The Victorian Goldfields UNESCO World Heritage bid has been given a hefty boost thanks to $3.8 million announced in the Victorian budget for championing Victoria’s outstanding heritage.
World Heritage listing of a limited number of globally significant sites is forecast to deliver real
and long-lasting benefits that will be shared by communities and people right across the Goldfields region, including in little local towns like Clunes and Creswick which have a significant part in the area’s golden past.

World Heritage status is expected to bring world-wide recognition and attention and is a proven, powerful catalyst for unlocking transformative opportunities for local communities. It’s estimated to be worth $1 billion to the region over 10 years. Connecting the world with the Victorian Goldfields is forecast to grow the area’s global visitor market, driving sustainable tourism and jobs.
Meanwhile, a targeted tourism investment strategy is expected to start delivering benefits in the short-term.
The bid is the initiative of a regional partnership made up of the Victorian Goldfields Tourism Executive and 13 local councils led the City of Ballarat and the City of Greater Bendigo.
Chair of the Victorian Goldfields Tourism Executive Cr Chris Meddows-Taylor says a tourism masterplan currently being developed features exciting World Heritage Journeys which will disperse the increased visitors – and visitor dollars – throughout the region.
“It will take in our smaller regional and rural communities meaning there are no winners and losers, only winners.”
Macedon Ranges Shire Council Mayor, Cr Annette Death, said it was pleasing to see more funding provided for the bid to join about 20 other Australian sites currently showcased on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
“This worldwide recognition would complement our own tourism initiatives here in the Macedon Ranges and our own unique heritage, which we’re currently inviting submissions on to help inform a revised Heritage Strategy.”
City of Ballarat Mayor Cr Des Hudson OAM says that leveraging and strengthening community pride is a vital part of the work.“Locals have told us they are proud of what we have. Our unique heritage is a key reason they want to live and work here.
City of Greater Bendigo Mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf says that unlocking the benefits needs strong collaboration between local communities, businesses and industry.
“It will take everyone working together. The bid merely opens up the opportunities. Importantly, Traditional Owners will be able to tell their own stories about the impact of the gold rush and share those with visitors in the ways they choose.
“We urge everyone to get involved in shaping an exciting, sustainable and prosperous future.”
Locals keen to get involved in co-designing an exciting future for the Goldfields region and to learn more about the bid are being invited to visit www.goldfieldsworldheritage.com.au

Macedon Ranges Shire Council is hosting two information seminars for health professionals on the topic of elder abuse this World Elder Abuse Awareness Day – Thursday June 15.

The council says it’s inviting health professionals to information sessions which will focus on supports available locally for older people and how to access them.

Sessions are set for 10am at Macedon Ranges Health in Gisborne and for 2pm at Sunbury and Cobaw Community Health in Kyneton.

Research by Senior Rights Victoria suggests that up to 14 per cent of older people may experience physical, emotional, financial, social or sexual abuse, and that social isolation can increase the risk.

But there are practical steps that those subjected to elder abuse can take to safeguard their rights and assets.

These include contacting Seniors Rights Victoria’s Helpline on 1300 368 821, while people who are worried about someone else, may find Seniors Rights Victoria’s ‘Concerned about an older person?’ helpful.

Seniors Rights Victoria provides information, support, advice and education to help prevent elder abuse and safeguard the rights, dignity and independence of older people.

The Macedon Ranges Shire Council is reviewing its Heritage Strategy and is inviting the local community to provide input.

Residents are being asked to submit photos of natural or built heritage aspects of the Macedon Ranges, along with a brief explanation of what they love about the heritage of the shire, what they would like to keep and what think needs to change.

The submissions will be used to help inform Council’s updated Heritage Strategy.

The Heritage Strategy sets the council’s approach to the management of heritage within the shire and helps identify the work already completed by the council in this area, while identifying and prioritising future work. It assists with managing assets for the community and celebrates the rich history and heritage of the Macedon Ranges.

The council’s Director Planning and Environment Rebecca Stockfeld encouraged residents to consider the different elements of heritage including the natural and built worlds, First Nations and colonial past, which includes historic buildings and architecture.

