Region's historic water significance in the spotlight
Coliban Water recently played host to representatives from Heritage Victoria as part of the bid to have the Victorian Goldfields listed on the World Heritage List.
General Manager Water and Climate Strategy, Adam Crameri, said if successful the region would become the 21st site in Australia on the list.
“Across our region we have a wealth of rich cultural, natural, and engineering history and we’d be excited to see this recognised on the world stage,” he said.
The City of Greater Bendigo and the City of Ballarat are the lead councils from a consortium of 15 local councils leading the the push to have the Goldfields added to the list.
According to UNESCO, the 1972 Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage recognises that certain places on Earth are of ‘outstanding universal value’ and should form part of the common heritage of humankind.
The agency seeks to encourage the identification, protection, and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity.
“The Goldfields region is widely known for its rich history in mining, migration and cultural values, but our focus has been specifically on showcasing our fantastic water history, including significant gravity fed channels, basins, storages and valves,” Mr Crameri said.
Mr Crameri said the tour, involving representatives from Heritage Victoria and its experts took in a range of sites across the region, including the Coliban Main Channel, Brennans Tunnel, Crusoe Reservoir, the cistern, and Specimen Hill gold diggings.
“The Coliban Main Channel was a key piece of infrastructure that brought water to the goldfields in the 1860s and is still a source of reliable drinking water for Bendigo today.
“Without access to water, the Goldfields and mining communities would not have been able to function or survive,” he explained.
“Water is supplied from the Upper Coliban, Lauriston and Malmsbury Reservoirs near Kyneton, it then makes its way to Bendigo via purpose-built tunnels, most around three metres wide.
“The dissipaters along the Coliban Main Channel are considered an engineering marvel. They effectively slow the flow of water down the face of steep hillsides,” Mr Crameri said.
The tour group acknowledged the importance of the water infrastructure in supporting the growth of the Goldfields.
The Victorian government committed $3.8 million in the 2023/24 budget to progress two World Heritage nomination projects, including the Goldfields bid. Work is underway by both councils and the government to progress the bid onto the World Heritage Tentative List, where it can then be assessed by UNESCO in coming years.
Last updated on 26 Jun 2024