, infrastructure) that needs to be

protected; deep lead mines located in proximity to former settlements are a significant part of larger

cultural landscape; significant aboriginal heritage sites are located in the Shire (middens, scarred trees,

Aboriginal rock wells and a ceremonial site); and

many heritage places in the Shire, which are in a ruinous condition, need to be documented to raise community awareness and attract funds for restoration works.

Objectives include: Conserve and enhance those buildings, works, streetscapes, areas, precincts, objects, trees and sites in the Shire which are of scientific, aesthetic, architectural or historical interest or otherwise of special cultural or social value.

Protect the Shire’s heritage from intrusive and unsympathetic development.

Strategies include: continuing to identify and protect places of heritage, natural or cultural value; promoting recycling and the re-use of heritage buildings for compatible new uses; promoting the protection and management of Aboriginal cultural heritage sites and values; utilising the Heritage Restoration Fund to assist in funding appropriate heritage restoration

projects, in consultation with the Heritage Adviser; continuing to joint fund, with the Department of Infrastructure, a Heritage Advisory Service in

the Shire to assist with expert advice on a broad range of heritage matters including heritage education and promotion initiatives; and

promoting sympathetic design and construction in respect to new “in-fill” developments in the vicinity of listed buildings and in heritage precincts and areas.

GOLDEN PLAINSThe heritage of the Shire is rich with much of the cultural heritage represented in buildings, stone walls, gardens and formal plantings. It is also evident in the layout and settlement pattern of 19th century towns, rural properties and historic infrastructure related to agriculture and mining areas. Fifteen (15) items are listed on the Victorian Heritage Register and 38 on the Register of the National Estate (some are items are listed on both registers).

Protected areas also cover significant forest areas, public lands or wetlands. These areas are important recreation areas for the Shire’s residents and increasing numbers of tourists.

Nationally accepted principles for the management of historic places are outlined in theCharter for the Conservation of Places of Cultural Significance (The Burra Charter), 1992, Australia ICOMOS.

Objectives include: Conserve buildings, areas and places which are of scientific, aesthetic, architectural or historical interest, or otherwise of special cultural value.

Encourage development which contributes to the protection and enhancement of items, buildings, areas and places of natural and cultural heritage.

Strategies include:Enhancing and protecting natural and heritage areas and features through their identification, recording of significance, and implementation of controls.

GREATER BENDIGOGreater Bendigo has a large number of significant built heritage assets of local, state and national significance. There are buildings, sites and precincts’ dating from all decades of post-contact settlement since the 1850’s, following the discovery of gold, throughout the municipality. The total complex of buildings, infrastructure, urban spaces and natural resources represent the most significant asset and resource in central Victoria. Heritage is an important part of the economy of the

municipality due to its role in attracting tourists, renovators and new residents who bring economic development initiatives and assets.

Important Aboriginal cultural heritage values also exist in the City of Greater Bendigo.

Objectives include: Protect and enhance the municipality’s built heritage for future generations.

HEPBURNSustainable long-term environmental management is a fundamental component of land use planning in Hepburn Shire. The successful management of land, water and vegetation resources has significant benefits with the Shire and across the region.

Objectives include: Protect the cultural heritage of Hepburn, while promoting appropriate development opportunities for areas and sites of cultural significance and neighbourhoods of strong residential character.

Strategies include: ensuring protection for identified significant cultural heritage places and landscapes in urban

and rural areas of the Shire; providing guidance for development to maintain the integrity of localities and precincts with

important heritage character; and promoting residential development that acknowledges and enhances the valued character of

neighbourhood areas.

LODDONThe Shire contains significant heritage assets including pre settlement Aboriginal heritage, towns and places associated with gold mining and pastoral properties. Heritage places are important for their contribution to our understanding of the past, for their role in the character of towns and places and as attractions for visitors.

Objectives include:Support the protection of significant heritage places and items.

Strategies include: encouraging re-use and redevelopment which retains the important fabric of these places; incorporating the findings of the recently completed heritage studies into the planning

scheme; developing the Inglewood Main Street Heritage Policy; and supporting the nomination of significant places for State and Federal protection.

MACEDON RANGESThe community has expressed the need to preserve the qualities of the municipality that make it a distinctive and attractive place in which to live, work and visit. These qualities include:

contrasts in landscape themes; attractive urban and rural areas with forest settings and surrounds; scenic landscape views; cultural heritage and diversity; maintenance of the rural presentation of the Shire; a clear separation between the Shire’s towns and the outer metropolitan suburbs; and a mixture of lot sizes in urban centres to provide for a diversity of lifestyles.

Why is it important?The twin regional foci of the Shire, (south to Melbourne and north to Bendigo), are features of the Shire that provide for economic and cultural diversity.

Preservation and conservation of the Shire’s natural, built and cultural heritage are fundamental to its sense of identity. Preservation of these assets provides both residents and visitors with an opportunity to learn about the past and appreciate the Shire’s role in the future.

Tourism in the Shire is closely associated with its cultural and community identity. Attractions based on built heritage and cultural landscapes need to be protected.

Townships contain numerous examples of items of heritage significance which should be conserved for the benefit of current and future generations.

A growing arts and cultural development industry needs to be supported.

Objectives include:Protect important landscape features, views and built heritage, and significant heritage streetscapes especially in Romsey, Lancefield, Kyneton, Woodend, Gisborne and Malmsbury and promote the local art and cultural development industry.

Strategies include: apply local policy and relevant overlays to protect water catchments, significant landscapes,

recreation and nature conservation values of the Shire; use local policy and Township Structure Plans to retain the village character of smaller

townships;o apply the Heritage Overlay to protect significant buildings, sites and areas identified in the

following heritage studies and reports: the Macedon Ranges Cultural Heritage and Landscape Study;

o the Kyneton Conservation (Heritage) Study; and o the Mt. William Quarry, Education and Cultural Tourism Project: Feasibility Study.

Encouragement of Economic Development and TourismThe Shire recognises that economic development and tourism are important to the economic base of the municipality. It includes agriculture, tourism, commercial centres and industrial area.

The Shire’s natural attractions, top quality wineries, historic gardens and heritage precincts are acknowledged as significant attractions for tourism, retailing and visits as well as its proximity to metropolitan Melbourne. Tourism is the largest employer of labour within the Shire.

Why is it important?Protecting and improving the urban and landscape character of the Shire’s towns brings benefits to the towns and Shire in terms of attracting new residents and tourism.

Strengthening regional networks and co-ordination is important for the achievement of the Council’s economic development strategies.

Objectives include:Develop strategies to increase opportunities for the Shire community arising from the municipality’s economic diversity, which is based on its proximity to Melbourne, transport advantages, suitability for a range of agricultural enterprises, significant landscapes and lifestyle choice.

Encourage and promote development of the tourism sector by developing strategies to protect the natural environment, heritage and town character; to promote tourist related industries (wineries, art, festivals), and strengthen tourism links with surrounding municipalities.

Enhance the tourism potential of major urban centres by facilitating improvements to the functions, design and presentation of town centres and entrances.

Strategies include:

applying the Significant Landscape Overlays; and using local policies listed in Protection of the Environment and Landscape Strategic Direction

to protect the natural and built heritage features that contribute to the State significant landscape, construction, recreation and lifestyle appeal of the municipality.

MOORABOOLMany of Moorabool Shire’s towns have significant cultural heritage assets including historic buildings, heritage streetscapes, Avenues of Honour and individual trees, and heritage landscape much of which has strong associations with gold discovery and the highway route to Ballarat. These heritage assets positively add to tourism in Moorabool Shire.

Moorabool has geological, botanical, and zoological sites of scientific and cultural importance.

Heritage studies exist only for the eastern section of Moorabool Shire taking in the oldShire of Bacchus Marsh boundaries.

Objectives include:Preserve, promote, and enhance places of heritage significance including those of historical, aesthetic, architectural, scientific, and/or social value.

Strategies include: Ensuring new development is sympathetic to existing heritage places and makes a positive

contribution to its heritage value. Protecting important landscape features, views and built heritage including conservation of

natural environment that have significant geological, botanical, zoological or other scientific importance.

Protecting significant built heritage assets and streetscapes especially in Bacchus Marsh, Ballan, Blackwood, Gordon, and Mt Edgerton.

Undertaking heritage studies for the heritage precinct areas in the Bacchus Marsh Heritage Study not carried forward in the C6 heritage amendment.

Economic development and employmentTourism is a growing industry and important economic driver in the Shire that presents opportunities for economic development and diversification of the local economy and workforce. The Shire and the Spa Region to the north have tourism links with the Goldfields region to the west and north of the Shire.

Tourism development draws on many aspects of the Shire including recreation, leisure activities, environment, wineries, mineral springs, heritage and landscape features. Council recognises that economic prosperity is dependent on its natural resources and seeks to promote economic activity that is consistent with protecting and enhancing the Shire’s natural resource assets.

MOUNT ALEXANDER

The Mount Alexander goldfield was one of the world’s richest, attracting international attention.

Today the remnant gold diggings are of major cultural heritage significance locally, and at state, national and world levels. This significance was recognised with the creation in 2002 of the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park, now on the state and national heritage lists, and being considered for nomination to the World Heritage List.

Place names reflect the origins and experience of the thousands who came to the diggings. Ruined structures of early dwellings, their stone fireplaces or walls associated with the diggings, are prolific in the landscape.

Here the formal European architecture reflects the wealth won from gold, and the surveyed street layouts presents a contrast with the vernacular architecture and organic settlement in adjacent goldfields. Industries which were established to support the mining and the population have also created a distinctive built legacy and some continue to underpin the local economy. Castlemaine, the largest town in the shire, was the centre of government administration on the goldfields and became a hub for commerce, transport, education, health services, religious observance and the whole range of social activity. It boasts a high degree of intact and authentic 19th century buildings which reflect those functions. Maldon is one of the most intact 19th century towns in Australia. There are also outstanding collections of historic buildings in many of the smaller towns in the Shire.

Objectives include:Protect the significance, character and appearance of Aboriginal and European heritage places, precincts, buildings, streetscapes, places and structures.

Encourage all heritage places to be restored, recycled and/or renovated in a sympathetic manner that will enhance the heritage value of the place.

Protect the significance and values of the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park.

Protect the heritage character of towns in the Shire.

Protect the significant natural and cultural heritage landscapes.

Protect, rehabilitate and enhance the identified places of environmental and archaeological significance.

Protect archaeological sites in the Shire.

Protect the Aboriginal and European heritage and cultural landscape significance of Pennyweight Cemetery, Pennyweight Flat, Moonlight Flat and Lady Gully.

Strategies include: providing guidelines for demolition control; ensuring that all new developments within heritage overlay areas harmoniously integrate with

the heritage character of towns and areas; ensuring that development on land adjacent to the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage

Park does not impair its significance and values; strengthening and extending heritage provisions to protect identified buildings, places and

areas; providing certainty and direction for alterations to and conservation management of heritage

buildings; and ensuring development at Hundredweight Hill/Moonlight Flat does not impact on habitat and

cultural heritage values of the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park.

NORTHERN GRAMPIANS

Northern Grampians Shire has an abundance of natural, cultural and historically significant sites. Recognition and preservation of the natural, spiritual, cultural and built forms including heritage buildings, monuments, streetscapes and precincts is important for conservation of the Shire’s heritage.

Objectives include:Conserve and protect sites and precincts of natural, archaeological, architectural, cultural and historic significance.

Strategies include: identifying and documenting the heritage assets of the Shire; protecting all significant sites by requiring planning/development approval to alter such sites; protecting individual precincts of significance;

ensuring that development on or neighbouring a site or precinct which is considered to have natural, archaeological, architectural, cultural or historic significance will give due consideration to the significance of the site;

continuing to provide a free heritage advisory service throughout the Shire; and investigating the establishment of a revolving Heritage Conservation Fund to support

approved conservation works. (Key responsibility – Council).

PYRENEES

Avoca (AS AN EXAMPLE)Avoca is located at the junction of the Sunraysia and Pyrenees Highways and is the second largest town in the Shire with a population of approximately 1050 people. It is a compact settlement, located on undulating land adjacent to the Avoca River with an attractive back drop of timbered more elevated land to the east. Due mainly to its origins during the mid-nineteenth century gold rush, the town contains a number of significant buildings which are of heritage value.

The town provides community services to the surrounding rural area (e.g. school, churches, recreation and other community services) and previously fulfilled an important role as a service centre for the surrounding farming community. However these services are now largely met by nearby regional centres such as Maryborough (only 24 kilometres away).

This has caused the role of the commercial precinct to become limited to that of a convenience retailing centre.

The town’s role is changing to meet the needs of tourism associated with the developing Pyrenees wineries.

Objectives include:Promote the town’s tourism role in association with the development of the Pyrenees wine industry.

CHAPTER 5.THE GOLDFIELDS REGIONAL CHARACTERISTICS

POPULATION

The Goldfields Heritage Region incorporates the 13 Local Government Areas of: Ararat; Ballarat; Campaspe; Central Goldfields; Golden Plains; Greater Bendigo; Hepburn; Loddon; Macedon Ranges; Moorabool; Mount Alexander; Northern Grampians; and Pyrenees.

A map of the region is presented in Figure 5.1.

These municipalities have not been considered as a discrete region within Victoria in terms of infrastructure or economic development planning, State or Commonwealth Government administration, statistical divisions, or tourism marketing. In fact, the Goldfields Heritage Region spans five statistical divisions in country Victoria (Barwon, Central Highlands, Goulburn, Loddon and Wimmera) and five State Tourism Campaign Regions (Daylesford and Macedon Ranges, Goldfields, Grampians, Great Ocean Road, and Murray).

Table 5.1 shows that the Goldfields Heritage Region had a total estimate resident population at June 2010 of 414,752, which is 28.2% of the population of non-metropolitan, or country, Victoria. Its population has grown at an average annual rate of 1.19% throughout the twenty-first century, greater than the country Victorian average of 1.08% but below the State and Australian averages.

Within the Goldfields region:- Only Golden Plains had a population growth greater than the Victorian average; 2.36% per

annum on average between 2001 and 2010.- Bendigo (1.58% per annum), Ballarat (1.56% per annum), Moorabool (1.47% per annum) and

Macedon Ranges (1.39% per annum) all grew more rapidly than the country Victorian average.

- Three municipalities (Loddon, Northern Grampians and Central Goldfields) had a decline in population between 2001 and 2010.

Figure 5.1 Map of the Goldfields Heritage Tourism Region

Table 5.1 Resident Population of the Goldfields Heritage Region 2001 and 2010

Local Government Area 2001 2010% change per

annum 2001-10% of Country Victoria 2010

Golden Plains 15,101 18,625 2.36% 1.27%Ballarat 83,599 96,097 1.56% 6.54%Hepburn 14,488 14,974 0.37% 1.02%Moorabool 25,087 28,606 1.47% 1.95%Ararat 11,721 12,026 0.29% 0.82%Pyrenees 6,641 6,924 0.46% 0.47%Northern Grampians 13,055 12,316 -0.65% 0.84%Bendigo 90,449 104,192 1.58% 7.09%Central Goldfields 13,087 12,896 -0.16% 0.88%Loddon 8,604 8,047 -0.74% 0.55%Mount Alexander 17,142 18,421 0.80% 1.25%Macedon Ranges 37,672 42,645 1.39% 2.90%Campaspe 36,349 38,983 0.78% 2.65%Total 372,995 414,752 1.19% 28.24%Country Victoria 1,333,101 1,468,896 1.08% 100.00%Victoria 4,804,726 5,545,932 1.61%Australia 19,413,240 22,328,847 1.57%

Four of the 13 Goldfields Heritage Region municipalities have a ‘gold history’ that does not encompass all their statistical local areas (SLAs). These are:

Golden Plains Shire (where the gold heritage is confined to the north-west SLA, encompassing the townships of Smythesdale, Linton and Scarsdale);

Loddon Shire (where the gold heritage is confined to the south SLA, encompassing the townships of Wedderburn, Inglewood, Bridgewater and Tarnagulla);

Macedon Ranges Shire (where the gold heritage is confined to the western SLAs of Kyneton and ‘Balance’, encompassing the townships of Kyneton, Woodend and Malmsbury); and

Campaspe Shire (where the gold heritage is confined to the south SLA, encompassing the township of Rushworth).

Adjusting the population indicators for the region by excluding the non-gold history SLAs reduces the 2010 resident population to 353,780 and excludes some of the faster growing areas. Table 5.2 summarises the population of this adjusted Goldfields Heritage Region, indicating that:

The regional growth rate was 1.16% per annum between 2001 and 2010; None of the local areas exceeded the average annual Victorian population growth rate

between 2001 and 2010; and The population growth rates were lower in three of the four municipalities affected by the

adjustments (Golden Plains, Campaspe, and Macedon Ranges).

Table 5.2 Resident Population of the Goldfields Heritage Region (reduced by excluding non-gold history SLAs) 2001 and 2010

Local Government Area and/or Statistical Local Areas 2001 2010

% change per annum 2001-10

% of Country Vic 2010

Golden Plains North West SLA 7,347 8,138 1.14% 0.55%Ballarat City 83,599 96,097 1.56% 6.54%Hepburn Shire 14,488 14,974 0.37% 1.02%Moorabool Shire 25,087 28,606 1.47% 1.95%Ararat Rural City 11,721 12,026 0.29% 0.82%Pyrenees Shire 6,641 6,924 0.46% 0.47%Northern Grampians 13,055 12,316 -0.65% 0.84%Greater Bendigo City 90,449 104,192 1.58% 7.09%Central Goldfields Shire 13,087 12,896 -0.16% 0.88%Loddon Shire South SLA 5,046 4,775 -0.61% 0.33%Mount Alexander Shire 17,142 18,421 0.80% 1.25%Macedon Ranges - Kyneton and Balance SLA's 27,353 30,597 1.25% 2.08%Campaspe - South SLA 3,815 3,818 0.01% 0.26%Total 318,830 353,780 1.16% 24.08%

Combined, the region embraces parts of five of Tourism Victoria’s Campaign Committee regions: Daylesford and Macedon Ranges (encompassing Hepburn, Macedon Ranges and

Moorabool); Goldfields (Ballarat, Central Goldfields, Greater Bendigo, Loddon and Mount Alexander)

(although this Campaign Committee is currently being disbanded and two Regional Tourism Board established);

part of Grampians (Ararat, Northern Grampians and Pyrenees); part of Murray (Campaspe); and part of Great Ocean Road (Golden Plains).

EMPLOYMENT AND ECONOMY

Employment By Industry

Australia’s regional industry structures have changed dramatically over the past half century. No longer is employment in regional areas dominated by agriculture, mining or manufacturing. Nationally, property and business services (12.8%), health (11.1%) and retailing (10.8%) head the list of Australia’s 11.27 million jobs. Over three-quarters of all jobs (75.8%) are in service industries. This trend is also clear at regional and local levels within the Goldfields Heritage Region.

The birth of new industries is primarily the result of either households or existing businesses outsourcing activities to new providers (industry sectors). Agriculture (through family or small tribal units cultivating plants and domesticating animals) and manufacturing (through ‘at home’ preserving of food and making clothes and furniture) both began in this form. It is also how tourism and hospitality industries started, as people began to outsource travel, accommodation and meals.

Mining sectors, responsible for the region’s economic ‘birth’ of the Goldfields, now provide just 0.7% of all local jobs, although metal ore mining and mining exploration services remain regional comparative strengths.

“Over 200 industries were created in the 20th century in Australia, and by the end of the century there were 465 classes of industry as officially defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics”.13

The 465 classes of industry as stated above are aggregated into 19 major industry divisions as part of the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC).

13 Phil Ruthven, IBIS World 2011.

Agriculture Mining Manufacturing Electricity Gas and Water Construction Wholesale Trade Retail Trade Accommodation and Food Services Transport Postal and Warehousing Information, Media and Communications Financial and Insurance Services Rental Hiring and Real Estate Services Professional Scientific and Technical Services Administration and Support Services Public Administration and Safety Education and Training Health Care and Social Assistance Arts and Recreation Services Other Services

The major employing industries in the Goldfields Heritage Region at this broad industry division level are retail trade, manufacturing, and health care and social assistance. At industry sub-division level there are 105 industry sectors, and the 2006 employment in the Goldfields Heritage Region for these sectors is summarised in Table 5.3, revealing that the top 10 employing industry sectors account for 48.45% of all jobs in the region in 2006. They were:

Agriculture: 6.28% of all jobs; Other store based retailing (excluding food retailing): 5.95% of all jobs; Preschool and school education: 5.68% of all jobs; Hospitals: 5.10% of all jobs; Construction services: 5.07% of all jobs; Food and beverage services: 4.64% of all jobs; Food retailing: 4.22%; Public administration: 4.10% of all jobs; Food product manufacturing: 4.07% of all jobs; and Professional, scientific and technical services (excluding computing and information

technology): 3.34% of all jobs.

At least three of these sectors directly service tourist markets (food and beverage services, food retailing, and other store based retailing) and sub-sectors in at least two others service tourist markets (food product manufacturing and public administration).

Table 5.3 Employment by Industry in the Goldfields Heritage Region 2006Industry Sector Males Females Total % Location

QuotientAccommodation 702 1,468 2,170 1.32% 1.38

Accommodation and Food Services, nfd 0 8 8 0.00% 1.63Administrative and Support Services, nfd 0 3 3 0.00% 0.74Administrative Services 817 990 1,807 1.10% 0.59Adult, Community and Other Education 479 884 1,363 0.83% 0.97Agriculture 7,232 3,082 10,314 6.28% 2.45Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Support 485 119 604 0.37% 2.77Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing, nfd 52 11 63 0.04% 3.46Air and Space Transport 332 113 445 0.27% 0.79Aquaculture 17 7 24 0.01% 1.21Arts and Recreation Services, nfd 34 16 50 0.03% 0.64Auxiliary Finance and Insurance Services 424 365 789 0.48% 0.42Basic Chemical and Chemical Product Manufacturing 352 162 514 0.31% 0.53Basic Material Wholesaling 1,237 393 1,630 0.99% 1.03Beverage and Tobacco Product Manufacturing 442 247 689 0.42% 1.26Broadcasting (except Internet) 146 116 262 0.16% 0.83Building Cleaning, Pest Control and Other Support Services 1,119 873 1,992 1.21% 0.86Building Construction 3,328 561 3,889 2.37% 0.98Coal Mining 8 4 12 0.01% 0.77Commission-Based Wholesaling 140 28 168 0.10% 1.33Computer System Design and Related Services 791 317 1,108 0.67% 0.51Construction Services 7,439 891 8,330 5.07% 1.15Construction, nfd 172 18 190 0.12% 0.72Creative and Performing Arts Activities 152 132 284 0.17% 0.64Defence 344 89 433 0.26% 0.63Education and Training, nfd 117 178 295 0.18% 0.89Electricity Supply 394 97 491 0.30% 0.84Electricity, Gas, Water and Waste Services, nfd 0 0 0 0.00% 0.00Exploration and Other Mining Support Services 132 22 154 0.09% 1.67Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing 927 176 1,103 0.67% 0.89Finance 895 1,554 2,449 1.49% 0.73Financial and Insurance Services, nfd 29 24 53 0.03% 0.40Fishing, Hunting and Trapping 7 3 10 0.01% 0.25Food and Beverage Services 2,811 4,802 7,613 4.64% 0.96Food Product Manufacturing 4,436 2,252 6,688 4.07% 1.96Food Retailing 2,716 4,209 6,925 4.22% 1.17Forestry and Logging 43 14 57 0.03% 0.64Fuel Retailing 320 357 677 0.41% 1.24

Table 5.3 (continued) Employment by Industry in the Goldfields Heritage Region 2006Industry Sector Males Females Total % Location

QuotientFurniture and Other Manufacturing 433 125 558 0.34% 0.58Gambling Activities 64 96 160 0.10% 0.32

Gas Supply 44 0 44 0.03% 0.33Grocery, Liquor and Tobacco Product Wholesaling 838 323 1,161 0.71% 0.89Health Care and Social Assistance, nfd 150 429 579 0.35% 0.94Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction 840 95 935 0.57% 1.07Heritage Activities 290 201 491 0.30% 1.67Hospitals 1,538 6,838 8,376 5.10% 1.42Information Media and Telecommunications, nfd 7 8 15 0.01% 0.41Insurance and Superannuation Funds 268 320 588 0.36% 0.45Internet Publishing and Broadcasting 5 0 5 0.00% 0.32Internet Service Providers, Web Search Portals and Data Processing Services 58 83 141 0.09% 0.69Library and Other Information Services 47 110 157 0.10% 0.97Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing 1,467 284 1,751 1.07% 0.87Machinery and Equipment Wholesaling 647 175 822 0.50% 0.46Manufacturing, nfd 1,239 278 1,517 0.92% 0.86Medical and Other Health Care Services 1,326 3,429 4,755 2.90% 0.99Metal Ore Mining 614 74 688 0.42% 6.45Mining, nfd 64 3 67 0.04% 2.23Motion Picture and Sound Recording Activities 133 106 239 0.15% 0.59Motor Vehicle and Motor Vehicle Parts Retailing 1,208 331 1,539 0.94% 1.18Motor Vehicle and Parts Wholesaling 321 66 387 0.24% 0.66Non-Metallic Mineral Mining and Quarrying 204 32 236 0.14% 2.38Non-Metallic Mineral Product Manufacturing 810 130 940 0.57% 1.29Non-Store Retailing and Retail Commission Based Buying and/or Selling 39 33 72 0.04% 0.96Oil and Gas Extraction 16 0 16 0.01% 0.15Other Goods Wholesaling 344 320 664 0.40% 0.31Other Services, nfd 0 0 0 0.00% 0.00Other Store-Based Retailing 3,637 6,128 9,765 5.95% 0.97Other Transport 34 7 41 0.02% 0.56Personal Care and Other Services 782 1,957 2,739 1.67% 0.87Petroleum and Coal Product Manufacturing 92 13 105 0.06% 0.70Polymer Product and Rubber Product Manufacturing 522 130 652 0.40% 0.53Postal, Courier Pick-up and Delivery Services 598 421 1,019 0.62% 0.89Preschool and School Education 2,563 6,770 9,333 5.68% 1.22Primary Metal and Metal Product Manufacturing 772 120 892 0.54% 0.82Printing (including Reproduction of Recorded Media) 502 257 759 0.46% 0.75

Table 5.3 (continued) Employment by Industry in the Goldfields Heritage Region 2006Industry Sector Males Females Total % Location

QuotientPrivate Households Employing Staff and Undifferentiated Goods and Service-Producing Activities of Households for Own Use 3 11 14 0.01% 0.71Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (except Computer Systems Design and Related 2,641 2,849 5,490 3.34% 0.58

Services)Professional, Scientific and Technical Services, nfd 0 6 6 0.00% 0.28Property Operators and Real Estate Services 557 623 1,180 0.72% 0.75Public Administration 2,908 3,818 6,726 4.10% 1.20Public Administration and Safety, nfd 7 0 7 0.00% 0.28Public Order, Safety and Regulatory Services 1,867 608 2,475 1.51% 1.15Publishing (except Internet and Music Publishing) 373 422 795 0.48% 0.85Pulp, Paper and Converted Paper Product Manufacturing 99 36 135 0.08% 0.21Rail Transport 392 19 411 0.25% 1.30Rental and Hiring Services (except Real Estate) 379 197 576 0.35% 0.90Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services, nfd 0 0 0 0.00% 0.00Repair and Maintenance 2,452 465 2,917 1.78% 1.07Residential Care Services 236 1,939 2,175 1.32% 0.96Retail Trade, nfd 422 564 986 0.60% 0.90Road Transport 3,619 680 4,299 2.62% 1.09Social Assistance Services 762 3,175 3,937 2.40% 1.13Sport and Recreation Activities 691 710 1,401 0.85% 1.11Telecommunications Services 887 622 1,509 0.92% 0.98Tertiary Education 1,222 1,583 2,805 1.71% 0.87Textile, Leather, Clothing and Footwear Manufacturing 569 563 1,132 0.69% 0.90Transport Equipment Manufacturing 2,192 376 2,568 1.56% 0.89Transport Support Services 399 166 565 0.34% 0.69Transport, Postal and Warehousing, nfd 48 13 61 0.04% 0.52Warehousing and Storage Services 191 73 264 0.16% 0.62Waste Collection, Treatment and Disposal Services 260 74 334 0.20% 1.02Water Supply, Sewerage and Drainage Services 503 125 628 0.38% 1.70Water Transport 62 10 72 0.04% 0.68Wholesale Trade, nfd 196 96 292 0.18% 0.51Wood Product Manufacturing 797 126 923 0.56% 1.14Inadequately described 940 547 1,487 0.91% 0.77Not stated 1,177 1,008 2,185 1.33% 0.93Total 88,438 75,781 164,219 100.00% 1.00

NOTE: ‘nfd’ means not further definedSOURCE: Australian Bureau of Statistics Census of Population and Housing 2006

Table 5.3 also presents location quotients for the Goldfields Heritage Region’s industry sectors. Location quotients express the relationship between a region’s share of a particular industry sector and the state, or national, share. The location quotient for the Goldfields Heritage Region equals the percentage employed in the relevant industry sector in the region divided by the percentage employed in Victoria in that industry sector. A location coefficient of 1.5, for example, indicates that 50% higher percentages of workers are employed in the specific industry than the percentage employed state-wide for that industry. These location quotients show industry sectors where there is a regional comparative advantage.

Heritage services and accommodation are two important Goldfields Heritage Region industry sectors where there is a comparative advantage. Other industry sectors for which the region had a strong comparative advantage in 2006 were:

all agricultural production sectors; mining and mining exploration services; food and beverage manufacturing; hospitals; and water supply.

A total of 39,334 jobs (23.95%) in the Goldfields heritage tourism region are in sectors that are either ‘tourism characteristic industries or tourism connected industries.’14 The tourism characteristic industry sub-sectors include:

accommodation; cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services; clubs, pubs, taverns and bars; rail transport; taxi transport; other road transport; air, water and other transport; motor vehicle hiring; travel agency and tour operator services; cultural services; casinos and other gambling services; and other sports and recreation services.

The tourism connected industries include: automotive fuel retailing; other retail trade; and education and training.

Table 5.4 summarises male and female employment in the tourism characteristic and tourism connected sectors for the Goldfields Heritage Region (and the location quotients).

The table shows that (using employment by industry as the indicator) the region is relatively strong in accommodation (although there are significant differences within local areas of the region), food and fuel retailing, heritage activities, rail transport and sport and recreation activities. However, it is relatively weak in arts and recreation services, motion picture and sound recording services, non-rail transport, transport support services, and gambling services. The high proportion of female employment (55.5%) in tourism related sectors is also of note.

Table 5.4 Employment in Tourism Characteristic and Tourism Connected Services in the Goldfields Heritage Region

Tourism Characteristic or Tourism Connected Sector Males Females Persons %

Location Quotient

Accommodation 702 1,468 2,170 1.32% 1.38

Accommodation and Food Services, nfd 0 8 8 0.00% 1.63

Arts and Recreation Services, nfd 34 16 50 0.03% 0.64

Food and Beverage Services 2,811 4,802 7,613 4.64% 0.96

Food Retailing 2,716 4,209 6,925 4.22% 1.17

14 SOURCE: ABS Tourism Industry National Accounts 2011.’ Tourism characteristic products’ are defined as those products which would cease to exist in meaningful quantity, or for which sales would be significantly reduced, in the absence of tourism. Under the international Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) standards, core lists of tourism characteristic products, based on the significance of their link to tourism in the worldwide context, are recommended for implementation to facilitate international comparison. In the Australian TSA, for a product to be a tourism characteristic product, at least 25% of the total output of the product must be consumed by visitors. ‘Tourism connected products’ are those that are consumed by visitors but are not considered as tourism characteristic products. All products in the supply and use table not consumed by visitors are classified as 'all other goods and services' in the TSA.ABS suggests that the following points are worth noting about the industry classifications for the TSA:

Whether or not an industry is classified as characteristic has no effect on total value added resulting from tourism For an industry to be tourism related it must serve the visitors themselves, that is, there must be a direct relationship between the provider of

the product and the consumer. Producers of goods from the manufacturing industry that are not in direct contact with visitors will therefore not be included as a tourism related industry.

Fuel Retailing 320 357 677 0.41% 1.24

Gambling Activities 64 96 160 0.10% 0.32

Heritage Activities 290 201 491 0.30% 1.67

Library and Other Information Services 47 110 157 0.10% 0.97Motion Picture and Sound Recording Activities 133 106 239 0.15% 0.59

Other Store-Based Retailing 3,637 6,128 9,765 5.95% 0.97

Other Transport 34 7 41 0.02% 0.56

Personal Care and Other Services 782 1,957 2,739 1.67% 0.87

Rail Transport 392 19 411 0.25% 1.30Rental and Hiring Services (except Real Estate) 379 197 576 0.35% 0.90

Retail Trade, nfd 422 564 986 0.60% 0.90

Road Transport 3,619 680 4,299 2.62% 1.09

Sport and Recreation Activities 691 710 1,401 0.85% 1.11

Transport Support Services 399 166 565 0.34% 0.69

Transport, Postal and Warehousing, nfd 48 13 61 0.04% 0.52

Total 17,520 21,814 39,334 23.95% 1.01Note: nfd means not further definedSOURCE: ABS Census of Population and Housing 2006


The Business Community

The Australian Bureau of Statistics register of businesses reported 34,111 enterprises in the Goldfields heritage tourism region in 2009.15 The estimated annual turnover associated with these businesses was $24.122 billion. Table 5.5 shows that about 40% of all business enterprises in the region, and 56% of business revenue, were in the two provincial cities (Ballarat and Bendigo). Equivalent details are provided in Table 5.6 for the adjusted Goldfields heritage tourism region (i.e. reduced by the SLAs without a gold history), revealing 27,656 businesses and 20.314 billion in sales turnover.

Table 5.5 Businesses and Estimated Business Turnover in the Goldfields Heritage Region 2009

SOURCE: ABS Business Register, 2009.

Street Ryan estimates

Table 5.6 Businesses and Estimated Business Turnover in the Goldfields Heritage Region (reduced by excluding non-gold history SLAs) 2009

Adjusted RegionNumber of

Businesses %

Estimated Business Annual

Turnover %Ararat Rural City 1,066 3.85% $448,141,000 2.21%Ballarat City 6,820 24.66% $6,650,049,500 32.74%Greater Bendigo City 7,074 25.58% $6,798,545,500 33.47%Campaspe Shire - South SLA 449 1.62% $232,270,500 1.14%Central Goldfields Shire 909 3.29% $349,462,000 1.72%Golden Plains North-West SLA 569 2.06% $390,255,000 1.92%Hepburn Shire 1,351 4.89% $343,528,000 1.69%Loddon Shire - South SLA 547 1.98% $162,038,500 0.80%Northern Grampians Shire 1,154 4.17% $408,640,500 2.01%Macedon Ranges West SLAs 3,111 11.25% $1,244,928,500 6.13%Moorabool Shire 2,351 8.50% $1,752,785,000 8.63%Mount Alexander Shire 1,464 5.29% $1,302,399,000 6.41%Pyrenees Shire 791 2.86% $230,600,000 1.14%Total 27,656 100.00% $20,313,643,000 100.00%

SOURCE: ABS Business Register, 2009. Street Ryan estimates

Table 5.7 shows the number of businesses and estimated annual turnover by major industry sector in the Goldfields Heritage Region. In contrast to the employment by industry statistics, these results demonstrate that the greatest numbers of businesses are in agriculture, construction and

15 Excludes business not registered with an Australian Business Number (ABN) or not registered for submission of Business Activity Statements (BAS) with the Australian Taxation Office. Also excludes charitable organisations.

56

LGANumber of

Businesses %


Turnover %Ararat Rural City 1,066 3.13% $448,141,000 1.86%Ballarat City 6,820 19.99% $6,650,049,500 27.57%Greater Bendigo City 7,074 20.74% $6,798,545,500 28.18%Campaspe Shire 4,263 12.50% $2,971,624,000 12.32%Central Goldfields Shire 913 2.68% $406,237,000 1.68%Golden Plains Shire 1,459 4.28% $656,310,500 2.72%Hepburn Shire 1,351 3.96% $400,303,000 1.66%Loddon Shire 1,128 3.31% $368,412,000 1.53%Northern Grampians Shire 1,154 3.38% $408,640,500 1.69%Macedon Ranges Shire 4,275 12.53% $1,728,258,000 7.16%Moorabool Shire 2,351 6.89% $1,752,785,000 7.27%Mount Alexander Shire 1,464 4.29% $1,302,399,000 5.40%Pyrenees Shire 793 2.32% $230,600,000 0.96%Total 34,111 100.00% $24,122,305,000 100.00%


professional, scientific and technical services, while the industries with the greatest sales turnover, in 2009, were:

retail trade (21.02%); manufacturing (20.95%); construction (12.77%); wholesale trade (9.34%); and agriculture (8.77%).

Table 5.7 Businesses and Estimated Business Turnover in the Goldfields Heritage Region 2009

Major Industry SectorNumber of

Businesses %


Turnover %Agriculture 7,150 20.96% $2,115,452,500 8.77%Mining 109 0.32% $259,731,500 1.08%Manufacturing 1,681 4.93% $5,054,115,500 20.95%Electricity Gas and Water 102 0.30% $28,219,500 0.12%Construction 5,879 17.23% $3,079,714,000 12.77%Wholesale Trade 1,014 2.97% $2,253,990,000 9.34%Retail Trade 2,559 7.50% $5,070,136,500 21.02%Accommodation and Food Services 1,490 4.37% $621,312,000 2.58%Transport Postal and Warehousing 2,121 6.22% $1,173,860,000 4.87%Information, Media and Communications 214 0.63% $109,841,000 0.46%Financial and Insurance Services 1,837 5.39% $500,403,000 2.07%Rental Hiring and Real Estate 2,589 7.59% $1,069,276,000 4.43%Professional Scientific and Technical Services 2,684 7.87% $846,670,000 3.51%Administration and Support Services 861 2.52% $417,210,000 1.73%Public Administration and Safety 117 0.34% $69,463,500 0.29%Education and Training 399 1.17% $286,956,000 1.19%Health Care and Social Assistance 1,228 3.60% $569,401,000 2.36%Arts and Recreation Services 503 1.47% $91,470,500 0.38%Other Services 1,574 4.61% $505,082,500 2.09%TOTAL 34,111 100.00% $24,122,305,000 100.00%

SOURCE: ABS Business Register, 2009. Street Ryan estimates

57


Ch.6THE REGION’S HISTORY AND GOLD HERITAGE

OVERVIEW

The history of the gold rushes, and the development of the central region of Victoria as a consequence of those rushes, is the ‘story’, or ‘stories’, that give legitimacy to the Australia’s Goldfields Heritage Region. Heritage, on the other hand, is what we have inherited from this history or story.