“Heritage includes things like our histories of women, migrants and workers, exotic trees and plantings, historic landscapes for water or travel, and our agricultural history,” she said. “It can also be about those in our community who champion the heritage we love and work to preserve it.”

“It’s everything that combines to form the unique history of the Macedon Ranges and what we all love about it today.”

Photos will be displayed in an image gallery on the website and a selection will be used in the Heritage Strategy 2023 documentation.

For information and to submit your photos and feedback, visit Have Your Say

The Dja Dja Wurrung Traditional Owners are close to finalising a visitor site upgrade for Lalgambook (Mt Franklin) Reserve in Hepburn Regional Park.

Lalgambook (Mt Franklin) is a cultural landscape that holds special significance for Dja Dja Wurrung people. The crater of Lalgambook was aptly named by the Dja Dja Wurrung as Larnebarramul, the nest of the emu.

The much visited local landmark has become a popular destination for day visitors and overnight campers. A short walk around the rim of the crater offers spectacular views in places not overgrown by pine trees.

The area upgrades will include a new toilet block, new day visitor shelter and defined day visitor parking spaces. Two former camping sites have been lost as a result of the development.

Lalgambook remains open while construction is completed with alternative toilet facilities being provided on site.

This project will set up DJAARA for future projects across Hepburn Regional Park which will continue to improve the range of visitor experiences and visitor capacity throughout the broader park landscape.

The Daylesford Rotary Club is marking its 70th year of service to the community by joining up with Creswick Woollen Mills, to distribute 50 warm woollen blankets to locals in need.

The long-running Creswick Woollen Mills have core values of commitment to family, community and quality built on original foundations of flexibility and resourcefulness.

They’re values well demonstrated in their generosity – donating forty blankets for Rotary to distribute with an additional ten blankets purchased by Rotary.

Families and individuals on low incomes are finding it harder to make ends meet with the increased inflation, increased rents and rental housing shortages in our Shire. Some are homeless, living in their cars or couch surfing.

One man reported that he had lived in his car for twelve months so that he could afford food and clothing and to save a little money.

As the cold starts to set in deeper, Daylesford Rotary members will work with a number of community welfare organisations in the Hepburn Shire to ensure anyone who needs a warm woollen blanket will be able to receive one.

The Daylesford Neighbourhood Centre has received a generous $2000 donation from the Timbeck Charitable Trust to support its community shower and laundry initiative that, like a good soap opera, appears to be hitting the right note.

In recent days the Neighbourhood Centre reported: “we were delighted to receive a donation from the Timbeck Charitable Trust.  The donation was to the tune of $2,000, as a contribution towards our shower and laundry facility for the homeless and needy of Daylesford.

“Our shower/laundry facility is now completed and has been operational for several weeks … The shower facility is currently being used quite regularly and is gaining momentum with word spreading locally about its availability. 

“It is obviously a facility that has been much needed, but the issue came to a head last year when we had a young homeless person living on our doorstep for several months over the cold winter months.  He had actually cancelled medical appointments because he felt self-conscious about his personal hygiene. 

 “Thankfully, our facility is assisting people like this.  The generous donation from the Timbeck Charitable Trust will assist with ongoing costs, purchasing supplies, cleaning and maintenance and so much more. 

“Moving forward, we may even be able to offer food vouchers to those in need.  The donation will certainly be put to good use, and we are very grateful as an organisation for their kind offer.”

It may have been cold rainy and bleak, but that wasn’t about to stop the Daylesford Football Netball Club launching its new Jim Gull Memorial Scoreboard in recent days.

The electronic communications board will now serve as a scoreboard for the football ground and as a display for other Victoria Park users such as the Daylesford Show, the Highland Gathering and ChillOut.

Jim Gull

The new scoreboard honours Jim Gull who was was an outstanding captain and coach of the Daylesford football side from 1951 to 1968.

He played a phenomenal 560 games and kicked 889 goals in the Ballarat Football League for Daylesford. He captained Daylesford to their only premiership in the BFL in 1961 kicking a BFL record of 159 goals in the season. Jim’s daughter, Sandra, and his granddaughter attended the launch.

