HERITAGE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY heritageheritage J U N E 2 0 0 3 This strategy has been approved by the Parks Victoria Board for implementation. Its purpose is to set directions for Parks Victoria for the management of the heritage places for which it is responsible. The strategy is based on a consultant’s report, which reviewed Parks Victoria’s Heritage Estate and the relationship between the organisation and other heritage managers. The strategy has been developed with input from Parks Victoria staff and the following stakeholders: Heritage Victoria, Department of Sustainability & Environment, National Trust of Australia (Victoria), Royal Historical Society of Victoria, Australia ICOMOS, Shire of Mt Alexander and Victorian National Parks Association. Further information For information on heritage places managed by Parks Victoria please refer to the Park Victoria website at www.parkweb.vic.gov.au Disclaimer Parks Victoria does not guarantee that this strategy is without flaw of any kind and therefore it disclaims all liability for any error, loss or other consequences, which may arise from relying on any information in this document. HERITAGE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY JUNE 2003 Published in June 2003 by Parks Victoria Level 10, 535 Bourke Street Melbourne, Victoria 3000 National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Parks Victoria Heritage Management Strategy Bibliography. ISBN 07311 8333 9 Cover photographs (back left to front right): State Battery Maldon HR, Memorial Port Campbell NP, Werribee Park Mansion, Timber patterns for casting water wheel hub Andersons Mill HR, Wallace’s Hut Alpine NP, Padlock on Court House Steiglitz HP, Lighthouse Wilsons Promontory NP, Quartz roasting kilns North British Mine Maldon HR ii Parks Victoria Heritage Management Strategy FOREWORD Parks and reserves managed by Parks The Parks Victoria Heritage Victoria cover 16% of the State, and Management Strategy has been contain perhaps the largest and most developed within a framework provided diverse collection of heritage places and by the Victorian Heritage Strategy, objects in the State. This largely park- prepared by Heritage Victoria, and the based collection includes well known Department of Sustainability and places such as Werribee Park and the Environment’s Cultural Sites Network. Dandenong Ranges Gardens as well as significant groups of places representing Preparation of this strategy has included key aspects of Victoria’s history. These consultation with Parks Victoria staff groups of places reflect the key historic and external stakeholders. The themes of mining, coastal shipping, strategy, which sets priorities and early European settlement of the Port standards for heritage management, will Phillip area, accessing the State’s be implemented within available natural treasures for scientific, budgets and funding arrangements. recreation or tourism pursuits, defending As well as defining Parks Victoria’s role Colonial Victoria and living in remote in heritage management, the strategy areas such as the Australian alps. provides direction for better integrating In fulfilling its stewardship role of the management of heritage places sustainably managing these historic within Parks Victoria’s management places on behalf of the community, systems. It also confirms the Parks Victoria has developed this importance that the organisation places strategy to spell out its heritage on working cooperatively with the management direction as much for community to protect, present and internal use as to inform other agencies, promote heritage places. organisations and the wider community. The strategy set directions for the next ten years and will be reviewed after five years. Parks Victoria looks forward to working with the community and other heritage managers to implement the Strategy. Mark Stone Chief Executive Parks Victoria Parks Victoria Heritage Management Strategy iii SUMMARY Most people are aware of Parks This strategy document covers only our Victoria’s role in looking after the State’s non-indigenous cultural heritage. Parks natural areas and open space. Probably Victoria is also partly or wholly not so many know that it is also one of responsible for managing thousands of the main managers of Victoria’s historical indigenous cultural sites, which are the heritage. Think of Werribee Park, subject of a separate strategy. Coolart, Mount Buffalo Chalet and the Wilsons Promontory Lighthouse, to name As well as coming up with a list of just a few, and you’re thinking of Parks actions that Parks Victoria will undertake, Victoria managed places. the Heritage Management Strategy looks at the legal and policy framework that Cultural heritage protection has been a requires Parks Victoria to manage role of Victoria’s park agency at least historic places, and describes other since the National Parks Act of 1975. In agencies and groups involved in heritage fact Parks Victoria manages some 40 management. It also classifies our major historic buildings and complexes, historic places into a number of and an amazing 2500 recorded historic categories – interestingly, mining sites places and collections around the State, make up just over half of all the recorded including huts, mining sites, gardens, places. lighthouses, cemeteries, court houses, monuments, industrial sites, landscapes and shipwrecks. And there are many Parks Victoria has drawn on the more unrecorded places, mostly Australian Heritage Commission’s archaeological, in parks and reserves. Historic Themes Framework to classify These places and objects, our cultural historic sites further. Broad themes, heritage, help people to understand the such as “Resource Utilisation”, beliefs, hopes and aspirations of our “Transport”, “Settlement”, have been forebears. refined into a set of key historical themes relevant to Parks Victoria. These are: Making sense of this diverse cultural heritage, and helping Parks Victoria to • Accessing Natural Treasures make decisions about its conservation • Settling the Port Phillip District and presentation, is the reason for developing this Parks Victoria Heritage • Mining Management Strategy, which • Shipping along the Coast establishes actions, priorities and standards for the organisation in heritage • Living in Remote Areas management for the next five to ten • Defending Colonial Victoria years. Parks Victoria is committed to managing historic places and objects sustainably for the long-term benefit of Victorians, and for visitors from interstate and overseas. Heritage is an important component of contemporary lifestyles and leisure activities, and contributes significantly to the economy through tourism and education. iv Parks Victoria Heritage Management Strategy While Parks Victoria is committed to The Strategy explains the important caring for all the significant places it concept of compatible use for historic manages, these themes will help in places, and touches on our policy in deciding on strategic research projects, relation to historic objects (“Moveable when conservation works will occur, and Cultural Heritage”). The Burra Charter presentation of sites to visitors. The process guides the management of our themes can also help visitors to put historic places and objects; our heritage individual sites in context – for instance management practices have been to realise that although each Victorian reviewed against the recommendations goldfield was unique, they had many of the ANZECC Best Practice in Cultural similarities in their mining methods, Heritage Management Report. Staff administration and development. support and training, and the importance of records management, are also The Strategy lists a number of goals and stressed. their related actions and targets. It notes that not all historic sites and places Strategic Directions will be implemented currently managed by Parks Victoria over a ten-year period, though many should necessarily continue under our procedural actions can be carried out in organisation, and establishes criteria for the first few years. The Heritage assessing their most appropriate Management Strategy will be reviewed management and for deciding on any after five years, in 2008. Section 12 of additional sites that might come under the Strategy sets out the program for Parks Victoria’s care. The importance implementing the actions listed of community involvement and throughout the Strategy. partnerships is emphasised, as is sustainable management for historic places, whether managed directly by Parks Victoria or leased to third parties. Parks Victoria Heritage Management Strategy v CONTENTS Foreword .....................................................................................................................iii Summary.....................................................................................................................iv 1 Introduction........................................................................................................ 1 2 Background........................................................................................................ 2 3 Purpose of the Heritage Management Strategy .................................................. 3 4 Statutory, Policy & Administrative Framework.................................................... 4 4.1 Legislation..............................................................................................................4 4.2 Policy framework……………………………………………………………………………..4 4.3 Heritage managers…………………………………………………………………………...4 5 Parks