Heritage is the remnant mining landscape, the towns and cities created by that history. Heritage is the legacy of buildings, parks, industries, streets, railways, documents, collections of art, artefacts and all the other physical records that go with human occupation and settlement, as well as the intangible records, such as traditions, institutions (clubs and societies), festivals and folklore.

So heritage relies on a history, but in the end becomes the representation of history in our society.

This distinction is important in relation to tourism, because high yield tourists want to experience heritage, not a history lesson. High yield tourists are looking for a personal experience, message, or understanding of the history, through the legacy of heritage.

History of the Victorian Goldfields Region

The history of the central goldfields of Victoria is an assembly of a great range of events and stories. These stories have been told many times and in many different ways, but probably no better summed up than in The Travellers Guide to the Goldfields and in particular the section The Goldfields Story – An Introduction, by Weston Bate and the section Aboriginal History, variously by Peter Mills, Ian D Clark and David (Fred) Cahir.

Aborigines have lived in the area for at least 50,000 years. There are three communities identified with the goldfields area and seven language groups:

Wathaurung, which occupied the country from Geelong to the Pyrenees and therefore the area surrounding Ballarat;

Woi Wurrung, which occupied country from Melbourne to the Macedon Ranges; and Dja Dja Wurrung, which were based around the Loddon River and therefore occupied much

of the country around Hepburn, Mt Alexander and Bendigo.

By the time the gold rushes commenced, Aboriginal populations had been severely diminished and various policies had been implemented with respect to their presence on the land. At the very least the fences and strange animals of pastoralists were a source of confusion and difficulty for these communities. Driving indigenous peoples from the land, depletion of native animals and plants, and abandonment of Aboriginal land management practices was even more significant. There are records of bloody clashes between white settlers and tribal groups.

The gold rushes did provide some opportunities for Aboriginal people. Some were able to find employment with pastoralists, whose white labourers had disappeared to the goldfields. There is some evidence of trading with miners and a Native Police Corps was established, which did not necessarily provide a basis for a strong positive relationship with the miners.

The rush to get rich commenced in earnest after discoveries of gold at Clunes and Buninyong in July and August 1851. By 1852 the rush to Forest Creek (Castlemaine) and Sandhurst (Bendigo) was underway and within a decade the colony’s population had grown from 77,345 to 540,322. This established Victoria’s multicultural population as miners arrived from all over the world. This aspect of the regions character is most easily recognised in the names of many of the towns and villages, but can also be uncovered in the headstones of the many cemeteries in the region, in the names listed on

58


war memorials and avenues of honour and the myriad of different churches and places of worship and the denominations which are closely associated with different ethnic communities.

It was this generation of entrepreneurs who not only pursued their riches, but were responsible for the establishment of a whole range of communities and ensuring that these communities were independent and a reflection of their own ambitions. The development of central Ballarat alone, in a relatively short period, is one of the most manifest examples of this enterprise and self-determination. This independence also resulted in clashes with the colonial government and anti-tax protests occurred at Forest Creek in 1851, Bendigo in 1853 and of course at Eureka in 1854.

The townships that grew up as a consequence of the rushes each had their distinctive characteristics. The most obvious of these are Ballarat and Bendigo. The central part of the former was well established by the 1870’s, whereas Pall Mall in Bendigo waited until the 1890s to establish its current grand appearance. Both Ballarat and Bendigo developed outstanding art galleries and were later joined by Castlemaine. These three institutions are indicative of the cultural capital that was developed throughout the goldfields. This cultural capital was supplemented by a substantial network of Mechanic’s Institutes and theatres the former becoming the basis of the current library services throughout the region. Also, the development of a collection of outstanding botanic gardens is indicative of this desire to civilise the towns and villages of the region.

Tertiary education establishments were an early development. Schools of Mines were important for the sustenance of the industry, particularly as it moved into its more industrial phase. The establishments at Ballarat and Bendigo have continued on as campuses of Victorian universities (University of Ballarat and Latrobe at Bendigo). The buildings associated with these institutions at Maryborough and Castlemaine remain as significant reminders of this part of the story.

However, the story of the goldfields isn’t universally the same across the region. Each town or village has its own story to tell and will relate more particularly to specific themes.

A brief history of each municipality with special reference to its relationship with the gold story follows.

59


MUNICIPAL HISTORIES

Ararat

Ararat’s gold rushes started with the discovery of the Canton Lead in 1857. At one time there were 40,000 people in the district seeking gold.

Ararat was soon to become a government town with the vast increase in population leading to the establishment of institutions representing the application of law and order along with necessary health services. As early as October 1857 it was reported that Ararat was graced with shops, hotels and theatres.

The early establishment of Ararat as a district centre ensured its survival after the gold rush had passed. It also sat in the middle of rich grazing country and was able to continue to service this agricultural and pastoral industry.

Ararat claims to be unusual in that Chinese miners discovered its riches. In the months of April and May, 1857 thousands of miners (both European and Chinese) arrived at the Canton Lead. The strong presence of the Chinese led to resentment amongst the European miners and as early as June, 1857 there were incidents between the two groups. One of the consequences was the segregation of the Chinese into separate camps. The longest lasting of these was probably one on the Port Fairy Road.

By the early 1860s the mining boom was over, but Ararat continued as a prosperous town. Extensive commercial premises were constructed along with churches, schools and most significantly the hospital, psychiatric asylum and gaol. The latter group demonstrating the importance of the town as a regional centre for the colonial government.

Timothy Hubbard and Dr Margaret Pawsey; Ararat Heritage Study, Volume 1; May, 1994.

Ballarat

The initial focus of the gold rushes was Buninyong. The town of Buninyong had been established prior to the discovery of gold and the rush to the town in August 1851 preceded the much larger discoveries in Ballarat soon after. Buninyong ultimately became better known for the deep lead workings of the Buninyong Company. By 1888 it was still quite prosperous with a number of reef mines and the Main Lead still operating.

Prior to the gold rush the area around modern Ballarat was taken up by squatters, the Yuilles in the 1830s.

Throughout the 1850s miners underwent many hardships, but one of the most disliked was the government gold licence, which cost hard earned money simply to be allowed to explore. The story of the Eureka Stockade is well known as the reaction to this taxation impost. The discovery of gold brought people from across the world to Ballarat, the majority being English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh and Cornish. However, the influence of other nationalities such as the Americans and Italians was obvious once dissension with the authorities arose. The Eureka Uprising of 1854 included men from outside the British Isles. This legacy is demonstrated through the naming of mining areas such as Canadian Gully or Yankee Flat Road.

In the early years Ballarat consisted of two towns; Ballarat West, favoured by the professional and business men and East Ballarat, the centre of the miner’s life. The remnant buildings, particularly residences enable us to understand this split.

Ballarat was to become a company town early on. Once the alluvial gold petered out partnerships and companies were formed to drive deep lead shafts in order to extract the auriferous quartz. A regiment of lawyers enriched themselves as a result of numerous disputes while the brokers made and lost

60


fortunes selling shares in the numerous companies that sprung up. However there is no doubt that Ballarat was a very rich field and in 1856 alone, nearly 4 million pounds worth of gold was extracted from it.

From the mid-1850s Ballarat became the centre of mining technology with local engineering innovations assisting the new deep lead mining and overseas equipment being tested out at the Ballarat School of Mines.

The railway reached Ballarat in April 1862 linking it to the port of Geelong. This was the beginning of Ballarat as a major railway hub with lines radiating to smaller towns and settlements. This was but part of the city’s early establishment as a major provincial centre. As such it became home to hospitals, asylums, orphanages, churches, schools and government institutions. It also became an important centre for the Trade Union movement. All these establishments and organisations manifested themselves in grand buildings and by 1870 Ballarat had taken on an air of a very prosperous colonial city. The layout of the impressive Sturt and Lydiard streets with their exceptionally fine buildings, and avenue took place by this time and in itself was an indicator of the prosperity, independence and determination of the mining fraternity.

By the 1870s Ballarat had become a regional centre for finance, machinery, supplies, entertainment and professional services. Ballarat was distinctive in that its citizens, undoubtedly via its city fathers poured money into public works. The result was the creation of Lake Wendouree, a fine Botanical Gardens a substantial art gallery, an influential School of Mines, a grand Town Hall, and a significant hospital, but to name a few.

Ballarat has maintained its role as a regional capital throughout the twentieth century and is now one of Australia’s most important regional cities.

Wendy Jacobs, Nigel Lewis, Elizabeth Vines, Richard Aitken; Ballarat, A Guide to Buildings and Areas 1851 – 1940; 1981

Hansen Partnership; Ballarat Heritage Study, Stage 2; City of Ballarat, 2003

Bendigo

The first discoveries of gold at Bendigo were in 1851 in conjunction with the rushes further south at Mt Alexander. The real rush to Bendigo (Sandhurst) took off in early 1852 with discoveries at Golden Point along the Bendigo Creek and then soon after at New Chum, Long Gully, Eaglehawk Gully and Red Hill. The list of localities around Bendigo where gold was discovered in 1852 is extensive. By the middle of 1852 it was reported that more than 4000 or 5000 diggers were arriving each week.

Bendigo, first of all grew as a series of separate mining encampments, clustered around the gold discoveries. These small settlements gradually acquired pubs, stores and houses, initially of rough wood or canvas, but later taking on a more permanent form. The most significant of these settlements was that around the Bendigo Creek, the current centre of the municipality. The first survey of this part of the town took place in 1854, with the ambitious William Larritt setting out the formal Pall Mall, the bowed Lyttleton Terrace to the east and a major garden reserve to the west. This all alluded to city models from Britain.

The rough edges of the diggings were vanishing by the early 1860s, but Sandhurst took some time to acquire the trappings of a grand commercial centre. The grandiose name of Pall Mall did not live up to itself for some time. Well into the 1860s it was a muddy thoroughfare and McCrae Street was impassable after heavy rain. Equally the greater city that we know took some time to take shape. The transformation from a series of diggings to a town really only commenced once the rushes had abated and small hamlets of a more permanent nature took form. In some cases this really didn’t take place until the 1880s.

61


One of the great problems for the diggings both around Bendigo and further south into the current Mt Alexander Shire was the shortage of water. The development of the Coliban Scheme with its storage reservoirs at Malmsbury and Barker’s Creek and ultimately 388 miles of channel and 315 miles of pipes distributed water across the diggings and by 1877 was delivering water from Malmsbury to Bendigo. Much of this network operates to this day.

Of great importance to Bendigo was the arrival of the railway in 1862. This great engineering exercise had already traversed through the goldfields to the south and dramatically changed the transport arrangements between Melbourne and towns like Kyneton and Castlemaine. This formed part of a plan, implemented with the riches garnered through gold to link the port of Melbourne with the Murray River at Echuca. It arrived at Echuca in 1864.

Like other surviving settlements from the gold era, Bendigo’s fortunes relied on the quartz mining which followed the initial alluvial rushes. This form of mining was capital intensive and heralded the arrival of investors, who ultimately became wealthy mine owners. It was they who promoted the construction of grand buildings like the Mining Exchange and professional offices and it was the wealth generated from these sources that enabled the clubs and societies to establish themselves in elaborate premises and lead to great public institutions like the Bendigo Art Gallery, Post Office, town hall, hospitals and Supreme Court to become such prominent features of the late nineteenth century metropolis.

Eaglehawk, which became a separate borough early on, did not share the grand wealth of central Bendigo. However, it was close enough to the centre to be able to access the facilities which resulted from the later stages of the mining industry. It did, however, remain a relatively modest suburb of greater Bendigo.

As with many goldfields towns Bendigo was quick to establish a botanic gardens. Not only was Rosalind Park established on the western side of Bendigo creek, but in 1857 a Botanical Reserve was established at White Hills to the north of the centre of the town. These gardens remain as one of Victoria’s botanical gems.

As the mining dried up other industries took over as the source of employment and the economic base of the city. By the early twentieth century Bendigo supported breweries, flour mills, foundries, meat freezing works and canneries, let alone the long standing and still operating Bendigo Pottery.

Graeme Butler and Associates; Eaglehawk & Bendigo Heritage Study, Environmental History; 1993.

Campaspe

The first European sighting of the southern portions of the current Campaspe Shire came in 1836 when Major Thomas Mitchell returned from his overland journey from Sydney to Portland. He was soon followed by Joseph Hawdon and Charles Bonney, who brought cattle overland from NSW in 1838. By 1840 pastoralists had taken up runs throughout the area and it was these runs that formed the basis of the local economy to the present day.

At the same time the colonial government was in the process of setting up Aboriginal Protectorates and in 1839 the Protectorate at the “Old Crossing Place” (where Mitchell had crossed the Goulburn was established. By 1840 it had been moved to the current site of Murchison under the management of William Le Souef. By 1850 the protectorate system was largely abandoned and the Murchison Protectorate was closed. The last Protector, Dr James Horsburgh established a medical practice and the Aboriginals were left to fend for themselves. The discovery of gold in the region would have created an even more foreign environment for them.

The first discovery of gold in this southern portion of the Shire was made by diggers from Bendigo moving overland to a new field at Beechworth. This was in 1853 near modern Rushworth. The finds at nearby Whroo occurred soon after and for the rest of the nineteenth century the Whroo field was known as the “Wet Diggings” and the Rushworth field as the “Dry Diggings”.

62


As with all the fields the initial activity was on the surface, digging shallow shafts and using puddling machines. Men with access to capital sunk deeper shafts gaining access to the quartz reefs. The most dramatic of all the mines in this part of the State was that at Balaclava Hill near Whroo. Initially a series of tunnels and shafts it was eventually worked as an open cut. It was named after one of the fiercest battles of the Crimean War, because it had been discovered on the same day as that battle.

The fields around Rushworth and Whroo were small compared to other parts of the central goldfields, but they were often referred to as the richest in terms of the high average yield of gold produced.

The miners in these fields were perennially plagued by problems with water, either through shafts flooding or creeks drying up leaving miners without water to drink or wash gold. At one stage diggers at Rushworth were carting their wash dirt six miles to a lagoon to wash it. There are also reports of water being carted 12 miles to Whroo from the Goulburn River.

The numbers of diggers rose and fell throughout the 1850s. They were a fickle lot and a new discovery would see them move on, only to return should another reef be uncovered. In 1856, 5,000 diggers were working at the Old Lead. Amongst these diggers were several thousand Chinese, who as with elsewhere stayed on long after the European miners had moved on.

By 1859 there were still enough Chinese on the Rushworth and Whroo fields for there to be bitter attacks against them by Europeans, including pursuing them through the law. By 1860 at least 100 Chinese had been prosecuted for not having residence licences and there are records of fights at Whroo between Chinese and Irish miners.

By the 1860s the easily discovered gold was gone and it was left to newly established mining companies to dig deeper and rely on more sophisticated technology than picks and shovels, such as crushing machines to extract the gold. The departure of the alluvial miners left a denuded landscape and the remnants of settlements.

The Balaclava Hill Company was one of the more successful in these fields, during the 1860s buying up adjoining claims and expanding its operations. This mine continued for many years and proved to be highly lucrative. Between 1866 and 1881 it produced 85,000 tons of quartz and from that extracted 85,000 pounds worth of gold. By the late 1880s its activity had all but finished and all it left behind was the enormous open cut crater at Whroo.

The diggers and later company miners of the southern Campaspe Shire brought European settlement to the Shire and established several permanent settlements and laid the basis for the local economy. Whilst Whroo has disappeared Murchison and Rushworth remain as small urban settlements. The landscape left behind by mining is itself a testimony to the importance of gold to this portion of the region.

It was left to the small farmers, who took up land after the passage of Selection Acts and the implementation of Closer settlement Schemes to sustain the economy of the area into the twentieth century. Even before these official actions the Chinese had extended their activities into the establishment of market gardens and orchards. The land around the Goulburn River and Mt Pleasant Creek was particularly favoured for this sort of agricultural pursuit. One of the enduring outcomes is the highly successful wine industry in this part of the State.

Graeme Butler; Waranga Conservation Study; Shire of Waranga Conservation Study, Volume 2, Environmental History; 1988

Central Goldfields

63


Maryborough is the centre of the Central Goldfields Shire and by far the largest town in the Shire. It has been an important centre of government administration from the time of the gold rushes and throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

The country around Maryborough formed part of the lands of the Dja Dja Wurrung, lands which extended as far east as Lancefield near the Macedon Ranges. As with everywhere there was gradual decline in the Aboriginal population after white settlement. The earliest white settlers (pastoralists) had arrived in the district in the early 1840s. They took up large holdings and built themselves substantial homesteads. They were to be rudely interrupted by the gold rushes which reached Maryborough and district in 1854. By the end of September 1854, there were estimated to be 25,000 diggers in the district spread over a large area. These diggers were ultimately joined by Chinese miners with their numbers reaching 800 by mid-1856. There is photographic and map evidence of Maryborough’s Chinese camp.

During 1852 a few of the more adventurous miners from Castlemaine struck out looking for new opportunities, initially to the fields that opened up around Wedderburn, but then south following creek valleys and the tracks of squatters. By the end of 1852 gold had been struck at Tarnagulla (Shady Creek) and at the beginning of 1853 several hundred diggers arrived at Moliagul. The rushes gradually spread south to Goldsborough and Bealiba. They followed the creek beds, in particular Burnt Creek from Moliagul to Dunolly and on to Bromley.

As indicated above it took time for the gold rushes to spread across the countryside, but spread they did. Between 1852 and 1858 thousands of hopeful diggers scoured the land between the Burnt Creek and the Loddon River.

By the early 1860s the fossicking of alluvial miners had given way to deep lead company mining with shafts sunk along the Poverty Reef at Tarnagulla, Gipsy Reef at Goldsborough and works along the Burnt Creek. It was the company mining that gave the small towns their populations and hope for the future, but by the end of the nineteenth century even that had declined, and along with it, the fortunes of these towns declined.

This country did however continue to provide exciting opportunities for the traditional digger long after the easily obtained alluvial gold had disappeared from the Ballarat and Bendigo fields. The discovery of the Welcome Stranger, the largest nugget in 1869 was typical of finds which inspired a new wave of enthusiasm. This came from near the Bulldog reef near Moliagul and it was taken into Dunolly, reviving dreams of a golden future for the district.

The town of Maryborough was laid out by W A Taylor in 1855. He had also been responsible for the surveys of Dunolly (1857), Tarnagulla (1858), Bet Bet, Avoca and part of Carisbrook. The main street of Maryborough had to be surveyed with a curve, because it was obliged to follow as reasonably as possible the line of the diggings along the Four Mile Creek and of an arm of the Main Lead.

The town has any number of substantial nineteenth century buildings, reflecting its importance as a commercial centre and centre of government. The Italianate Civic Square is a particularly fine assemblage of nineteenth century public buildings constructed around a well-proportioned town square.

No goldfields town was complete without its public park or botanical gardens or reserve. Maryborough was no exception and claims three significant public gardens.

Royal Park was the site of the Old Camp Reserve and was turned into a public reserve in 1862. It is now the Maryborough Golf Links. The Botanic Reserve, now known as the Phillips Gardens was purchased by the council in 1860. It contains a lake that was the town’s first water supply. Princess Park was set aside as the town’s main recreation reserve and has provided a centre of sporting activity since the late 1850s.

After the impact of gold Maryborough managed to remain an important regional centre and developed itself as a centre of secondary industry with the twentieth century seeing the growth of flour milling, butter manufacture, knitting mills, precision engineering and a wire works.

64


Dunolly was surveyed and sold off in 1858. At that time it seemed to be a tent town, but there was evidence of a more permanent settlement establishing itself amongst the temporary structures of the diggers. The Bendigo Hotel had been built in 1857 and it was promoted as the town’s premier hotel. It even hosted hearings of the Court of Petty Sessions in the hall attached to the hotel and it also became a coaching agency and stop over for the coaches moving around the district.

By the middle of the 1860s Dunolly had two distinct foci; a commercial centre along Broadway and public buildings to the east of Market Square. The Wesleyan Reserve with its brick buildings was also an important element of the town, reflecting the importance of religion to the mining community, which was otherwise considered to be wild and unruly.

The discovery of the Scandinavian Lead at the beginning of 1859 saw the genesis of the town of Talbot. The town grew rapidly and by March of that year the main street had been christened Scandinavian Crescent with up to 100 businesses spread along it. Like most of the new goldfields towns it was largely constructed of tents, but it did quickly establish substantial timber and iron structures.

The churches were early to establish themselves with the Primitive Methodists and Wesleyans being to the fore. The latter had a portable iron chapel in Oxford Street, and the Roman Catholics went on to build a church in Scandinavian Crescent. The population peaked at 30,000 in March 1859 and by this time there were five banking agencies and upgrading of commercial premises.

Transport to the area was difficult with the only means being an inadequate road system serviced by horses, carts and carriages. It wasn’t until 1874 that a rail link to Castlemaine was opened. The current grand station building wasn’t constructed until 1891, by which time Maryborough was seen to be an important regional rail terminus.

David Bick, Carlotta Kellaway with Peter Milner and John Patrick; City of Maryborough Heritage Study; 1992

Richard Aitken, Talbot and Clunes Conservation Study, Shire of Talbot and Clunes and Ministry for Planning and Environment, January 1988.

Chris McConville and Associates, Shire of Bet Conservation Study, National Estate Grants program, 1987

Dr David Rowe and Wendy Jacobs, Central Goldfields Shire, Heritage Review, Central Goldfields Shire, 2005.

Golden Plains

The early settlement of the Shire, like much of the colony, was by pastoralists. Many came from Van Diemen’s Land and were members of the Clyde Company or the Derwent Company. Runs with names like Barunah Plains, Laurence Park, Warrambine, Golf Hill, Moranghurk, Emu Hill and Darra still litter the landscape of the Golden Plains Shire.

The primary goldfields in the Shire were Woady Yaloak, around Smythesdale and Linton along with Steiglitz. The early discoveries were at Woady Yaloak and Mt Emu in 1852. By 1853 there was a large contingent of miners in the district and in 1855 the field expanded to take in Linton’s diggings on the Linton’s pastoral run. By 1857 there had been a rush to Carngham and Snake Gully.

At Steiglitz the first goldfield opened up in May 1853 and by 1857 seven new reefs had been opened up around the township.

Lorraine Huddle Pty Ltd; Golden Plains Shire, Stage 1 Heritage Study, Environmental History; August 2004

65


Hepburn

The town of Creswick was named after the Creswick brothers, John and Charles who had taken up a pastoral run on what is now known as Creswick Creek. The gold rushes to Ballarat in 1851 led to some miners venturing north to try their luck with gold being discovered along Creswick Creek in 1852. From then until 1854 the area was rushed by thousands of miners and at one stage the fledgling town of Creswick claimed to have a population of 25,000. However this instant wealth from easily collected gold soon dissipated and these miners moved on to more golden pastures.

As a result, the area around Creswick was left to the operations of the deep lead mining companies, who by 1872 had discovered gold deep beneath Broomfield near Creswick. This led to new mines being sunk along the rich pastoral valleys and the consequent spoil being mounded up in huge piles, which are still visible today. These mines, known as the Berry Deep leads tunnelling into the old river beds buried deep underground produced phenomenal amounts of gold. The Madame Berry mine alone produced 25,000 ounces of gold.

The fortunes of the town of Creswick initially focussed on the production of gold and with gold production drying up it somewhat stagnated. However, much of the early pastoral holdings were taken up by small farmers, many of them previously miners. The result was this area became one of the earliest centres of small and diversified farming in the state.

Creswick has been closely tied to the fortunes of Ballarat. Firstly, as a result of the deep lead investors who had initially established their credentials in Ballarat and moved their expertise to the deep lead mines around Creswick. Later it was influenced by the railway connection with Ballarat. Not only was there a web of lines constructed linking the small towns in the district, but the metalworking skills of the miners became important for the expansion of railway activity in Ballarat during the 1880s.

Creswick can also claim a significant role in the development of the Australian labour movement and its political arm. W G Spence was an early mining organiser who rose to political prominence through the establishment of the Australian Worker Union and John Curtin, the Second World War period Prime Minister, was active in the strong local anti-conscription movement before moving on to significant union and political positions in both Melbourne and Perth. Jim Scullin, another ALP Prime Minister, worked around the district during his youth.

In the Daylesford/Hepburn Springs area, gold was discovered in 1851 at Wombat Flat. Prior to this the area had been settled by pastoralists who had taken up vast tracts of land and in turn had displaced the local aboriginal population, the Dja Dja Wurrung.

Whilst mining started at Wombat Flat, it soon moved around and by 1855 the Daylesford diggings spread across a vast area of the old Shire of Daylesford and Glenlyon. In the 1860s the Daylesford town centre was based in Vincent Street. Today, most of the old centre on the flat is submerged beneath Lake Daylesford.

Wombat Hill is the major natural feature of the area and was originally identified as the site of the government camp and police reserve. It’s gazettal as a site for public gardens didn’t occur until 1863. Today this is one of the most significant regional botanic gardens in Victoria.

Like every large digging, Daylesford had its share of French, German, Danish and Austrian diggers working alongside those from the British Isles. However, by 1859 the most significant group were the Chinese with the mining register figures from that year showing that one third of the total miners were Chinese.

The other major group that came to the Daylesford diggings were the Swiss-Italians from Ticeno in Switzerland. Some 200 arrived in the 1854-55 period. Unlike the Chinese these Swiss-Italians did not return home after the gold ran out. Instead they took up other occupations and put down roots. As a result the area around Hepburn Springs and Yandoit is well known for its families and buildings of Swiss-Italian origins.

66


One of the first “discoveries” of gold occurred at Clunes in 1851. However, the initial rushes to this area resulted in little permanent impact on the environment in that locality. The buildings were temporary and soon disappeared. It wasn’t until 1855 that a second rush occurred with miners seeking fortune from the quartz reefs. It was the joint operations of the Port Phillip and Colonial Gold Mining Company and the Clunes Quartz Mining Company that were to have the greatest impact on Clunes. It was to be dominated by the Port Phillip Company’s twenty headed stamper battery, erected in 1857. A year later its capacity was doubled with the addition of a further twelve stamper heads.

The commercial centre of Clunes initially developed on the flat land adjacent to the creek and east of the quartz reefs. It was along the current Fraser Street that substantial commercial premises replaced the flimsy canvas and calico structures of the miners. The government survey of the town took place in December 1858, and the first land sales took place in 1860.Today Clunes is without the dominant poppet heads and stamping batteries that overlooked the town, but is dominated by a number of surviving grand institutional buildings, including the Town Hall, the former primary school, the former Post office, several banks and a great collection of churches these are all reminders of a more prosperous past.

Wendy Jacobs, Architect and Heritage Planner with Mary Grant; Daylesford and Glenlyon Conservation Study, Volume 1, Environmental History; May 1995.

Perrott Lyon Mathieson Pty Ltd; Daylesford Hepburn Springs Conservation Study, Shire of Daylesford and Glenlyon, December, 1985

Chris McConville and Associates Pty Ltd; Cultural Landscapes Study of Creswick Goldfields Area; for Australian Heritage Commission; 1989

Loddon

Gold was discovered in this area in 1852 at Torpichen Station (near Wedderburn). There were also important fields at Kingower, Wehla, Burke’s Flat, Inglewood and Nine Mile and the discoveries and exploitation of the resource took place over a relatively long period up until the mid-1860s.

The early gold rushes, like most places were after the easily obtained alluvial gold. However, there was a network of quartz reefs underlying the district. The first to be opened was Specimen Hill where a shaft was sunk in 1853, very early in the history of gold mining in the district.

In 1860, 10,000 acres in the Loddon Valley were opened for selection. However, it wasn’t until the Grant Act of 1865 that large scale selection took place. The selection acts lead to substantial clearing and improvement of blocks was required. Native trees, shrubs and grasses disappeared and sheep and cattle became the main occupants of the land.

The town of Wedderburn was originally known as Korong or Mt Korong from an Aboriginal word meaning canoe or boat. Its renaming is reputedly to honour William Wedderburn of the Goldfields Mounted Police. It was surveyed in 1856-57 with the earliest sale of allotments in 1858. The township was proclaimed in February, 1861.

By the 1880’s the town’s population had stabilised with the early mining population being replaced by people pursuing commercial and other enterprises which in turn supported the selectors who had taken up land in the 1870s.

Gold was discovered at Kingower in 1853. It was primarily an alluvial field and revealed a large number of significant nuggets close to the surface. It wasn’t until 1859 that the Inglewood field was discovered. Up until that time the inhospitable terrain and lack of water in the area had probably discouraged the diggers from Kingower moving in that direction.

The search for alluvial gold continued into the 1860s with all the gullies and flats being searched and turned over. This effort left a lasting legacy of evocative locality names. Places like Scatterbrain Gully, Poverty Gully, Frenchman’s Gully, Bulldog Gully, Palm Singers Gully and Brass Button Gully.

67


Throughout the Central Goldfields reef mining generally followed on after the alluvial rushes passed. At Kingower only one lucrative reef (the Union Reef) was found, but around Inglewood, reef after reef was discovered, setting the scene for reef mining to become the key to Inglewood’s longer term prosperity.

The town of Inglewood was surveyed in 1860, making the most of the subdivision arrangements established by the miners. Along the main street, renamed Brooke Street from Commercial Street, many of the buildings were out of alignment with the newly surveyed straight line of the road. The inability of the authorities to impose this new survey has led to Brooke St remaining crooked to this day.

In 1858, roughly one quarter of the adult male population on the Victorian goldfields was Chinese; with 3,500 of these working on the Bendigo goldfields. There were large numbers of Chinese diggers on the alluvial workings at Berlin in 1870. Once the gold petered out these people established alternative enterprises with many using fertile land along the Loddon River Valley as market gardens.

A Chinese camp grew up on Potter’s Hill at Inglewood and by 1867, despite the decline in the mining population there were still 290 Chinese at Inglewood. The Chinese Camp continued until the 1920’s.They were disliked and treated with suspicion and because their housing was humble and insubstantial there is very little evidence of their existence left.

Ultimately the countryside was left to the farmers. They were joined by a large number of eucalyptus farmers, who distilled the “Blue Mallee”, prized as one of the best sources of the popular eucalyptus oil. This became a significant industry in the district and the remains of these distilleries can still be found in the forested countryside around Inglewood and Kingower.

Trevor Budge and Associates; Shire of Korong Heritage and Conservation Study, Volume 2: an Environmental History of the Shire of Korong; June 1991.

Macedon Ranges

The broad character of the Macedon Ranges area is mainly derived from agricultural and pastoral activities, from transport and from the townships. The transport corridors are the basic dividing elements within the Shire and the townships are built around the key stopping points through the municipality.

Perhaps the greatest impact of the gold rushes on the Shire was that of diggers travelling through on their way to the diggings of Mt Alexander and Sandhurst (Bendigo). The section of the Mt Alexander Road between Macedon and Woodend had a particularly bad reputation for the activities of bush rangers.

The construction of the railway through the Shire was a major infrastructure development for the new colony and occurred in the wake of the gold rushes. The Victorian Government had determined to build a railway to the inland goldfields. The first section from Melbourne to Sunbury was opened in 1859 and by 1861 there was a connection to Woodend. This included outstanding engineering works such as the arched basalt bridge at Riddell’s Creek. By 1862 the line had reached Kyneton.

The first small towns in the study area sprung up in response to the needs of travellers along the goldfields roads. The railway cemented their identities as transit points. At Gisborne the railway resulted in a new town, New Gisborne, built around the railway station, itself in that position because the design engineers didn’t want the train to descend into and out of the valley that Gisborne was established in 1861.

The town of Kyneton began as a service centre for the surrounding pastoral lands with the first sales of Crown land occurring in May 1850. Kyneton grew from a rural village with the discovery of gold at Mt Alexander. It was conveniently located on the road to the diggings and even after the Mt Alexander

68


alluvial gold petered out it was still a convenient stopping point on the way to the deep lead mines of Bendigo.

There was mining around Kyneton, particularly along the Coliban River. This was short lived and the supporting industry of the district returned to farming enterprises.

This burst of gold fever to the north held the town of Kyneton in good stead, so that by 1861 it was able to boast any number of solid stone buildings, including a remarkable collection of churches, banks, court house and Mechanics Institute. These remain today as evidence of the important role of Kyneton.

Smaller towns such as Carlsruhe, Malmsbury, Lauriston, Spring Hill and Trentham had their own identities. The latter did see a period of gold mining, but it became better known for potato growing and cattle raising. Malmsbury on the other hand was better known for farming and stone quarrying with its bluestone quarry providing stone for more than 20 years. It also became an important loading station on the Mt Alexander Railway line and this would, in part explain the generous railway station and associated infrastructure in this town.

TBA Planners, Trevor Macedon Ranges Cultural Heritage & Landscape Study, 1994Budge & Associates, et al;

David Bick, with Phyllis Murphy and John Patrick. (Background History by Susan Priestley); Shire of Kyneton Conservation (Heritage) Study; prepared for Heritage Branch, Ministry for Planning and Environment and the Shire of Kyneton, 1990

Moorabool

The original human inhabitants of this country were the Woiworung, who claimed the country to the north of the Werribee River. Their brothers, the Wathaurung claimed the land to the south all the way to Cape Otway.

By 1842 the pastoral occupation of the country covered by the Shire was largely complete. Grazing by sheep and cattle had a profound effect on the native flora and fauna and lead to the open grazing country that we are familiar with today.

The discovery of gold was to have a dramatic effect on the economy of the districts now embraced by Moorabool. In May 1854 alluvial gold was discovered at Goodman’s Creek and whilst not particularly rich or profitable by 1861 there were approximately 160 miners prospecting in the Bacchus Marsh area. Gold was also discovered in the Werribee and Lerderderg Gorges. There remain stone and earth walled water races and remnant gold workings at Lerderderg Gorge and the miner’s huts at Werribee Gorge are a testament to the difficulties experienced by the miners in this locality.

Gold never replaced grazing as the major economic activity of the Shire, and this in turn provided the support for the establishment of the towns in the Shire.

The first towns were surveyed at Darley and Maddingly and in October 1842 the first land sales were held. The commercial area of modern Bacchus Marsh was developed gradually by private investors following the discovery of gold in the district. Coimadi was originally known as Limestone’s Basin and in the 1860s was the centre of a limestone industry. The construction of the Coimadi Reservoir saw the obliteration of much of this early settlement. Myrniong developed as an agricultural township and provided supplies to the goldfields population at Mt Blackwood. Hopetoun developed as a stopover on the main route from Melbourne to Ballarat. It greatly benefited from the gold rushes with John Leahy establishing an inn at the point that the diggers heading for Ballarat had to cross the Lerderderg River. It became a settlement dominated by Irish immigrants and for a period was known as Tipperary Flats.

Lal Lal was never the site of gold rushes, but did gain prominence with the discovery of a limonite deposit (68 – 70% iron oxide) in 1857. This led to the establishment of a local pig iron industry and the

69


construction of blast furnaces. This industry was short lived, closing in the 1880s, but did leave behind an important industrial relic in the form of the remnants of a blast furnace.

Richard Peterson and Daniel Catrice; Bacchus Marsh Heritage Study; for the Shire of Bacchus Marsh and the Historic Buildings Council, 1995

Jacobs, Lewis, Vines Architects and Conservation Planners; Historic Sites Survey, Ballarat Study Area, for Land Conservation Council of Victoria et al; 1980

Mt Alexander

Gold was discovered in the Mt Alexander/Forest Creek area in 1851. To many this created the centre of the famous Victorian gold rushes. The modern Castlemaine was the centre of this activity with the Camp Reserve selected in February 1852. The town was surveyed soon after. The early ad hoc shops and commercial premises set up in the town area soon re-established themselves in grander more solid edifices. The residential development of the 1850s and 1860s also demonstrated the prosperity of the area with everything from modest miner’s cottages to large ornate houses establishing a sense of permanence and prosperity.

A notable feature of the goldfields population was its cosmopolitan character. The rushes had attracted people from all over the globe and the survival of such place names as Adelaide Hill, Tipperary Point, Scotchman’s Gully at Chewton, Yankee Point and Italian Reef at Taradale and Launceston Gully at Barkers Creek all point to the tendency of miners to congregate with others of the same nationality or even of the same region or city. There was a predominance of Welsh names amongst the miners who worked the Nimrod Reef and the remains of buildings nearby are known as the Welsh Village.

The Chinese also arrived in large numbers and as the 1850s progressed and returns from mining became less, they were seen as competitors and considerable hostility grew towards them. This was so serious that official Chinese camps were created at Dinah Flat, Adelaide Hill and Golden Point.

The easily obtained alluvial gold was quickly exhausted and miners took to sinking shafts into the old river beds. This created great change to the landscape. The diggings quickly became a honeycomb of shallow shafts surrounded by heaps of mullock. After 1854 puddling machines were introduced to the diggings. The result was that vast quantities of earth was scraped from the bedrock, processed through these machines and deposited back into the landscape as sludge. This sludge became such a problem that by 1861 puddling machines were for a short while banned on the Forest and Campbell’s Creeks. A further advancement was the use of sluicing to strip top soil from promising ground, processing it through sluice boxes to separate the gold and then depositing the sludge back into areas that had already been worked. This was followed by powerful hydraulic sluicing and then dredging. It was these techniques that are largely responsible for the landscape that we see in the area today, a landscape which is somewhat different to that found by the original explorers and pastoralists.

Although the easily accessible gold deposits were quickly exhausted, the town of Castlemaine managed to diversify sufficiently to carry it into the twentyfirst century. Thompson’s Foundry, originally established to service the mines, and the Castlemaine Woollen Mills became significant secondary industries and significant employers, both of which continue to this day.

