Central Goldfields Shire has a rich heritage that primarily relates to its 19th century gold mining history and development. The Shire’s heritage includes a wide variety of places, including buildings and groups of buildings (precincts), landscapes, trees, gardens, parklands, sites, as well as spiritual and religious places. The Shire also contains 19th and 2oth century archaeological sites and Aboriginal cultural heritage places.
Council is the property owner, responsible authority, and planning authority for several key heritage places, including the town hall buildings in the shire. Where heritage places are privately owned, the landowner is responsible for their upkeep, maintenance, and care.
Places of heritage significance are managed and protected via a range of legislative requirements by local, state, and federal government agencies. The management requirements for a heritage place depends on its heritage significance. In addition to legislative requirements, broader state policy considerations and strategies support owners and managers of heritage places to maintain and conserve those places.
Heritage protection is not absolute. It can be over-ridden by building orders for public safety or by decisions (including ministerial intervention) where competing values are involved, and other priorities ultimately outweigh heritage considerations. Nevertheless, extending the Heritage Overlay to cover currently unprotected sites provides a level of protection for these sites and ensures that heritage values receive a high level of consideration in statutory planning decisions.