DFNC President, Carson White, spoke about the tremendous impact that Jim Gull had on the Club and about the need recognise his achievements. “We want as a club to recognise our history. Jim Gull was an incredible footballer and and incredible athlete and the captain of our only premiership in the BFL and we want the kids to know and remember that history,” Carson said.

The display had been a long time coming. COVID delays were compounded by dramatic cost increases and unusually wet weather that complicated the installation.

The display was funded by the Community Bank Daylesford District. Branch manager, Melanie Tudball, Board Chair Mark Rak , Community Investment Chair, Margaret Hodge and other representatives of the Bank attended the ceremony.

Carson thanked the Bank for their sponsorship and support and also acknowledged generous contributions to the installation from Malcorp Building and Carpentry Services, Purtell Electrical, Solid Foundation Concreting, Edgar Steel and O’Toole Signs.

The Club has had other recent funding success. Local member, Mary-Anne Thomas in recent days also announced that DFNC had been awarded a grant of $5000 from the state government’s Sporting Club Grants Program to build a new website.

The Program is part of the Victorian Government’s commitment to make community sport more accessible and inclusive, stimulate local economies, build sustainable sport and recreation and volunteer opportunities, and increase local participation.

The Hepburn Shire Council will continue to ‘advocate strongly’ for an alternative to the route currently preferred for the Victoria New South Wales Interconnector West (VNI West) project, mayor Cr Brian Hood says.

This comes after details of the preferred option for the Victoria New South Wales Interconnector West (VNI West) project were outlined by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) and Transgrid just over a week ago.

Hepburn Shire Council issued a media release stating that it was pleased the terminal station is no longer proposed for Mount Prospect but still has serious concerns about the increase in size of transmission line towers and the abject lack of genuine consideration for undergrounding lines. 

“The community and Council have campaigned strongly against the location of the terminal station in our Shire, consequently we are very pleased to see it is no longer the preferred option,” said Mayor of Hepburn Shire, Cr Brian Hood. 

“At the same time, we feel for the communities who are now facing the unwelcome prospect of a terminal station and towers in their region. We sincerely hope AEMO and Transgrid will engage more closely with the community as the projects continue,” he said. 

Cr Hood said the biggest concerns for Hepburn Shire Council now are the significant towers and easements planned as part of the proposed Western Renewables Link (WRL) corridor, which forms part of VNI West. 

“This is a beautiful part of the world. There is strong visitation and economic activity through tourism and it is also some of the best agricultural land in Victoria. It is incredibly disappointing that undergrounding transmission lines has not been genuinely considered in either project given these towers will be up to 80 metres high and easements up to 100 metres wide,” said Cr Hood. 

“Farmers will face the unwelcome prospect of massive easements around transmission infrastructure on their property, thereby restricting agricultural activities in this incredibly productive land,” he said. 

“Given these challenges we question the rationale of maintaining the currently proposed alignment of WRL through Hepburn Shire now that the terminal station will be relocated. On that basis we will be continuing to advocate strongly for a change to the proposed route.” 

A Ministerial Order has been implemented to progress the preferred option, which connects VNI West from Dinawan Energy Hub in NSW, via a new terminal station near Kerang directly to the WRL at a new terminal station near Bulgana in Northern Grampians Shire (rather than at Mount Prospect in Hepburn Shire). 

“While Council is highly supportive of renewable energy there has been a missed opportunity for genuine consideration for placing powerlines underground in some of the more sensitive areas. The refusal to consider that option represents inappropriately short-term thinking,” said Cr Hood. 

“We encourage the community to continue to make their voices heard throughout this process, including the upcoming Environmental Impact Assessment process,” he said. 

Those seeking further information may visit https://participate.hepburn.vic.gov.au/VNI-West. 

Locals have been left speculating after a notice was recently posted on Hepburn Springs’ historic Savoia Hotel, stating that the Mortgagee has taken possession of the land.

Last month, a notice had been posted on the doors saying that the Savoia was closing for three weeks for renovations and an update to their menu.

The hotel had reopened after a lengthy closure last September and its return had been warmly welcomed by the local community.