The first European settlers in the district were of course pastoralists. The discovery of gold put paid to the peaceful pastoral life and through the early 1850s more and more land was given over to the pursuit of gold. By 1854 the rushes had spread to the Tarrengower field at Maldon, which within six months had a reported population of 18,000 to 20,000. However, this rush was short lived and by the end of 1854 the population was reported to be 2000. Maldon became better known for its quartz mining which required fewer people and more financial investment for machinery to handle the extraction and crushing of the quartz. The heyday of the Maldon fields was the mid-1860s. Through the last years of the nineteenth century mining activity declined leaving the town of Maldon as a largely untouched nineteenth century village throughout the twentieth century.

70


Of course the gold discoveries in the district were extensive and localities such as Fryers Creek, Campbell’s Creek, Spring Gully, Glenluce, Vaughan, Newstead and Guildford became settlements and villages in their own right. Many of these places became the population centres of particular ethnic groups. Poles and Bolivians mined for a time at Campbell’s Creek, the Cornish congregated at Cornishtown in Spring Gully, there was a significant congregation of Irish at Irishtown between Vaughan and Fryerstown, there was a Danish settlement at Red Hill, Campbell’s Creek, known locally as Copenhagen. There were Swiss at Guildford, Italians at Vaughan and of course, Chinese in various locations, with a large community of Chinese between Guildford and Yapeen.

The development of water supply and transport networks were important outcomes of the new wealth of this region. The road to Mt Alexander formed the basis of all road transport between Melbourne and Bendigo with Cobb and Co commencing their business in the colony with a service to Mt Alexander in 1854. This was then extended to Bendigo. An interesting, but little known feature of the road to Melbourne was the toll gates established at Taradale, Harcourt and Chewton.

The development of the railway was a major undertaking by the colonial government and remains as a significant inheritance from the gold era. Originally the line was to take a direct route from Elphinstone to Sandhurst, but pressure from the prosperous and politically influential Mt Alexander (Castlemaine) ensured that it was diverted via Castlemaine. This in turn required the construction of the Big Hill Tunnel between Elphinstone and Chewton, which is today still seen as an engineering feat, as is the Taradale Viaduct.

The Coliban water scheme was a governmental response to the demand for water on the Mt Alexander and Bendigo goldfields. Designed to channel water from a reservoir at Malmsbury it was constructed as a complex series of channels, races, reservoirs, flumes and siphons. Whilst initially established to supply water to the goldfields, it was subsequently extended to supply water for sluicing and even later to deliver water to agricultural and horticultural enterprises.

Perrott Lyon Mathieson Pty Ltd; City of Castlemaine Architectural and Historical Survey; City of Castlemaine; January, 1981

Department of Conservation Forests and Lands; Maldon Historic Area, Draft Management Plan; 1987.

Phil Taylor; Heritage Study of the Shire of Newstead, Stage 2, Environmental History; December, 1998, revised May, 2004

Karen Twigg and Wendy Jacobs; Shire of Metcalf Heritage Study, Volume 1, Environmental History; December, 1994.

Northern Grampians

Tourism played an important role in this area, from an early time. It was based around the scenic beauty of the Grampians. As early as 1866 the Stawell Roads Board had commissioned a photographer to take views of local scenic spots. The Grampians with its dramatic scenery proved a major attraction. The improvement of roads and the opening of the railway to Stawell in 1876 made the Grampians more accessible. Visitors often stayed in guesthouses in Stawell and ventured to Halls Gap by gig, buggy or coach

Early discoveries of gold occurred at Carapooee Creek in 1851 and Pleasant Creek (modern Stawell) in 1853. However that field didn’t yield substantial amounts of gold until 1854. By 1855 gold had been discovered at Bakery Hill on the northern outskirts of St Arnaud.

As with most of the diggings the initial rush relied on the discovery of alluvial gold or what could be extracted from shallow shafts. Distinct fields were discovered at:

71


New Bendigo, near St Arnaud; Pleasant Creek, the beginnings of modern Stawell; Peter’s Diggings; Rostron’s Diggings on Tottington station; Great Western, between Stawell and Ararat; Emu; and Stuart Mill.

The goldfields were generally seen to be a melting pot for many nationalities and whilst this was true for the fields in Northern Grampians it is also true that a significant number of the diggers originated from the British Isles. Almost three-quarters of the population of St Arnaud in 1861 were either born in Australia or England, Scotland and Wales (not that the Scots or Welsh would have seen themselves as Anglo). Fifteen per cent originated from Ireland.

The Chinese stood apart from these European diggers and many found their way to this district from Robe in South Australia, having been unloaded from ships there and finding their way to the diggings overland. The Chinese were often not part of the original rushes and were content to re-work diggings abandoned by the Europeans. For example, the Chinese Camp at St Arnaud was established in 1855, when Europeans had all but abandoned the field.

Northern Grampians did not provide much result from deep lead mining; however quartz reef mining was carried out for seventy years. At Pleasant Creek the quartz outcrops at Big Hill proved a rich source, whilst at New Bendigo (St Arnaud) the Bristol, Wilsons Reef, Sebastopol Hill and Nelson Reef proved productive.

Water supply was always a problem on these fields with natural sources such as Orr’s Creek and Pleasant Creek being unreliable. Water was carted from the Avoca River, but it ultimately became polluted. The story of obtaining adequate supplies for both mining and townships is a story in its own right.

Transport was a major issue in this part of the goldfields with local Roads Boards charged with developing and maintaining roads. As a result tolls were charged for road users with toll gates established at the Archdale bridge over the Avoca River and at Great Western. Cobb and Co extended its services through this region and provided the earliest and most reliable form of mass transport. The 1870s saw the arrival of the train line and its expansion out to Horsham. A further line was established between Dunolly and St Arnaud with 1880 seeing a further extension from St Arnaud to Donald.

Following the departure of the gold diggers the countryside returned to pastoral industry as its main source of economic activity.

Wendy Jacobs, Vicki Johnson, David Rowe and Phil Taylor; Northern Grampians Heritage Study Stage 2, Volume 2 Environmental History; 2004

Pyrenees

In the early 1840s most of the land throughout the Shire had been taken up by pastoral squatters. The greatest proportion of the old Avoca Shire was held by James Cameron who occupied the land to the west of the Pyrenees ranges and William Stawell and his cousin Leslie Foster who held the land in the east.

These arrangements had followed the pattern of Aboriginal occupation with the Pyrenees providing a natural dividing line for the Dja Dja Wurrung to the east and the Djab Wurrung to the south west. It is reported that gold was first discovered in the district, at Navarre, in 1848. A further discovery at Glenmona in 1849 also remained quiet. It wasn’t until the 1851 discoveries elsewhere in Victoria that the rushes began. The establishment of a gold escort between Adelaide and Mt Alexander passing through the Shire bought with it a stream of hopeful diggers from South Australia. It was these diggers who discovered the Avoca goldfields.

72


The area around Beaufort became important with the Fiery Creek diggings the scene of much activity in 1854-55. However, there was ultimately little quartz mining in the area and the deep lead alluvial mines had largely faded away by the end of the nineteenth century.

Wendy Jacobs and Karen Twigg, et al; The Pyrenees Shire, Avoca Shire Heritage Study, 1864 – 1994; 1994,

Jacobs, lewis, Vines Architects and Conservation Planners; Historic Sites Survey, Ballarat Study Area, for Land Conservation Council of Victoria et al; 1980.

73


GOLD HISTORY THEMES

Throughout the histories of the towns and settlements of the Goldfields region a number of important themes are persistent. They will underpin a narrative that unites the different municipal areas and towns that will comprise the Goldfields Heritage Region.

Social and Political Movements

The activism and independence of the miners, as has already been said, led to the uprisings against government, its taxes and imposition of authority. The most famous of these actions was, of course the Eureka uprising at Ballarat in 1854. However there were similar revolts or expressions of disquiet at other centres including Bendigo and Mt Alexander.

Historian, Weston Bate points to the strength of the Australian Natives Association as a significant factor in the overwhelming support from the region for the federation of the Australian colonies in the 1890s. A town which strongly associates with the development of radical social and political movements is Creswick. W.G. Spence was instrumental in gaining the support of miners and shearers in establishing the still powerful Australian Workers Union. The influences of these movements on people like John Curtin (a local boy) were carried well into the twentieth century.

Transport

Transport to the goldfields was initially overland by means of rough tracks. The colonial government found itself pressed to improve these roads and perhaps the most significant of these enterprises was the construction of the old Calder Highway, which followed the goldfields route to Castlemaine and Bendigo. This road had a treacherous section through the Black Forest near Woodend where bush rangers operated at will. It is these stories that link that place to the story of the goldfields. The section of the highway through Chewton retains the circuitous route taken by much of the road as it wound its way through mining settlements. The improvement of roads throughout the region became an early priority, enabling the famous Cobb and Co coach network to grow.

The construction of the Mt Alexander railway became an early priority of the colonial government. This not only provided for an efficient connection between the goldfields and Melbourne, but was quickly extended to Echuca where it connected with the river boats ensuring that the agricultural exports of the Murray Valley and Riverina found their way through the Port of Melbourne. The town of New Gisborne owes its very existence to the construction of this railway and it was a significant factor in Kyneton consolidating its role as a significant service town – a role that it still plays. This line has created a legacy of buildings, tunnels, viaducts and bridges which are outstanding elements of the landscape and highlight places like Taradale and Malmsbury.

Taradale Railway Viaduct (Heritage Victoria Collection)

The construction of the railway through Ballarat to Ararat, Stawell and Maryborough provided additional opportunities for those centres. Ararat took on a significant role as a support town for the railways and of course, Maryborough retains one of Victoria’s grandest railway stations, the centrepiece of its railway industry.

74


Maryborough Railway Station (Heritage Victoria Collection)

Infrastructure

Perhaps the most significant piece of infrastructure development was the Coliban Water Scheme. The problems of water supply had been a major impediment to the development of the region and it was the construction of this system with its reservoirs and miles and miles of channels that enabled water to be collected and distributed across a vast area of the region. This system, much of which is still used, linked towns and settlements across the modern Shires of Hepburn, Mt Alexander and Greater Bendigo.

Coliban Water System – Bendigo Spillway (Heritage Victoria Collection)

Alluvial Mining

While the gold rushes were initially focussed on the gold that could be easily picked up or washed from streams and the spoil of simple shafts, the industry quickly moved on to more industrially intensive forms of mining. However, the area now covered by the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park is probably the best showpiece of alluvial mining and is an evocative display of the different layers of the use of the land from that of the Aboriginal people, through the impacts of various mining eras.

75


Industrial Mining

The stories of the large scale industrial mining that came later are best demonstrated in the landscapes around Creswick and Smeaton. The very deep lead mines resulted in vast mounds of mullock and quartz being deposited in the landscape. The story of the New Australasian Mine disaster is itself an important story of the goldfields and its diverse history.

Tourism

Tourism to the region is not a particularly modern phenomenon. Whilst towns like Daylesford, Hepburn Springs, Vaughan Springs and Stawell may have started as mining centres they very quickly became centres for tourism. The mineral springs around Hepburn Springs remain an important tourism attraction and Stawell continues to play a key role in tourism to the Grampians. Undoubtedly the former were discovered and developed as part of the gold rushes, whilst the Grampians became more accessible as a consequence of the settlement at Stawell.

Hepburn Mineral Springs Bathhouse (Heritage Victoria Collection)

Government Administration and Services

To many it would be assumed that the large regional centres of Ballarat and Bendigo were always the centre of public service delivery. However, there was an important role for towns like Maryborough and Ararat. The latter was, well into the twentieth century, a regional centre for health and corrective services. The presence of the Aradale Psychiatric Hospital, Pyrenees House (an important hospital), J Ward, and the Ararat gaol made Ararat an important regional centre for public services. Maryborough, of course had a significant School of Mines and provided extensive educational services to its part of the region.

There are many stories to be told which describe the distinctive characteristics of different parts of the region. The stories from all parts of the region should be uncovered, to distinguish each area and to link them to the broader discovery and extraction of gold. This is an important component in unifying the Goldfields Heritage Region and in providing local opportunities for promotion and product differentiation among small areas within the region.

Aradale Mental Asylum, Ararat (Heritage Victoria Collection)

76


GOLDFIELDS REGION PLACE TYPES

The phenomenal development of the Goldfields resulted in thousands of buildings, gardens, public works and urban settlements which identify the distinctiveness of the region and provide opportunities for interpreting the history of the region and gaining a better understanding of why it is so special.

Many of the institutions established to provide services to the new multicultural population are now best represented through the place types identified in this study. A tabulation of types included on the Victorian Heritage Register is included as Appendix 1 to this report. Because of their identification as places of state significance there is considerable information collected about them, which in turn provides the basis for the development of stories and interpretive material.

The stories associated with these places make them far more interesting than their simple architectural descriptions.

They all provide opportunities for the development of tourism products.

Art Galleries

The Central Victorian Goldfields region has five significant public art galleries, in Bendigo, Ballarat Castlemaine, Ararat and Maryborough, which has a smaller gallery in its former Fire Station. All of these are listed on the Victorian Heritage Register and are iconic places in these cities. Their importance not only lies with their architecture and history, but also in their collections. They present an opportunity to act as the centrepieces of a Goldfields region art network which could incorporate smaller local and private galleries, potentially with coordinated events and exhibitions.

Bendigo Art Gallery (Heritage Victoria Collection)

77


Avenues of Honour

Australia and Victoria in particular is well known for its large number of Avenues of Honour and war memorials. These avenues are seen by many to be replacements for the cemeteries which were never able to contain the sons, brothers and husbands who did not return from the Great War of 1914-18. They provided a place to commemorate these fallen men, who were, after all the sons and grandsons of the mining communities of the region. They provided an alternative to the cemetery grave which could be visited. The region has many of these avenues, some of which have been recognised on the Victorian Heritage Register and others acknowledged in either local planning schemes or simply as important features, usually on the outskirts of towns. They are an important feature in any strategy to celebrate family history and genealogy links to the Goldfields region.

Bacchus Marsh Avenue of Honour (Heritage Victoria Collection)

Churches and Places of Worship

The Goldfields region contains numerous churches and places of worship. Religious affiliations were very important to many of the miners and the distribution of the various denominations and temples provides important clues as to the predominant cultural groups in particular areas. Clearly the large churches and cathedrals were built by the Anglicans and Roman Catholics and these places continue to dominate the larger towns. However the proliferation of small churches and non-conformist (Wesleyans, Baptists, Congregationalists) chapels point to the gatherings of groups like the Welsh, Cornish and English from the Midlands. Equally the presence of synagogues and Chinese temples point to the diversity of cultural groups and their spread throughout the goldfields. Churches and places of worship are an important measure of the demography of the fields.

Former Methodist Church, California Gully (Heritage Victoria Collection)

Civic Precincts

78


The development of towns and cities and the great pride of the miners in their new found wealth and prosperity led to substantial civic spaces being developed. Much is said about the grand Sturt Street boulevard in Ballarat and Pall Mall in Bendigo, but equally spaces like the civic precinct in Maryborough and Ararat are indicative of the wealth and pride that drove those centres for many years after the initial rushes. These developments were also an opportunity to turn the muddy, dusty and unsavoury urban spaces of the early mines into fine examples of architecture and public planning and design.

Ararat Civic Precinct (Heritage Victoria Collection)

Gardens

The establishment of gardens, both public and private, is a sign of the growth of civilisation in the region. Today the region supports many fine botanic gardens laid out by city fathers who often accessed advice and plantings from the Melbourne Botanic Gardens. Private gardens were also an important feature of the new landscape and those associated with pastoral homesteads were often very grand affairs. By and large the public gardens have remained under the control and management of local governments who have generally provided good care of the gardens, (on occasion not been beyond annexing parts of them for other purposes). These gardens provide a wonderful opportunity for an enhanced tourist experience, especially given the great interest in gardening in Victoria and Australia.

Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens, Daylesford (Heritage Victoria Collection)

Infrastructure

The development of infrastructure was an essential part of the growth of the cities and towns. Places like gas works, tramways (dealt with under the transport category), water works and major industries

79


help tell the story of the growth of sophistication of the towns and cities in the region. They, along with the civic spaces and grand public buildings enable us to see the results of the investment of wealth derived from gold.

Gasworks Bendigo (Heritage Victoria Collection)

Mechanic’s Institutes

Victoria was a particularly significant place for these institutions. Established as centres of learning for the working man (including miners and mechanics servicing the mines), they usually contained a reading room and lending library and an auditorium and meeting rooms. The Ballarat example is one of the grandest and still operates a library, auditorium and meeting rooms. Many of these establishments were the forerunners of the modern day public libraries. Their stories are an intriguing insight into the development of the communities of the region. Many Australians could trace their cultural and educational background to the services provided to their forebears by these institutions.

Mechanic’s Institute, Ballarat (Heritage Victoria Collection)

80


Memorials

During the nineteenth century it was common to memorialise important people and great events, regardless of the location of those events. So many towns have memorials to members of the British royal family and important civic fathers. Of course, just about every town or village has a war memorial to the servicemen and women of WWI and these alone commemorate the more common man. These servicemen and women were the sons and grandsons of the early miners and the names represented on those memorials are an important part of the genealogical story of the gold region and the demographic distribution of particular nationalities and cultural groups.

Perhaps the most important places in this regard are the cemeteries, a number of which are recognised on the Victorian Heritage Register. These cemeteries are the record of all men and women and make a critical contribution to understanding the make-up of the goldfields.

Queen Alexandra Bandstand, Ballarat (Heritage Victoria Collection)

Mining Sites

There are a myriad of mining sites included on the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) and many thousands of others recognised in local planning schemes and on other non-statutory lists. The ones included on the VHR are a representative sample of all the typical places and enable the mining story in all its forms to be told. These places are, of course front and centre to the overall gold story.

Jubilee Company Quartz Mine, Staffordshire Reef, Golden Plains (Heritage Victoria Collection)

81


Public Buildings

Throughout the region there are hundreds of public buildings, many of them grand edifices designed to deliver local government (town and shire halls), court houses, post offices, hospitals, lunatic asylums and gaols. As well there are unusual public enterprises like the Ballarat Observatory or places constructed specifically around the mining industry, like the Ballarat Mining Exchange.

These buildings and sites tend to illustrate the great wealth assembled in the region with many of these structures being of fine architectural design. They also attest to the ambitions and expectations of those people who had settled the region, many of them individuals who had done well out of the pursuit of gold. They probably are the most significant pieces of architecture throughout the region, being the product of a new and confident colony anxious to express its new found identity.

Former Sub-Treasury and Post office, Ararat Plains (Heritage Victoria Collection)

Schools of Mines

The establishment of Schools of Mines throughout the Goldfields was an indication of the need for more sophisticated mining techniques than what had arrived with the early alluvial miners. As the shafts became deeper and the machinery necessary to process the ore became more complex there was a need for well-educated engineers and the like to support the mining ventures. Of course the Ballarat School is now an important part of the University of Ballarat and Bendigo’s an important part of the Bendigo campus of Latrobe University. This in itself is an indicator of the growth of these communities and the role that education has played in their development.

Former School of Mines, Castlemaine (Heritage Victoria Collection)

82


Theatres

The Goldfields were littered with theatres, which along with hotels were popular places of social engagement and entertainment. They tell a diverse story of the types of entertainment that the mining community enjoyed, but they also tell the story of the growth of sophistication of these communities to the point that many of these theatres continue to play an important role in the cultural and social life of the towns and cities of the region.

Masonic Hall and Theatre, View St., Bendigo (Heritage Victoria Collection)

Transport Sites

The development of transport routes (both road and rail) were a key outcome of the goldmining fever. Not only was it necessary to provide improved access to the goldfields, but it was ultimately critical for the development of the region that roads and railways were improved. The story of the Mt Alexander railway alone and the way in which it consolidated the economy of Victoria is a very important story in illustrating the impact of the discovery and extraction of gold.

Malmsbury Railway Station (Heritage Victoria Collection)

83


PRESERVING AND CELEBRATING LOCAL HERITAGE

Museums and Historical Societies

The importance of the gold rushes to Victoria’s and Australia’s development contributes to the abundance of Historical Societies in the Goldfields Heritage Region. Historical societies and museums in the region perform a number of functions; they are repositories for local history; they are information centres and services; they support genealogical inquiries; they research and study local histories and promote the history and the heritage of an area. They may be based in a town but provide information on a number of localities. Their collections incorporate memorabilia and artefacts and a wide range of records from churches, courts, cemeteries, councils, road boards and alike. They are important because of the advocacy role they play around heritage and the role they play in protecting and preserving places, sites, artefacts, records and stories in communities.

Obviously not all information in historical societies relates to the gold rush, but a good deal of it does, so the role of historical societies and museums now and in the future is important to this Study. The ongoing role of these organisations for the development of the region as Australia’s Goldfields Heritage Region should be made clear.

Currently there is a pilot project running in the Goldfields region on community museums. The project aims to address issues around the sustainability of heritage organisations and the security of collections. It is being funded by the State Government and being coordinated from Ballarat. The work of the project has included:

supporting and mentoring local groups; strengthening and developing local networks; brokering relationships and linkages between peak bodies, different tiers of government and

different departments and local groups and clusters of organisations; advocacy for the sector and its needs; researching the needs of the sector and preparing plans for development; and building the capacity of organisations and volunteers through training and information sharing.

There are an estimated 83 collecting organisations in the Goldfields region with a wide range of capacities from funded museums like the Gold Museum in Ballarat and Castlemaine Art Gallery and Museum to humble local collections being maintained by a handful of volunteers. Professional support for the large number of volunteer organisations working in this area is strengthening the sector and contributing to its sustainability.

Historical societies do not function in a significant way as tourist attractions. Often historical societies don’t see themselves as part of the tourism offer in a location and are therefore not well prepared to play that role. It is reported that many historical societies have limited contact with local tourism services. It is most likely they have a limited capacity to service tourist needs, their opening hours are limited or irregular and the relevance of their activities to other tourism services being provided is not clear.

Within the Community Museums Project training programs are being developed to: improve customer service; attract and retain volunteers; succession plan; prepare exhibitions and displays; and improve interpretation and tourism.

The biggest challenges emerging are: 84


financial sustainability – including the cost of maintaining the heritage buildings many occupy; developing and maintaining an online presence; digitising records; opening hours; security and conservation of artefacts; attracting and retaining volunteers; and promotion.

An emerging opportunity related to historical societies is genealogical tourism. Interest in tracking down your ancestors is growing; the internet is making researching your family tree easier and popular television shows that trace the ancestry of prominent citizens and celebrities are stimulating broader interest across the community. The Goldfields region is uniquely positioned to capitalise on this. A very large percentage of people came to the Goldfields from other parts of Australia or the world and emigrated here to find their fortunes. Many, many Australians will have a link to the Central Victorian Goldfields. In the quest to understand their history and unlock the stories of their past a visit to the Goldfields and to one of the many historical societies may be just what is needed.

It is envisaged that historical societies will provide information for the development of interesting and engaging local stories and help develop the cultural heritage product that will be an important part of marketing Australia’s heritage region. Historical societies and museums in the region help ensure that heritage preservation is sustainable and the heritage message is authentic.

To date much of the heritage tourism product in Australia has been the static, “you will appreciate our beautiful place” approach. This was successful for a period, but the market has become more sophisticated and expects more than a beautifully restored historic mansion to view. In establishing the Goldfields heritage tourism region an important component will be the unearthing of the interesting stories, both of gold discovery and the subsequent development of the region. Assistance from local historical societies and museums, may just bring these stories to life.

85


CHAPTER 7.THE CONTRIBUTION OF TOURISM AND HERITAGE TOURISM TO THE VICTORIAN GOLDFIELDS

VISITATION LEVELS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF VISITORS

Collection of tourism data for the Goldfields Heritage Region is not undertaken on either a regular or irregular basis, since the region spans five distinct Tourism Victoria Campaign Regions and seven sub-regions, as summarised in Table 7.1.

Table 7.1 Linkages between Goldfields Heritage Region LGS’s and Tourism Victoria Campaign Regions Goldfields Heritage

Region LGAsTourism Victoria Campaign

RegionTourism Victoria Campaign Sub-

RegionArarat Grampians Central HighlandsBallarat Goldfields BallaratCentral Goldfields Goldfields Bendigo LoddonGreater Bendigo Goldfields Bendigo LoddonLoddon Goldfields Bendigo LoddonMount Alexander Goldfields Bendigo LoddonHepburn Daylesford & Macedon Ranges Spa CountryMacedon Ranges Daylesford & Macedon Ranges MacedonMoorabool Daylesford & Macedon Ranges MacedonNorthern Grampians Grampians Central HighlandsPyrenees Grampians Central HighlandsGolden Plains Great Ocean Road GeelongCampaspe Murray Central Murray

For the year ended 30 June, 2011 the Goldfields Heritage Region attracted:16

5.6 million domestic day visitors; 2.1 million domestic overnight visitors, staying 5.4 million visitor nights; and an estimated 70,000 international overnight visitors.

Estimates of visitor numbers by LGA are presented in Table 7.1. It shows that Ballarat and Greater Bendigo account for around half (49.5%) the domestic day visitors to the region, just less than half (43.3%) of domestic overnight visitors, 40.5% of domestic overnight visitor nights and around 45% of international overnight visitors to the region.

16 Domestic visitation data is based on data provided by Tourism Research Australia, derived from the National Visitor Survey. However, in some instances sample sizes are very small and care should be exercised in using these results. Estimates of international overnight visitation are based on data from the International Visitor Survey for the year ended December 2010 for Victoria’s Tourism Campaign regions.

86


Table 7.2 Estimates of Visitor Numbers by Local Government Area, Goldfields Heritage Region, 2010-11 Local Government Area

Domestic Day

Visitors(000)

% Domestic Overnight Visitors

(000)

Domestic Overnight

Visitor Nights(000)

% Average Length of

Stay (Nights)

International OvernightVisitors(000)4

Ararat 106 1.9 61 153 2.8 2.5 0.6Ballarat 1,393 24.8 451 988 18.1 2.2 17.7Campaspe 481 8.6 378 988 18.1 2.7 6.6Central Goldfields1

111 2.0 23 69 1.3 3.0 1.9

Greater Bendigo 1,390 24.7 480 1,223 22.4 2.5 13.6Golden Plains1 161 2.9 59 91 1.7 1.5 0.6Hepburn 521 9.3 250 610 11.2 2.4 4.1Loddon1 69 1.2 39 127 2.3 3.3 0.9Macedon Ranges 634 11.3 140 340 6.2 2.4 3.5Moorabool 211 3.8 66 175 3.2 2.7 0.8Mount Alexander 377 6.7 115 270 4.9 2.3 2.5Northern Grampians2

106 1.9 147 390 7.1 2.7 15.2

Pyrenees1 60 1.1 19 37 0.7 1.9 1.6Total Region 5,620 100.0 2,1483 5,461 100.

02.5 69.6

Notes: 1 No data from TRA was provided for Domestic Day Visitors and Domestic Overnight Visitors because of small sample size.Estimates are based on the difference between totals for all 13 LGAs provided by TRA and LGA specific provided data,then distributed across LGAs for which no data was provided on the basis of population and relative shares in TRA data for a 3 to 4 year average in 2007.

2 No data was provided by TRA for Domestic Day Visitors. Estimates are based on the distribution method outlined above.3. The total for the region is a net total, i.e. adjustments have been made for visitors who stayed overnight in more than 1

LGA in the region.4. No international visitor data by LGA was provided. Estimates are based on visitor numbers for the relevant Tourism

Victoria campaign region.Source: Tourism Research Australia and Street Ryan Estimates.

The region’s share of visitation to regional Victoria and its share of regional Victoria’s population is presented in Figure 7.1, showing that the region has just over a quarter (28.2%) of regional Victoria’s population, attracts 23.3% of regional Victoria’s domestic day visitors, 20.8% of domestic overnight visitors but only 17.2% of its domestic visitor nights. This may simply be simply a reflection of its proximity to Melbourne, or it may also suggest an issue with visitor accommodation (whether that be related to quantity, range, quality and/or price).

Figure 7.1 Goldfields Heritage Tourism Region’s Share of Regional Victorian Tourism87


0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

Population Domestic Day Visitors

Domestic Overnight Visitors

Domestic Overnight

Visitor Nights

International Overnight Visitors

SOURCE: ABS, Regional Population Growth by SLA 2001-2010TRA, Consultancy ServiceTourism Victoria, Market ProfilesStreet Ryan Estimates

Domestic Day Visitors17

Day visitation to the region is dominated by Greater Bendigo and Ballarat which, together, attracted around half of the all-day visitors throughout the region. As shown in Table 7.1, the region overall attracted 5.6 million domestic day visitors in the year ended June 2011.

The purpose of visit for the majority of day visitors (45.5%) was holiday or leisure and just over half (51.9%) of all day visitors originated in Melbourne.

Figures 7.2 and 7.3 summarise details of purpose of trip and origin of visitors for the region and each of its LGAs.

Figure 7.2 indicates that holiday/leisure is a far more significant driver of day visitation in Hepburn than in all other LGAs and that the rate of business visits in both of the more sizeable regional centres of Greater Bendigo and Ballarat is double or more than in all other LGAs. It also shows that visiting friends and relatives is generally the dominant reason for visiting in the smaller LGAs. However, visiting friends and relatives is also the dominant reason for visiting Greater Bendigo, slightly exceeding holiday/leisure and business/other (both of which have a relatively even share).

Figure 7.2 Purposes of Trip, Domestic Day Visitors, Goldfields Heritage Region, 2010-11

17 Data is sourced from Tourism Research Australia (TRA). However, it should be noted that small sample sizes in the National Visitor Survey for Northern Grampians, Golden Plains, Loddon and Pyrenees precluded provision of data by TRA for these LGAs. Estimates presented here are based on differences between the total for Victoria’s campaign regions of Goldfields and Daylesford and Macedon Ranges and totals for LGAs within those regions for which data has been provided, then allocated across remaining LGAs on the basis of their share of sub-regional and regional visitation, on average, over a three to four year period to 2007. In the absence of any data relating to more detailed characteristics of visitors in these LGAs, the same distribution of characteristics as applies to “the balance” representing the missing LGAs has been applied to each of these LGAs.

88


0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

Ararat Ballarat Campaspe Central Goldfields

Greater Bendigo

Hepburn Macedon Ranges

Moorabool Mt Alexander

Northern Grampians

Golden Plains

Loddon Pyrenees Total Region

Holiday or leisure Visiting friends and relatives Business/Other

Source: TRA, Consultancy ServiceStreet Ryan Estimates

Figure 7.3 Origins of Domestic Day Visitors, Goldfields Heritage Region, 2010-11

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

90.0%

Ararat Ballarat Campaspe Central Goldfields

Greater Bendigo



Northern Grampians

Golden Plains


Melbourne Other Vic Other

Source: TRA, Consultancy ServiceStreet Ryan Estimates

Figure 7.3 confirms a dominance of visitors from Victoria across the region and the dominance of visitors originating in Melbourne for visitations to Ballarat, Hepburn, Macedon Ranges and Moorabool. Campaspe has a different pattern of visitation to all other LGAs with visitors originating in “Other Victoria” clearly dominating, and with visitors originating in Melbourne having around the same share as those originating outside Victoria (a reflection of Campaspe’s New South Wales/Victorian border location, and the significance of the Echuca and other Murray River centres).

Domestic Overnight Visitors

89


For the year ended June 2011, there were around 2.1 million domestic overnight visitors to the Goldfields Heritage Region, staying an average of 2.54 nights. Overall, 4% of domestic overnight visitors stayed in more than one LGA within the region.

The four LGAs of Greater Bendigo, Ballarat, Campaspe and Hepburn account for almost three quarters (72.6%) of all domestic overnight visitors to the region and 70% of all visitor nights.

A review of the characteristics of domestic overnight visitors to the Goldfields Heritage Region suggests:

they are predominantly aged between 39 and 54 years (32.3% of all visitors) with Hepburn, Campaspe and, to a lesser extent, Moorabool having a significantly greater proportion in this age group than other LGAs within the region; whereas Central Goldfields, Golden Plains and Pyrenees had greater proportions of visitors aged 55 to 64 years. Northern Grampians had the greatest proportion of visitors aged 65+ in the region;

the longest average length of stay was recorded by those aged 55 to 64 years, particularly in Central Goldfields and Loddon;

most visitors to the region (37.3%) and to each LGA within the region (with the exception of Ararat, Northern Grampians and Campaspe) were single or young/mid-life couples with no children. Parents and older married people dominated for Northern Grampians and older married people for Ararat and Campaspe;

the main purpose of visit for most domestic overnight visitors to the region in total and to Ararat, Ballarat, Campaspe, Hepburn, Northern Grampians and Pyrenees was holiday/leisure (48.5%). This compares with 55.2% for regional Victoria. The main purpose of visit for the remainder of LGAs was visiting friends and relatives. The LGAs where visiting for holiday/leisure was most dominant are Ararat, Northern Grampians and Hepburn (each around 70%) while visiting friends and relatives was most dominant in Loddon;

the type of accommodation used by most visitors (40.8%) to the region and to each of the LGAs with the exception of Ararat, Campaspe, Hepburn and Northern Grampians was private accommodation (friends or relatives property, or own property). For Campaspe, most visitors stayed in a hotel, motel, resort or motor inn, while most visitors to Hepburn stayed in a guest house, B & B or rented apartment, and most in Ararat and Northern Grampians camped or stayed in a caravan park. These three LGAs were also the only ones in the region where the average length of stay in private property was not the longest of all accommodation types. For Campaspe, the average length of stay was longest for hotels, motels, resorts etc., for Ararat and Hepburn the average length of stay was longest for guest house or B&B, and for Northern Grampians, it was longest for camping or staying in a caravan park; and

the dominant type of travelling party for the region overall and for each of its LGAs was an adult couple (32.4%). The only exception was Moorabool where travel parties were dominated by family groups. The average length of stay was generally longer for those travelling as a family group, although for Hepburn those travelling alone had the longest average length of stay and, for Moorabool, it was those travelling with friends or relatives.

Table 7.2 summarises the dominant characteristics of domestic overnight visitors for the region and each of its LGAs. Charts and tables providing details by LGA for each characteristic are presented in Appendix A.

Further insights into the characteristics of domestic overnight visitors to the Goldfield heritage region can be drawn from Tourism Victoria profiles of relevant campaign regions. For the year ended December 2010,Daylesford and Macedon Ranges had:

90


o highest levels of visitation in spring and lowest in winter;o visitors more likely to eat out, go on a bushwalk or rainforest walk and go to markets

than the State average; and o visitors derived mainly from the “socially aware” and “visible achievement” value

segments.18

Goldfields had:o highest levels of visitation in autumn and lowest in spring;o visitors more likely to visit friends and relatives, visit museums or art galleries and

visit history, heritage buildings or monuments than the Victorian average; and o visitors derived mainly from the “socially aware” and “traditional family life” value

segments.Murray had:

o highest levels of visitation in spring and lowest in winter;o visitors slightly more likely to go to the pub, club or disco, to go fishing, to do water

activities and sports, to play sports and visit wineries than the Victorian average; and o visitors derived mainly from the “traditional family life” and “visible achievement” value

segments.Grampians had:

o highest levels of visitation in spring and autumn, and lowest in summer;o visitors more likely to go on a bush or rainforest walk and visit state or national parks

than the Victorian average; and o visitors derived mainly from the “socially aware” and “traditional family life” value

segments.

18 Descriptions of key values segments for the region: (Source: Roy Morgan Values Segments)Socially Aware (approx. 14% of the Australian population. Socially Aware have the highest frequency of travel amongst the values segments, and spend big on holidays. This segment enjoys planning the holiday and values flexibility; hence they book transport, accommodation and other services directly with the service provider. They enjoy boutique accommodation such as B & Bs and luxury hotels. On holiday, they like to enjoy cultural activities, such as musical and theatre performances, and enjoy restaurants, arts, festivals, wineries, galleries and museums, outdoor and nature activities.Visible Achievement (approx. 17% of the population).Visible Achievement travels frequently and spends big on holidays. As with other purchases, they look for quality and value for money. For those with family, the holiday is a chance to spend time together doing activities with the children. They also enjoy holidays that provide the opportunity to play tennis and golf. This segment generally stays in luxury hotels, serviced apartments, and B & Bs.Traditional Family Life (approx.20% of the population). People from TFL segment are keen holiday tourers, which is reflected in the high use of caravan and campervans. A planned itinerary is a priority, hence the greater use of packaged tours and booking through tour operators. They tend to stay in comfortable but good value accommodation, such as standard hotels and motels – they don’t want surprises. Sightseeing is an important aspect of their holiday experience, with a greater tendency to visit museums, art galleries, historical places, wineries. Visiting friends and relatives is also an important aspect of the TFL’s holiday experience.

91


Table 7.2 Dominant Characteristics, Domestic Overnight Visitors, Goldfields Heritage Region 2010-11

Municipality Dominant Characteristic

Age of Visitor Length of Stay Lifecycle Purpose of Visit

Length of Stay Type of Accomm Length of Stay Travel Party Length of Stay

Ararat 35-54(42.1%)

55-64(2.9 nights)

Older Married(46.3%)

Holiday/Leisure(69.8%)

Holiday/Leisure(3.2 nights)

Caravan orCamping(40.7%)

Guest House/B & B or Rented

(4.0 nights)

Adult Couple(38.2%)

Adult Couple(3.6 nights)

Ballarat 35-54(35.7%)

65+(2.8 nights)

Single or Young/Midlife Couple, no kids (43.2%)

Holiday/Leisure (43.0%)

Holiday/Leisure (2.3 nights)

Private Property (47.1%)

Other(5.3 nights)

Adult Couple (31.5%)

Family Group (2.6 nights)

Campaspe 35-54(39.2%)

25-34(2.9 nights)

Older Married (39.7%) Holiday/Leisure (62.7%)

Visiting Friends/Rel.(3.0 nights)

Hotel/Motel/Resort (31.1%)

Guest House/B & B or Rented

(3.5 nights)


Friends or Relatives(2.8 nights)

Central Goldfields 55-64(34.9%)

65+(3.8 nights)


Visiting Friends/Rel.

