The work of the National Trust is divided into two main areas of conservation: general heritage advocacy and the management of properties and collections in our care. Education also plays an important role in both these activities.

Advocacy

1 Register

You may have heard or read of a building, object or landscape which has a National Trust classification. This means that the Trust has examined the property and, after discussions with various experts, concluded that the place or object has heritage significance. This process is known as the identification, assessment and classification of historic places and objects. Nominations can come from the public, expert committees or staff.

The Trust commenced the compilation of a list or register of significant places and objects soon after its formation in 1956. The register is now accessible online. If an historic place is threatened, the Trust takes action. Specific media campaigns are conducted to save threatened places, to stimulate debate and to raise the level of public and government awareness of the need to conserve our heritage.

To access information about the Trust's online Register, click on the menu item.

2 Classification process

The classification process is carried out by expert committees of the National Trust and is supported by the staff and ratified by our governing body, Trust Council. The Trust's expert committees include Buildings, 20th Century Buildings, Industrial History, Landscape, Gardens, Significant Trees, Pipe Organs, Public Art and Cemeteries. An "historic place" can mean a site, area, garden, landscape, building or groups of buildings. It also includes structures, ruins and archaeological sites. "Objects" include moveable heritage like trams and lifeboats, or public sculptures or murals.

Assessment is based on identifying the architectural, historic, scientific/technical or social significance of the place. The Trust classifies places or objects at five levels: international, national, state, regional and local significance. For example, a building may be significant because of its early age, its associations with notable pioneers or prominent members of society, its design by a leading architect or its noteworthy or unusual architectural features. On most occasions a number of factors apply.

It is important to note that sometimes humble dwellings like miner's cottages or representative examples of a building type may be deemed to be significant. Our idea of what is of heritage significance has broadened over the years as our values have changed and evolved and the professionals working in the heritage field have increased in number and skills. In the early years there was more emphasis on the architectural or aesthetic values of places so there was a bias in favour of classifying mansions and ornate public buildings but in more recent times there is a lot more emphasis on the historic or social significance of places.

Notable classifications include Parliament House, Exhibition Building, Capitol Theatre, ICI House, the Spotswood Pumping Station, Hoffman's Brickworks, urban conservation areas in South Melbourne and Hawthorn, Burke and Wills Statue, Point Nepean, Portsea, Royal Botanic Gardens, and elm avenues in Melbourne along Royal Parade and Victoria Parade.

3 Files

The vast majority of the places classified by the Trust are privately owned, and we stress that they are not normally open to the public. All property owners are formally notified of a classification and an information sheet is sent detailing obligations and funding. The Trust has created files on over 7,000 buildings, 1,000 trees, 350 landscapes, 90 gardens and 50 urban conservation areas. These are the most valuable and comprehensive heritage conservation files in Victoria, and are available to the public and researchers to examine for a small fee (free for Trust members). We also have a library which Trust members and members of the public can use.

Classification by the Trust does not impose any legal restrictions on private property owners or occupiers. The Trust does not have statutory or legal powers, unlike the state government body, the Heritage Council. Experience, however, demonstrates that many owners feel a responsibility to care for an historic place or object once its significance has been established. Many owners are proud of their properties and have ordered National Trust plaques, which they have installed on their buildings.

4 Working with the Heritage Council and local councils

As the Trust does not have legal powers, our aim is to achieve protection by listing with the Heritage Council and local councils. The Trust nominates places of national or state significance to the Heritage Council for statutory protection, as it will only consider places of state significance. At the local government level, most of the National Trust's classifications have been adopted and are protected by a Heritage Overlay (or other Overlay where appropriate) in the local planning scheme. This achieves statutory protection and demolition of such places is generally not allowed. In addition, permits may be required for alterations. Occasionally the National Trust attends panel hearings to support the preservation of places.

5 Campaigns

The Trust has been involved with countless campaigns to save important places. Over the years the Trust waged campaigns to save many buildings in Collins Street, for example, the Regent Theatre, which was recently restored, and about 10,000 people rallied to save Rippon Lea in Elsternwick in the 1960s. National Trust campaigns included the successful fight to prevent high-rise buildings on the foreshore of the bay and the demolition of terraces in Carlton belonging to the University of Melbourne. We have been opposed to the destruction of many buildings throughout the suburbs resulting from the introduction of changes to planning laws; and we recommended a number of reforms. The National Trust was also successful in saving the historic W-Class trams, which were being sold privately and overseas.

The Trust relies on membership subscriptions to fund its campaigns; and the contribution of volunteers to carry out the work. For information on becoming a member of the National Trust, click on the the Membership link in the menu (at left of screen).
For information on volunteering for the National Trust, click on the Volunteering link in the menu.

Properties and Collections

The National Trust owns and manages some of Victoria's best-known historic properties, such as Como, Rippon Lea, La Trobe's Cottage and Old Melbourne Gaol. Beginning with the acquisition of Como in 1959, the Trust now owns or manages about 50 significant properties in Victoria, with 23 open to the public. They reflect the diversity of Victoria's history and include numerous grand 19th century mansions and historic gardens in Melbourne and country Victoria, several portable houses, an original 1850s farm in the Yarra Valley, a Joss House in Bendigo, a pharmacy in Chiltern; and Mooramong, a nature reserve in western Victoria.

The National Trust has over 30,000 collection objects including paintings, furniture and decorative art, most of which are on display at Trust properties. We also have wonderful extensive collections of costumes, cast iron and carriages. The Trust is committed to a program of conservation of these properties and collections so that they can be presented to the highest possible standard: conservation principles according to the Burra Charter.

For information on visiting Trust properites and collections, click on the What to See link in the menu.
For information on hiring venues, click on the Function Hire link in the menu.

Education

Our conservation activities also include publications, tours, lectures and public enquiries.

Our publications include the National Trust Research Manual, a couple of cemeteries books, a book on interwar housing, technical bulletins on building conservation, fences and gates etc.

We conduct successful Full Moon Cemetery Tours, night tours of the Old Melbourne Gaol, Jane Austen tours of Rippon Lea and other tours from time to time. For more information click on the Events link in the menu.

Lecture topics include researching your house, the history of Melbourne, the architectural history of the City of Melbourne and historic gardens.

We answer public enquiries through thousands of letters, phone calls and emails during the year. We have a good library which Trust members and members of the public can use. We also have an Advisory Centre, which offers the public advice on the restoration of their houses and gardens.