Heritage Protection FAQs

The National Trust Heritage Register is a list of places that the National Trust of Australia (Victoria) has researched and classified/designated, to be of heritage importance to the state. It is the most comprehensive single heritage register in Victoria, covering all types of cultural and natural heritage, including buildings, trees, landscapes, gardens, public art and pipe organs. As a community body, National Trust heritage listing is not legally binding, however it is highly respected and often consulted by statutory bodies. 

A National Trust heritage listed place is in no way directly associate with the National Trust of Australia (Victoria). We do not own, oversee, or manage these sites other than those listed on our website here.  

Places listed on the National Trust Heritage Register, images and summary Statements of Significance can be searched here. 

The inclusion of a place in the National Trust Heritage Register does not afford a place statutory protection.    

The classification of a heritage place by the National Trust of Australia (Victoria) is a powerful advocacy tool that acts to draw community attention to the special importance of that place in the state’s heritage.  

This is why we strongly advocate for places of heritage significance to be afforded statutory protection either at the local level through the application of a Heritage Overlay or at the state level through inclusion in the Victorian Heritage Register.  

For more information about different kinds of legislative heritage listing, click here. 

The National Trust continues to actively classify places which do not have adequate levels of statutory protection, including significant trees, landscapes and public artworks. We advocate for National Trust classified places to be protected by appropriate statutory controls.  

An active nomination process currently exists for significant trees, as state and local legislative protection for trees is lacking. However, we do not regularly classify buildings as there are various methods that do afford a place heritage protection at the local or state level. 

The National Trust advocates for communities to nominate buildings for inclusion in local council Heritage Overlays and the Victorian Heritage Register if they wish to increase the heritage protections of a site.  See our Advocacy Tool Kit for more information on this process. 

To nominate a tree for the National Trust Significant Tree Register, please complete the online form here. 

For further enquiries on nomination to the National Trust Heritage Register, please contact conservation@nattrust.com.au. 

International:  A place or object that the National Trust considered significant in the international context. 

National:  A place or object that the National Trust considered significant in the context of Australia. 

State:  A place or object that the National Trust considered significant in the context of Victoria. 

Regional:  A place the National Trust considered not of State level significance, but more significant than Local, or that relates to a specific region of Victoria, eg. the Western District. 

Local:  A place or object that the National Trust considered significant in the context of its local area. 

File Only:  This indicates a site that was never formally classified by the National Trust, but we retain a file on the place. This does not preclude a site from having heritage value and having heritage protections.  

Demolished/Removed: A formally classified place that has been demolished or removed however the file is still retained. 

Each classified place has an archival file that contains photographs, historical material, media articles, older research from the Trust and sometimes plans. The information held on file will vary and copyright and privacy regulations may apply. Please note that the National Trust is a private organisation and retains the right to withhold any confidential material. 

As a Not-For-Profit organisation the National Trust does not currently have the resources required to update all classifications and file on the register. While we will continue to make this extensive archive available for public research, it should be noted the register may not hold the most contemporary accounts of classified places. 

Our archive is open to the public for research access either by in person appointment at our East Melbourne office, Tasma Terrace or offsite, conducted by National Trust staff and provided through digital means. Research services are subject to our schedule of fees and can be booked through contacting conservation@nattrust.com.au. 

National Trust Members benefit from reduced research fees.  You can find out more about the many benefits of becoming a National Trust Member on here. 

Find out if a place is included in a local Heritage Overlay, the Victorian Heritage Register or Victorian Heritage Inventory by searching here. 

For more information about Heritage Overlays and how to nominate a site to your local council, see our Advocacy Tool Kit or the Heritage Council of Victoria’s Heritage Information Pack. 

Find out if a place is included in a local Heritage Overlay, the Victorian Heritage Register or Victorian Heritage Inventory by searching here. 

For more information about the Victorian Heritage Register and how to nominate a site to your local council, see our Advocacy Tool Kit or the Heritage Council of Victoria’s Heritage Information Pack. 

The sale of a heritage place should not be cause for alarm. We recommend you first check the legislative protection status of the place and then provide contact the appropriate authority, either the relevant local council or Hertiage Victoria to enquire directly regarding your concerns.  

If the place is not included under the local Heritage Overlay or on the Victorian Heritage Register see our Advocacy Tool Kit on how to nominate it.  

We have created a free online resource to support individuals and communities to independently advocate for the protection of places of cultural heritage significance. We have worked with heritage experts, planners, lawyers, and communities across Victoria to develop advocacy guides covering key areas of heritage planning.   

The National Trust Advocacy Toolkit is the best place to guide you through the heritage planning process. 

The Advocacy Toolkit currently includes five guides that provide further information on the following areas of heritage planning;   

• Guide No. 1 — Nominating a place or object for inclusion in the Victorian Heritage Register  
• Guide No. 2 — Objecting to an application for a permit to change a place or object included in the Victorian Heritage Register  
• Guide No. 3 — Objecting to an Application for a Planning Permit for properties covered by a Heritage Overlay  
• Guide No. 4 —Appealing a Permit Decision at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal  
• Guide No. 5 — Heritage Overlays and Planning Scheme Amendments  

We recommend you first check the legislative protection status of the place and then provide any evidence you have on damage, dilapidation or neglect to the appropriate authority, either the relevant local council or Hertiage Victoria. 