(59.9%)

Business/Other(3.9 nights)


Private Property(3.6 nights)


Family Group(3.9 nights)

Golden Plains 55-64(34.9%)

65+(1.9 nights)



(47.3%)






Greater Bendigo 35-54(31.5%)

65+(2.9 nights)



(45.8%)



Guest House/B & B or Rented (3.7

nights)



Hepburn 35-54(46.0%)

15-24(3.3 nights)

Parent(24.8%)

Holiday/Leisure (69.0%)


Guest House/B & B or Rented (27.7%)

Other(3.7 nights)


Travelling alone(3.6 nights)

Loddon 35-54(31.2%)

25-34(3.7 nights)



(66.9%)


Private Property(48.9%)




Macedon Ranges 65+(23.6%)

65+(3.1 nights)



(44.5%)



Other(3.2 nights)

Adult Couple(33.3%)


Moorabool 35-54(36.4%)

15-24(3.1 nights)



(54.5%)



Other(3.3 nights)

Family Group(27.7%)

Friends or Relatives(3.6 nights)

Mt Alexander 55-63(29.6%)

65+(2.9 nights)



(48.3%)



Guest House/B & B or Rented (2.9

nights)

Adult Couple(34.8%)

Travelling alone(2.9 nights)

Northern Grampians

35-54(29.3%)

55-64(2.8 nights)

Parent(38.1%)



Caravan orCamping(45.0%)

Caravan orCamping

(3.2 nights)

Adult Couple(41.5 %)

Adult Couple(3.1 nights)

Pyrenees 55-64(34.9%)

65+(2.4 nights)






Adult Couple(32.6%)


Total Region 35-54(32.1%)

65+(2.8 nights)

Single or Young/Midlife Couple,

no kids (37.9%)




Other(3.1 nights)

Adult Couple(32.3%)


92


THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF TOURISM IN THE GOLDFIELDS REGIONThe impact of tourism on the Goldfields Heritage Region occurs through three mechanisms, expenditure made by tourists while in the region, employment generated as a result of that expenditure, then flow-on effects resulting from the direct impacts. For example, when a tourist uses a taxi service, the direct effect includes only the service of the taxi driver and the proportion of the driver’s employment that is spent driving tourists.

The taxi driver, however, buys fuel from a petrol station, parts from a motor parts retailer, meals whilst working from a food outlet. In turn, the petrol station purchases fuel, the motor parts retailer buys motor parts, the food outlet buys manufactured goods etc. The chain effect on outputs and jobs started by the initial taxi ride by the tourist comprises the indirect effects. The ratio of the total economic impact of an activity and the direct impacts is called a multiplier.

Estimated Tourist Expenditure and Contribution to Regional Output

Estimates of average expenditure made by tourists for the year ended December 2010 in the seven Tourism Victorian Campaign Committee sub-regions that encompass the Goldfields Heritage Region are presented in Table 7.3.

TABLE 7.3 AVERAGE TOURIST EXPENDITURE, TOURISM VICTORIA CAMPAIGN SUB REGIONS ENCOMPASSING THE GOLDFIELDS HERITAGE REGION, 2009/20101

Campaign Sub-Region LGAs Included Average Expenditure per

Day Visitor per Day

($)

Average Expenditure per Domestic

Overnight Visitor per Nights,

Excluding Airfares and Long Distance

Transport Costs($)

Ballarat Ballarat 91 136Bendigo Loddon Greater Bendigo 94 134Bendigo Loddon Central Goldfields

LoddonMt Alexander

78 102

Spa Country Hepburn 90 163Macedon Macedon Ranges

Moorabool53 74

Central Highlands AraratNorthern Grampians

Pyrenees

782 102

Central Murray Campaspe 85 121Geelong Golden Plains 79 114NOTES: 1. International Visitor Expenditure is not reported at the campaign sub-region level, nor at most campaign region levels

2. Day Visit Expenditure for Central Highlands is not reported. Estimate is for “Other Victoria”SOURCE: Tourism Research Australia, Regional Expenditure, 2009/10, Street Ryan estimates.

93


Estimates of total expenditure by domestic tourists within the region and within each LGA are presented in Table 7.4. The same assumptions apply for average daily/overnight expenditure per person as in the campaign sub-region, applied to LGA visitation numbers for year ended June 2011.

Table 7.4 Estimated Direct Tourist Expenditure (excluding airfares and long distance transport costs) by Local Government Area in the Goldfields Heritage Region, 2010-11*

Direct Domestic Day

Visitor Expenditure ($ million)

% of Total Direct Tourist Expenditure in

LGA

Direct Domestic Overnight

Visitor Expenditure ($ million)


LGA

Total International Direct Tourist Expenditure ($ million)

% of Total Direct Tourist

Expenditure in LGA

Total Direct Tourism

Expenditure ($ million)


Region

Ararat 8.27 34.4 15.61 65.0 0.15 0.6 24.03 2.1Ballarat 126.76 47.6 134.37 50.4 5.30 2.0 266.43 23.1Campaspe 40.89 25.1 119.55 73.5 2.16 1.3 162.59 11.1Central Goldfields

8.66 53.2 7.04 43.2 0.58 3.6 16.28 1.7

Greater Bendigo

130.66 43.7 163.88 54.8 4.56 1.5 299.10 26.1

Golden Plains

12.72 54.8 10.37 44.7 0.10 0.4 23.20 2

Hepburn 46.89 31.7 99.43 67.2 1.60 1.1 147.92 13Loddon 5.38 28.9 12.95 69.5 0.30 1.6 18.64 2.1Macedon Ranges

33.60 56.6 25.16 42.4 0.62 1.0 59.38 5.2

Moorabool 11.18 46.0 12.95 53.3 0.16 0.7 24.29 2.1Mt Alexander

29.41 51.1 27.54 47.9 0.59 1.0 57.53 6.3

Northern Grampians

8.27 15.8 39.78 76.2 4.19 8.0 52.23 4.3

Pyrenees 4.68 53.4 3.77 43.1 0.31 3.5 8.76 0.8Total Region

467.36 40.3 672.40 57.9 20.62 1.8 1,160.38 100

% of Regional Victoria

22.5 19.1

NOTES: * In some instances estimated domestic day visitor expenditure per LGA may be over-estimated. This occurs where visitors to a sub-region visit more than 1 LGA within that sub-region on the day. This may affect estimates for LGAs within Bendigo Loddon, Central Murray (although unlikely to be significant because of the travel distances involved), Macedon and Geelong. However, international visitor expenditure estimates have not been included (because of lack of reliable data at the regional level), and this is likely to more than offset any possible overestimation for domestic day visitors.

SOURCE: TRA, Consultancy ServiceTRA, Regional Tourism Expenditure, 2009/10Street Ryan estimates

Overall, it is estimated that domestic tourists spent around $1.16 billion in the Goldfields Heritage Region in the year ended June 2011 with around 62% of this expenditure made in Greater Bendigo, Ballarat and Hepburn.

To put this level of expenditure into context, the estimated total expenditure made in the Goldfields region is the equivalent of the average annual expenditure (excluding mortgage and rental payments, and domestic fuel and power) made by 24,040 Victorian households19

or roughly 19% of the region’s occupied private dwellings.

19 Based on ABS estimate of average expenditure per Victorian household 2003/04 adjusted by the CPI to bring it to 2010/11 equivalent.

94


Tourist expenditure per resident for each LGA in the region and for Victoria and Australia is presented in Figure 7.4 and shows a slightly higher rate of expenditure per resident for the region than for both Victoria and Australia, suggesting the industry is relatively more significant in the Goldfields Heritage Region, but substantially higher rates for Hepburn and, to a lesser extent, Northern Grampians, Mt Alexander and Campaspe. This reinforces the relative significance of tourism to the economic structures of these areas.

Figure 7.4 Domestic Tourist Expenditure per Resident, Goldfields Heritage Region, Victoria and Australia, 2010-11 ($)

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 9000 10000

Ararat

Ballarat

Campaspe

Central Goldfields

Golden Plains

Greater Bendigo

Hepburn

Loddon

Macedon Ranges

Moorabool

Mt Alexander

Northern Grampians

Pyrenees

Goldfields Heritage Region

Victoria

Australia

SOURCE: TRA, Consultancy ServiceTRA, Regional Expenditure, 2009/10Street Ryan estimatesABS Regional Population Growth by LGA 2000 to 2010

Of course, not all tourist expenditure (even after taking out airfares and long distance transport costs for overnight visitors) is made at the destination. Typically, “destination only” expenditure ranges from around 85% to 95% of total expenditure for domestic day visitors and from 92% to 99% of total expenditure excluding airfares and long distance transport costs for domestic overnight visitors.

Further, not all the destination-only expenditure will remain in the region and provide flow-on benefits to the region. Some expenditure, for example, will result in transfer payments (e.g. taxes that are remitted to Government).

Estimates of the scale of direct tourist expenditure remaining in the region (and which forms the basis for flow-on impacts) and total direct and indirect expenditure is presented in Table 7.5.

95


Table 7.5 Estimated Direct Tourist Expenditure Remaining, and Total Direct and Indirect Expenditure in the Goldfields Region 2010-11 ($ million)

Domestic Day Visitors1

Domestic Overnight and International

Visitors2

Total Visitors % of TotalEstimated Total

Direct and Indirect Tourism Expenditure

Ararat 6.6 13.0 19.6 2.1 29.3Ballarat 100.3 111.2 211.5 22.7 328.9Campaspe 32.4 99.9 132.3 14.2 197.2Central Goldfields 6.8 5.9 12.7 1.4 20.1

Greater Bendigo 103.5 137.0 240.5 25.8 366.5

Golden Plains 10.1 8.7 18.8 2.0 28.5Hepburn 37.1 83.1 120.2 12.9 180.1Loddon 4.2 10.8 15.0 1.6 22.7Macedon Ranges 26.6 21.1 47.7 5.1 73.2

Moorabool 8.9 10.9 19.7 2.1 29.7Mt Alexander 23.3 23.1 46.3 5.0 70.8Northern Grampians 6.6 33.3 39.9 4.3 62.9

Pyrenees 3.7 3.2 6.9 0.7 10.8Total Region 370.0 561.0 931.1 100.0 1,420.9NOTES: 1. Destination only domestic day visitor expenditure is assumed at 90% of total domestic day visitor expenditure for each LGA. A

further 12% has then been deducted for taxes.2. Domestic overnight visitor expenditure is assumed at 95% of domestic overnight expenditure excluding airfares and long distance travel costs for each LGA. A further 12% has then been deducted for taxes.

While limited data is available on the nature of tourist expenditure at the regional level, particularly for smaller regions, the distribution of expenditure by category across Victoria is:for domestic day visitors:

food and drink, 35.4%; transport fares and packages, 3.8%; fuel, 24.7%; shopping, 24.5%; entertainment, 6.5%; and other, 5.0%.

For domestic overnight visitors (excluding airfares and other transport fares): accommodation, 28.1%; food and drink, 33.1%; fuel, 10.9%; shopping, 15.4%; entertainment, 6.5%; packages, 0.6%; and other, 3.4%.

The estimate of $921 million direct tourist expenditure remaining in the Goldfields region does not represent tourism gross value added (GVA).

In 2008/09, Tourism Victoria estimated that the direct GVA from tourism for the State of Victoria was $6.5 billion or 2.5% of total industry GVA for the State. Tourism GVA was roughly 41% of total tourist expenditure in the State in that year. It further indicated that there was an additional indirect (or flow on) contribution of $7.2 billion, bringing the total value of tourism to the State’s economy to $13.8 billion or 5.2% of total Victorian GVA, and suggesting a total GVA to direct GVA relationship of 2.1:1. Tourism Victoria and TRA regard the direct and indirect contribution to the economy as fully valuing tourism’s supply chain; a concept that is

96


different to total and indirect multipliers which reflect economy wide impacts on other sectors of the economy.20

Clearly, the total contribution to indirect contribution relationship for the State will be larger than for regional areas as there is less expenditure leakage from the State. Generally, the smaller the region, the smaller the multiplier. However, the relationship is not simply a reflection of size. Where there are close connections with the tourism industry and strong supply chain relationships a larger total to direct impact will result.

In 2007/08, Tourism Victoria published regional estimates of the economic importance of tourism. At the time, they were basing this estimate on direct tourism output to total output only (i.e. excluding any consideration of indirect contributions). Overall, it estimated that the economic value of tourism to regional Victoria as 3.44% of total output (and 2.66% for the State). Using this analysis, a higher per cent indicates a greater reliance on tourism. However, it does not necessarily reflect the size of tourism’s direct output. For example, tourism output in Melbourne was 2.31% of total output, lower than the average for the State and for regional Victoria. However, the value of tourism output in Melbourne was the greatest of all regions and represented roughly 60% of total tourism output for the State.

Results for campaign sub-regions in the Goldfields heritage tourism region are summarised in Table 7.6.

Table 7.6 Economic Importance of Tourism, Goldfields Heritage Region, 2007-08

Tourism Output as a % of Total Output

Ranking within the 17 Sub-

Regions

Tourism Output at

Basic Prices($m)

Ranking within the 17 Sub-

Regions

Spa Country (Hepburn) 14.34% 1st 147 12th

Central Murray (Campaspe) 7.36% 4th 337 5th

Ballarat 3.79% 7th 280 8th

Central Highlands (Ararat, Northern Grampians and Pyrenees)

3.45% 8th 69 18th

Bendigo Loddon (Greater Bendigo, Loddon, Central Goldfields and Mount Alexander)

3.06% 11th 302 6th

Geelong (Greater Geelong and Golden Plains)

2.59% 14th 475 3rd

Macedon 1.21% 15th 78 16th

SOURCE: Tourism Victoria, Economic Importance of Tourism in Victoria’s Regions 2007-08.

Table 7.6 reveals that the Goldfields Heritage Region encompasses areas that have both sizeable and diverse economies and a significant tourism output as well as areas that have a small and less diverse economy, for which tourism is a major contributor. The latter group have a greater reliance on tourism and are, potentially at least, more vulnerable to fluctuations in tourism activity.

Figure 7.5 categorises campaign sub-regions covering the Goldfields heritage region according to the size of tourism output and size of total output, compared with benchmarks for regional Victoria.

20 TRA, for example, estimates that, in 2009/10, the output multiplier for tourism in Australia was 1.91, larger than mining (1.67), retail trade (1.80) and education and training (1.38).

97


Figure 7.5 Comparison of Tourism Output and Total Output, Tourism Campaign Sub-Regions, 2007-08

400

300

200

100

-2 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

Economic Importance of Tourism (%)

Estimated Jobs in the Tourism Industry

Throughout Victoria, there was one direct job in tourism for every $152,000 of tourist expenditure in 2008/09 (one job for every 142,140 direct tourist expenditure in Melbourne and one job for every $169,880 direct tourist expenditure in regional Victoria). Using the regional Victorian average, but applying it to the estimated direct tourist expenditure that remains within the region, it is estimated that tourism directly employs around 5,300 persons in the Goldfields Heritage Region. This represents 4% of total jobs (by place of employment) in the region in 2006.

The rate of expenditure required to create a job will be greater for smaller areas that have higher levels of expenditure “leakage”. While no direct data is available to assist with identifying this rate, an approximation is derived based on the relativities suggested in TRA modelled estimates for another region (Geelong and Surf Coast region).

Using this approach it is estimated that around: $140,000 direct tourist expenditure is required to support one job in tourism in

Ballarat and Greater Bendigo; and $215,000 direct tourist expenditure is required to support one job in tourism in

the remaining LGAs.

The indirect impacts of tourism (or any other activity) are best estimated using a modelling technique which incorporates significant detail about the operation of the local economy. This was not possible in this case. Consequently, an estimating approach was utilised based on experience and knowledge of ranges of impacts in differing sized regions and in differing industry sectors. Results should be regarded as indicative.

The largest indirect impact of tourism (or any other activity) will occur at the national level. TRA has published a credible estimate of the national tourism employment multiplier in 2009/10 of 1.75. The employment multiplier will be smaller for the Goldfields Heritage Region

98

Central Murray

Hepburn

Geelong

BallaratBendigo

Macedon Central

Tour

ism

Out

put (

Bas

ic P

rices

) $m

Regional Victoria Benchmark (3.4%)

Campaign Sub-Region Average

($249 m)

Higher ImportanceSmaller Tourism

Industry

Higher ImportanceLarger Tourism

Industry

Lower ImportanceSmaller Tourism

Industry

Lower Importance

Larger Tourism


because of more significant leakages out of the region. For example, in the case of a small LGA (in terms of population as well as business and services infrastructure) like Pyrenees, the indirect effects will usually be felt outside the LGA – or in other words there is a leakage of expenditure and hence employment to outside the area. The employment multiplier for this LGA is estimated to be 1.2. A smaller multiplier (also 1.2) has been estimated for Loddon (also a small LGA), and for Golden Plains Shire because of the limited business and commercial infrastructure in this Shire.

The other LGAs in the region are slightly larger; hence, it is estimated that the employment multiplier will be slightly larger and a value of 1.3 is used. The largest employment multiplier is associated with Greater Bendigo and Ballarat. In these larger and more complex areas it is estimated that the value of the employment multiplier is 1.45. The multiplier for the Goldfields heritage tourism region overall is estimated at 1.5, capturing additional flow on effects from expenditure made in one LGA to another within the region, with the Greater Bendigo and Ballarat likely to capture most of these additional benefits.

Resulting estimates of direct and indirect impacts on employment (based on these assumptions) are presented in Table 7.7. The distribution of tourism employment in Victoria in 2008/09 is presented in Figure 7.6.

99


Figure 7.6 Distribution of Tourism Employment by Industry, Victoria, 2008-09

33%

22%

20%

7%

5%

14% Accommodation, cafes and restaurants

Wholesale and retail

Transport & storage

Education, health and community services

Cultural, recreational and personal services

All other industries

SOURCE: Tourism Victoria, Regional Tourism Employment in Australia, 2006/07 to 2008/09

Table 7.7 Estimated Direct and Indirect Impact of Tourist Expenditure on Employment*

Direct Jobs Supported

% of Total Jobs by Place of Work,2006

Multiplier Total Direct & Indirect

Jobs Supported

% of Total Jobs by Place of Work,2006

Ararat 138 3.2% 1.3 179 4.1%Ballarat 1,511 4.0% 1.45 2,191 5.8%Campaspe 477 3.3% 1.3 620 4.3%Central Goldfields 74 2.0% 1.3 96 2.6%Golden Plains 87 3.7% 1.2 105 4.5%Greater Bendigo 1,718 4.7% 1.45 2,491 6.8%Hepburn 559 15.6% 1.3 727 20.2%Loddon 90 3.2% 1.2 108 3.8%Macedon Ranges 222 2.3% 1.3 288 2.9%Moorabool 92 1.7% 1.3 120 2.1%Mt Alexander 271 4.8% 1.3 353 6.2%Northern Grampians 186 3.9% 1.3 241 5.0%Pyrenees 32 1.8% 1.2 39 2.2%Total Goldfield Heritage Region 5,319 4.0% 1.5 7,978** 6.0%

NOTES: * Multiplier impacts at the LGA level relate to flow on effects of expenditure made by visitors to that LGA** Multiplier impacts at the regional level are greater than the addition of impacts at the LGA level because of secondary

effects within the region from expenditure in other LGAs.SOURCE: Street Ryan estimates

Other Research on Economic Activity of Cultural Heritage Areas

100


A 2008 study reviewed the economic impacts of the World Heritage Listing of 15 of Australia’s World Heritage Areas at a regional state/territory and national level and reported on economic costs of the World Heritage management component of each property.21 The work concluded, in all instances except for Macquarie Island and Lord Howe Island, the expenditure by visitors provided a major economic stimulus.22

An ‘Economic Value of Tourism to Places of Cultural Heritage Significance’ project was conducted by researchers in the Tourism Program at the University of Canberra and funded by the Co-operative Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism and the Australian Heritage Commission in 2000. It was based on study of three Australian heritage mining towns, Maldon, Charters Towers and Burra. The report discusses the pivotal role of mining, as one of three industries that were founded the early European economic development of Australia; the others were convictism and farming.

The project measured the economic impact of cultural heritage tourism on the towns and identified motivations and behaviours of visitors. The research provides some depth to the understanding of visitation to heritage towns, and it makes several observations including:

that tourism is an important reason for the continued preservation of and maintenance of heritage assets;

although increasing numbers of tourists can have an economic impact, the value of cultural heritage is that it has the potential for sustainable tourism and provides economic impacts to rural and regional communities;

from a marketing perspective it provides destinations with a unique appeal which differentiates locations and regions;

Visitors to Maldon went there to see well preserved old buildings and learn about Australia’s past;

visitors to Maldon particularly valued well maintained attractions, good amenities, visitor information and friendliness;

the most annoying thing in Maldon to visitors was shops not being open and dirty toilets;

the most important things in a successful cultural heritage tourism destination are information, amenities and authenticity; and

visitors to heritage sites are special interest visitors providing low volume but high yield and on a continuum are more likely to be interested in high culture.

The report from this project concluded, from surveys and other research, that the needs of visitors are changing and new markets are increasingly discerning. People are choosing to partake in experiential and authentic tourism with associated educational rewards. The growth in cultural heritage tourism can be attributed to a number of things that include increasing awareness of heritage, greater affluence, more leisure time, greater mobility, access to the arts and a reaction to the demands of modern life.23

21 Economic Activity of Australia’s World Heritage Areas. Gillespie Economics and BDA Group Economics and the Environment. Final Report 2008.22 There were some caveats on this research, noting that the data collection around Australia’s heritage sites is poor and that the data is insufficient to determine whether there is significant WHA icon value. 23 Economic Value of Tourism in Places of Cultural Heritage Significance. Michele Coleman, Trevor Mules, and Josette Wells. Tourism Program University of Canberra 2000

101


CHAPTER 8.REVIEW OF REGIONAL TOURISM SERVICES AND INFRASTRUCTURE

As discussed previously in this report, the Study area has many towns and municipalities that are well placed in terms of tourism services and infrastructure. Most municipalities have at least one VIC and where not, electronic and smartphone/tablet applications have been developed to fill the gap.

Accommodation of varying quality, price and age is available across the municipality and a number of attractions exist.

However, in the context of a heritage tourism region of national or international significance, the Study area fall short and investment is required to achieve the desired objectives.

In this chapter, the regional tourism infrastructure is examined, Attractions or products such as Sovereign Hill, while without doubt of the quality and standing of a national and international drawcard, have not been examined. The scope of this study has been on identifying the infrastructure, information and policy gaps (primarily the responsibility of government) that must be filled to provide an appropriate environment for investment in product development – most of which would come from the private sector.

REGIONAL RECREATION TRACKS AND TRAILS

The importance of tracks and trails to this project is the extent to which they enable access to the stories of the gold rush in the region.

The parks, reserves and forests that harbour tales of the gold exploration are the legacy of a government policy to retain possession of its gold bearing land and to ensure the supply of timber for mining needs. The decision of the government to retain this land also produced a unique aspect of the Goldfields region today – towns set in forests like Bendigo, Castlemaine, Daylesford/Hepburn and Maldon.24 The surviving forests now mark many of the Goldfields of the nineteenth century - hence the importance of these tracks as part of the heritage region.

The Great Dividing Trail and the Goldfields Track

The major track through the region is the Great Dividing Trail (GDT). The GDT consists of four interconnecting major tracks; Dry Diggings, Wallaby, Lerderderg and Leanganook Tracks. The tracks are managed by the Great Dividing Trail Association (GDTA) with a mission to “plan, develop, maintain and market a linked network of public walking tracks through public land in Central Victoria and to provider regular walking experiences for members.” The four tracks have consistent signage, design, entry stations and maps and are accessible by public transport as well as by road from smaller centres. Access to the start of the four major trails can be reached inside two hours from Melbourne by road and rail (except Daylesford).

During 2010 the north south spine of the trail was renamed the Goldfields Track and it links the key goldfields towns of Buninyong, Ballarat, Creswick, Daylesford, Castlemaine and Bendigo.

24 Various, The Travellers Guide to the Goldfields (p94) Best Shot Publications 2006.

102

http://gdt.org.au/Map_Sales

http://gdt.org.au/Entry_Points

http://gdt.org.au/Leanganook_Track

http://gdt.org.au/Lerderderg_Track

http://gdt.org.au/Wallaby_Track

http://gdt.org.au/Dry_Diggings_Track


It combines gold rush heritage with a diverse natural landscape and the three major sections to the track include the:

Wallaby Track - from Ballarat to Daylesford (72km); The Goldfields Track - from Daylesford to Castlemaine (61km); and Leanganook Track - from Castlemaine to Bendigo (58km).

Each of the main sections can be further broken up into key sections that represent long day walks from between eight and 23 kilometres. Then from a number of points along the track short walks to natural features, gold and Aboriginal heritage sites can be observed. Already a number of maps and brochures exist for each of the main walks.

The track passes through many smaller towns and settlements in the gold rush region including Hepburn Springs, Chewton, Fryerstown, Vaughan Springs, Harcourt and Creswick. It passes through the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park, Mount Alexander Regional Park, Box Ironbark Forests and passes by gold mining relics and the historic Coliban channel system.

“It is a trail like no other in Australia for it offers what many have described as European Experience; walkers are always close to heritage features, cities and villages, accommodation services, cultural events, good food and wine.” 25

In 2009, the GDTA was assisted by Goldfields Tourism and Parks Victoria to undertake on and off-track user surveys. The survey results convinced the GDTA executive to take their organisation into a partnership to:

• develop the track from Ballarat to Bendigo for shared use; and • promote this section under a new name, Goldfields Track.

The Goldfields Track upgrade has been achieved through a $500,000 Commonwealth tourism funding grant (plus $500,000 in-kind from partners). The project was managed by a committee formed by Goldfields Tourism which included Parks Victoria, Hepburn Shire, Parks and Peoples Foundation, Conservation Volunteers Australia, and Heritage Victoria.

The upgrade saw new partners e.g., VLine and tourism operators sign on and the track get good media coverage within Victoria and interstate. The track is now well positioned to play a part in the delivery of strategic directions in a number of relevant government plans. The regional significance and development complexity of the Goldfields Track requires central coordination by the land managers (either Parks Victoria or Department of Sustainability and Environment) who ultimately decide what happens on the land.

As Parks Victoria is the key land manager (the track links two Parks Victoria regions and five of its main parks) they are the obvious agency to lead the process, in cooperation with existing and new partners.

Loddon Mallee Regionally Significant Trails Strategy

The recently completed Loddon Mallee Regionally Significant Trails Strategy provides a comprehensive overview of the regionally significant tracks and trails and their development potential in six municipalities in the Loddon Mallee section of the study area (Loddon, City of Greater Bendigo, Mount Alexander Shire, Campaspe, Central Goldfields and Macedon Ranges). The strategy has identified seven priority trail proposals for the benefit of local people and with the potential to attract domestic and international visitors to the area. The report makes a number of recommendations about the management and coordination of the trails, research and data collection, trail development, marketing and maintenance.

25 Various, The Travellers Guide to the Goldfields (pg. 295) Best Shot Publications 2006.

103


Of the seven key trails identified for development, five have links to the gold heritage of the region. Those trails are:

• the Goldfields Track - (as above);• Captain Melville’s Trail – 56 kilometre trail beginning at the Loddon River in

Bridgewater through to the Morning Star Mine near Inglewood; • the Diggers Trail an off-road cycling and walking trail that is linked to the Goldfields

Track and the historic steam train between Castlemaine and Maldon the townships of Castlemaine, Newstead, Maldon and Guildford;

• the O’Keefe Rail Trail Extending the existing Trail from Bendigo beyond Axedale to Heathcote; and

• Waranga Trail which commences at Heathcote using low use forest roads through the Heathcote and Graystown National Park the trail would travel through the historic ghost town of Whroo to Rushworth.

The report profiles the needs of different trail users. Of particular interest are those visitors seeking to experience the legacy of the gold rush etched into a natural environment.26

Rail Trails and Local Walks

Most tracks and trail development occurs at the local community and municipal level for use by local people. This tier of tracks and trails often connect with the more significant tracks and trails in the region, and may or may not have anything to do with gold heritage. There are networks of council officers and State Government department representatives that meet to advance the development of these proposals in different parts of the region.

The development of tracks and trails are complex undertakings and that are often difficult to coordinate. Trail routes often cross land with multiple ownership, cross municipal boundaries, don’t link up, need funds to develop and maintain, and need signage, interpretation and promotion.

A project is currently underway called the “Crossing Borders - Tracks and Trails Project” and it seeks to develop an integrated network of tracks and trails through the Ballarat, Hepburn and Central Goldfields LGAs with links to significant locations and identified tracks and trails throughout the municipalities. The tracks include:

• Creswick Tracks and Trails Network;• Cobb and Co Trail (concept);• Black Hill Mountain Bike Network; and • Daylesford to Woodend.

What will come from the project is a plan identifying missing links in the proposed network of significant tracks and trails and a priority list of activities to address gaps, infrastructure feasibility, development requirements and preliminary costings. The broader aspiration is to construct network extensions that will link the whole region from Stawell to Rushworth and from Mt Macedon to St Arnaud.

Walkers and Cyclists

There is a good cross over between the sort of people interested in walking and with an interest in cultural heritage. What is needed for this group is information, interpretation and other quality tourist infrastructure – accommodation, food services and transport.

There are excellent examples of Australian walking experiences that the Goldfields Track should emulate like the Bibbulman Track in Western Australia and the Great Ocean Walk on the Victorian South West Coast. These walks can be characterised by a well-developed

26 Loddon Mallee Regionally Significant Trails Strategy - Loddon Mallee Trails Network August 2010.

104


marketing strategy, well-maintained track infrastructure, signage and interpretation, booking systems, tourism services and private investment.

The focus of this project is to establish the region as Australia’s heritage region to attract high yield tourists. This means that the tracks and trail development requirements should focus on those activities that will attract the desired market.

While other local tracks need to be developed for local communities, these tracks will not necessarily meet the needs of the target group. It is recommended that the focus of the project be on the development of the Goldfields Track and product to support the use of the track as a gold rush related tourism destination.

105


SUMMARY OF TOURISM SERVICES BY LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA

As part of the research undertaken by the Project Team a series of structured interviews were conducted with a small number of representatives of key organisations involved in the delivery of tourism and heritage activities within a municipal area. Typically the interviews involved the Manager of Tourism Services, Manager of Visitor Information Services, in some instances Economic Development staff, representatives of Tourism Boards and in a couple of instances operators and representatives of historical societies. One heritage officer, CEO and Councillor also participated in the interviews.

The structured interviews were used to capture information at the local level about tourism services. Specifically questions were asked about the:

awareness and support for the development of cultural heritage in the region; existing local plans to support tourism and economic development; local tourism networks; local attractions and opportunities for improvement; and the type and the quality of service provided.

The structured interview enabled the Project Team to get an understanding of the role of gold heritage in the tourism offer in each municipality and the extent of any support for the Goldfields heritage region concept. It enabled the Project Team to identify opportunities where proposed development could complement and support the advancement of the heritage region concept. And it also provided an insight into what people on the ground who had regular contact with visitors thought the key issues were for tourism services in the Shire.

The estimates of tourism economic contribution have been calculated by the project team using information from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Tourism Research Australia services, and economic modelling on industry linkages. At small area level there are difficulties in both collecting or sourcing tourism data, however we believe these are sound estimates. The estimates include all types of tourists (i.e. including business travel/visitations, visiting friends and relatives, campers; not just people on vacation in tourist accommodation) and all types of expenditure by these visitors.

Themes emerged during the interviews that have informed the Development Proposals at the end of this report. Those include the lack of high end and boutique accommodation, deteriorating heritage assets, not enough attractions, service standards, streetscape improvements, information for new media, tourism and business network improvements, touring routes, improved marketing and promotion and the low profile of gold heritage.

Rural City of Ararat

1. Economic profile including tourism impacts

Ararat Rural City Council had a resident population of 12,026 in June 2010 and a growth rate of .29% per annum.

The area is known for its world class wine production, and agriculture and manufacturing continue to be fundamental to the Shire’s economy, while other sectors such as tourism and service industries are growing in importance.

The current annual economic contribution of tourism to the Rural City of Ararat is estimated to include: 106,000 day visitors; 61,000 domestic overnight visitors (staying 153,000 visitor nights); about 600 international visitors; and a total economic contribution of about $29.3 million, supporting 179 full time equivalent

jobs.

106


2. Awareness and support for the proposal to establish the Victorian Goldfields as Australia’s heritage region

Some awareness exists of the proposal to establish the cultural heritage region, although it is not nearly as strong as in other municipalities. Initial concern was expressed that the project could be Ballarat-Bendigo centric.

There is general support for the idea of World Heritage Listing of the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park, with recognition of the general regional flow on affects.

3. Local plans, policies and projects to support the development of tourism assets, including heritage.

Heritage tourism plans are strongly focused on the telling of the Chinese gold rush story in Ararat, which is supported through a range of community capacity building programs and links with education and development programs.

The City of Ararat is set at the junction of three major highways, and acts as an important service centre for the surrounding district and gateway to the nearby wine districts.

Some of its attractions - including the infamous J-Ward , while not directly related to the Goldfields, are a result of the administration and government institutions that followed the influx of the gold rush.

It is recognised that some opportunities exist to further enhance the tourism potential of these assets particularly the ‘lunatic asylum’ Aradale.

4. Tourism industry networks and support

The ourism industry in Ararat is well developed and supported by Ararat Rural City Council in partnership with both Ararat Regional Tourism Association and working in conjunction with Grampians Tourism to assist in promotion at a regional level.

5. Key attractions and events

J-Ward, Aradale and Gum San Chinese Heritage Centre are Ararat’s prominent heritage attractions, alongside its heritage buildings and streetscapes.

Other attractions include the Langi Morgala Museum, Ararat Regional Art Gallery in the former Victorian Town Hall, Railway Heritage Museum and the Alexandra Gardens. Like many gold rush towns, the immense wealth that flowed from the goldfields allowed the city’s forefathers to invest in public infrastructure such as parks and gardens. The Alexandra Gardens boast an ornamental lake, expansive lawns, large shade trees and covered playground.

6. Key issues and opportunities

Like many larger towns in the region, Ararat suffers from a gap in upmarket accommodation providers. There is also an opportunity to build on the existing Chinese Heritage Centre and J-Ward with further investment.

It is recognised that the Aradale infrastructure offers a unique opportunity for the region, if a joint project between private and public investors could be developed.

107


City of Ballarat


Ballarat City Council had a resident population of 96,097 in June 2010 and a growth rate of 1.56 % per annum.

Ballarat has traditionally been a city that prospered on mineral and agricultural based resources, however this has changed. Manufacturing, tourism, health and community services, education and retailing are now the key industries in the city. These industries, along with the banking and finance sector and government services, are strengthening Ballarat's role as a regional service provider.

The current annual economic contribution of tourism to the City of Ballarat is estimated to include: 1,000,000 day visitors; 448,000 domestic overnight visitors (staying 988,000 visitor nights); about 21,100 international visitors; approximately 144,800 international day visitors; and a total economic contribution of about $328.9million, supporting 2191 full time equivalent

jobs.

2. Awareness and support for the proposal to establish the Victorian Goldfields as Australia’s Heritage Region

Council officers, both tourism and heritage are aware and interested in the potential of the project, particularly to build some regional links and gain momentum for the World Heritage Listing.

The push for World Heritage Listing of the Castlemaine Diggings National Park is currently being considered as part of the Council’s long term strategic planning and lobbying document Ballarat: Today, Tomorrow, Together, (even though the site is outside the Ballarat municipality). The Council recognises the prominence and flow on effects of tourism infrastructure and attraction such a listing would bring to the region, particularly Ballarat, as one of the two major centres in the region.

Ballarat is also cognisant of the role it plays in leadership and lobbying on behalf of the region.

3. Local plans, policies and projects to support the development of tourism assets, including heritage

Heritage and tourism both feature prominently on the Council’s priorities. The Council has a long history in actively positioning and promoting itself as a tourism town, which is built on its heritage backdrop.

Current marketing positioning and product development is about a modern, culturally rich experience against a well preserved and appreciated heritage backdrop, and as such recent works have been undertaken to restore a number of key public assets, including the Town Hall, Art Gallery and Arch of Victory.

The redevelopment of the Eureka Centre, which will tell the story of gold and its impacts on Australia’s political life, is well underway ($5 million State, $5 million Federal, $1.1 million Council). In the short term this is the only major tourism project underway that involves the gold rush era. Although some other major projects do link, such as building on the cycling infrastructure and events program, restoring the events program to Lake Wendouree, the ongoing exhibition and theatre programs at the Art Gallery of Ballarat and Her Majesty’s

108


Theatre, the CBD Strategy, and the current push for the establishment of Eureka Stadium as an AFL standard stadium, including event and conference centre capabilities.

In addition to tourism, Ballarat Council has a strong and active heritage unit, which works in policy and planning, as well as community education and promotion, and both tourism and heritage feature as strong themes through the Council Plan and Strategic blueprint, Ballarat: Today, Tomorrow, Together.


Ballarat has a relatively new tourism structure, with the formation of Ballarat Regional Tourism at the beginning of 2011. Ballarat Regional Tourism is at arm’s length of Council, with an independent, skills based board appointed, and funding coming jointly from Council and the local tourism industry.

Ballarat Regional Tourism is responsible for all destination marketing, tourism event attraction, visitor services, product development and industry development. Its membership base is regional, not just industry from the City of Ballarat.

The Council’s long term plan is for Ballarat Regional Tourism to be a separate, stand-alone body from Council, and funded through its partners and industry membership base.

In addition to the joint Council/industry tourism body, the Ballarat tourism industry also has a number of industry networks such Commerce Ballarat.


Ballarat has an extensive Council run and community events calendar. The major tourism events strategy focuses on cycling, water sports (rowing/canoeing etc.), cars, golf and cultural events. These events tend to be purchased in, with the city acting as host. In addition to these tourism events, the city has two major (hallmark) community events which also attract visitors, the Begonia Festival and Ballarat Heritage Weekend.

The Council has charged Ballarat Regional Tourism with taking a proactive approach to attracting conferences, with a resource dedicated to assisting groups and associations in finding venues across the region.

