National Trust Heritage Register

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.  

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. 

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. 

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. 

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

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.