Why We’re Reviewing the Survey

We’re updating the City of Bunbury’s Local Heritage Survey (formerly known as the Municipal Heritage Inventory) so it better reflects our community’s history and follows the latest State Heritage Council’s Local Heritage Survey Guidelines (2022).

As part of the review, we’re updating two main areas:

• Thematic History - This is the big picture story of Bunbury, how the city grew and changed over time. We’re updating it to better recognise First Nations history as the foundation of Bunbury’s story, alongside more recent heritage, so the story is more accurate and complete.

• Place Records - These are the individual listings for heritage places around Bunbury. We’re checking each one to make sure the information is correct and that each place is in the right significance category – from Category 1 (highest) to Category 4 (lowest).

First Nations Heritage

All First Nations heritage is protected under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972 (as amended), which applies to sites and places of cultural significance regardless of age, form, or whether they are physical or spiritual in nature.

The City encourages the nomination of places of First Nations heritage importance as part of the Local Heritage Survey review. While many of these places are already protected under the Aboriginal Heritage Act, inclusion in the Local Heritage Survey provides an additional layer of recognition and protection.

Within the Local Heritage Survey, we can:

• Recognise and acknowledge First Nations history as part of the City’s broader thematic history.
• Identify places of First Nations heritage importance, provided they meet requirements such as being a physical place

As part of this review, the City will work closely with First Nations stakeholders to ensure both of these elements are included respectfully and accurately.

About the Survey and Heritage Protection

The Local Heritage Survey is not a statutory document. Being listed in the Survey does not automatically provide heritage protection. Instead, the Survey helps the City identify important places that might qualify for heritage protection through:

• The Local Heritage List
• A designated Heritage Area, or
• Nomination to the State Register of Heritage Places

Under Local Planning Policy 6.2 – Heritage Listing, Assessment and Concessions, places are currently recommended for the Local Heritage List based on their category:

• Category 1 – Exceptional Significance: Recommended for the Local Heritage List and generally for the State Register
• Category 2 – Considerable Significance: Recommended for the Local Heritage List
• Category 3 – Some/Moderate Significance: Currently recommended for the Local Heritage List
• Category 4 – Little Significance: Typically historic sites; not included on the Local Heritage List

As part of this review, the City will update the Local Heritage List if any place categories change.

You can also explore the Heritage Council’s inHerit database to find more information about places currently included in the City’s Local Heritage Survey.

What Happens Next

Once nominations close, the review process will follow these steps:

1. The City’s heritage consultant and City officers will assess all nominations.

2. If any recommended changes impact the Local Heritage List, affected landowners will be contacted directly.

3. A draft version of the updated Survey will be presented to the Heritage Advisory Committee and Council for approval to advertise.

4. The draft Survey will then be released for public comment before it goes back to Council for final approval.