Major attractions include Sovereign Hill, the Ballarat Wildlife Park, the Gold Museum, Eureka Centre (currently under development), Lake Wendouree and Botanical Gardens and Art Gallery of Ballarat. Like many regional centres, the majority of visitors to Ballarat are visiting friends and relatives (over half), however list the above attractions, as well as events, shopping and dining out as the things they do while in Ballarat.


Ballarat is well placed in terms of accommodation, however has room for further development of the high end accommodation sector. Like Bendigo, Ballarat is often seen as a day trip, and so building sufficient compelling product is important to convince visitors to stay overnight.

Opportunities exist to build on the emerging Chinese and Indian markets, as well as strengthen the regional product offering, to strengthen Ballarat as a hub, for weekend or longer visits out to the regions.

Linking the heritage products and attractions within the town could yield greater benefits and there is an opportunity to strengthen the food and wine producers of the region and capitalise on an expectation that is sometimes not met.

109


Campaspe Shire


Campaspe Shire had a resident population of 38,983 in June 2010 and a growth rate of .78.% per annum. The Port of Echuca and river based recreation activities on the Murray, Campaspe and Goulburn Rivers are significant tourist attractions in the Shire and account for the majority of tourism activity in the Shire.

Key employment sectors include agriculture, forestry & fishing, manufacturing, construction and wholesale and retail trade and health and community services (2006 Census).

The current annual economic contribution of tourism to the Campaspe Shire (as at end September 2011) is estimated to include:

647,000 day visitors; 527,000 domestic overnight visitors (staying 1.4 million visitor nights); about 7000 international visitors; and a total economic output of $115.1 million, supporting 706 full time equivalent jobs.27


Council officers were aware of and supportive of the project, understanding its regional nature and its had benefits for the Shire.


The Shire has recently launched the completed ‘Walk Through Time’ project for Rushworth streetscape. Works included the upgrade of the Shire Hall, Band Rotunda, the interior of the Masonic Lodge building, historic horse trough and installation of heritage plaques on significant buildings, and other interpretive signage at a cost $500,000.

The Rushworth-Nagambie Road connection is a significant project that the community will embrace and support wholeheartedly, involving the sealing of about 16.5kms of the Rushworth-Nagambie Road that goes via Whroo, south to Baillieston and crosses Chinaman’s Bridge near Nagambie. It will benefit tourists, the whole community and be a safer school bus route. Rushworth is landlocked by sub-standard roads from the south. A new road could make Rushworth a gateway to the Goldfields for traffic using the Goulburn Valley Highway creating a north-south connection for tourists from Melbourne. This would also support the development of a Goldfields Touring Route.

The Shire of Campaspe Tourism Strategic Destination Development Plan 2007-2017 identifies a range of opportunities for development for Rushworth.

Similarly, the Campaspe and Murray Infrastructure Gap Analysis recommends the development of Cultural Heritage Trails, including the development of infrastructure for the Rushworth and Whroo goldfields.

Goulburn Diggings Research Inc. has conducted extensive research over five years into historical mining sites within the Rushworth Goldfields region. An extensive database is partially complete, and an Executive Summary is available.

There is limited public transport through Rushworth, with buses predominantly servicing local movement to larger regional centres such as Shepparton and Bendigo.27 Figures supplied by the Murray Regional Tourism Board taken from quarterly tracking of National Visitor Survey, International Visitor Survey and Holiday Tracking Survey as prepared by Data Insights. The figures on total economic output are taken from RemPlan.

110



The Echuca-Moama and District Tourism Association (EMDTA) is funded by the Shire of Campaspe to provide visitor services in Echuca and undertake destination marketing for the whole Shire. Wherever possible staff at the Echuca-Moama Visitor Information Centre provide information to visitors on product offerings across the region, including Rushworth. Rushworth Tourism Inc. which operates a limited VIC within Rushworth.


The Shire of Campaspe has extensive tourism product with the majority of established product currently located to the north of the Shire, particularly in and around Echuca.

Rushworth and surrounds, located 136 kilometres due north of Melbourne and approximately 70 kilometres south east of Echuca, has the most significant gold related cultural heritage assets.

The township of Rushworth itself has a range of historic gold era buildings, and its streetscape was classified by the National Trust (Vic) in 1982 as an ‘Urban Conservation Area of Special Significance’. Rushworth is nestled in a slight depression completely surrounded by Box Ironbark Forest, which includes Rushworth State Forest which is contiguous with the Heathcote Graytown National Park through to Heathcote. The forested areas between Rushworth, Whroo, Redcastle to Heathcote contain significant evidence of goldfields cultural heritage assets – numerous heritage mining sites, excellent examples of historic open-cut mining at Rushworth, Whroo (Balaclava Hill) and Redcastle; Aboriginal Rock Well; Historic cemeteries; 142 puddling machines; 10 Stamper Battery sites and many former settlement sites, including a Chinese market garden & occupation sites.

The forest in spring displays a multitude of varieties of native orchids as well as a bountiful bird variety.

In and around Rushworth the following visitor experiences are also available: water based recreation and fishing on Waranga Basin; boutique retail including vintage clothing, handicrafts, old style ice cream and lolly shops,

antiques and homewares; historical museum; vineyards and cellar door sales; and eateries including the well-established Rushworth Bakery, cafes and take-away shops.

Rushworth hosts an annual Easter Festival which attracts approximately 3000 people over its two days in Rushworth and nearby Moora.

A number of rail trails are currently under development, including the Murchison to Rushworth Rail Trail. Linkages to Heathcote also are planned.

Two established touring routes travel through Rushworth. The Rushworth Hidden Treasures Route begins in Echuca and ends in Nagambie via Rushworth. The Gold and Ironbark Touring Route takes the original route the gold miners travelled to the Rushworth Goldfields in 1853. This route begins in Rushworth, travelling to Whroo and ends at Toolleen, and tells the local story of the gold rush and subsequent agriculture through interpretive panels. Both routes are signed according to the VicRoads Tourist Signing Guidelines and are promoted through the Northern Victoria Regional Touring Map.


111


Road Signage - VicRoads needs to audit existing signage as some of it is out of date and it needs to be replaced with a properly signed gateway signs and route signage. More up-to-date directional signage is required on the Goulburn Valley Highway and at Murchison East to indicate Rushworth and Waranga Basin’s geographic location.

The major tourism product of the Shire is to the north to the Murray River and distribution of visitors to the gold regions of Rushworth is sporadic.

There is limited accommodation currently available within the Rushworth region, with only a small number of B&Bs and a small motel. Two Caravan Park’s exist within the area, although predominantly they cater to a permanent market rather than a tourism focus.

Limited resources currently exist to adequately promote the Rushworth region. Marketing activities currently focus on attracting visitors to Echuca.

Limited resources also currently exist to staff the Rushworth Visitor Centre on a daily basis.

Central Goldfields Shire

1. Economic Profile including Tourism impacts

The Central Goldfields Shire had a resident population of 12,896 in June 2010 and a growth rate of - .26% per annum.

The current annual economic contribution of tourism to the Central Goldfields Shire is estimated to include: 111,000 day visitors; 23,000 domestic overnight visitors (staying 69,000 visitor nights); About 1,900 international visitors; and A total economic contribution of about $20.1 million, supporting 96 full time equivalent

jobs.


Councillors and officers are both very aware of the project, with the Mayor of Central Goldfields being one of the key drivers of the project. The Council is very supportive of both the potential of the project to assist in positioning the Castlemaine Diggings National Park for World Heritage Listing and the flow on and supporting projects that will come out of the Scoping Study.


Tourism is considered an important area for development by the Council, with a focus on the municipality’s heritage assets. The recent refurbishment and redevelopment of the Maryborough Railway Station has led to a desire to build on this success across the municipality. The Tourism Plan, Destination Central Goldfields aims to build on the arts and cultural assets of the shire and identifies the opportunities to build economic growth from heritage tourism.


The tourism industry in Central Goldfields is still in a period of growth and development. A challenge for the Council is to encourage sectors such as retailers, service station and restaurateur to consider themselves as part of the tourism sector.


112


Central Goldfields has a strong events calendar, although one that has a focus on sport, with the Hallmark events being the RACV Energy Breakthrough and Highland Gathering. A heritage festival (community based) has started up, and is in its early years – there would be potential for this to be supported by Ballarat’s Heritage Weekend. Talbot, an outstanding heritage town, has developed one of Victoria's best known farmers' markets.

The region is rich in a history based upon gold mining, forestry and agriculture. The municipality offers a number of historic villages such as Carisbrook, Talbot, Dunolly, Bealiba and Moliagul all of which have gold rush stories to explore and other attractions include forest walks and trails, including Paddy’s Ranges State Forest and Craigie State Forest with its collection of Iron Bark and Box trees and walking paths to Battery Dam and the Aboriginal water holes which are one of two sets in existence in Australia.

A new series of bicycle and walking tracks allow for riding between towns without having to cycle on the highways and the geography of the area is conducive of developing future walking and cycling experiences. The famous ‘Welcome Stranger’ nugget found near Moliagul is the world’s largest pure alluvial gold nugget and Princes Park Football Stand is the oldest football stand to be found outside metropolitan Melbourne. There are also a number of very old cemeteries hidden in the bush.


The opportunities for Central Goldfields are in better linkages, with Ballarat and Bendigo, within the Shire, between regional events and touring opportunities.

There is also scope to improve the range of accommodation and to assist the local restaurateurs and retail industry to better understand their role as part of the tourism industry.

Further investment across the Shire in streetscapes and touring material, either online or in hardcopy would also benefit, as would maximising the opportunities currently presenting in public transport.

City of Greater Bendigo


The City of Greater Bendigo had a resident population of 104,192 in June 2010 and a growth rate of 1.58. per cent per annum. The City of Greater Bendigo encompasses a total land area of 3,000 square kilometres, of which a significant proportion is National Park, regional park, reserve or bushland. The municipality includes Victoria's fourth largest city in Bendigo, as well as a significant rural hinterland. Key employment sectors include retail, health, manufacturing and education.

The current annual economic contribution of tourism to the City Greater Bendigo is estimated to include: 1,390,000 day visitors; 480,000 domestic overnight visitors (staying 1,223,000 visitor nights); 66,400 international overnight and day trippers – based on TRA March 2011 results; 28

and a total economic contribution of about $366.5 million, supporting 241 full time equivalent

jobs.


28 Visitation figures supplied by the City of Greater Bendigo.

113


There is support for the notion of the development of the region as Australia’s heritage region. There is also support for the pursuit of World Heritage listing for the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park which would reinforce the notion of the Victorian Goldfields as Australia’s heritage region.

The emphasis in Bendigo is on experiencing heritage through a contemporary offering, for example the “White Wedding Dress” exhibition and Heritage Uncorked wine event, were both contemporary events attracting high yield visitors in beautifully presented heritage buildings.


The economic development and tourism functions of the City of Greater Bendigo appear well integrated with an appreciation of the important role a visitor experience has in decisions people make about living and investing in places. In many instances aiming to satisfy the needs of visitors also serves to improve opportunities for local people by providing quality infrastructure, events and services. This is particularly the case with major sporting partners where Bendigo continues to attract and retain numerous major events.

There are a number of plans and projects that have been identified by council officers, and in the Regional Strategic Plan which reinforce the regional city role of Bendigo. The proposed airport improvements are being scoped and construction on a new runway and other infrastructure could commence late in 2013. The improvements would allow direct flights from other major centres and cities in larger aircraft than can be accommodated now.

Funding of $12.3 million for a 1000 - seat community theatre/auditorium has been obtained from Round 1 of the RDA funding. This infrastructure could help fill the gap in large conference facilities in the city. There is also a $7.5million renovation of the Bendigo Art Gallery planned for late 2012 following the much anticipated Grace Kelly Exhibition.

High end quality accommodation in the city’s CBD continues to be a problem and the City of Greater Bendigo is reviewing the potential of some key sites in the city for this development.

Streetscape improvements including undergrounding power lines around the city’s civic precinct, have greatly enhanced the presentation of the city and complement the fine historic building and well maintained gardens. A focus on the needs of pedestrians through extensive networks of walking and cycle paths enhances the experience of visitors to the city.

A program of “blockbuster” exhibitions at the Bendigo Art Gallery is bringing very large numbers of people to Bendigo. “The Age of Couture” brought 70,000 people to Bendigo. The event worked well on a number of levels introducing new visitors to the city, proving that a world class exhibition can be curated outside a capital city. Importantly, it recast Bendigo as a modern, entrepreneurial city with a contemporary tourism offer in an historic town setting.

Council has a large capital works program underway to meet the increasing needs of a growing population.


Currently the City of Greater Bendigo is working with the shires of Loddon, Mount Alexander and Central Goldfields to establish a new Regional Tourism Board to drive a strategic approach to marketing, industry development and special projects. This will replace the Tourism Victoria Goldfields Campaign Committee.

A close working relationship exists with Mount Alexander Shire and an important drawcard to stay longer in the region is to experience the “villages” of Castlemaine and Maldon, both with significant gold stories themselves. “Living Stories of the Goldfields” is the legacy of the close

114


working relationship between the two councils and the resulting pod tours illustrate well how the gold heritage story can be experienced in a new and fulfilling way.

The performance of some established networks is regarded to be patchy. As business is generally doing well the need for working together collaboratively to help maximise returns in the tourism and related services sector does not appear to some to be a priority.


Bendigo has a busy program of events and attractions. There are four major attractions in the city.

The Bendigo Art Gallery, Australia’s most progressive regional gallery with its major international blockbuster exhibitions program and the innovative Post Office Gallery – a unique concept showcasing local collections and stories.

The Bendigo Trust which is the largest of the city’s attractions offering experiences at Central Deborah Goldmine; The Tramways Museum, The Joss House and the Discovery Science Centre.

The Golden Dragon Museum and Dai Gum San precinct showcases Chinese culture. Bendigo Pottery has become a destination in itself with the Pottery experience

augmented by the Antique Centre and local artisans showcasing their works.

The continual refreshment of these major attractions is driving increased visitation and developing new audiences. The key message is arts and culture in an historic setting.

Accommodation in the town does not rely solely on the tourist trade. It is reported that 60% of bookings are business related and 40% are tourism related, as up to 50% of visitors to the City are visiting family and friends. People who attend the visitor information services tend to be older tourers and those for which stories of the gold heritage of the town are important. Information being delivered by knowledgeable and friendly volunteers is seen as an important distinguishing feature, as the tourists get information about what is worth visiting and seeing around the town.

In recognition of the highly competitive tourism market there is a local focus on greeting visitors in a warm and friendly way. There are programs across retail and food services that encourage customer service staff to interact with patrons and actively refer people on to other attractions and services. More recently a Visitor Information Outlet operated at the Bendigo Railway Station to meet and greet visitors to the White Wedding Dress Exhibition.


Bendigo does not attract a high volume of international tourists from Melbourne, although it and the City of Ballarat attract the most international visitors across the region.

Bendigo’s major visitor market is Melbourne, however with the Bendigo International Collections and Major Events Programs, the City of Greater Bendigo is growing its markets from interstate and international destinations.

Golden Plains Shire


The Golden Plains Shire had a resident population of 18,625 in June 2010 and a growth rate of 2.36% per annum.

115


The Shire has a strong agricultural sector with a tradition of wool and grain growing, and intensive animal farming - particularly poultry and pigs, is increasing. Wine making is also an important sector, with Moorabool Valley being home to a well-established and growing wine industry. An increase in mixed farming systems is resulting in a steady transition to increased grain production.

The current annual economic contribution of tourism to Golden Plains Shire is estimated to include: 161,000 day visitors; 59,000 domestic overnight visitors (staying 91,000 visitor nights); about 600 international visitors; and a total economic contribution of about $28.5 million, supporting 105 full time equivalent

jobs.


Council officers had participated in the development of the Regional Strategic Plan and were aware of the project through that process. The project has particular significance for the north west of the Shire around Skipton, Nimons Bridge, Linton Township and Smythesdale. The Steiglitz Historic Park is also well-known and intact heritage site that dates back to 1853. Council officers noted that there would be support for the project if the Shire was represented in the project as traditionally the Shire has not been included in the marketing of the Goldfields region. Sandwiched between Ballarat and Geelong, officers felt that there were opportunities for visitation to the Shire, however they needed to be taken into account when marketing the region.


In 2009 the Council was funded by RDV to undertake a project to support the viability of existing tourism businesses and to stimulate the development of new businesses in the north west of the Shire. Four locality based Action Plans were developed and the Golden Plains Shire North West Tourism Plan.

The Golden Plains Economic Development Strategy 2007 identified the tourism industry as one of the sectors with the most significant potential to drive local economic growth.

In addition to this the Golden Plains Tourism Infrastructure Plan was developed in an effort to limit the expectation gap between visitor’s expectation (developed through marketing and communication efforts) and their actual experience when visiting each tourism location. The plan has been developed to help identify what infrastructure is needed to ensure that visitors have the best experience possible when visiting Golden Plains.

The inventory list identified a wide range of infrastructure needs, this including interpretive signage, directional signage, public toilets, rubbish bins, vehicle access, car parking, bus access, banking access, walking paths, visitor information, tables and chairs, bike racks and some communication materials. The list quantified the cost and the type of infrastructure needed to bring the identified experiences up to acceptable standard and a number of those projects are underway.

Golden Plains Shire also has an extensive community planning process for the many of the small townships and settlements across the Shire. These plans are developed in the community and identify local priority projects for implementation. Among the common themes emerging from the plans is an interest in the development of streetscape improvement projects, improved tourism opportunities and visitation, signage and noticeboards and the protection and promotion of heritage assets.

4. Tourism industry networks and support116


The Shire does not offer a Visitor Information Centre however the council has developed on-line product and applications for smartphones. Information for tourists is made available in the particular locations in townships but just where may be difficult to determine and is still being worked through in a number of towns.

Members of groups involved in the consultation process to develop the tourism plan remain in place in some townships and provide some network support for the further development of tourist product. There is an active Historical Society in Smythesdale providing a lot of visitor information. They have never been part of Goldfields Tourism but would like to be and are working towards better product development.

Local government is doing nearly all of the driving of industry development and they belong to the Geelong and the Ballarat Tourism Boards, and in the Tourism and Wine Makers tourism cluster groups. The Shire has limited marketing capacity so they are keen on developing strategic partnerships.

A number of specific actions have been identified in the Plans and are being implemented. The recommendations include improving Visitor Information Services ensuring there is an on-line presence – there are now down-loadable apps for use on ipads and iphones.

The Council’s Economic Development staff will be attending 5-6 trade fairs this year to ensure that there is some growth in the tourism profile of the Shire.


The key heritage attractions in the Shire are the townships of Smythesdale, Jubilee Mine, Steiglitz, Linton Township and Nimons Bridge. Linking these attractions and Ballarat is the Skipton Rail Trail. There is some concern about the level of care and protection that is being exercised over some of the Shires key heritage assets e.g. the Devils Kitchen which is on land managed by Parks Victoria.

The major positioning of the tourism product in this part of the Shire is “Nature and Recreation and Gold Heritage Adventure”. Key events in the Shire include the Meredith Music Festival and the Golden Plains Music Festival. People visit for the food and wine as there are a number of wineries and farmers markets in the region. The proximity of the Shire to Melbourne is seen as local product strength. Nature based tourism and visiting family and friends are the reasons commonly cited for visiting the area. There is Cobb and Co history in the Shire particularly at Rokewood.


There are 23 accommodation beds in the Shire and a desperate need to improve this if there is to be more yield from tourist visitation. There may be some key opportunities for accommodation development in the future. Other opportunities include: coordination of visitor information delivered online; membership of the Goldfields Tourism network; product development; and knowledge of Golden Plains as a destination.

Hepburn Shire


Hepburn Shire had a resident population of 14,974 in June 2010 and a growth rate of 0.4% per annum. The Shire's main townships are: Daylesford/Hepburn Springs with 3,500 residents; Creswick with 2,480 residents; Clunes with 920 residents and Trentham with 710

117


residents. The remaining 6,710 residents live in the many small towns and rural areas across the Shire.

Agriculture, forestry and manufacturing continue to be fundamental to the Shire’s economy, while other sectors such as tourism, service industries, retailing, education and health and community services are rapidly growing.

Hepburn contains over 80% of Australia's mineral springs. These unique reserves are both important geological and hydrological features and are a major attraction for visitation.

The current annual economic contribution of tourism to the Daylesford/Macedon Ranges region is estimated to include: 2.2 million day visitors; 597,000 domestic overnight visitors (staying 913,000 visit nights); about 26,900 international visitors; and tourism to Daylesford/Macedon Ranges contributes 14.3% to the local economy, with

visitors spending approximately $163,000,000 annually.29


Hepburn Shire Council is supportive of the Goldfields Heritage Region initiative, but recognise that it is seen to be a program led by Central Goldfields Shire. Council believes that Australia’s gold rush history is of great interest to visiting international tourists, because they do want to experience Australian culture.

Council struggles to finance its ever increasing capital works program, and the heritage area has not had the focus it deserves. Hepburn is concerned at the slowly deteriorating heritage assets in the Shire that are in danger of being lost if not preserved very soon. A few of them are considered to be treasures that must be retained as important Australian cultural connections, for example:

• Australasia 2 Mine site – the scene of Australia’s worst mining disaster;• mullock heaps and other gold excavation sites etc. in a few locations;• the Creswick Battery - a working operation which is not open to the public, and is

fenced because of OH&S issues;• one of the heritage museums; and • a unique rally cart with 2 in-line horse drawn configuration.


Council’s tourism strategies, policies and work program embraces:• improved telecommunications (which is currently a tourism inhibitor);• Vincent Street, Daylesford streetscape improvements (and later streetscape reviews

for Creswick, Clunes and Trentham);• flood repairs; and • improved road access to key towns (with overtaking lanes to provide safer, free

flowing entry and exit to and through the region);

Council’s tourism team supports local businesses and provides as many initiatives as possible to encourage more tourists, more often, staying longer, spending more and coming back with their friends. High-end tourists are exclusively targeted by the two major accommodation agencies, rather than families.

4. Tourism networks and structures

29 Figures have been supplied by the Hepburn Shire Council.

118


All major Hepburn towns have a business and tourism association (BATA), which are all considered to be effective, with the recently re-formed Daylesford-Hepburn BATA the benchmark.

Council has several formal and informal alliances with neighbouring councils and Tourism Victoria. However, this in itself isn’t sufficient to generate new tourism investment.


- Hepburn Shire considers its food service facilities (throughout the Shire) to be world class supported by good quality accommodation, although few of the accommodation properties are particularly large, which creates some limitations in the area of major events and conventions. Eco-tourism is considered to be strong in the Shire, and there is an adequate diversity of activities to entertain a tourist for 4-6 days. The main attractions are: spa, wellness, massage and therapy.

• Simple natural attractions- mineral springs, walking/cycling, lakes, waterfalls.• Hepburn historical Bathhouse and Spa.• Food and wine – particularly high-end restaurants and organic fruit and vegetables.• Lavandula lavender farm.• Convent Gallery.• Chocolate mill.• Cricket willow.• Day trips – including historic railway and heritage towns.• Equine attractions.

Main tourism market segments are young professionals, singles or couples with semi-attached partners all in the 25-35 age range, time poor and with no dependents. Winter is the busiest tourism period.


Key issues for Hepburn relating to the Goldfields Heritage Region project are:- Deteriorating heritage assets- Limited ability to accommodate sizable conventions and meetings- Signage is a major problem, and continues to be inadequate (as well as the problem of too

much ‘junk’ signage)

Council would like to see Goldfields Heritage Region projects which enable: development of a museum precinct (including the Chinese mining history); a linkage/interface between Aboriginal, European settlement and gold rush histories; a helipad to be established for high end visitation; upgrade of major town streetscapes; regional transport; and ongoing development of tourism products.

119


Loddon Shire


Loddon Shire has a resident population of 8,047 persons (June 2010) and covers an area of 6,701 square kilometres. The Shire’s population has been in decline for around two decades, although the rate of decline has been arrested in recent years, to around -0.3% per annum. Loddon has a rural character with a long tradition of agricultural production including grain, sheep, wool, beef cattle, dairy, pigs, and poultry. In recent years this primary production base has been rapidly diversifying to more intensive forms of agriculture (including wine grapes, tomato growing, olives, other horticulture, oilseeds, grain legumes, and fodder crops).

The Shire’s infrastructure for business is limited and the towns’ industrial and business areas lack depth. They mostly support agricultural activities with some diversified business activities in manufacturing, storage and warehousing, machinery/equipment/rural supplies retailing and services/contracting, and construction/fabrication.

The south-east of the Shire has both the greatest potential for growth (particularly the towns within commuter distance of Bendigo, such as Bridgewater and Inglewood), and for gold heritage tourism.

Wineries, historic and natural attractions are of some significance in and around the towns of Bridgewater, Inglewood, Wedderburn, Dingee, Serpentine, Newbridge, Tarnagulla, Boort and Pyramid Hill.

The current annual economic contribution of tourism to Loddon Shire is estimated to include: 69,000 day visitors; 39,000 domestic overnight visitors (staying 127,000 visit nights); about 900 international visitors; and a total economic contribution of about $22 million, supporting 108 full time equivalent

jobs.


There is a strong level of awareness in Loddon for this Study, and Council is enthusiastic in its participation, particularly if the heritage region concept genuinely provides a vehicle by which the towns and heritage assets of the smaller shires in the region can be valued and their under-developed assets can be improved.


Loddon’s main tourism development objectives have been articulated in the Loddon Tourism Marketing Plan 2011-2016 and the Loddon Tourism Strategy 2011. The vision includes providing a range of quality and sustainable visitor experiences that deliver economic benefit the communities, specially focused on:

nature-based tourism; culture and heritage; food and wine; agri-tourism; and festivals and events.

120


Key objectives are to include the promotion of:1. heritage experiences;2. gold experiences;3. natural environment experiences;4. agricultural experiences;5. major events conducted throughout Loddon; and 6. group tours through the Loddon Discovery Tours program.

Current major tourism projects and initiatives include: re-establishment of the flood affected Bridgewater Caravan Park; expanding the Loddon Discovery Tours farm visit programs; implementing self-drive tours (with CD’s/DVD’s) for townships; and improving the quality of retailers (both in product range and service).

Support for tourism is provided through two distinct council budgets; a dedicated tourism budget which supports three staff (one full time and two part time) and VIC volunteers, and a separate tourism budget for projects that sits within the Economic Development unit budget.


Southern Loddon Tourism Group. Town Development Committees all have a tourism committee (the Pyramid Hill

Development Committee has management responsibility for the local caravan park).

The Shire believes it has close and effective links with Tourism Victoria, Goldfields Region Tourism, and the City of Greater Bendigo.


Wedderburn Gold Detector Jamboree. ‘Naturally Loddon’ nature based event and visitation marketing theme. Water-skiing holidays (at Bridgewater and Boort). ‘Stopovers’ as part of broader destination trips. The towns have a good level of differing things to see and do, such as Melville’s

Caves, Mt Kooyoora and the Loddon River, but nothing iconic.

The main tourism segments are older couples and young families.


The rebuilding of the Bridgewater Caravan Park is a major initiative, providing the opportunity to reposition the park as a tourist destination and to change the management arrangements from Council to a lessee (21 year lease).

Loddon Shire would like to see the Goldfields Heritage Region providing a marketing thrust to support Rheola, Tarnagulla, Newbridge, Bridgewater, Inglewood and Wedderburn (all within the Shire) and Dunolly (near the Shire’s southern border).

Macedon Ranges Shire


The Macedon Ranges Shire had a resident population of 42,645 in June 2010 and a growth rate of 1.39% per annum.

The major employment sectors in the Shire are manufacturing, retail, construction, health care and social assistance, and education and training. With a close proximity to Melbourne over half of the employed population of Macedon Ranges Shire work outside of the Shire.

121


The resident employment in the retail and tourism industry, consisting of retail trade and accommodation and food services, has increased significantly in recent years.

The current annual economic contribution of tourism to Macedon Ranges Shire is estimated to include: 585,000 day trip visitors; 446, 000 overnight visitors; and about 3,500 international visitors.

Tourism contributes $292 million to the Macedon Ranges Shire economy (aggregate output) annually, of which $175 million is attributed to direct visitor expenditure and the remaining $117 million is attributed to indirect expenditure (flow on effects from direct expenditure). 30


Macedon Ranges Shire staff are aware of the project and happy to participate. It is clear that gold heritage has not, in the past, played much of a role in their tourism promotion activities. However, they understand the importance of places in the Shire as supporting the route to the goldfields. The gold era often plays a part in the story telling about how the region developed but there are no ‘gold’ based tourism products in the Shire.


Currently completing a Hanging Rock Feasibility Study, designed to define infrastructure requirements for events at Hanging Rock. Building a new Visitor Information Centre at Kyneton.

Delivering a three year events strategy. Tourism Strategic Plan. Accommodation Opportunities Study. Regional Board Partnership - Daylesford Macedon Ranges Memorandum of

Understanding with Council. Tourism Macedon Ranges Partnership – Memorandum of Understanding.


The Shire has a Manager of Economic Development and Tourism Marketing Coordinator (full time), Tourism Officer (full time) and two part time VIC Coordinators. The Hanging Rock racecourse is establishing a partnership with Northern Metropolitan Institute of TAFE around training for the equine industry and there is a possibility of extending that into hospitality studies.


The Shire has some 1700 tourist beds. These range across caravan parks, bed and breakfast establishments, guesthouses, conference venues and hotel/motel accommodation.

A significant amount of the Shire’s tourism activity is based around events, particularly those associated with Hanging Rock. Equally there is a strong local wine industry, and the Shire acknowledges that it is faced with stiff competition from the offerings of the Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula in terms of attracting the international visitor, particularly from a wine tourism perspective.

Piper Street in Kyneton has a significant tourism role, built around fine food and good retail outlets, it is recognised that there is still a need for improved customer service, particularly

30 Information supplied by the Macedon Ranges Shire Council from the Visitor Service Review and the Tourism Impact Study.

122


from operators who fail to open at times that the visitor would expect to find them open, such as school holiday and public holidays.


Training and skill development is seen as an issue. There is a significant skills shortage in the hospitality industry within the Shire. As a consequence the level of customer service in tourism businesses is below expectations. Gold heritage does not have a high profile.

Moorabool Shire


The Moorabool Shire had a resident population of 28,606 in June 2010 and a growth rate of 2% per annum.31

Traditional economic drivers such as agriculture, timber, wool and beef production remain important in Moorabool while manufacturing, construction and health care and social assistance are the three main industry employment sectors.

The current annual economic contribution of tourism to Moorabool Shire is estimated to include: 211,000 day visitors; 66,000 domestic overnight visitors (staying 175,000 visitor nights); about 800 international visitors; and a total economic contribution of about $29.7 million, supporting 120 full time equivalent

jobs.

Moorabool tends to attract visitors passing through on their way to other places, particularly Ballarat, although it has a strong level of tourism activity from people visiting family and friends and visitors seeking out food and wine options, including the farm gate fruit outlets at Bacchus Marsh.


Council officers are aware of this project and supportive, even though they do not see the gold story as a leading strength in their tourism product development. Whilst the Gold Heritage of the area is not regarded as a key tourism strength there is significant gold history in townships like Blackwood and Mt Edgerton.


Moorabool Council sees its role as supporting tourism product development. In particular, it understands its role to be supporting the development of the food and wine industry, promotion of the villages in the municipality and the establishment and promotion of touring routes.

The Council is currently promoting the significance of the Bacchus Marsh Avenue of Honour and has developed a scheme for a major interpretation centre at Bacchus Marsh. This is intended to tell the story of these avenues which exist around the Victorian countryside and add a further layer to the story of Australians at war.

4. Tourism industry networks and support31 Information provided by Moorabool Shire Council

123


The Shire is a member of the Daylesford – Macedon Ranges Tourism Board. It also supports Tourism Moorabool, a body with representatives of businesses from across the Shire. There are also the Bacchus Marsh Tourist Association, the Ballan and District Chamber of Commerce and the Blackwood Association of Commerce, which play roles with respect to local tourism.


People visit Moorabool for the following reasons: family and friends; food and wine; villages; and walking in the Lerderderg and Werribee Gorges.


The close proximity to Melbourne means that the municipality is unlikely to receive high numbers of overnight visitors and gold heritage is not prominent in the Shire.

Mount Alexander Shire

1. Economic Profile including tourism impacts

The Mount Alexander Shire had a resident population of 18,421 in June 2010 and a growth rate of .8% per annum.

Manufacturing, health care and social assistance and retail are they major employment sectors in the Shire. Food manufacturer Don KR employs a large number of local people and there are less people involved in agriculture and construction than other LGAs in the region.

The current annual economic contribution of tourism to Mount Alexander Shire is estimated to include: 377,000 day visitors; 115,000 domestic overnight visitors (staying 270,000 visitor nights); about 2,500 international visitors; and a total economic contribution of about $70.8 million, supporting 353 full time equivalent

jobs.


All people spoken to were aware of the project and agreed that the Goldfields and the intact heritage streetscapes and stories are important to attracting tourists. The Shire is very interested in the World Heritage Listing of the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park and would support branding the Study areas Australia’s heritage region.

If heritage is considered a strength by the council, then promotion is considered a weakness. It is the view of those interviewed that there needs to be more and better business engagement with product development and marketing in the area.

The World Heritage Listing would require investment in other tourism infrastructure such as increased and improved accommodation, attractions and marketing, all of which would grow the sector and increase job opportunities in the Shire.

124



At the time of interview the Economic Development and Tourism Strategies required review.

The Council is exploring the possibility of selling the old Castlemaine Gaol which has some community, tourism and accommodation potential.

A Retail Strategy has been recently developed for the Maldon Township. It seeks to identify the opportunities for retail and commercial development in the town centre to meet the needs of the local community and the significant tourist market.

The Loddon Mallee Significant Trails Strategy has identified as a priority the development of the Goldfields Track. Much of the track runs through the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park and the Shire and improved access and use of the track would attract more adventure and nature tourists to the Shire. The Goldfields Marketing Strategy provides some direction for the marketing of the region.

There is a Walking and Cycling Strategy that identifies bike and walking trail development to make the Shire less car dependant.

There is little mention of enhancement of the existing heritage assets in the Council Plan; however the Council is currently preparing a Heritage Strategy which is likely to examine such issues.


The Shire’s tourism product positioning is “Arts, Atmosphere and the rest is History”. The Shire works closely with the City of Greater Bendigo in joint projects and marketing. There is an active Business/Tourism Association in Maldon currently there is no like group in Castlemaine.

There is a wine touring group operating in the Bendigo/Heathcote/Harcourt wine region.

The Shire’s Tourism Services Manager was on the board of Tourism Victoria’s Goldfields Campaign Committee. It is expected that Mount Alexander Shire will have representation on the Bendigo Regional Tourism Board once it takes shape.


The Shire host a number of events each year, as well as the Bi-annual Castlemaine State Festival which is the highest profile regional arts festival in the State. Other key events with high levels of visitation include the Maldon Folk Festival, Buda Fest, Annual Swap Meet, Truck Show and the Fryerstown Antique Fair. These events have a focus around music and the arts, antiques and collectables, machinery and gardens.

There is a close working relationship with Bendigo as the Shire functions as an important drawcard to stay longer in the region to experience the “villages” of Castlemaine and Maldon both with significant gold stories. “Living Stories of the Goldfields” is the legacy of the close working relationship between the two councils and the pod tours illustrate well how the gold heritage story can be experienced in a new and fulfilling way.


There are issues with the quality of the local industry’s product and customer service. It is considered that more private investment and product developers in the community need to be encouraged. Operators are often described as retirees who do not see themselves as active participants in the bigger picture tourism offer.

125


Quality accommodation with a larger capacity, high quality boutique conference facilities and a key attraction offering a high unique experience are all priorities. A greater level of Council support for the sector and greater engagement by the private sector would be beneficial and the potential for the redevelopment of the Gaol should be fully explored.

Northern Grampians Shire


The Northern Grampians Shire had a resident population of 12,316 in June 2010 and a growth rate of -.65% per annum.

Major employment sectors include agriculture, mining, meat production, health and retail trade. A large number of tourists to the Shire visit Halls Gap and the Grampians National Park, while Stawell is home to Victoria’s largest gold mine.

The current annual economic contribution of tourism to Northern Grampians Shire is estimated to include: 106,000 day visitors; 147,000 domestic overnight visitors (staying 390,000 visitor nights); about 15,200 international visitors; and a total economic contribution of about $62.9 million, supporting 241 full time equivalent

jobs.

It is estimated that $52 million of that is generated in tourism to Halls Gap, the focus here being nature based and adventure tourism. The Park attracts over half a million tourists each year.


There is a high level of awareness of this project and substantial tourism and economic development infrastructure in place to support the growth of the sector. Heritage trail maps are the most obvious way that staff from visitor services assist people negotiate the gold heritage assets of the Shire.

This can be a living heritage region. Gold heritage is important even though the Grampians is known for nature tourism, not heritage. Discussion of heritage in the promotion of this Shire to visitors is authentic and legitimate and can be readily seen in the classic nineteenth century streetscapes. The story of gold discovery and exploration is seen as integral to local culture and identity.

The heritage weatherboard buildings, like the miners cottages, scattered across the region are unique.

Apparently Australia is the only country in the world where you can keep the gold you find and there are opportunities to grow the gold prospecting opportunities in the Shire and the region, particularly in St Arnaud.


The Northern Grampian Shire has an Economic Development Strategy that includes a number of sector plans including a Tourism Sector Plan. The Council Plan reflects a

126


commitment to growth in the local economy and gives emphasis to the importance of a successful tourism industry.

Council is working with the tourism sector on a range of measures including the identification of land for development around Halls Gap, sourcing funding for infrastructure improvements in Halls Gap, developing Great Western as a drawcard wine village with supporting arts and cultural activities, improving local tourism supply chains and engaging sub sectors to work with the tourism industry.

The Grampians Tourism Board is developing a new three year Strategic Plan that will focus on marketing, tourism industry development and new investment and infrastructure. The Council submitted an application to Round 1 of the Regional Development Australia Fund for the development of Stage 2 of the Halls Gap Community and Tourism Hub. The project is a $2.7 million capital development project, identified in the Central Highlands Regional Strategic Plan. The project was unsuccessful in securing first round RDA funding.