The hotel was purchased about two years ago by Paul Morwood, an ex-AFL footballer who played for South Melbourne, St.Kilda and Collingwood in the 1980s. It remained closed for about one year for renovations. The original façade of the pub was retained because it is protected by a heritage overlay but inside cathedral ceilings, a wide-open bar area and a games room gave the hotel a very different look and feel.

Hepburn shire locals are about to get a little help and added incentive to clean out those unwanted household chemicals from their sheds, cupboards and under their sinks and dispose of them safely at Sustainability Victoria’s free Detox your Home event.

It’s coming up on Saturday 17 June, from 9.00am to 12.00pm at Daylesford Transfer Station.

The Hepburn Shire Council says it’s proud to co-host the Detox your Home event, which is a free and convenient service for householders to safely dispose of unwanted household chemicals such as weedkiller, cleaning chemicals, old cooking oil and cosmetics. Registration is essential with locals being invited to Register now!

The Hepburn Shire Council has won two awards, including one for its work towards acknowledging the Indigenous Frontier Wars.

The council was selected as one of the inaugural winners of the Maggolee Awards 2023 for facilitating the Frontier Wars Memorial along Malmsbury-Daylesford Road in Daylesford.

The Manna Gums site for the Aboriginal Peoples Memorial recognises and honours the loss of lives, the sacrifice and suffering inflicted on Aboriginal people during the frontier wars.

The Maggolee Awards recognise Victorian councils that have shown excellence working in partnership with First Peoples to support self-determination, advance reconciliation, and strengthen inclusion of First Peoples’ voices. 

Mayor, Cr Brian Hood, said this award acknowledges the excellent work being undertaken in Hepburn Shire.

“It’s wonderful to be recognised as leaders in the area of reconciliation,” said Cr Hood.

“Our work in this area is about encouraging unity and respect between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and our non-indigenous community,” he said.

“It is particularly meaningful to have this acknowledged during National Reconciliation Week, a time when we explore how we can contribute to achieving reconciliation.”

Council also won a Local Government Professionals (LGPro) award for its Aged Care and Disability Services Transition, in the category of Outstanding Small Rural Council Initiative. This was a three-year project where Council assessed the impacts of Commonwealth funding reforms on the delivery of its aged care services, ultimately transitioning from delivery into a focus on positive ageing.

“The decision to withdraw from aged care provision was not an easy one for Council, but our focus was on the best interests of clients, families and carers, staff and the community. The sensitive and complex project was managed in a caring and considerate way,” said Cr Hood.

“Council has an ongoing commitment to resource and lead the implementation of our ‘No Barrier’ Positive Ageing Strategy 2022-2030, to help improve outcomes for older people our community,” he said.

Time is running out to apply for a grant through the Hepburn Shire Council to help conserve biodiversity in the shire.

The council says its “got great news for community groups out there who want to make a real difference in biodiversity”.

It is currently offering grants of up to $5000 for projects focused on conserving, protecting, and enhancing biodiversity in the shire. 

Community groups, including environmental groups, schools and other incorporated or auspiced groups, are being encouraged to apply.
More information on the guidelines and application process is available on the council’s website and applications close at 5pm on Monday 5 June.

The Hepburn Shire Council has reported that works are being carried out to improve the road pavement and drainage along the West Berry Road in Creswick North.

The road will be closed during the day to facilitate the works and detours will be in place.

Works are expected to be completed in early June.

The contractor will then move to Daylesford-Clunes Road, Lawrence for similar repairs.

The Macedon Ranges Shire Council has given the thumbs up to a new 12-month funding agreement with Goldfields Library Corporation to continue library services across the shire.

The decision made at last Thursday’s May council meeting also paves the way for an option to extend for an additional 12 months.

The current library agreement is due to expire ath the end of June this year, so the new agreement allows for services to continue at the council’s four libraries in Kyneton, Romsey, Woodend and Gisborne.

The Goldfields Library Corporation also operates library services in neighbouring council areas including
Greater Bendigo, Loddon and Mount Alexander.

A total of $1.48 million – a figure similar to that allocated in previous two financial years – is proposed
to support these services in 2023/24, as part of the council’s draft budget that’s due for consideration at the council’s June scheduled meeting.