Local councils in Victoria have two tools that can assist in addressing these concerns:  

1. The Planning & Environment Act 1987 now gives councils stronger powers to deter heritage property owners from allowing heritage buildings to fall into disrepair. The Department of Environment Land Water and Planning’s  Local heritage protection provisions in the Planning and Environment Act 1987  provides guidance on the local heritage protection provisions.  It discourages the unlawful demolition of heritage buildings, or the wilful allowance of heritage buildings to fall into disrepair. 

1. Various Local councils have undergone Local Law Reviews that include provisions to deter privately owned properties from falling into disrepair under laws on dilapidated and unsightly buildings.  Some councils have included specific laws on dilapidated and unsafe buildings, and unsightly properties. Check the relevant council’s community or local laws to see if it applies to the property in question. 

Sites included on the Victorian Heritage Register are afforded protection under the Heritage Act 2017.  Heritage Victoria has an enforcement division that can be directly reported to encourage you to reported to for state listed heritage places in poor condition or undergoing unauthorised works. 

See the National Trust report and ongoing advocacy work on the issue of Demolition by Neglect here.   

We understand that certain decision-making processes and outcomes can be disappointing for community members, especially when the opinions and knowledge of the local community are not given due consultation and consideration. The best ways to engage with on planning issues and strategic projects is through feedback during consultation periods which are regularly advertised on local and state government websites, newsletters and, increasingly, online consultation portals. 

Once a permit has been issued, or works under an approved permit have been completed, there is not a process for further appeal.  If you have further concerns regarding the way that a planning authority such as a local council is approaching heritage, this should be expressed through direct feedback.  

The National Trust strongly advises all heritage property owners, regardless of their level of legislative protection, to contact their local council heritage and/or planning team to discuss plans for maintenance, conservation and/or redevelopment works. Owners of properties listed on the Victorian Heritage Register should additionally contact Heritage Victoria. 

Regarding any works where you may be seeking trades services, the National Trust’s Heritage Services Directory has been created to assist the owners and managers of heritage places and objects to search for qualified heritage consultants and contractors across a range of disciplines.  

Further general resources for the conservation of heritage sites can be found on the National Trust Custodianship webpage.  

Unfortunately funding for restoration works to local heritage properties is difficult to find, and the Living Heritage grants program funded by the state government for Victorian Hertiage Register sites has been defunded. The National Trust is actively lobbying the state government on this issue.  

As a not-for-profit, non-government organisation, the National Trust does not have funds to offer restoration grants.  However, if your property is included in the Heritage Overlay, we would advise making enquiries regarding your council’s grant options.  Some local councils offer grants or loan schemes to support the conservation of heritage places, including the National Trust administrated Victorian Hertiage Restoration Fund.  

If you own or manage a publicly accessible building, you may also be eligible for the National Trust Restoration Appeal program, which supports fundraising for the conservation of publicly beneficial heritage sites through the National Trust’s Deductible Gift Recipient status.  

For further searches to find a suitable grant or organisation that would fund the works, you can access the following grants search engine. 

The National Trust is very disappointed to learn that owners of heritage properties may be required to pay high insurance premiums.  

Unfortunately, this can be the case when insurance companies assume that a heritage listed property will be more expensive to pay out if major damage was to occur. However, a heritage building is no more likely to be damaged or destroyed in an unfortunate event, nor are they less secure to theft just by virtue of being heritage listed than any other property. 

In Victoria, if a building is classified by the National Trust there are no legal powers or requirements attached to that listing. The National Trust cannot legally insist on authentic restoration and this should be reflected in the National Trust property certificate included in the Section 32 report for the property.   However, you should also check if the property has been identified on any statutory registers. 

You may wish to find an alternate insurer that is aware of your property’s context, through the Insurance Council of Australia’s ‘Find an insurer’ service.  

Historical Archaeology is protected under the Heritage Act 2017. That means archaeological sites are protected by law and you need approval from Heritage Victoria to disturb them. Archaeological sites can refer to underground artefacts or deposits (at least 75+ years old), places that provide information on past activity or any of those which further require excavation works. You can read more about this on Heritage Victoria’s website. 

We encourage you to contact Heritage Victoria for further advice on how to report an historical archaeological site. 

We recommend you discuss your query with the Melbourne Maritime Heritage Network. This organisation have a specialist interest and expertise in maritime heritage. 

If your question is about a maritime-related National Trust classified site/ship/item, please contact us at conservation@nattrust.com.au. 

The National Trust’s Conservation & Advocacy team operate the Trust Advocate blog which is regularly updated with stories and articles on our heritage advocacy work. 

For regular updates, you can sign up to our monthly newsletter which includes upcoming advocacy and conservation events, new local and state government heritage related consultations, and updates on the ongoing advocacy work of the National Trust.