Council has prepared a concept plan for the redevelopment of the Stawell Town Centre which includes the development of well-located public amenities and community space linking to a secondary shopping precinct. This helps address the need for an expanded retail area in the town centre and will provide improved public amenities.

There is also a plan for progressive improvements to the St Arnaud streetscape. Already substantial works have been undertaken at the instigation of committed local residents. The remaining project includes works on a children’s precinct upgrade. The works have significantly enhanced the streetscape for the benefit of local residents and visitors to the town.

There is a signage rationalisation project underway in the Shire, which is timely given that the quality and location of some tourism and directional signage in Stawell needs improvement. There are a number of high quality historic buildings in the Shire, particularly in St Arnaud and Stawell – townships visited by members of the project team. Ensuring that the buildings can be well used into the future will remain a key challenge. Entrances to the CBD in St Arnaud are of a high quality in relation to other small towns in the region.


There are three Visitor Information Centres in the Northern Grampians in Halls Gap, Stawell and St Arnaud. Local government staff are involved in regional tourism and industry working groups and this assists in cross council collaborations. There is active involvement by the Council in the Grampians Tourism Board, the first new regional tourism board established by Tourism Victoria.

It was observed that small local operators do not understand the tourism supply chain well. The Grampians Tourism Board will be working to assist operators understand the opportunities they have to maximise their business returns by emphasising the importance of cooperative promotion of the town and region not just their own business. There are Business Associations in the major towns in the Shire that could be strengthened.

Stawell and St Arnaud and Halls Gap all have active community Progress Associations and the presentation and quality of the streetscapes in St Arnaud are a testament to the pride the community takes in their home. While there is clear benefit in terms of visitor attraction this was not necessarily the motivation of people involved in the many projects that have contributed to the high quality streetscape, gardens and historic buildings.

There was some disappointment expressed regarding the work of Tourism Victoria in releasing project funding. There is a belief that the Jigsaw Campaign needs to be reviewed and there is disappointment that meetings planned in the regions with Tourism Victoria staff never eventuated.

127



Over 600,000 tourists a year are visiting Hall Gaps for nature and adventure experiences. Halls Gap attracts people through the region from all directions. There are opportunities to augment the experience of these nature based tourists with stories about gold discovery and its legacy in the area. The Grampians themselves were explored as part of the gold rushes in the 1850s which swept through the region in waves. Beyond the Grampians most people visiting the region are visiting family and friends and there is also a significant amount of accommodation being used by business travellers and contractors.

Experiential travel is regarded as the underpinning of the tourism product in the Northern Grampians Shire. There are a small number of key events in the Shire that bring people to the area. These events are supported through the Council’s events grants which are provided where there can be demonstrated economic impacts. The Shire is home to Bests Great Western winery which was established in the 1860’s as a consequence of the development that occurred in the area following the discovery of gold. This winery is one of the oldest in the country.

The key events attracting visitors to the Shire are the Stawell Gift at Easter, the Grape Escape Wine Festival and the Halls Gap Jazz Festival. There is potential to grow other key events like the Festival of St Arnaud.

Most people who come to the Shire, but not to Halls Gap come to visit family and friends.

Commonly people visit Halls Gap and find themselves passing through Stawell as the nearest major town. People seek an opportunity to interact with local people, especially international visitors, and gain knowledge.

Cycling and walking trails including the completion of the Grampians Long Distance Trail are popular attractions.


• More high-end eco-friendly accommodation.• More international visitation.• More food and retail services to support tourism.• Better tourism product and professional services.• Rail travel routes should be recognised and emphasised.

Pyrenees Shire


The Pyrenees Shire had a resident population of 6,924 in June 2010 and a growth rate of .46% per annum.

Agriculture, health and social assistance, education, and manufacturing being the main industry employment sectors in the Shire. The Shire boast a world class wine making industry.

The current annual economic contribution of tourism to the Pyrenees Shire is estimated to include: 60,000 day visitors; 19,000 domestic overnight visitors (staying 37,000 visitor nights); about 1,600 international visitors; and

128


a total economic contribution of about $10.8 million, supporting 39 full time equivalent jobs.


Participation in the Grampians Tourism Board meant that the concept had come to the attention of staff in the Council.

The Shire is now part of the Grampians Touring Route but the heritage of the area is linked very strongly to the goldfields and gold discovery. The areas product strengths are wine and nature tourism but the buildings, gold prospecting and vintage machinery are present day reminders of the past.


Grampians Tourism Plan has a specific section for the Pyrenees and that is used to give direction to Council’s tourism related activity. There are streetscape and town structure plans being drafted for Beaufort and for Avoca and there is a tender process underway to prepare detailed design work to guide development in each of these towns.

The design work will seek to give emphasis to the avenue of trees and memorials around the centre of Beaufort. The down side of this particular centre is the fact that the Western Highway bisects the town. There are some plans to develop new murals on prominent walls coming into town.

The Shire has had the operators “Heddon Farm” receive TQual Grants to support the development of accommodation facilities at the Farm.


The key network is the Grampians Tourism Board and the Pyrenees Shire has moved to this Region after previously being a member of the Goldfields Tourism Board.

There is the Business 4 Beaufort business association which exists to nurture tourism and business development in the town. Council assisted the group get a strategic framework together. There is a winery association with a marketing officer who assists with the coordination of events and marketing for wine makers in the area.

Avoca Business and Tourism are the local business association representing Avoca with Pyrenees Grapegrowers and Winemakers seeking to achieve increased tourism and cellar door activity through various marketing initiatives.

The Council has opted to develop their visitor information services as multipurpose venues at both Avoca and Beaufort. The centres provide library services, act as, Centrelink agencies provide meeting rooms and training facilities for community groups and in Beaufort include Beaufort Community House and Learning Centre as a co-tenant. This enables the Shire to provide a seven day a week library service, which is rare in regional areas, and gives members of the community and visitor’s access to information and educational materials, and the internet and Wi-Fi. The access to this technology has been seen as a benefit and probably increased patronage of the facilities, but this may change as mobile connectivity increases.

Council has upgraded the local football club facilities so there is now a quality meeting space in Beaufort, and the Avoca Turf Club has a high quality venue that can accommodate 600 people with full catering facilities.

The Avoca Hotel has been recently renovated and the Avoca township has real development potential to support large events, and the significant activity generated in the Pyrenees Wine

129


Region. The Avoca Winery has 4-5 Star accommodation and there is a 98 bed camp style accommodation in the State Park.


Most people who visit the area are domestic visitors and they are tourers-often caravaners or they seek self-contained accommodation. There is a different audience for the events and the wineries but there is also some crossover. There is not really a lot of children focussed activity in the area besides the camping and bushwalking.

The Lake Goldsmith Steam Rally is a large annual event held in late April and October each year which attracts over 10,000 people over the weekend. It has become a repository for old engines driven by steam and it is a registered museum. There is a dedicated group of enthusiasts and they come from all over the country to the event.

The Rainbow Serpent Festival, which occurs on Australia Day, attracts over 10,000 people; 3 significant country race meetings are held each year in Avoca and the an Antique Fair in the June/July. There are a growing number of wine and food events like the Pyrenees Escapade Wine event and Seduction by Tastebuds.

Monthly markets occur in both Avoca and Beaufort which also encourage visitors to spend time in the two towns.

The events put pressure on the limited local accommodation but at the rest of the time of year there is ample to meet the needs of most travellers. There are very limited luxury beds in the Shire and the Council staff hear little of the needs of the campers that visit the State and National Parks in the Shire.


Lack of quality restaurants apart from those associated with wineries such as Warrenmang, Blue Pyrenees, St Ignatius, Quoin Hill and Flying Pig Delhi.

Signage interpretive material and e-information. Customer service. High end accommodation and year round attractions. The potential for development of walking and cycling tracks at Mount Cole and in the

Pyrenees Ranges has not yet been capitalised on and nature based tourism is being included as a future focus for the Shire which is currently developing its tourism strategy.

The draft tourism strategy identifies that there is an opportunity to capitalise on quality art products produced by talented local artists.

Promotion of the Lake Goldsmith Steam Preservation Society heritage farm equipment collection with the possibility of creating a small museum in Beaufort.

130


PERCEPTION SURVEYS A series of person to person interviews were conducted with key stakeholders in each of the thirteen municipalities in the Goldfields region to identify perceptions and issues related to tourism services and infrastructure.32

The interviews with key stakeholders also explored: existing plans and projects to support tourism and economic development; resources available to support local tourist activity; local tourism networks; local attractions including events; an appreciation of the nature of current levels of tourist visitation to the area; and level of awareness of, and support for, the development of heritage tourism in the

region.

Table 8.1 and Figures 8.1 to 8.5 show the ratings by key regional stakeholders of tourism services and infrastructure, in five categories:

accommodation; food and beverage services; events and meetings; cultural heritage; and tourism services.

Table 8.1 Regional Key Stakeholder Ratings of Tourism Services and Infrastructure

Very Good Good Satisfactory Poor Very PoorAffordable Accommodation 7.1% 42.9% 21.4% 7.1% 21.4%Boutique Accommodation 7.1% 14.3% 35.7% 14.3% 28.6%Up-market Accommodation 0.0% 7.1% 28.6% 28.6% 35.7%Events Infrastructure 7.1% 50.0% 21.4% 14.3% 7.1%Conference/Seminar Infrastructure 0.0% 7.1% 21.4% 21.4% 50.0%Restaurants 7.1% 28.6% 21.4% 14.3% 28.6%Cafes and Bakeries 14.3% 21.4% 35.7% 21.4% 7.1%Fast Food Outlets 7.1% 14.3% 42.9% 21.4% 14.3%Food and Wine Cellar Doors/Trails 7.1% 28.6% 28.6% 28.6% 7.1%Gold Heritage Attractions 21.4% 28.6% 28.6% 21.4% 0.0%Other Cultural and Heritage Buildings 21.4% 7.1% 42.9% 28.6% 0.0%Historic Buildings/Built Environment 35.7% 28.6% 28.6% 7.1% 0.0%Historic Natural Environment Features 28.6% 28.6% 21.4% 14.3% 7.1%Tourist Information 38.5% 15.4% 30.8% 7.7% 7.7%Tourist Attractions 21.4% 28.6% 28.6% 21.4% 0.0%Tour Operators 0.0% 13.3% 20.0% 13.3% 53.3%Tourism Hire Equipment 0.0% 0.0% 21.4% 7.1% 71.4%Overall Average 13.0% 21.4% 28.2% 17.2% 20.2%

SOURCE: Interviews with tourism industry key stakeholders in the Goldfields Heritage Region, 2011

Accommodation

32 About 40 people were interviewed in this process. The key stakeholders are all involved in managing, planning and/or delivering services to visitors in the region, and their perceptions are based on their knowledge and experience.

131


Ratings of accommodation services and facilities reveal reasonable satisfaction with the provision of affordable accommodation in the region: 50% of key stakeholders rated affordable accommodation facilities as ‘good’ or ‘very good’, and a further 21.4% rated the provision of affordable accommodation as ‘satisfactory’. Several stakeholders from smaller local government areas rated affordable accommodation as a strength of the local area, due to provision of caravan and camping grounds and budget hotels and motels.

A minority of stakeholders (21.4%) rated the provision of boutique accommodation as ‘good’ or ‘very good’ and a smaller minority rated up-market accommodation as ‘good’ (with the majority of interviewees indicating ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ availability).

This is not to say that there isn’t any five or six star accommodation in the Region. The accommodation does exist in some locations, for instance Bendigo and Daylesford, but the general perception of those who responded to the survey is that the provision of upmarket accommodation in the region is not very good. Clearly there is a relationship between recognition as a world class destination and the availability of quality accommodation and food service, and the responses from key stakeholders suggest that the current depth and range in these areas across the Goldfields Heritage Region is limited.

In addition to the ratings, key stakeholders most frequently nominated accommodation as the major constraint in attracting a greater number of high yield tourists.

Figure 8.1 Regional Key Stakeholder Ratings of Tourist Accommodation

Accommodation to meet the needs of increased visitation by high yield tourists has not been identified in any other State or Regional Plans other than by inference in the development of diversified local economies. Tourism Victoria acknowledges that there has not been sufficient private sector investment in the development of accommodation that can meet the needs of high yield visitors in the region for a number of years. The advocacy role that Tourism Victoria plays in the development of new accommodation is more often targeted at major hotel and conference facility development, rather than development of smaller (less than 15 beds) projects. There is evidence in the region of smaller scale developments of high end accommodation (boutique hotels, bed and breakfast enterprises and apartments) in heritage buildings. There are further opportunities for the redevelopment of some old hotels in several towns, including Clunes, Trentham, Avoca, Smythesdale, Inglewood, Stawell and St Arnaud that could achieve dual objectives of the preservation of gold heritage assets and provision of themed high quality accommodation across the region.

132


Accommodation Industry Segments and Trends

Hotels and Resorts

Currently the Hotels and Resort sector in the region is growing at a low level across a range of star-ratings, most recently in the exclusive five-star hotels and resorts component. Investment associated with resorts is also continuing in a number of capital cities and major regional centres. Overseas interest and investment in hotels is also rising. Despite these positives, competition is continuing to increase from a more fragmented accommodation sector, particularly from the Serviced Apartments industry.

Hotels and resorts in this industry can be segmented via star ratings, which are dependent on the quality of rooms, facilities and services. For instance, five-star hotels and resorts have high room rates and generally provide 24-hour room service and reception, on-site restaurant facilities, and quality furniture and fittings in the rooms. Hotels and resorts with three stars or fewer provide considerably fewer services and facilities, and are usually priced accordingly.• Properties with one or two stars: A declining segment, but still accounted for an estimated

3.4% of industry revenue and 15.8% of establishments in 2011-12.• Properties with three stars: A relatively stable segment accounting for about 11.4% of

industry revenue and 31.7% of establishments in 2011-12. • Properties with four stars: This segment accounts for over half of sector revenue at 53.4%

and 34.1% of establishments in 2011-12. Demand for these high-end facilities is increasing.

• Properties with five stars: Accounted for 31.8% of industry revenue in 2011-12. There are fewer five-star hotel establishments compared with the other categories, but they tend to be larger, located in major tourist areas and capital cities, and have higher room tariffs in line with the enhanced facilities and services provided to guests.33

In line with global hotel trends, major operators are exiting building-ownership models to concentrate on management-only services. Hotels are increasingly owned by superannuation funds, fund managers and property trusts. This trend is expected to continue over the next five years. Franchising trends will increase both the size and globalisation level of operators in the local industry, giving them both national and international coverage. Portfolios include properties covering nearly all star ratings, each operating under a distinct and consistent brand.

Major hotel refurbishment projects in capital cities will continue to move towards providing integrated in-room technology operated by a single touch screen.

In 2010-11, 26.9% (or 69.9 million) of total domestic visitor nights (i.e. 259.9 million) were spent in hotel, resort, motel and motor inn accommodation.34 Overall, international visitors account for about 24.6% of total hotel nights. The actual proportion of international visitors, however, varies according to the star rating of the hotel, its facilities and its location. Four- and five-star hotels in metropolitan areas and major tourist areas tended to attract more international visitors.

Figure 8.1 Market Segments for Hotels and Resorts

33 IBIS World Hotels and Resorts Industry Report 2011.34 Tourism Research Australia, 2010-11 National Visitor Survey.

133


Source: ABS Small Area Tourism Data, including properties of 15 beds or more.

Major corporations investing in the hotels and resorts sector in Australia are:• AAPC Limited (market share: 10.1%), encompassing the Sofitel, Pullman, Novotel,

Mercure, Ibis Hotels, All Seasons and Formule 1 brands.• Mantra Group Holdings I Pty Ltd (market share: 6.6%), encompassing the Mantra,

BreakFree and Peppers brands.• IHG Hotels Management (Australia) Pty Limited (market share: 4.3%), encompassing

InterContinental, Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza brands.• Thakral Holdings Group (market share: 3.4%) encompassing Sofitel, Novotel and Hilton

on the Park brands.• Hilton International Australia Pty Limited (market share: 2.7%) encompassing the

Hilton brand.

Development and investment in a good-sized hotel may involve as much as a $5 million-plus investment. Accor, with its Formule 1 Budget Hotel concept, recently allocated $6 million for 118 rooms at its Sydney Airport site, or an average of about $50,000 per room for construction and outfitting costs. Entry costs into this industry have lowered through entering into a management agreements or franchising agreements with building owners. Entry may also occur for investors investing in individual rooms or suites with guaranteed short-term returns. The split in responsibilities between actual hotel building owners, investors and operators or managers assists entry into this industry.

Over the past 20 years, the industry has developed into a diverse product based around a star-rating system for establishments. Service and product differentiation is based on location, quality and the extent of services and guest facilities. This has developed due to the increasing segmentation of domestic and international visitors in terms of their changing wants and needs when travelling. Entry to this industry can now occur at any number of star-rating levels.

The Goldfields Heritage Region has only three properties in the Hotels and Resort Industry Sector: one in Ballarat and two in Hepburn Shire (ACCOR Novotel Forest Resort in Creswick and Peppers Mineral Springs Resort). The Novotel Forest Resort is a significant supplier of conference facilities and accommodation for the region and, interestingly, is located outside the regional cities in Hepburn Shire. A fourth property is under development/re-development in Clunes at the Club Hotel, having been recently acquired by resort developer, Spa Country Group (the same organisation that owns Peppers Mineral Springs Resort), operating within the Mantra Hotel Group branding, with the intention of establishing a boutique hotel with

134


conference facilities and accommodation. Spa Country has plans to transform the 1870's Club Hotel into a bistro restaurant, café and wedding venue under the name Birch Club. Restoration work will retain the historical features and will reflect contemporary luxury. Spa Country has a stated commitment to building up the profile of Clunes as a place to visit and a hub of activity.

Motels

This sector is in a decline phase of its life cycle, largely due to intensive internal competition, greater competition from hotels, weak revenue levels, and difficulties in increasing tariff rates.35

Motels tend to be positioned in the middle of the wider, expanding and far more segmented accommodation market, between higher star-rated hotels and serviced apartments, and the more competitively-priced forms of accommodation, such as cabins in caravan parks and hostels. Bed and breakfast establishments have evolved since the late 1980s, which offer high quality, non-standard facilities and a greater degree of hospitality, but at a higher price. Guests will generally pay for a higher standard of facilities, service and hospitality, experiences and some unique offerings.

These factors now mean that the motel sector tends to be squeezed for customer numbers and tariffs by both cheaper and slightly more expensive accommodation forms, especially with any price discounting by star-rated hotels. Further, the supply of rooms and establishments is continuing to decline, while some other new and competing styles of accommodation have emerged. These include serviced apartments, resorts and quality cabins in caravan parks, some of which offer greater hospitality, more intimacy and higher quality fittings compared to motels.

There are a small number of large firms operating in the motel sector, with the majority being small, single-establishment operators. This low industry concentration level reflects the large number of small business operators and, therefore, the highly fragmented nature of this industry.

Major corporations investing in the motel sector, or providing branding and membership services, in Australia are:• ARRA Accommodation Group (representing a market share of 14%), encompassing

the Budget, Orbit and Paragon brands• Best Western (representing a market share, across members of 12.6%)• Constellation Group, a subsidiary of Touraust Corporation (market share of 7%)

encompassing Sundowner, Country Comfort, Chifley, Grand Chifley, and Australis brands• Golden Chain Motels (representing a market share, across members of 8.8%)

The motel sector is well represented in the large and medium centres of the Goldfields Heritage Region, with:• 20 Budget (ARRA Group) motels in Ballarat, Bendigo, Northern Grampians, Moorabool,

Central Goldfields and Campaspe;• 14 Golden Chain motels in Ballarat, Bendigo, Northern Grampians, Ararat, Campaspe,

Mount Alexander and Central Goldfields;• Best Western motels in Ballarat, Bendigo and Campaspe;• two Constellation Group motels in Bendigo and Campaspe; and• two Country Haven motels in Ballarat and Campaspe.

However, the motels in smaller towns of the region (such as Beaufort, Woodend, and Wedderburn) tend to be independent motels, without a membership to one of the chain brands.

35 IBIS World Motels Industry Report 2011

135


Motels and caravan parks provide the large percentage of commercial accommodation for travellers in the Goldfields Heritage Region. However, many of the motels were built in the 1970s and 1980s and still operate today, without a great deal of refurbishment on many of the properties. This is common in regional Australia, and ‘as a consequence, (motels) are failing to meet consumer expectations, which poses serious problems for agencies that have responsibility for promoting the regions in which these motels operate in that there is a growing level of consumer dissatisfaction with some of the accommodation on offer.36

Figure 8.2 Market Segments for Motels, 2011

Serviced Apartments

The Serviced Apartment sector is in a mature phase of its life cycle due to low tourism and travel growth, particularly from the business sector for medium-term and long-term accommodation, and short-term and medium-term household demand. This low growth is contributing to small increases in establishment numbers and employment across the industry.

Serviced apartment operators provide varying quality accommodation. Four-star serviced apartments account for the greatest share of establishments sector. Four-star serviced apartments cater for medium and long-term business and household clients requiring above-average accommodation.

In general, for major serviced apartment operators, about 8% to 12% of total guest arrivals are international visitors and the remainder are domestic travellers, particularly longer-staying family groups and business travellers. These proportions vary from their share of industry revenue due to the higher volume of domestic travellers compared with international visitors, and variations in their respective length of stay and expenditure levels. Many international visitors have also already pre-booked some or all heavily discounted accommodation packages and nights prior to arriving in Australia.

Figure 8.3 Market Segments for Serviced Apartments, 2011

36 Beall J, Roberts, L, Jago, L, “Motel Makeover Guide” Sustainable Tourism CRC 2005.

136


Investment in this sector is moderate and there is a greater demand by an increasing number of travellers to stay at apartments rather than hotels due to the larger room space, wider range of in-room facilities, and the greater flexibility and freedom this offers, particularly over relatively longer stays. Serviced apartments provide the traveller with a more ‘at-home’ feel relative to hotels, and especially standard motel rooms.

Major corporations investing in the serviced apartments sector are:• Oaks Hotels and Resorts Limited (market share 6.1%)• Mirvac Group (market share: 3.6%) encompassing the Sebel, Citigate, Sea Temple and

Quay West brands• Quest Apartments (market share 4.9%), involved in the franchising of serviced

apartments, with over 130 properties in Australia in mid-2011.• Punthill Apartments (market share less than 1%)• Toga Hospitality (market share 3.9%) encompassing the Medina and Adina brands.

The Goldfields Heritage Region has a limited number of serviced apartment properties, with five Quest properties (in Ballarat, Bendigo and Campaspe) and two independent properties in Macedon Ranges and Pyrenees Shires. These are all relatively new properties.

137


Holiday Houses, Flats and Hostels

The Holiday Houses, Flats and Hostels industry is in the decline phase of its life cycle. In the past five years, there has been slow and declining growth each year for industry revenue and value added. These are estimated to have both declined at annualised rates of 0.2% during this time as guest nights and stay lengths also declined overall, particularly in 2009-10 and 2010-11.37

Total international and domestic backpacker numbers have slowed and declined in recent years, which has contributed to industry revenue declining in the five years through till 2010-11. With the strong Australian Dollar in recent years, and forecast future strength in 2012 and beyond, this will make it increasingly more expensive for foreigners to visit Australia, which will further contribute to industry declines in the outlook period.

There has been strong competition from other accommodation industries in recent years, which has also contributed to weakness in this industry. As incomes increase, people prefer to stay in better quality accommodation, which has a negative impact on hostel accommodation. To combat some of this competition, more hostels are now tending to provide a varying level of accommodation, from shared facilities to individual rooms to suit a wider variety of customer needs. Also, the standard and quality of many holiday houses and flats at varying tariff levels is also improving over time.

Holiday houses and flats are overwhelmingly independent operations, similar to the growing Bed and Breakfast facilities around the country. The main organisation investing in the youth hostels area is Youth Hostels Association (YHA) with an estimated market share of 4.9%. The company is part of Hostelling International, the world’s largest backpacker accommodation network. In Australia, YHA accounts for more than 1.5 million overnight visitors annually. YHA was established in 1947 to coordinate the activities in Australia and to represent Australia overseas. In the early days, YHA was largely a bushwalking club and the hostels were intended to provide simple overnight accommodation in areas where local members could take part in outdoor activities.

With the growth of YHA in Australia and increasing numbers of hostellers coming from overseas, demand for hostels has grown and changed. Hostellers now seek to visit the major tourist areas and the larger cities and prefer more comfortable accommodation. Many of YHA’s activities are organised by members working as volunteers. It is also a non-profit organisation, with any surplus funds directed toward the provision of further hostels. YHA recently established a travel agency service in major capital cities, to provide for touring and other travel booking requirements of its guests.

There are four YHA hostels in the Goldfields region in Ballarat, Bendigo, Northern Grampians and Campaspe. One of these, the Bendigo YHA is located in an historic hotel (the Fleece Inn, circa 1864), and is currently undergoing renovations.

Figure 10.4 The Fleece Inn YHA Hostel, Bendigo

37 IBIS World Holiday Houses, Flats and Hostels Industry Report 2011.

138


Caravan Parks and Camping Grounds

Shifts in Australian tourism segments and age-structures have led to caravan parks and camping grounds making significant changes to their operating models.

The industry ‘has partly reinvented itself to become a more important component of total tourist accommodation in Australia.38 This includes improving facilities for families and other specific tourist groups with a particular focus on cabin and on-site van segments. New quality facilities are usually available at lower tariffs than competing hotels and motels, but still offer attractive profit margins to the caravan park business.

Caravan parks provide inexpensive tourist accommodation, usually tailored towards longer staying holiday-makers, especially older and retired people, and young family travellers seeking a low-cost alternative to hotels and motels. The parks offer a variety of accommodation types, ranging from cabins and flats to unpowered sites. A recent change to operations stems from the increasing number of retired travellers (branded as the ‘grey nomad’ tourism segment) who have invested heavily in luxuriously appointed vans and motor-homes. This is a ‘five star’ tourist segment accommodated at caravan parks and camping grounds.

A major caravan park industry change during the past decade has been the general improvement of facilities offered to travellers. Operators are providing a greater number of powered sites (including on-site vans) and cabins or flats, and lessening the number of unpowered sites. On-site accommodation improvements include upgrades to amenities and greater provision of recreational facilities.

Typically, three-star caravan parks now offer numerous new facilities to travellers including: • cafes;• BBQ facilities and shelters;• coin operated laundries;• tiled and well-maintained amenity blocks; and • entertainment lounges and game rooms. Some popular caravan parks have wildlife or

animal enclosures. The provision of such extras is now a key distinguishing industry factor, separating popular industry operators from basic parks.

Caravan parks have potential for further significant growth in the long term as middle income households (and ‘grey nomad’ retirees) seek high quality, self-catered and cheap holiday accommodation. The best caravan parks will need to focus on offering travellers full-time on-site management, to ensure service and security for guests.

Investment in quality on-site accommodation has generally assisted operators, particularly due to the range of facilities and prices that suit various market needs. Higher tariffs and greater occupancy rates of cabins generally increased profits in comparison to on-site caravans and tent sites.

Food and Beverage Services

The Goldfields Heritage Region’s appeal as a destination for food and wine experiences is steadily improving. Indeed, the reputation for both cool climate wines (in Macedon Ranges, Hepburn, Ballarat and Mount Alexander) and warm climate wines (in Bendigo/Heathcote, Pyrenees, Northern Grampians and Loddon) is becoming a significant tourism marketing attribute, together with the emerging food service/restaurant reputations in Kyneton, Daylesford and Castlemaine.

The region also has a strong network of farmers markets and several niche food and beverage precincts (such as apples, pears and cider in Mount Alexander/Harcourt, and fresh fruit and vegetables in Moorabool/Bacchus Marsh). However, branding country areas as local

38 IBIS World Industry Report 2011.

139


food and wine destinations has become a feature of most Victorian regions over the past 10 to 20 years.

Figure 8.2 reveals that, despite the emerging food and beverage credentials of the region, it is a very competitive area and none of the identified food and beverage services components are consistently highly rated across the region. A minority of those surveyed rate the region’s restaurants, cafes and bakeries, fast food outlets and food and wine trails or cellar doors as ‘good’ or ‘very good’.

Figure 8.2 Regional Key Stakeholder Ratings of Food and Beverage Services

Events, Conferences and Seminars

Key stakeholders believe that the region is well placed in terms of infrastructure to host events (with 57.1% rating this area as ‘good’ or ‘very good’), but is poorly situated in catering for conferences and seminars (7.1% rating this area as ‘good’). The difference is that events in the region are usually focused on outdoor activities, sport or recreation, where the natural assets of the region are competitive, whereas conferences and seminars require suitable built infrastructure and associated catering, technologies and accommodation.

Improvement to conference facilities was ranked as the 4 th most important area for attention by key stakeholders in the region, to attract high yield visitors (after accommodation, physical infrastructure improvements and additional visitor attractions). Improvement to the provision of conference facilities is also identified in the Loddon Mallee Region Strategic Plan for the City of Bendigo.

Castlemaine is another major centre in the region that would benefit from additional conference facilities, to complement the further marketing of the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park.

140


Figure 8.3 Regional Key Stakeholder Ratings of Events and Conferences

There is a wide range of, predominantly outdoor, events staged regularly throughout the Goldfields Heritage Region, targeted to both local communities and visitors. Major events in smaller communities are understood to attract 6,000 to 12,000 people while events in Ballarat and Bendigo can and do attract many more. These events do not necessarily relate to the cultural heritage or the gold heritage of the region, and include:

sporting events (annual tournaments, carnivals and race meetings); food and wine festivals; farmers markets; agricultural shows and field days; music festivals; gardens and horticultural events; fairs; gallery exhibitions; and Easter and other seasonal celebrations.

‘Attending an event or conference’ is a common reason cited by many people underlying a regional visit. The Goldfields Heritage Region should attract a range of relevant events around the gold heritage theme, encompassing historic, geological, geographic, research, educational, and recreational interests. However, there will also be opportunities for cross-promotions, by leveraging attendance at, say, a wine and food event or country race meeting, with learning and experience of gold heritage. There are opportunities to value add to the events that are bringing visitors to communities by integrating gold heritage assets into programs and locations. Events are an excellent way of stimulating the use of underused gold heritage assets and product.

There are few events that relate specifically to gold heritage, but a number celebrate the cultural heritage of the region and the consequences of gold discovery on migration, urbanisation, industry development, and agricultural activity. Many of these events have long histories and some are relatively new, but the links to cultural heritage are strong and consistent with the development of the region as Australia’s heritage region.

Heritage Week is also an opportunity that is exploited around the region for the celebration of local heritage. It takes many forms, open houses and gardens, lectures, conferences, exhibitions, library events, storytelling and so on. Activities are run by councils, community museums, historical societies and other local institutions with an interest in the preserving and celebrating local history. Most of these events are arranged by volunteers for local

141


communities and do not necessarily attract visitors, but could be connected, broadened and strengthened to become a regional attraction

A selection of potential events across the region that could be linked to the region’s cultural heritage promotion are summarised in Table 8.9.

Table 8.2 Selection of Significant Annual Goldfields Heritage Region Events

Municipality Event Date Ballarat Begonia Festival

Ballarat Antique FairEureka WeekHeritage Weekend Organs of the Goldfields

March

DecemberMayJanuary

Bendigo Bendigo Easter FairChinese New Year

EasterJanuary

Central Goldfields Maryborough Highland Gathering Heritage Weekend

JanuaryApril/May

Golden Plains Meredith Music FestivalGolden Plain Music Festival

DecemberMarch

Hepburn Swiss Italian Festa OctoberLoddon Wedderburn Detector JamboreeMacedon Ranges Hanging Rock Picnic Races

Harvest Picnic New YearMarch

Mount Alexander Fryerstown Antique Fair JanuaryNorthern Grampians Stawell Gift EasterPyrenees Lake Goldsmith Steam Rally October

Several of the events in Table 8.2 celebrate, or relate to, the cultural and gold heritage of the region and could be marketed collectively. Gold heritage is particularly useful as a link between events because: although there are dates and seasonal anniversaries, it can be relevant all year round; the gold heritage assets are outstanding and varied across the region from ruins to

grand buildings, to mines sites and unique landscapes; they lend themselves to a great variety of uses; and

it is ever present and authentic throughout the region.

The scale of event capacity varies widely: The City of Greater Bendigo conducts exhibitions that can attract 70,000 visitors over a season, while smaller communities can be overwhelmed by the visitation attracted to a farmers market.

Cultural Heritage

The wealth of gold heritage features, sites, and attractions has been detailed as well as a complex hierarchy of themes, sub-themes and stories which distinguish each part of the Goldfields Heritage Region. There is unanimity among key regional stakeholders that the region’s gold heritage assets are authentic, abundant and distinguishing. Unsurprisingly, key regional stakeholders rated the cultural heritage attributes of the region more highly than all other groups of tourism services and infrastructure. Specifically:

78.6% of interviewees rated the local gold heritage attractions as ‘very good’, ‘good’ or ‘satisfactory’;

92.9% of interviewees rated the local historic buildings and historic built environment as ‘very good’, ‘good’ or ‘satisfactory’;

71.4% of interviewees rated other local cultural and heritage buildings as ‘very good’, ‘good’ or ‘satisfactory’; and

78.6% of interviewees rated local historic natural environment features as ‘very good’, ‘good’ or ‘satisfactory’.

Figure 8.4 Regional Key Stakeholder Ratings of Cultural Heritage

142


Tourism Services

The region has a network of well-resourced visitor information centres (VICs) with many having paid staff supported by teams of trained and passionate volunteers. Other, mainly smaller townships provide weekend and public holiday visitor services. Golden Plains Shire does not have a VIC but the council has implemented new technologies by way of smartphone and tablet applications to provide people with information about sites and products available in the Shire. In other towns where there is no VIC, visitors obtain information from information boards, local historical societies and local traders.

In the Pyrenees Shire the VICs in Beaufort and in Avoca have been co-located with library services and community meeting rooms. This has resulted in a 7 day a week library for the community and some increased services for visitors. Plans for a more integrated community hub and visitor information service are in train in Northern Grampians Shire.

Figure 8.5 Regional Key Stakeholder Ratings of Tourism Services

Visitor information services were rated as ‘very good’ by 38.5 % of interviewees and 84.7% rated information services as ‘very good’, ‘good’ or ‘satisfactory’.

143


Visitor Information Centres provide accommodation booking services, brochures and pamphlets on attractions, sell merchandise and products, tickets for attractions and events and answer questions and provide advice on things to see and do. Some contain static and audio visual displays and memorabilia and offer other services such as function rooms, community meeting rooms and gallery spaces.

Staff interviewed in VICs in most municipalities reported that information about heritage is an important part of the product offer. People appreciate the heritage streetscapes and the stories about initial gold rushes shaping the development of the towns and districts. Many towns have a heritage walk described in a brochure and, in some locations, on a podcast.

In establishing the Goldfields Heritage Region, local visitor information services will require advice and support in how their operations, and their interaction with visitors should change, and in what they offer. Changes could, and should, embrace: assistance in the distribution of information about the region as Australia’s Heritage

Region: A shared broad regional narrative supported by local stories and interpretation; encouraging businesses and other service providers to play a part in actively sharing

information about the heritage region to contribute to the impression of the place as a friendly and inviting place to visit, where the community is proud of and focused on its gold rush heritage;

establishing an ambassador program (with local ambassadors in each municipality). Investing in high quality, up-to-date, online information about general visitor services and

gold heritage products; developing facilities that are flexible with capacity for multiple uses by the community, and

that provide access to the internet for visitors; and developing a system of high quality information boards at locations around the region

where there are no VICs operating 7 days a week.

In a period of change in the way that information is being dispersed, the role of the VIC will need to be continually reviewed. More research in this area to determine what it is that people expect from and receive from the visits to VICs is required.

The existence and nature of tourist attractions in the region was also rated relatively highly by key stakeholders, with 78.6% suggesting local attractions are ‘very good’, ‘good’ or ‘satisfactory’. However, there were also several suggestions that the tourism attraction product offer could be further enhanced: This was the third highest suggested area for improvement (after accommodation and physical infrastructure improvements). The suggestions included investment in a high-end/unique experience product, rail and other improved trails, and development of heritage attractions on public land.

Tour operator services and tourist hire equipment services rated poorly among key stakeholders with 53.3% and 71.4%, respectively, rating these service areas as ‘very poor’. This appears to confirm that the critical-mass of tourism product in the region is currently insufficient to support effective (and viable) local tour operators and equipment providers to access and link attractions/activities around the region.

144


STREETSCAPE EVALUATION In becoming a world class tourist destination, physical appearance and amenity in all gold heritage experience areas is important. An evaluation of streetscape features was undertaken by site visits and visual assessment. Although this was a subjective assessment, a five point rating scale (spanning ‘very good’ to ‘very poor’) was utilised to provide consistent and comparable results across a number of streetscape features. A rating of ‘very good’ was used as the relative benchmark to represent the best on offer in the region and appropriate for a world class tourist destination.

Streetscape elements evaluated were: predominance, condition and use of heritage buildings; directional and interpretive signage; footpaths and road pavement surfaces; seating; public toilets; vegetation planting (ground cover, shrubs and trees); bollards, bins and railings; and overall streetscape impression.

These assessments related to town centres, and areas likely to be a focal point for tourists. In some instances town centre entrances from railway stations, as well as road entrances, were considered in the evaluation.

Across the region there are a number of streetscape improvement projects currently being implemented. They were identified in key precincts in St Arnaud, Daylesford, Clunes, Stawell, Beaufort, Avoca, Maldon, Castlemaine, Linton, Bridgewater and Bacchus Marsh. It is likely that there are a number of other proposals at varying stages of design that have not been captured in this process.

Streetscape improvements are undertaken by local government routinely. They sometimes focus on scheduled improvements to elements across large areas, like tree planting programs, parking allotments, bin replacement programs, and painting works, or they can be reactive, like the replacement of broken seats and bollards, removal of graffiti, and repair work following floods, fires or other climatic events. These approaches to streetscape improvement do not necessarily deliver high amenity or a cohesive streetscape experience.

