by Emma Ballingall

Could a tourism rush be on the horizon for Walhalla?

The historic gold mining town is a step closer to a UNESCO World Heritage listing after being added to a "Victorian Goldfields" bid.

The bid, recognising six regional areas, is now in Australia's World Heritage Tentative List.
Despite its tiny permanent population, Walhalla was added due to its important role of telling the Victorian Goldfield story and has been described by a UK heritage expert as "the third most significant mining area in terms of the value of gold extracted."
To find out exactly what this means and how the bid process works, Baw Baw Shire will hold a community information session at the Walhalla Mechanics Institute on Friday from 3pm to 5pm.
An online session will follow next week on Wednesday, February 19 from 6pm to 8pm.
Baw Baw Shire councillors Kate Wilson and Adam Sheehan welcomed the state government's support for Walhalla's inclusion alongside Bendigo Historic Urban Landscape, Castlemaine Goldfields and Historic Townships, Creswick and the Deep Lead Landscape, Great Nuggets Historic Landscape (Tarnagulla, Moliagul and Dunolly) and Lalgambuk (Mt Franklin) areas.
"This is an exciting step for us to get closer to achieving world heritage listing for Walhalla, which is the site of Victoria's largest single gold producing mine," Cr Wilson said.
If the listing is successful, Walhalla would join the likes of the Sydney Opera House, Royal Exhibition Buildings, and Carlton Gardens, Australian convict sites and the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape as Australian sites of world historical and cultural significance.
"Obtaining a world heritage listing will not only draw more tourists to our shire from all over the world, but also continue to help support our local towns and local businesses," Cr Sheehan said. "The benefits are estimated to be worth $1 billion, with 2.5 million new visitors over 10 years to the regions included in the listing."
Destination Gippsland chief executive officer Terry Robinson said they were excited by Walhalla's inclusion.
Mr Robinson said the journey to world heritage listing for the Victorian Goldfields had been a collaborative effort between 15 councils across Victoria, traditional owners, state and federal governments, along with local and international experts, and tourism stakeholders.
He said a listing would offer "a significant drawcard for visitors from across Australia and overseas" and Destination Gippsland looked forward to the next steps including development of a "sustainable tourism program" to ensure sites were protected and prepared to handle increased visitation.
A visit to Walhalla offers a glimpse of a time gone by. Established in the 1860s, it had a population of 4000 people in its heyday, with 10 hotels, seven churches and more than 30 shops. Frozen in time, today it offers visitors restored heritage buildings, heritage railway and much more.
One of the biggest attractions is the Long Tunnel Mine which was the largest gold producer in Victoria for five consecutive years in the 1890s. In one of those years, it was the largest producer in Australia.
By the time it closed in 1914, a total of 13.7 tonnes of gold had been extracted from the mine.
When Walhalla's inclusion was first raised in late 2023, Walhalla resident Michael Leaney described the bid as "a one-in-a-lifetime opportunity" and, if successful, would help preserve the town to be enjoyed and valued for countless generations to come.
Speaking last week, Mr Leaney said it was "very broadly supported" by the community. Whilst noting some concerns about over development restraints, he said his understanding was this wasn't the case.
Believing Walhalla was often "not front of mind" by Baw Baw Shire, he hoped a successful bid would open funding opportunities and force agencies to finally resolve longstanding maintenance responsibilities to the benefit of all.