2017
A message from the chair
The National Heritage List documents the places of outstanding heritage importance to Australia as a nation.
The List of places will lengthen in the future as Australians continue to identify places that are of outstanding value in telling our national stories, and as our nation continues to evolve.
The Australian Heritage Council, with the support of the Department of Environment and Energy, seeks to ensure that all places recommended by it to the Minister for listing meet the stringent criteria set out in legislation.
The National Heritage List is now at a stage of development that the remarkable story of our unique country is emerging with some clarity and impact. This document, by briefly telling the stories of the places on the current list, and setting them in their wider context, not only helps us to appreciate the nature of the journey so far, but points us towards a future defined by the aspirations of the descendants of the continent’s first peoples and by the hopes and dreams of those who have come to live here from every country in the world.
The values and beliefs that Australians have brought to building their nation are expressed in the stories of the places on the National Heritage List. I am sure the List in its present extent will only stimulate the readers of this document to reflect again on related and other aspects of our national story, and a desire to further develop the recognition of our unique heritage through the National Heritage List.