From time to time, however, councils have the opportunity to consider a precinct as a whole and decide to address problems in a holistic sense. When this is done it is an opportunity to make a statement about how it is intended that people should experience a particular location. The civic precinct around Pall Mall in Bendigo provides a great example of a well resolved streetscape improvement project incorporating beautifully preserved gold heritage buildings with street trees, signage, furniture, footpaths and road surfaces that have been designed to encourage and enhance walking around the city. Another excellent example is Piper Street in Kyneton, where the preservation of a number of heritage buildings and their creative reuse in a streetscape with a consistent heritage feel has transformed the location into a prosperous hub attracting large numbers of visitors.

In some of the key goldfields towns there are great opportunities to improve streetscape and celebrate the precious heritage that remains. In the first instance the beneficiaries are local communities where improved presentation can be source of civic pride. Businesses are attracted and the tourists arrive to bring new money into local economies.

A summary of results from the findings of these assessments is presented in Table 8.10, suggesting that ‘predominance of heritage buildings’ is the most highly rated streetscape feature (77.8% ‘very good’ or ‘good’) and heritage buildings are ubiquitous. Age and condition of public toilets, town entrances, location of public toilets, and overall impressions all had more than 50% rating of ‘very good’ or ‘good’.

145


The condition of heritage buildings, a general assessment of a collection of buildings from the outside suggests that around 60% of buildings are ‘satisfactory’, ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’. There are examples throughout the region of beautifully restored grand heritage buildings that dominate streetscapes, a result of careful restoration and great care from communities. But there are a large number of streetscapes that are diminished by poor condition of some buildings and the lack of a coordinated approach.

There are also opportunities to improve the use of heritage buildings where the rating of ‘good’ or ‘very good’ was 47%.

Table 8.4 Evaluation of Streetscape Features

Streetscape Feature Sub-Category Very Good Good Satisfactory Poor Very PoorHeritage buildings Predominance 50.0% 27.8% 11.1% 11.1% 0.0%

Condition 11.1% 27.8% 44.4% 11.1% 5.6%

Use 23.5% 23.5% 29.4% 11.8% 11.8%

Signage Directional 0.0% 50.0% 37.5% 12.5% 0.0%

Interpretive 0.0% 5.6% 61.1% 33.3% 0.0%Town entrances 16.7% 38.9% 27.8% 16.7% 0.0%

Footpath pavement surfaces 22.2% 22.2% 44.4% 11.1% 0.0%

Road pavement surfaces 15.0% 40.0% 30.0% 15.0% 0.0%

Seating Quality and condition 11.1% 27.8% 50.0% 11.1% 0.0%

Location 12.5% 31.3% 43.8% 12.5% 0.0%

Public toilets Location 11.8% 41.2% 41.2% 5.9% 0.0%Age and condition 37.5% 31.3% 31.3% 0.0% 0.0%

Planting Garden beds 18.8% 12.5% 62.5% 6.3% 0.0%

Street trees 16.7% 16.7% 55.6% 11.1% 0.0%

Bollards/bins/railings 16.7% 27.8% 33.3% 22.2% 0.0%

Overall impression 22.2% 38.9% 22.2% 16.7% 0.0%

146


Figure 8.6 shows the town average ratings of each town assessed during field evaluations, indicating that Ballarat and Bendigo are the regional benchmarks with average ratings close to ‘very good’.

Figure 8.6 Average Streetscape Ratings for Gold Heritage Region Towns and Cities

KEY: ‘1.0’ = very good, ‘2.0’= good, ‘3’= satisfactory, ‘4’= poor, ‘5’= very poor

SIGNAGE

Table 8.4 shows that directional signage and town entrance signs within Goldfields heritage tourism region towns are adequate to relatively good, while interpretive signage is quite limited in both quality and coverage.

Goldfields Tourist Route Signage

The Goldfields Tourist Route was a part of the Victorian Tourism Strategy released in August 1984. The strategy recommended tourism development in the Goldfields should maximise the experiential, explorative, surprising, authentic, distinctive and Australian values of:

• historic and current gold mining;• fossicking for gold, gemstones and relics;• how and where our pioneers lived and worked; and • visiting places where history was made.

Among the initiatives proposed in the 1984 Victorian Tourism Strategy was to establish a Goldfields Tourist Route (G) Signposting – to identify the Goldfields Zone as an entity, as well as ensuring that visitors can find its leading features and attractions. Properly designed and installed signposting throughout the goldfields would be a highly marketable feature. It also recommended that collateral be produced to support the route.

It is not known the extent to which this strategy was implemented at the time, but no evidence of supporting collateral remains.

The Goldfields Tourist Route (G) was established without a commitment to attempting to connect travellers to the region’s cultural attractions. Its only value was (and is) a means to view the landscape. It also excludes important regional gold towns in the north-west of the region such as Wedderburn, Inglewood, St Arnaud, and Moliagul.

147


There is also now a myriad of local trails and touring routes based on heritage, food and wine across the region, and they are individually marketed online, in brochures and booklets and prominently signed in some locations. These have no relationship to the Goldfields Tourist Route.

The future of the Goldfields Touring Route (G) signage was discussed with various stakeholders with the conclusion that it played a very limited role in either directing people around the region or enhancing their awareness of the gold assets of the region. There is no collateral that exists to specifically support the Touring Route and it is felt that the Goldfields Tourist Route (G) is dated and is not a significant Goldfields Heritage Region asset.

It is recommended that the Goldfields Tourist Route (G) should be abandoned for an integrated regional system that incorporates the relevant existing trails and touring routes, encourages touring through use of online information and applications and with greater information provision to Visitor Information Centres to support travellers when they arrive at particular destinations.

Town Entrance Signage

Only 12.5% of town entrance signage was rated as poor or very poor during streetscape evaluations. Largely, town entrance signage is well presented and maintained. There is a great variety in approaches taken by councils and communities across the region to town entrance signage. Signage can be a complex issue for councils. The way a town entrance is signed is often part of a larger signage strategy that locates a town entrance sign within a suite or hierarchy of signs for cities, towns, suburbs, precincts, reserves and buildings and they may have major or minor status. As part of a considered approach they are designed to convey something of the character of the place and leave an impression with the observer.

In the region there are examples of substantial, modern signs that loudly announce the entrance to cities like Bendigo and Ballarat. However, some entrance signs purely convey the town’s name, some are poorly maintained, and some are surprisingly monumental (substantial stone signs for relatively small communities).

It is not suggested that there be uniform town entrance signs erected around the region to define this as the heritage region, but there should be a uniform approach to the presentation of town entrance signs and that is that they are well designed, maintained and located. It may be possible that there is some design element that could be made common to these signs; a logo, colour, shape or image but this should be addressed as part of the development of a regional identity. It may be worth considering additional signs that signify or reinforces that this town is part of the collective of towns and communities in Australia’s Goldfields Heritage Region.

148


Directional Signage

Directional signage is important for travellers although this landscape is changing as more and more people are relying on GPS (global positioning system) information being delivered through portable navigational devices. The key agencies responsible for the content, location and presentation of directional signs are VicRoads and Local Government. Observations made by the project team related to cluttered signs or signs in very poor condition. Multiple signs on one post cannot be read from the road and do not serve travellers’ needs well. There were examples of signs with up to 12 different locations on them and this is too much information for one sign. It is understood new signage protocols, introduced by VicRoads, are currently being rolled out, and these effectively reduce the amount of written information on key directional signs to make navigating easier.

Example of Interpretation signage in Clunes

Interpretive Signage

Interpretive signage is information that is placed near to a specific site to offer some explanation of the site of its meaning or importance. Interpretive signage was assessed as satisfactory or poor in 93% of towns. This rating reflects a lack of interpretive signage in some locations, its age and, in some instances, the presentation and content. It is no longer regarded sufficient to present a series of facts about a site to engage visitors and engender an enthusiastic response. There is now a good deal of investment in research and production to produce high quality interpretive material at important tourism sites.

Interpretation involves translating ideas and concepts into a format that attracts, interests and inspires visitors. Essentially, quality interpretation enhances people's understanding and enjoyment of the places they visit. The main benefits of providing interpretation for your visitors are:

1. Interpretation helps to meet the increasing demand for educational visitor experiences.2. Interpretation provides interesting and memorable experiences that ensure visitor satisfaction, positive word-of-mouth advertising and repeat visitation.3. Interpretation encourages visitors to care about the places they visit.

149


4. Interpretation helps minimise environmental and cultural damage by explaining the impacts of various behaviours and suggesting appropriate alternatives.5. Interpretation can act as a substitute experience for: places that are very fragile and/or difficult to visit (e.g. caves, sacred temples), or topics that are impossible to experience directly (e.g. disease, medieval history)39

Providing good quality and well considered interpretation will be critical to the concept of a unified heritage region bound by the common thread of gold heritage.

Example of interpretation signage in Clunes

39 Ballantyne, R., Crabtree, A., Ham, S., Hughes, K. & Weiler, B. 2000. Developing effective communication and interpretation techniques. Brisbane: Queensland University of Technology.

150


OTHER STREETSCAPE ELEMENTS

Footpaths and Road Pavements

Footpaths and road pavements are important for residents and for visitors alike. If people perceive that they cannot walk, ride, cycle or drive safely in key civic precincts and tourism destinations there will be dissatisfied ratepayers and reluctant visitors. Not surprisingly, on 82% of occasions these items were rated as satisfactory, good or very good in the streetscape evaluations. Councils are highly attuned to community expectations around these issues.

There are some townships where the presence of bluestone pavers and gutters form part of the heritage streetscape and do present some access difficulties. In dealing with these issues councils are obliged to provide safe access for people over gutters and across bluestone surfaces and there are ways where good access has been achieved and the heritage qualities of the streetscape are retained.

High quality, accessible and safe pavement surfaces will complement and support the positive visitor experiences.

Large, deep guttering is a feature and difficulty in many historical towns such as Clunes

Seating

Another contributor to the amenity of the area is the availability of well located, presented and maintained seating. This item was rated satisfactory or better in 84% of towns. There were some examples of poorly located and seating in poor condition but overall councils were providing some safe seating in key locations. This is another item that benefits both residents and visitors.

In developing a response to this project councils should review seating around key precincts in relation to shade, proximity to key attractions or sites and public transport and other outdoor seating being provided by restaurants and cafes. Well located seating provides

151


respite for travellers and a place where the people can quietly observe the comings and goings of working communities.

Public Toilets

Public toilets are important to visitors and the perceptions of a place can be coloured by a visitors experience therein. The location, age and condition of these facilities was assessed in the streetscape evaluation but other critical factors in the performance of public toilets include maintenance schedules and cleanliness.

The location of toilets was rated ‘very good’ in only 14% of towns. There may have been issues about signage and awareness of the amenities and it may have been the case that toilets were an inconvenient distance from key locations, or that town centres have grown away from a traditional public toilet location (with new toilets available in indoor shopping centres).

The age and the condition of toilets were rated ‘very good’ in 30% of towns. The cost of upgrading this infrastructure is substantial and it is likely that facilities are upgraded every 10 to 15 years. While they are challenging places to get right and they are costly to build, they are important pieces of infrastructure. A best practice example, outside the Goldfields Heritage Region is the new toilet block completed in the township of Dunkeld, next to the Visitor Information Centre, featuring quality fittings and design elements to complement the other high standard dining and accommodation experiences on offer to visitors to the town.

Street Trees and Garden Beds

The role of street trees and garden beds in streetscape is to soften the hard edges of pavements, roads, signs and buildings. Street trees provide shade and provide respite in town centres that can experience extremely hot weather during the summer months. They do have an impact on the overall appearance of a town and when done well really lift a location.

The problems arise when gardens in prominent locations in town centres, such as roundabouts, median strips and parks are not well maintained or are poorly presented. They are often filled with litter, are in poorly designed and presented planting boxes, or do not have appropriate plantings.

There were high ratings at the satisfactory level for both street trees and garden beds suggesting that this not an area that a great deal of thought or effort is made so there are opportunities for improvement here. In the harsh and variable climate of the area, and where a commitment can’t be made to the good design, preparation and care of garden beds then it may be better not to have them. Street trees are important to communities and can really lift the presentation of a streetscape. A challenge will be for the management of existing and new street trees in a way that does not obscure or overwhelm the view of significant heritage buildings.

152


Bollards, Bins and Railings

The quality of street furniture around the region varies widely. There are examples in Bendigo of top quality fixtures that formed part of a carefully designed and beautifully presented civic precinct and examples of old and worn out fittings that performed a function but detracted from the overall appearance of the place.

Bollards, bins and railings were rated average or poor in 67% of towns. While it is unlikely that people will determine not to visit an area on the strength of these ornamental features, they do contribute to the overall impression of a place. Improvements here alongside other elements such as public amenities and streetscapes, will contribute to the development of the region as a place that can attract high yield tourists.

Above: bollards, bins and railings are used to varying success and are kept in varying degrees of repair across the region.

153


SUMMARY

Presentation of key destinations in the Goldfields Heritage Region will be important in attracting and retaining high yield visitors. The experience of well-presented and well used heritage buildings in a streetscape with high amenity is fundamental.

Councils have a major role in the presentation of townships and streetscape and they approach these responsibilities in a number of ways. Additional support by way of streetscape improvement programs is recommended. Support for any urban design/townscape plan should be premised on a plan that will draw its inspiration from the gold heritage significance of the town. That is, the plan should enhance the significance of the place, rather than propose new images and destruction of traditional and important streetscape elements.

The type and quality of street furniture, pavement finishes, signage and gardens should be of a standard that supports the presentation of the region as Australia’s heritage region. Documentation to support the development of quality infrastructure should be prepared as part of the program with assistance from qualified and experienced urban designers.

Key townships in the region that have been strong links to the Goldfields heritage, have other heritage tourism assets in place or planned, are part of potential touring routes, and have municipal support deserve the highest priority. This targeting should focus on projects determined by an agreed urban design and townscape plan.

To attract funds, councils will be required to contribute financially to projects and should include details of the impact on tourist businesses in the town or district.

Identifying heritage protection and promotion in relevant strategies and plans is a way that councils illustrate support for the concept and can then justify the allocation of resources.

Overall the key to achieving success in townscape improvements will be a commitment to good design pursued over the long term in a consistent manner. Any streetscape program for the region will need to set prerequisites for funding, including:

completion of a professional townscape plan demonstrating a focus on the heritage of the particular town, addressing real issues and achievability;

commitment from the relevant municipality to pursue the plan over the long term and not change directions and approach from year to year; and

understanding of the aims of the plan and the level of commitment to it from residents.

154


CH. 9GOVERNANCE AND FUNDING

To establish the Victorian Goldfields as a leading heritage tourism region for Australia will require a management and administrative framework that can:

deliver projects; advocate for change; influence policy makers; assist in the protection of heritage assets in the region; support improvements to service delivery; identify emerging commercial and business opportunities; work closely and collaboratively with the public and private sectors; help promote and market the region; and attract new investment.

There is not an existing structure in the region with the capacity to undertake all of these tasks for the broad geographic area and with the breadth of responsibilities. Nevertheless, there are a large number of organisations and networks that undertake many of or components of these things in relation to heritage, economic development and tourism and in the immediate term it is recommended that administration and governance of this project sit within existing regional structures.

Networks and Collaborations Across the Region

To deliver change to establish the region as Australia’s Goldfields Heritage Region requires an appreciation of how the tourism industry and other related sectors function.

Tourism Victoria

At the state and regional level Tourism Victoria provides a framework for localised tourism product coordination. There are Regional Marketing and Development Plans that are developed in collaboration with the regions and their Tourism Boards and they dictate state and local priorities for action. For the Goldfields they were determined to be:

• improving regional industry structures;• improving the supply and quality of tourism experiences;• increasing consumer demand for regional tourism experiences; and • addressing skills, service standards and environmental sustainability.

Tourism Boards

Tourism Victoria works to deliver these objectives through Tourism Boards which are separately incorporated bodies with members from state and local government and industry operators. They are funded by the State Government and the tourism sector and are now able to attract additional funding for project initiatives.

There are five Tourism Boards/Campaign Committees in the region that cover the 13 councils in the Study area. Recently the Goldfields Campaign Committee was disbanded and has been replaced with the Ballarat Regional Tourism Board and the Bendigo Tourism Board (still to be formally established).

155


The Goldfields Campaign Committee included both the City of Ballarat and the City of Greater Bendigo, as well as the municipalities in between. The change of structure has been argued for on the grounds of:

the distance between the two centres; their different product offers; an appreciation of how most visitors seem to travel to these destination either

north/south or east/west (around 10% of visitors to the Goldfields visit both Ballarat and Bendigo); 40 and

the local investment being made by the respective city councils and operators compared to the State Government contribution.

These two different and regional city based Tourism Boards have now been recognised by the State Government and representatives from the surrounding Shires will be invited to become members of the Boards.

Each Board has a different set of strategic priorities and product strengths. Offering those products in a setting that celebrates its gold heritage buildings, stories, monuments and institutions is an opportunity to enhance visitor experiences rather than compete with, confuse or detract from what’s on offer.

Regional Planning – RDV, RDA and Mayors and CEO’s Forums

At a higher and more strategic level is the coordination committees of senior government officials, local government CEO’s and Mayors that function in both the Loddon Mallee and the Central Goldfields Region.

With the committees responsible for monitoring the implementation of Regional Plans these groups share information on a range of operational, policy and planning issues and play a part in establishing regional priority actions. The understanding and support of these groups for the recommendations arising from this project will be critical to the success of establishing the region as Australia’s heritage tourism destination.

Local Business and Tourism Organisations

Local Tourism Associations nurture and strengthen local tourism businesses by liaising with regional tourism authorities and state bodies on behalf of operators. Operators are encouraged to make contact and participate with the local regional tourism organisation in their area. Industry associations and organisations can provide a number of resources and opportunities to assist tourism industry operators with their day-to-day business activities.

Beneath this level of industry and government coordination are numerous organisations, networks and alliances that are involved in tourism and business. They include organisations like local traders associations, business and tourism associations, wine and food trails and in the case of Golden Plains Shire, community groups that may have adopted a strong advocacy role around tourism attraction as part of their community planning structure.

Organisations like Bendigo Attractions have been established and are made up largely of operators and function as networking groups that share information about marketing and coordination of major attractions, accommodation and major events in the city.

The smaller groups are often focussed exclusively on local issues; they have limited funds and generally take an operational approach; their success waxes and wanes depending on the membership of the group and any key issues that are being dealt with. The level of support that is provided by councils also varies greatly and this can impact on their success.

40 Goldfields Visitor Profile and Satisfaction Report. Tourism Research Australia, September 2011.

156


Other Partnership and Management Models

There are other structures that exist across the industry to support the promotion of regions and touring routes for example, the Great Southern Touring Route. The Great Southern Touring Route brings together a range of tourism related organisations as partners to develop the tourism offer along the Great Ocean Road, the Grampians and Ballarat (the Goldfields) as the Great Southern Touring Route. It ensures that the attractions, accommodation, tours and transport, Visitor Information Services, new tourism product, and marketing and campaign development occurs in a cohesive and seamless way.

Operational Networks

There are also less formalised yet valuable networks like the Visitor Information Centre Managers and staff who meet in different parts of the region from time to time. There are also Economic Development Managers and Managers of Tourism Services who may work in neighbouring municipalities and work together to develop projects or initiatives to enhance the development of tourism related services across municipal boundaries.

Conclusion

There are a number of structures and arrangements in place across Central Victoria involved with coordination of Government policies and programs, tourism services, heritage and economic development.

There are opportunities to support the implementation of some of the project proposals emerging from this study through advocacy, resource allocation and service delivery. But some additional governance and management roles should be allocated to existing structures with a clear mandate to advance the development of the concept of the Victorian Goldfields Heritage Region and, with assistance from others, implement the recommendations of this Report.

There is concern longer term that the focus of the other structures and networks are too narrow in a geographic area; i.e. existing Tourism Boards; or they may not have the capacity or mandate to run projects over a long term, i.e. CEO and Mayors Forums, the RDA/RDV committees and networks of council officers. The Project Team believes that ultimately the project is sufficiently unique and complex for it to warrant its own management board.

Examples like the Great Southern Touring Route offer a model for the development of a structure designed to achieve a range of outcomes related to the promotion of a region with particular characteristics and attractions.

157


PROPOSED MODEL

It is proposed that a representative stakeholder Advisory Board be established to advise the Project Management Team commissioned to implement the recommendations in this report and further develop the First Heritage Region, including an energetic, informed and high profile Chair who could also act as Patron and spokesperson for the projects and the campaign for World Heritage Listing.

The role of the Project Management Team working with the Stakeholder Advisory Board, would be to ensure the project remains supported, and high on the agenda of all three levels of government. Therefore the Project Management Team would play a role of advocacy, as well as high level governance, using its insights and influence to assist in the selection of projects to be pursued and undertaken at various stages. This Project Management Team would advise and deliver the strategic priorities of the Regional Planning Committees and other key stakeholders.

A Governance Committee of key municipal CEOs would oversee project funding and governance issues.

Critical to the success of the Project Management Team will be a capacity to unfurl the project in a strategic way and work collaboratively with a variety of stakeholders in existing networks and structures including key decision makers. By gaining their support for the concept, additional resources can be leveraged to deliver a shared vision for Australia’s heritage region.

The Project Management Team will need resources to undertake the day to day project role out, as well as extensive and sometimes complex cross boundary stakeholder consultation. Importantly it could:

• Promote the Goldfields region as Australia’s heritage destination by working with the various Tourism Boards and seek out promotional opportunities for the Chair/Patron

• Implement recommendations of the Report through the appointment of specialists and contractors and through partnership development

• Monitor the impacts of projects on visitation and economic activity and report back to the two Regional Planning Committees and other stakeholders

• Prepare submissions for attracting new funds• Build collaborative networks with other providers and sector representatives

The governance model has been outlined in greater detail in the Development Proposal 3.2.1

158


PROJECT FUNDING

Establishing the Study area as Australia’s Goldfields Heritage Region is a strategy to increase economic activity, create jobs and improve liveability in Central Victoria. It builds on the region’s tourism product strength and succeeds as a secondary attractor where there are other clear dominant tourism messages, for instance nature based tourism and wellness. It will also help to protect the remnants of the past for posterity.

As a project identified in Regional Strategic Plans for both the Central Goldfields and the Loddon Mallee there is an expectation that there will be funding for elements of the project from the State and the Federal Governments. Funding will be only provided where the project can demonstrate strong links to the government policy outcomes. It is expected, therefore, that there will be different grants programs available for different projects. Funding sources include the following list.

Federal Government

Regional Development Australia Fund

Funding will be sought for the project through the Regional Development Australia Fund (RDAF). The objective of the RDAF is to support the economic, environmental and community needs of Australia’s regions by providing funding for projects that meet the identified priorities of regional communities, as articulated in RDA Regional Plans. Projects could be bundled into a large scale application to the RDAF or there may be specific projects where funding is sought from the list of project proposals

Australia Business Finance Centre and Tourism Australia

Federal Government has a number of funding programs targeted to small business to support capital improvements, business development opportunities and promotional activities. This funding source could assist in the development of accommodation, attractions and promotional activities.

Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities - Heritage Grant Funding

“Your Community Heritage” is an initiative of the Federal Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities supporting and protecting Australia's heritage that will enable local communities around Australia to celebrate and preserve local heritage. There is also funding under Protecting National Historic Sites.

State Government

Funds could be sought from a range of funding programs run by: Regional Development Victoria; Department of Planning and Community Development; Tourism Victoria; Heritage Victoria; and Arts Victoria.

159


Regional Development Victoria - Regional Growth Fund

This substantial fund is to support major strategic infrastructure and community-led local initiatives that improve both the competitiveness and liveability of regional and rural Victoria, creating more jobs and better career opportunities. The Fund can be applied to:

providing for better infrastructure, facilities and services in regional Victoria; strengthening the economic, social and environmental base of communities in

regional Victoria; facilitating the creation of jobs and the improvement of career opportunities in

regional Victoria; and supporting the planning for and the development of projects in regional Victoria.

The “Putting Locals First Program” and the “Local Government Infrastructure Program” both provide additional resources at the local government and community level that can help achieve outcomes related to this project if targeted appropriately.

Other funding through Regional Development Victoria like the Transforming and Transitioning Local Economies program can provide funding sources for initiatives being generated though this project.

Department of Planning and Community Development

Department of Planning and Community Development (DPCD) currently funds the Community Museums Pilot project and ongoing support for this project would be a useful mechanism to keep engaged with the network of Museum and collecting organisations around the region. The sector development work being undertaken through this project is also very valuable. There is clear alignment between the Advancing Small Towns Project, also administered by the DPCD, and development proposals in this project.

Improving the ongoing viability of communities like Clunes, Creswick and Talbot will contribute to the development of the Goldfields as Australia’s heritage region. The ongoing work of the Advancing Small Towns Project should acknowledge the recommendations of this report and, where feasible, project funds delivered where the objectives of both projects can be delivered.

DPCD offers a window into a range of other grants programs being offered across the Victorian State Government and programs include the Developing Stronger Regions Program administered by RDV and Planning for Tomorrow also delivered by RDV.

Tourism Victoria

The Regional Tourism Initiative aims to boost tourism in regional Victoria through funding to help regions grow their tourism offering. This funding will include funding to strengthen and establish regional tourism boards. The boards will ensure sustainable tourism development at the regional level, which will create a strong foundation for industry growth, supporting tourism businesses and jobs across regional Victoria;

development of a marketing program to promote regional Victoria, by highlighting the tourism strengths of Victoria’s regional villages;

expansion of the Tourism Excellence Program to develop the skills and service standards of Victorian tourism operators. The new program will include industry training programs and an international mentoring program; and

development of a Regional Business Events Program to facilitate and attract business events to regional Victoria. The initiative will focus on building relationships between public and private stakeholders to secure business events and attract business visitors to regional Victoria.

160


Heritage Victoria Grants

Funding is available to assist owners and managers of heritage assets with recognised heritage values; including places and objects included in the Victorian Heritage Register or places listed in a heritage overlay. Grant funds are provided for the repair, documentation and interpretation of heritage places and objects. The program aims to support communities in their efforts to retain and creatively use heritage places and objects to promote community identity and cohesion.

Arts Victoria

Grants funding from Arts Victoria may be accessed to assist with the commissioning of writers and researchers to “Unlock the Secrets of the Goldfields”. There are funding programs that support the development of arts practice and artists working with local communities.

Local Government

For the region to be established as Australia’s Goldfields Heritage Region there will need to be buy-in to key strategies identified in the project by local government. And while this is a regional project there are some initiatives that will need to be undertaken at the local level.

Local government is responsible for the management and maintenance of civic infrastructure in communities. Councils also own or manage many historic buildings in key precincts and operate tourism services. Local governments will benefit from this project by identifying heritage protection and promotion as a priority and allocating resources accordingly. Support at the local level should leverage additional support from the other funding available at state and the federal levels.

Aside from direct investment in the development of project initiatives it is envisaged that councils in the region will support the project management structure through in-kind assistance. Representative Regional Planning Committees should monitor deliverables from this arrangement.

Private Sector Investment

Public sector funding will only achieve part of what must be done if the region is to achieve its vision. An increase in private sector investment to support visitation will also be required and this report has helped identify where those gaps are and how they might be filled.

If the role of government is to establish the preconditions for investment, then the opportunities for private sector investment will emerge in the development of the tourism profile of the region. Using existing networks there are opportunities to package travel experiences in the Goldfields Region.The key areas for private sector investment will be in:

high end accommodation; food services; attraction development; and packaged tours.

Sponsorship

161


There may be opportunities to generate income for this proposal through sponsorship and advertising. Sponsorship is a cash or in-kind fee paid to an organisation, often sports, arts and entertainment causes, in return for access to a particular market, or association with a particular brand. Sponsorship can deliver increased awareness, brand building and propensity to purchase.

Opportunities for sponsorship will emerge through the project in the development of products and collateral and the through the involvement of private operators. There will also be opportunities in the establishment of a website and other online capacities.

Philanthropy

There are also projects where funding could be gained through the philanthropic sector. Philanthropy is a desire to improve the welfare of humanity through the giving of money, time, information, goods and services, influence and voice for community good. In the context of this project there are activities that may be eligible for funding from the philanthropic sector because they relate to; a rural or regional area; the preservation of a significant heritage building or site; or they constitute an arts or cultural activity.

162


CH. 10MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY

One of the key elements of any successful tourism destination is how and to whom it is marketed. People will not visit unless they know about a place and unless that place offers them an experience they desire.

Marketing strategies are as diverse as their products, they can be simple, targeting a specific market, long term behavioural change campaigns targeting the general public and everything in between.

All successful marketing strategies have a number of key elements:• a known budget;• a product, or idea or message to sell or convey;• relevant market segment research; and • a clear, desired and measurable outcome.

The Marketing Strategy required to assist the Goldfields region in becoming Australia’s most desired heritage destination will require a long term focus, due to the various life cycles of the products that will be marketed. It will need to grow as the product offerings grow.

It will also need to complement, reinforce and assist the various marketing campaigns and activities that different tourism bodies and project/attractions operators already invest in.

It is suggested that the Marketing Strategy focus on the online environment, which will allow the region to reach state, national, and international markets relatively cheaply.

The breadth of the region, its product offerings, different types of experiences, and vast numbers of stakeholders will also require the development of a complex communications and stakeholder engagement plan.

Buy-in from the many stakeholders across the 13 municipalities and various government departments, as well as private operators and industry groups will determine the success of the projects and will result in appropriate funding and resources allocated to the Strategy or campaigns.

The establishment of the Marketing Strategy will in itself engage many of the project’s stakeholders and will require significant funding. It is recommended that a stakeholder management plan and communications plan commence as soon as possible, to assist in securing funds for the development of the Marketing Strategy and other suggested Development Proposals.

Outlined is a Marketing and Communications Framework which will assist the Project Management Team in managing its stakeholders including potential funding partners, with the view to securing funding for the development of a long term Marketing Strategy for the region.

Communications Plan An extensive stakeholder engagement plan has been developed throughout this project and already there is great awareness of the project among key stakeholder groups.

It is proposed that to keep momentum rolling and the project top of mind that the e-newsletters continue from the Project Control Group (PCG).

163


Once the Project Management Team is established this would be a task of that Team, ensuring that when funding submissions or key announcements are made, all stakeholders are aware of the project and its objectives.

As individual projects are funded and set up, each would require its own independent communications plan.

Stakeholder Management Plan

It is recommended that a specific stakeholder management plan be commissioned to assist in securing funding bids and ongoing support for the project.

The Stakeholder Management Plan would utilise the PCG’s extensive network to raise the profile of the various projects.

It would include a:• departmental and Ministerial briefing schedule;• simple and brief prospectus that could be handed out to ministers and senior

bureaucrats regarding the community benefits of the projects and how it will assist governments in achieving their desired outcomes;

• presentation template that could be used and updated when members of the PCG are speaking to potential funding partners;

• template presentation for use when speaking to community groups to gain momentum and support for projects

Marketing Framework

The following framework is designed to provide a brief for the development of a long term Marketing Strategy. Market Positioning

The region is:• unique;• authentic; and • aspirational.

These attributes will allow campaign messages to be developed appropriate to each product offering, regardless of how advanced the project is. Messages can evolve as the product offering changes, without losing audiences or promising an experience that can’t yet be delivered.

Audience

• High yield national tourists from the Roy Morgan Value Segments – Traditional Family Life, Socially Aware and Visible Achievers categories.

• High yield international tourists from the UK, NZ, USA and the growing markets of China and India

There are many ways to identify a market - social-demographics, geographic, behavioural, purchase history etc. As outlined earlier in this report, for the purpose of this project the target markets have been identified using the Roy Morgan value segments, which identify behaviour and life goals.

Markets are increasingly becoming more diverse and fragmented; audiences are narrower in focus and more demanding of targeted information.

164


With increasing education, income and social mobility comes an increasing degree of individualisation. This behaviour is particularly true for the tourism market, where people are experiencing an increased self-determination - building their own holiday and seeking out deals and value for themselves.

Value Segments – Traditional Family Life, Socially Aware and Visible Achievers

Traditional Family Life – 20% of the population - This pattern of thinking personifies middle-ageing Australian home owners with relatively stable incomes that meet the needs of the smaller household. Energies revolve around the ideal of becoming grandparents or getting children to come home for visits or at least to keep in touch. Health and spirituality dominates a sense of meaning and purpose in life and being well-respected in the community is very important.

Socially Aware – 15% of the population - This pattern of thinking is usually associated with the highest socioeconomic group in the community. This mindset is the speciality of public servants, pressure groups, business analysts and politicians of all political colours. These "insatiable information vacuum cleaners" are addicted to finding out or trying anything that's new or different and persuading others to accept their opinions, priorities and lifestyle preferences.

Visible Achievers – 17% of the population - This pattern of thinking is associated with the proof of having made it up in the seemingly never-ending social ladder. Personal recognition, higher incomes, job satisfaction and other tangible rewards of success such as travel, recreation and high-quality homes, vehicles and holiday location provide the very best of visible good living.41

These value segments are already identified by Tourism Victoria as those who travel to the Goldfields region, seeking out the history and heritage, education and food and wine tourism products for which the region is recognised.

Within these value segments the region will target high yield tourists, those which participate in the cultural life of the place they are visiting, whether that be by visiting an art gallery, partaking of local produce, participating in an event, or learning something of its history. This targeting will take place through the development of tourism product that offers participation, exploration and learning as its key drivers.

International Markets

The markets of US, NZ and UK are traditionally strong tourism markets for the region, while China and India represent Australia’s two biggest growth markets in international tourism. Tourism Research Australia states the Chinese tourism market has the potential to grow from $3.26 billion expenditure in Australia in 2010 to between $7.4 and $9 billion by 2020 and India from $0.826 billion to between $1.8 to $2.26 billion by 2020.

Product Offerings

The product offering of the Goldfields region is already strong, as outlined in this report and with the development of the proposals contained within this report, the region will emerge as one of Australia’s premier tourism destinations, offering:

• a range of accommodation options all providing consistently high quality service; • engaging, easily accessible and entertaining information;• local, authentic experiences – whether it is food and wine, attractions or events; and• a mix of experiences that are educational, aspirational, culturally significant, fulfilling

and most of all build a personal connection with the region.

41 Roy Morgan Research, 2010, 26/01/12. http://www.roymorgan.com/products/values-segments/values-segments.cfm

165


Marketing Tools

It is proposed that, while the usual mix of marketing tools be explored and utilised where appropriate, including advertising campaigns, public relations, product packaging and bundling, the focus of the regional marketing strategy would best lie in the online environment.

Tourism is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the online boom and it allows destinations to speak directly to customers all over the world cheaply and quickly.

It is recommended that the one of the first activities to be undertaken be the development of a website that can be built upon and expanded, as the projects are finalised and product offering grows in the region.

A website would also provide an opportunity to link to the other existing tourism and supporting sites across the region, while an intranet component could provide an effective communication tool for stakeholders and the Project Management Team and Board.

The establishment of a website would then allow many new technology marketing tools to be launched for the region, including:

• youtube campaigns o post your favourite memory of the Goldfields;o invite locals to promote their Goldfields etc.;o interactive photo albums of the Goldfields;

• smartphone/tablet applications for all ages o interactive maps;o downloadable podtours;o e-stories;o gold treasure hunts;o educational programs;

• links and applications relating to genealogy;• links to accommodation and attraction booking services;• viral campaigns; and• customer relationship management systems.

REGIONAL IDENTITY

The final component of the Marketing Strategy is the establishment of a regional identity and branding strategy. This would ensure consistency of message, look and feel and quality of information, particularly if it incorporated easily downloaded collateral templates.

Any regional identity process would require significant stakeholder engagement to ensure that the brand worked with and complemented existing brands and would be taken up and used by all stakeholders.

166


CHAPTER 11.FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATIONSUMMARY OF FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS

The Goldfields Region of Victoria already has a reputation for providing visitors with an experience of Australia’s heritage. The pursuit of the development of the Study area as Australia’s heritage region is a legitimate and authentic claim. Developing heritage tourism in the region has a number of economic and social benefits and a great many players in the successful execution of project outcomes.

A number of Development Proposals have been identified under the broad headings of:

Infrastructure Investment;It has been demonstrated both locally and overseas that tourists are attracted to pleasant places that provide attractive and comfortable environments with a good level of amenity. Equally, such places will attract businesses which can profit from these environments. The Goldfields Heritage Region has numerous towns and villages with potential to improve their physical appearance and amenity and in turn attract greater commercial activity and tourist visitation. Equally, the retention of visitors in the region requires the provision of a range of accommodation options and one of the development proposals focuses on improving the accommodation options throughout the region. Where that can be achieved in a heritage sensitive manner it must be encouraged.

Product Development;This set of development proposals is designed to improve the attractions on offer to tourists in the Goldfields Heritage Region, and to encourage an environment conducive to private investors then building or developing more tourism product. These proposals are built around the rationale that many visitors look for more than pleasant streetscapes, retail and eating opportunities. Whilst some visitors are satisfied with these options, the desire to retain visitors in the region and justify improved accommodation inevitably leads to the need to provide other things to do within the region. These development proposals are directed to that end.

Capacity and Partnership BuildingAn ambitious program as outlined by the development proposals in this report requires well managed and coordinated organisation arrangements. This group of proposals is designed to establish strategic and technical expertise, collaboration and support for communities, advance the notion of Goldfields heritage as an economic, cultural and community development driver in the region by embedding heritage in the plans, policies and strategies of regional organisations and establish organisational and governance arrangements to ensure delivery of the projects.

167


1 INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT

1.1 Conserving our Goldfields Heritage – A Heritage Restoration Scheme with the capacity to revolve by providing loans to councils or private owners for works on significant built heritage assets and artefacts. As a revolving fund this will provide a longer term source of development funds for the region.

Rationale

Throughout the region there are many small towns and villages with run down, underutilised and, in some cases, abandoned buildings, along with poor streetscape presentation. This can contribute to the declining economic performance of these towns and villages. The establishment of restoration funds in towns like Maldon and Beechworth in the 1970s and 1980s played an important role in revitalising the economic fortunes of those places. These funds assisted in getting restoration and refurbishment projects underway and in turn promote greater private investment.

Aim

1. To provide a long term source of funds to be made available for town restoration and refurbishment works.

2. To encourage the refurbishment of important townscape elements, in particular commercial buildings which make a significant contribution to the streetscape of a town and have the potential to make a significant future impact to the economy of the town.

3. To encourage the development of tourist focussed enterprises in small towns and villages.

4. This fund could be used to assist in the conservation of heritage artefacts, related to gold mining; themselves important in helping describe the landscape of the goldfields

5. To encourage local council investment through on the ground works and/or direct financial support or support through the use of rate relief mechanisms.

6. To complement and augment existing restoration funds functioning in local communities.

1.2 Enhancing our Goldfields Townscapes Streetscapes and Amenity – Providing funds to enable municipalities to establish urban design strategies and undertake enhancements on significant streetscapes.

Rationale

The experience of well-presented and well-used heritage buildings in a streetscape with high amenity is fundamental to encouraging greater tourist use of those places. The poor presentation of important civic spaces and streetscape has an enormous impact on the perceptions of a town and there are strong links between declining prosperity of these towns and villages and their appearance.

In some of the key Goldfields towns there are great opportunities to improve streetscape and celebrate the precious heritage that remains. In the first instance the beneficiaries are local communities where improved presentation can be a source of civic pride. Businesses are attracted and the tourists arrive to bring new money into local economies.

Support for any urban design/townscape plan should be premised on a plan that will draw its inspiration from the gold heritage significance of the town.

Aim

1. To develop high quality and integrated streetscape improvement projects in key destinations in townships across the Goldfields Heritage Region through:

168


urban Design and improvement projects; infrastructure improvement projects that could include refurbishment of important

townscape elements including: pavements; street furniture; public gardens; street planting; public amenities; undergrounding power lines; and directional and interpretive signage.

2. to improve the environment for tourist focused enterprises in small towns and villages; and

3. to encourage local council investment through on the ground works.

1.3 Accommodation improvements – A development prospectus for accommodation development options across the region for high yield tourists in key locations.

Rationale

The range, quality and compatibility of tourist accommodation have been recurring issues during the research and consultation work in the investigation of establishing the Goldfields Heritage Region. There is a close relationship between recognition as a world class destination and the availability of quality accommodation, and the current depth across the Goldfields Heritage Region is limited.

Provision of appropriate accommodation options is seen to be critical to achieving the objectives of national and international recognition for the Goldfields Heritage Region.

The Goldfields Heritage Region has accommodation properties in a range of accommodation sectors, with the greatest range available in Ballarat and Bendigo, followed by Hepburn Shire and Campaspe Shire (although in the case of Campaspe, the vast majority of accommodation is in the north of the Shire, and beyond the Goldfields heritage focus). The smaller cities and towns in the region have a need for both improved and additional accommodation options to support marketing of integrated gold heritage for the Goldfields Heritage Region.

Aim

The overriding aim of this development proposal is to attract investment in the re-development of existing accommodation facilities and to attract new investment in accommodation properties, including some which utilise heritage buildings.

Additional, or subsidiary, aims include: providing the full range of accommodation options commensurate with a World Class

Tourist destination. At present, Ballarat and Bendigo have the most comprehensive range of options (with Hepburn, Campaspe and Northern Grampians at the next level). The bulk of accommodation in the other municipalities is dominated by standard quality motels and caravan parks;

providing a gold heritage experience to tourists which will extend to their overnight accommodation facilities;

linking gold heritage activities throughout the region, with associated accommodation options;

preparing accommodation ‘investment guide’ material to support new investment in accommodation; and

re-positioning the region to attract a significantly greater share of high-yield tourists.

169


2 PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

2.1 Goldfields Touring Routes – Creating touring routes that link the main entry points, highways and freeways, railway lines and bus routes to the region’s key attractions and towns.

Rationale

Touring routes are a practical and popular way for tourists to explore a large region, because they offer diversity and flexibility. A well serviced, signed, promoted and interpreted touring route that is also easily accessed is attractive to a wide range of tourism markets, as the experience can be tailored for group organised tours, or self-drive experiences. Touring holidays also showcase a region’s variety and depth of product offering, encouraging longer length of stay.

The existing high quality road infrastructure within the region combined with the diversity of gold heritage and the two regional hubs of Bendigo and Ballarat provides a strong foundation for the establishment of a hub and spokes Goldfields Touring Route model which will take in the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park and region’s Goldfields heritage.

Aim

To develop the Goldfields Touring Routes as one of Australia’s Top 10 driving experiences, by developing a cross regional marketing body to oversee development of directional, interpretation and marketing material.

2.2 The Goldfields Track – Complete Goldfields Track infrastructure and marketing and establish the experience as one of Australia’s Top 10 walks and rides.

Rationale

Tracks and trails through the Goldfields provide a practical way for people to explore the gold heritage region. A well serviced, prepared, promoted and interpreted track provides an opportunity for tourists to experience locations that yielded gold and see the remnants of mining exploration on the landscape.

The major track through the region is the Great Dividing Trail. The Great Dividing Trail (GDT) consists of four interconnecting major tracks - Dry Diggings, Wallaby, Lerderderg and Leanganook Tracks. During 2010 the north south spine of the Trail was renamed the Goldfields Track and it links the key goldfields towns of Buninyong, Ballarat, Creswick, Daylesford, Castlemaine and Bendigo. It combines gold rush heritage with a diverse natural landscape.

The Goldfields Track is being developed with a focus on the gold heritage story. A real opportunity exists to take the Goldfields Track to its next stage of development.

The Regionally Significant Trails Study identified a number of other trails in the region with development potential which include:

Captain Melville’s Trail – 56 kilometre trail beginning at the Loddon River in Bridgewater through to the Morning Star Mine near Inglewood;

the Diggers Trail - an off-road cycling and walking trail that is linked to the Goldfields Track and the historic steam train between Castlemaine and Maldon the townships of Castlemaine, Newstead, Maldon and Guildford;

the O’Keefe Rail Trail; extending the existing Trail from Bendigo beyond Axedale to Heathcote; and

170

http://gdt.org.au/Leanganook_Track

http://gdt.org.au/Lerderderg_Track

http://gdt.org.au/Wallaby_Track

http://gdt.org.au/Dry_Diggings_Track


the Waranga Trail which commences at Heathcote using low use forest roads through the Heathcote and Graystone National Park where the trails then travels through the historic ghost town of Whroo to Rushworth.

Not all tracks and trails in the region are as accessible, well developed or as closely aligned with the gold heritage story as the Goldfields Track. They present future development opportunities.

There are excellent examples of Australian walking experiences that the Goldfields Track should emulate like the Bibbulman Track in Western Australia and the Great Ocean Walk on the Victorian South West Coast. These walks can be characterised by a well-developed marketing, well maintained track infrastructure, signage and interpretation, booking systems, tourism services and private investment.

Aim

To develop the Goldfields Track as one of Australia’s Top 10 Walks and Rides

2.3 Unlocking the Secrets of the Goldfields – commission writers to reveal the entertaining Goldfields stories with sub regional and local themes.

Rationale

Each community within the Goldfields has its own unique story to tell. The power of the gold rush as a vehicle of social and political change can only be appreciated through a multifaceted lens and from a tourism perspective the lens must be engaging, personal and relevant.

While many of the communities within the Goldfields region promote their heritage proudly, the stories of each region have not successfully been pulled together in a way that tells the overall story of the gold rush in a format, or genre to appeal to the mass market.

A series of stories, of the unusual, quirky, influential, passionate individuals of the Goldfields and how they contributed to the overall phenomenon of the Victorian gold rush, told not by academics, or historians, but by writers, would draw people into the rich history of the Goldfields region and bring its heritage to life.

Aim

To commission (local) writers to research and tell the unusual, personal and relevant stories of the Goldfields region’s gold rush, its individuals, its consequences and worldwide impacts and to publish the stories in hardcopy and in new media to provide interest and context for those visiting the region.

2.4 Develop package of material/collateral for virtual and real visitor information sites – Information about the offerings of Australia’s Goldfields Heritage Region with support from website, new media, and smartphone/tablet applications.

Rationale

Developing marketing and tourism collateral is an investment that will result in greater visitation; however the collateral must be easily accessed, identified, and relevant and market the region as an attractive destination.

The Goldfields Heritage Region is at once at an advantage and disadvantage because of its size. Already a number of websites exist and numerous VICs, presenting many distribution points for the wealth of tourism information that is produced across the various municipalities and tourism areas. However, the number of organisations producing the information means it

171


is of varying quality, is in many different forms, and offers little in terms of consistent messaging. Further, little information is available on the specific gold rush heritage of the region.

An opportunity exists to develop a range of marketing, education and interpretative material that is clearly identifiable and contains consistent messaging to attract visitors to the region to explore the heritage that remains from the gold rush era.

Aim

To develop a consistently branded package of material/collateral that brings together the facts, significance, tourism attractions, products and offerings on the entire Goldfields Heritage Region, as well as specific information on the products and strengths of each Local Government Area.

2.5 Inscribing the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park on the World Heritage List - Move toward the inscription of the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park on the World Heritage List through lobbying, development of tourism infrastructure and market positioning

Rationale

For some time now it has been suggested that a representative component of the region should be nominated for World Heritage listing. It is generally accepted that the Victorian gold rushes caused a highly significant mass migration from across the world to the relatively new European settlement in Australia. These migrations changed the face of the world’s population, the world economy and in some cases influenced political structures. The mining activities also dramatically impacted the local environs. World Heritage Listing of the remnant sites of this old rush would acknowledge this important international historical event. The Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park is deemed to be the best representation of the early mining and its impact on the countryside.

Aim

1. To acknowledge the importance of the Victorian gold rushes as part of a series of nineteenth century mass migrations across the world.

2. To provide an international focus to the history and heritage of the Victorian goldfields. 3. To assist in the promotion of the national historic significance of the Park and the region. 4. To encourage increased visitation and investment in quality tourism products.

2.6 Develop an Interpretive Centre and other tourist infrastructure for the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park - Establish a centre for the presentation of the goldfields story. In particular this centre should be located in or near the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park and will explore the history and physical nature of the area.

Rationale

At the moment centres such as Ballarat, Bendigo, Castlemaine and Ararat provide information to visitors about the gold history and heritage sites within their municipalities. However the national heritage listed Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park has no specific place where the history, heritage and nature of the Park can be presented to visitors to the region. Whilst Parks Victoria provides some collateral, it is limited and visitors could find themselves in the Park without really knowing, let alone understanding the values that are attributed to it.

Aim

172


1. To provide a central place to tell the history and heritage of the Victorian goldfields and in particular to describe the history and significance of the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park.

2. To provide a venue for the promotion of the national historic significance of the Park and the Goldfields region.

3. To encourage increased visitation.4. To provide an outlet for information about the region and its tourism products.

2.7 Historical Societies and Genealogy – Supporting existing institutions and pursuing the development of Genealogy Tourism in the Goldfields Heritage Region.

Rationale

There are around 83 collecting organisations including Historical Societies, museums and libraries in the region. The presence and the profile of this large number of collecting organisations lend legitimacy of the claim of the Goldfields region of Central Victoria being Australia’s premier heritage region.

Historical Societies play a number of roles in different locations around the region. They advocate for heritage protection and have protected and preserved places, sites, artefacts, records and stories; are repositories of local history; information centres and services; support genealogical inquiries; undertake research and study local histories. A number of libraries in the region also retain significant archives and collections, particularly in Bendigo and Ballarat.

An important proposal in this project will be the unearthing of the interesting stories, both of gold discovery and the subsequent development of the region.

Migration to the colony exploded during the first decade of the gold rush. Many Australians can trace their ancestry to the Victorian Goldfields and this provides an opportunity to take advantage of the growing enthusiasm around the nation for people to know their own story.

Historical societies already play a role in supporting family research, so there are emerging opportunities for historical societies to support tourism activity.

Improvements in the level of support from local government for affordable and well maintained access to heritage buildings for Historical Societies would assist the sector and would demonstrate a level of support by local government for both heritage protection and promotion, and the development of Australia’s heritage region.

It is envisaged that Historical Societies will provide information for the development of interesting and engaging local stories and help develop the cultural heritage product that will be an important part of marketing Australia’s heritage region.

Aim

1. To ensure that there is a well-developed and sustainable collections sector that can advocate for and support the Heritage Branding of the Region.

173


2. Facilitate access to unique and authentic stories of the Goldfields. 3. To assist in developing the capacity of Historical Societies to service Genealogy

Tourism.

2.8 Promote the re-use of significant heritage places for tourism purposes - Identify opportunities for product development and promotion of significant Goldfields heritage assets and promote the re-use of those assets for higher yield economic purposes.

Rationale

The region has a large number of heritage places included on the Victorian Heritage Register and thousands of places identified as having heritage importance in planning schemes. They include public buildings, hotels, commercial buildings, residences, cemeteries, parks and other place types. Many are vacant or under-utilised or used for purposes which provide marginal economic return.

Australia does not have a strong culture of heritage preservation through the economic re-use of significant places. The development of the goldfields as a world class heritage tourist destination provides an opportunity to reconsider the opportunities for significant places. For example, many of the historic hotels in the region provide no accommodation (for example the grand and VHR registered Bull and Mouth Hotel in Maryborough does not currently appear to offer accommodation nor do any of the hotels in Ararat), even though the buildings themselves have space originally designed for this and many public buildings (railway stations, court houses, etc.) are vacant or under-utilised.

Organisations such as the UK Landmarks Trust, Historic Preservation Trusts throughout the UK and to a lesser extent Mint Inc. in Victoria provide models for the promotion and development of places for alternative uses. Local models could be based on these or other like organisations.

Aim

1. To identify a range of opportunities for the re-use and development of significant heritage places throughout the region.

2. To promote the re-use and development of these places. 3. To seek forms of assistance to ensure that redevelopment can occur.4. To identify iconic gold heritage sites and work to ensure their restoration and

preservation.

174


2.9 Better Coordination and Promotion of Gold Rush Heritage Related Events – to create a forum for better programming, coordination and promotion of heritage related events to deliver a cohesive and compelling visitor experience across the region.

Rationale

Events are an important visitation driver, while also generating community pride and investment in infrastructure.

The region hosts many heritage related events, but none are connected, coordinated or jointly promoted. An opportunity exists to better coordinate the many heritage events, by selecting a month or season in which to hold them, and jointly promoting the season. This would allow smaller events to access publicity and marketing opportunities that would normally be outside their budget, while offsetting the costs for some of the larger events.

By coordinating and jointly promoting the events, visitors may also be more inclined to stay longer in the region, explore other parts of the region, or repeat their visit, increasing the yield from an already captured market. Wider marketing and promotion would also increase the market share of visitors to the region.

Aim

To coordinate a regional approach to heritage related events to better maximise and the visitor attraction and experiences and bring more visitors to the region for longer.

3 CAPACITY AND PARTNERSHIP BUILDING

3.1 Building Local Capacity and Leading Change

3.1.1 Heritage Tourism Development – Tourism sector development opportunities and heritage project development with the provision of technical expertise and collaboration.

Rationale

To develop the region as a world class destination means that the service sector needs to be prepared to meet the needs of an increasingly demanding market. Improving food services, accommodation and attractions will require investors and capable staff. Training and development opportunities need to be available across the region in training institutions and through certificate courses.

In 2007/08, Tourism Victoria published regional estimates of the economic importance of tourism. Overall, it estimated that the economic value of tourism to regional Victoria as 3.44% of total output (and 2.66% for the State). Throughout Victoria, there was one direct job in tourism for every $152,000 of tourist expenditure in 2008/09 and one job for every $169,880 of direct tourist expenditure in regional Victoria. Using the regional Victorian average, but applying it to the estimated direct tourist expenditure that remains within the region, it is estimated that tourism directly employs around 5,300 persons in the Goldfields Heritage Region. This represents 4% of total jobs (by place of employment) in the region in 2006.

175


Other research concludes that the needs of visitors are changing and new markets are increasingly discerning. People are choosing to partake in experiential and authentic tourism with associated educational rewards. The growth in cultural heritage tourism can be attributed to a number of things that include increasing awareness of heritage, greater affluence, more leisure time, greater mobility, access to the arts and a reaction to the demands of modern life.42

Aim

1. Ensure that there is awareness of the region as Australia’s Goldfields Heritage Region across the tourism services sector; that people know what it means and how it could be incorporated into or benefit their business.

2. Encourage the sector to take a holistic approach to service delivery – the success of the region will rely on shared high standard experiences and service.

3. Ensure that service providers are accessing new technologies and where required, training initiatives with project partners is undertaken.

4. Encourage participation in tourism and other small business networks to increase collaboration with other providers and sector representatives.

5. Provide access to expertise for the development of heritage tourism related assets and or promotional activities.

3.1.2 Setting the Policy Direction - Advancing Goldfields heritage as an economic, cultural and community development driver in the region by embedding heritage in relevant plans and policies.

Rationale

It is proposed that an increase in the profile of heritage protection, gold heritage related activities and tourism in council plans and strategies will underpin the successful development of the region as Australia’s heritage region.

There are a large number of plans and strategies that impact directly and indirectly on heritage management and conservation, infrastructure development and tourism from a national, state, regional and local level. At the local level plans are being prepared by councils and tourism and business groups. They are also being prepared at the regional level through existing clusters of LGAs with input from state and federal government through RDV and RDA.

In the next two years councils will be reviewing their Council Plans and other key strategic documents. To achieve the development of the region as Australia’s Goldfields Heritage Region will require a clear acknowledgement and integration of heritage preservation, activities and promotion in key strategies and plans. In the municipalities of Ararat, Ballarat, Central Goldfields, Greater Bendigo, Hepburn, Mt Alexander, Northern Grampians and Pyrenees the evidence of the gold stories is pervasive and more easily able to be interpreted and presented as a tourism product. In other municipalities the gold rush heritage story is limited to more specific sites so the relative importance, benefits and opportunities associated with an increased profile of these assets and relationship to the heritage region will need to be assessed.

The incorporation of strategies and plans to support the concept of Australia’s Goldfields Heritage Region in councils’ strategic documents will give weight to the concept at the local level, could provide a strategic underpinning for funding applications and help give the proposal the necessary momentum.

There are also State and Federal government plans and policies that direct the allocation of resources for economic development, tourism, infrastructure and community development. Where possible they should acknowledge and align with the directions being set by the

42 Economic Value of Tourism in Places of Cultural Heritage Significance. Michele Coleman, Trevor Mules, and Josette Wells. Tourism Program University of Canberra 2000.

176


Goldfields Region Councils and the two Regional Planning Committees in the delivery of this concept.

Aim

Gain a commitment to the development of the Victorian Goldfields as Australia’s Goldfields Heritage Region from all councils to be reflected in their key strategies and plans.

Promote the Region as Australia’s Goldfields Heritage Region. Support the implementation of the recommendations of the Report through advocacy,

partnership development and collaboration, the allocation of resources and modification of the delivery of services where appropriate.

Monitor the impacts of project on visitation and economic activity. Assist in the attraction of new funds to support the development of the heritage region

concept. Build collaborative networks with other providers and sector representatives.

3.2 Governance

3.2.1 Delivering the project (Structure and Governance) - A governance framework and organisational structure that can deliver the Vision for the Goldfields Heritage Region.

Rationale

The project and its constituent development proposals makes for a complex and demanding set of activities. It is inappropriate for any one of the 13 municipalities to take responsibility for the delivery of all the elements of the project and no regional tourism body embraces the full extent of the region and therefore the use of these bodies to manage the project in the long term is equally inappropriate, although it is noted the Goldfields Tourism Alliance presently being established will have a designated responsibility for Goldfields regional tourism projects.

The Project Team believes that it would be appropriate for a broadly based representative stakeholder group which could be known as the Goldfields Heritage Region Advisory Board to advise the project management team assigned the responsibilities of implementing these recommendations.

There are a number of organisations, committees and structures in place across Central Victoria that are involved in the coordination of government policies and programs, tourism services, heritage and economic development. There are opportunities to support the implementation of some of the project proposals emerging from this study through advocacy, resource allocation and service delivery. But a high level cross regional project management structure should be put in place with a clear mandate to advance the strategic development of the concept of Australia’s Goldfields Heritage Region and, with assistance from others, implement the recommendation of this report.

Critical to the success of this project will be the capacity of this project management team to unfurl the project in a strategic way and work collaboratively across municipal, regional and functional boundaries with a variety of stakeholders in existing networks and structures. It is proposed that this project management team be established and resourced to deliver on the development proposals and ensure stakeholders in the project are engaged.

Aim

To establish a strategic project management structure for the continued development of the concept of Australia’s Goldfields Heritage Region and the implementation of the project recommendations and Development Proposals.

177


3.3 Communications and Marketing Framework

3.3.1 Develop a communications and marketing strategy framework - to identify key stakeholders, information sharing, promotional and marketing opportunities, advocacy and strategic communications plans.

Rationale

The Marketing Strategy required to assist the Goldfields region in becoming Australia’s heritage tourism destination will require a long term focus, due to the life cycles of the products that will be marketed. It will need to grow as the product offerings grow.

It will also need to complement, reinforce and assist the various marketing campaigns and activities that different tourism bodies and project/attractions operators already invest in.

It is suggested that the Marketing Strategy focus on the online environment, which will allow the region to reach state, national, and international markets relatively cheaply.

The breadth of the region, its product offerings, different types of experiences, and vast numbers of stakeholders will also require the development of a complex communications and stakeholder engagement plan.

The establishment of the Marketing Strategy will in itself engage many of the project’s stakeholders and will require significant funding. It is recommended that a stakeholder management plan and communications plan commence as soon as possible, to assist in securing funds for the development of the Marketing Strategy and other suggested Development Proposals.

Aim

To establish a recognised regional identity that is owned and supported by local stakeholders and includes a comprehensive marketing plan to support its launch.

To engage and ensure ongoing support for the project through the development of a stakeholder engagement plan and lobbying framework.

To establish an online presence to support an electronic marketing strategy. To secure funding for a long term digital marketing campaign.

178


TIMETABLE FOR IMPLEMENTATION

Table 11.1 prioritises the proposed projects outlined in this report under Development Proposals into order of immediate, short term (with twelve months), medium term (two to four years) and long term (five to ten years).

This provides a guide for the implementation of the project and should be further refined by the Project Steering Committee. The Implementation Plan describes both the order of events to get the project off the ground and the relative importance of different Development Proposals if the profile of the project is to evolve and the product offered is to meet the expectations of a growing and more demanding target market.

All of the Development Proposals are seen as the necessary components to achieve the Projects Vision – and those components include:

an increase in the number and the length of stay of high yield tourists; common experiential standards in:

o customer service;o information;o VICs;o toilets;o signage; and o accommodation

breadth and depth in accommodation offerings; well preserved and presented gold heritage assets ; a World Heritage Listed site; a unifying and compelling story about Goldfields Heritage; clear and interesting interpretation and signage; touring routes and Tracks and Trails to support exploration of the region; broad community, public and private sector support; effective governance and project administration; new and viable gold heritage tourism related business development opportunities; exciting and well-coordinated events program; and branded aspirational – a must do/see.

179

Table 11.1 IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

ProjectTasks When Should it happen

Now 1yr 2-4yr 5 -10yr

INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT

1.1 Conserving our Goldfields Heritage - Heritage Restoration Fund

A revolving fund and small grants program to encourage renewal of heritage buildings

* * *

1.2 Enhancing Goldfields Townscapes Streetscapes and Amenity

Distribution of funds to key Goldfields towns to support townscape improvement projects

* * *

1.3 Accommodation Development Prospectus

To encourage private sector investment in accommodation sector *

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

2.1 Goldfields Touring Routes Establish routes and collateral to promote as a Goldfields Heritage Touring Route

* *

2.2 The Goldfields Track Improve infrastructure, signage, interpretation, amenities and encourage private sector investment

* * *

2.3 Unlocking the Secrets of the Goldfields

Engage local writers to research and draft stories to be available electronically and produce in hard copy

* *

2.4 Develop package of material/collateral for virtual and real visitor information sites

Gap analysis, researching, drafting, designing, printing/programming and distributing material

* * * *

2.5 Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park for the World Heritage Register

Lobbying campaign and profile development * * *

Engagement of expert assistance in preparation of the World Heritage Listing * * *

Application2.6 Interpretive Centre for the

Castlemaine Diggings National Park

Development of proposal for Centre to support World Heritage Listing *

2.7 Historical Societies and Genealogy

Scoping Study to determine opportunities for Genealogical Tourism. Advocacy for ongoing Community Museums Project

* *

2.8 Promote the re-use of significant heritage assets for development and reuse

Scoping Study to identify sites for preservation and development *

2.9 Gold Heritage Event Coordination

Staffing for event coordination and promotion with existing tourism networks and partners from Project Management Team

* *

CAPACITY AND PARTNERSHIP BUILDING

3.1.1 Tourism Sector Development Project staff in collaboration with Tourism Boards and providers with Training and Development Initiatives Program

*

3.1.2 Setting the Policy Direction Determining the profile and importance of the gold heritage in key government plans and strategies

* * *

3.2.1 Goldfields Heritage Region Governance Framework and Staffing

Governance and administrative structure in place to progress project initiatives * * * *

3.3.1 Communications and Marketing Strategy

Development of marketing strategy * * *

stakeholder and lobbying plan and * * * *

Development of communications plan * * * *

APPENDIX A: Further Characteristics of Domestic Overnight Visitors

Figure A1: Visitors by Age, Year Ended June 2011

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

40.0%

45.0%

50.0%

Ararat Ballarat Campaspe Greater Bendigo



Northern Grampians

Central Goldfields

Golden Plains


15 - 24 years 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64

Figure A2: Average Length of Stay by Age, Year Ended June 2011

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

4.00

4.50




Northern Grampians

Central Goldfields

Golden Plains


15 - 24 years 25 to 34 35 to 54 55 to 64 65 years or over Total

Figure A3: Visitors by Lifecycle, Year Ended June 2011

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

40.0%

45.0%

50.0%




Northern Grampians

Central Goldfields

Golden Plains


Single or Young/ Mid Life Couple, no Kids Parent Older Married

Figure A4: Visitor by Purpose of Visit, Year Ended June 2011

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%




Northern Grampians

Central Goldfields

Golden Plains



Figure A5: Average Length of Stay by Purpose of Visit, Year Ended June 2011

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

4.00

4.50




Northern Grampians

Central Goldfields

Golden Plains



Figure A6: Visitors by Type of Accommodation Used, Year Ended June 2011

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%




Northern Grampians

Central Goldfields

Golden Plains

Loddon Pyrenees

Hotel, resort, motel or motor Inn Guest house or B&B or rented Caravan or Camping Friends or relatives property or own property Other

Figure A7: Average Length of Stay by Type of Accommodation Used, Year Ended June 2011

0.00

1.00

2.00

3.00

4.00

5.00

6.00




Northern Grampians

Central Goldfields

Golden Plains


Hotel, resort, motel or motor Inn Guest house or B&B or rented Caravan or Camping Friends or relatives property or own property Other

Figure A8: Visitors by Travel Party, Year Ended June 2011

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

40.0%

45.0%




Northern Grampians

Central Goldfields

Golden Plains

Loddon Pyrenees

Travelling alone Adult couple (in a relationship sense) Family group - parents and children Friends or relatives Other

Figure A9: Average Length of Stay by Travel Party, Year Ended June 2011

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

4.00

4.50




Northern Grampians

Central Goldfields

Golden Plains


Travelling alone Adult couple (in a relationship sense) Family group - parents and children Friends or relatives Other

SOURCE: TRA, Consultancy ServiceStreet Ryan Estimates

Table A1: Visitors by Age, Year Ended June 2011

Ararat

Ballarat

Campaspe

Greater

Bendigo

Hepburn

Macedon

Ranges

Moorabool

Mt Alexander

Northern G

rampians

Central G

oldfields

Golden

Plains

Loddon

Pyrenees

Total Region

15 - 24 years

7.0 22.2 9.8 17 9.6 17.1 13.6 11.3 6.8 15.7 15.7 14.4 15.7 15.0

25 - 34 3.5 17.1 10.3 15.6 10.8 18.6 15.2 14.8 8.8 17.9 17.9 13.9 17.9 14.4

35 - 54 42.1 25.7 39.2 31.5 46.0 21.4 36.4 22.6 29.3 22.2 22.2 31.2 22.2 32.3

55 - 64 19.3 18.2 20.4 16.9 16.0 19.3 12.3 29.6 27.9 34.9 34.9 19.0 34.9 19.4

65 years or over

28.1 16.9 20.4 18.5 17.2 23.6 22.7 21.7 27.2 9.3 9.3 21.5 9.3 19.0

All figures are in percentages

Table A2: Average Length of Stay by Age, Year Ended June 2011

Ararat

Ballarat

Campaspe

Greater

Bendigo

Hepburn

Macedon

Ranges

Moorabool

Mt Alexander

Northern G

rampians

Central G

oldfields

Golden

Plains

Loddon

Pyrenees

Total Region

15 - 24 years 2.75 2.04 2.54 2.26 3.25 2.33 3.11 2.69 3.20 3.19 1.59 3.39 2.01 2.45

25 – 34 2.50 2.56 2.85 1.96 2.93 2.15 2.90 2.29 2.54 3.50 1.75 3.72 2.21 2.51

35 – 54 2.00 1.90 2.76 2.81 1.96 2.03 2.21 2.00 2.65 3.34 1.66 3.55 2.10 2.43

55 – 64 2.91 1.90 2.69 2.48 2.78 2.41 2.59 2.12 2.76 2.44 1.22 2.59 1.54 2.5365 years or over 3.63 2.78 2.18 2.93 2.63 3.09 2.93 2.88 2.50 3.77 1.88 4.01 2.38 2.87

Total 2.70 2.19 2.61 2.55 2.44 2.43 2.65 2.35 2.65 3.07 1.53 3.26 1.94 2.55

Table A3: Visitors by Lifecycle, Year Ended June 2011

Ararat

Ballarat

Campaspe

Greater

Bendigo

Hepburn

Macedon

Ranges

Moorabool

Mt Alexander

Northern G

rampians

Central G

oldfields

Golden

Plains

Loddon

Pyrenees

Total Region

Single or Young/ Mid Life Couple, no Kids

14.8 43.2 28.3 39.0 34.4 46.4 43.9 41.7 24.5 38.8 38.8 38.8 38.8 37.3

Parent 38.9 27.7 32.0 29.8 34.8 20.0 37.9 20.0 38.1 38.1 35.3 35.3 35.3 31.0

Older Married 46.3 29.0 39.7 31.3 30.8 33.6 18.2 38.3 37.4 25.9 25.9 25.9 25.9 31.7


Table A4: Visitors by Purpose of Trip, Year Ended June 2011

Ararat

Ballarat

Campaspe

Greater

Bendigo

Hepburn

Macedon

Ranges

Moorabool

Mt Alexander

Northern G

rampians

Central G

oldfields

Golden

Plains

Loddon

Pyrenees

Total Region

Holiday or leisure

34.0 31.1 27.6 23.3 29.3 10.9 16.4 25.2 12.9 12.9 13.1 12.9 26.7 34.0

Visiting friends and relatives

4.7 11.3 2.7 27.7 4.3 4.7 6.0 13.9 5.0 5.0 5.1 5.0 8.8 4.7

Business/Other 12.4 24.5 15.3 14.1 14.3 18.8 24.1 45.0 15.1 15.1 15.3 15.1 18.7 12.4


Table A5: Average Length of Stay by Purpose of Trip, Year Ended June 2011

Ararat

Ballarat

Campaspe

Greater

Bendigo

Hepburn

Macedon

Ranges

Moorabool

Mt Alexander

Northern G

rampians

Central G

oldfields

Golden

Plains

Loddon

Pyrenees

Total Region

Holiday or leisure

1.47 1.75 1.99 1.61 1.86 1.95 1.86 1.58 2.37 2.08 1.04 2.21 1.31 1.88

Visiting friends and relatives

4.00 1.81 3.47 3.69 2.36 1.67 2.00 2.86 1.86 2.68 1.34 2.85 1.69 2.61

Business/Other 3.68 2.61 2.48 3.52 3.51 2.35 2.92 1.93 3.22 3.50 1.75 3.72 2.21 3.07

Table A6: Visitors by Type of Accommodation Used, Year Ended June 2011

Ararat

Ballarat

Campaspe

Greater

Bendigo

Hepburn

Macedon

Ranges

Moorabool

Mt Alexander

Northern G

rampians

Central G

oldfields

Golden

Plains

Loddon

Pyrenees

Total Region

Hotel, resort, motel or motor Inn

34.0 31.1 27.6 23.3 29.3 10.9 16.4 25.2 12.9 12.9 13.1 12.9 26.7 34.0

Guest house or B&B or rented

4.7 11.3 2.7 27.7 4.3 4.7 6.0 13.9 5.0 5.0 5.1 5.0 8.8 4.7

Caravan or Camping

12.4 24.5 15.3 14.1 14.3 18.8 24. 45.0 15.1 15.1 15.3 15.1 18.7 12.4

Friends or relatives property or own property

47.1 28. 52.3 23.7 45.7 53.1 50.0 13.9 48.2 48.2 48.9 48.2 40.3 47.1

Other 1.8 5.0 2.1 11.2 6.4 12.5 3.4 2.0 18.7 18.7 17.6 18.7 5.5 1.8


Table A8: Average Length of Stay by Type of Accommodation Used, Year Ended June 2011

Ararat

Ballarat

Campaspe

Greater

Bendigo

Hepburn

Macedon

Ranges

Moorabool

Mt Alexander

Northern G

rampians

Central G

oldfields

Golden

Plains

Loddon

Pyrenees

Total Region

Hotel, resort, motel or motor Inn 1.47 1.75 1.99 1.61 1.86 1.95 1.86 1.58 2.37 2.08 1.04 2.21 1.31 1.88

Guest house or B&B or rented 4.00 1.81 3.47 3.69 2.36 1.67 2.00 2.86 1.86 2.68 1.34 2.85 1.69 2.61Caravan or Camping 3.68 2.61 2.48 3.52 3.51 2.35 2.92 1.93 3.22 3.50 1.75 3.72 2.21 3.07Friends or relatives property or own property 2.85 2.31 2.99 2.78 1.88 2.72 2.68 2.48 2.00 3.60 1.79 3.82 2.27 2.59

Other 1.00 5.25 2.79 2.90 3.71 3.22 3.38 5.25 2.67 2.16 1.08 2.48 1.36 3.10

Table A9: Percentage Visitors by Travel Party, Year Ended June 2011

Ararat

Ballarat

Campaspe

Greater

Bendigo

Hepburn

Macedon

Ranges

Moorabool

Mt Alexander

Northern G

rampians

Central G

oldfields

Golden

Plains

Loddon

Pyrenees

Total Region

Travelling alone 10.9 28.8 14.0 20.2 14.9 17.0 26.2 23.5 12.2 11.6 11.6 11.6 11.6 19.1Adult couple (in a relationship sense) 38.2 31.5 33.6 31.2 39.0 33.3 21.5 34.8 41.5 32.6 32.6 32.6 32.6 32.4Family group - parents and children 25.5 20.6 29.4 22.2 13.7 20.6 27.7 22.6 26.5 12.3 12.3 12.3 12.3 22.6

Friends or relatives 25.5 13.3 21.2 19.5 26.5 21.3 16.9 19.1 14.3 15.9 15.9 15.9 15.9 19.3

Other 0.0 5.8 1.9 6.9 6.0 7.8 7.7 0.0 5.4 27.5 27.5 27.5 27.5 6.5


Table A10: Average Length of Stay by Travel Party, Year Ended June 2010

Ararat

Ballarat

Campaspe

Greater

Bendigo

Hepburn

Macedon

Ranges

Moorabool

Mt Alexander

Northern G

rampians

Central G

oldfields

Golden

Plains

Loddon

Pyrenees

Total Region

Travelling alone 2.33 2.36 2.38 2.63 3.62 2.46 1.76 2.85 1.67 2.78 1.39 2.95 1.75 2.60Adult couple (in a relationship sense)

3.57 1.93 2.60 2.41 2.58 2.26 2.21 1.95 3.08 2.79 1.39 2.97 1.76 2.57

Family group - parents and children

1.71 2.57 2.70 3.26 2.50 2.72 3.39 2.54 2.85 3.85 1.92 4.09 2.42 2.82

Friends or relatives 2.79 1.82 2.78 2.19 1.74 2.40 3.64 2.23 2.29 2.68 1.34 2.84 1.69 2.28Other 0.00 2.31 1.43 1.58 1.73 2.18 2.80 0.00 1.63 3.41 1.70 3.62 2.15 2.17

SOURCE: TRA, Consultancy ServiceStreet Ryan Estimates

APPENDIX B: Stakeholder

Organisation RepresentativeRural City of Ararat Andrew Evans Sarah Race Julie KilpatrickCampaspe Shire Kerry-Anne Jones Keith Baillie Central Goldfields Shire Chris Meddows-Taylor (Mayor) Mark JohnsonCity of Ballarat George Sossi Susan Fayad Sean Cameron Jim McConkey Anthony SchinckCity of Greater Bendigo Stan Liacos Craig Niemann Kathryn McKenzie Viv CollinsGolden Plains Shire Rod Nicholls Damian CarterHepburn Shire John Collins Kaylene ConrickLoddon Shire Bryan McEwan John McLinden Mount Alexander Shire David Leathem Phil Rowland David Jones Wayne O'TooleMaldon and District Museum Tom WoolmanNorthern Grampians Shire Justine Linley CEO Sam Magill

Nicole Tehan Debbie BachNG Vic Coord Collen HayGrampians Tourism CEO Chris BurchettPyrenees Shire Ray Davies Alana Burge Stephen CornishMoorabool Shire CouncilMacedon Ranges State Agency Heritage Victoria David BannearParks Victoria Hamish MaclennanRDV Sally MorrisRDV Maryanne RossTourism Victoria Chris WhiteKeeping Australia Working John WarmbrunnOther Contacts Chair Goldfields Toursim Rod ThompsonGoldfields Track

developing victoria's goldfields into australia's cultural heritage region

Documents

tourism sector

development of tourism

contribution of tourism

summary of tourism services

loddon mallee south

project team

regional identity

regional strategic plans