The National Trust is concerned by a misrepresentation of the Victorian Heritage Register listing for the Mount Macedon War Memorial Cross to justify the controversial removal of trees on Mount Macedon.  

The Mount Macedon War Memorial Cross is listed on the VHR as a place of profound cultural and social significance, commemorating those who served in the First World War and continuing to function as a site of remembrance for generations of Victorians. The Macedon Ranges are recognised as a Distinctive Area and Landscape under the Planning and Environment Act 1987 and are subject to the Macedon Ranges Statement of Planning Policy 2019, which emphasises the protection of environmental and landscape values. 

Parks Victoria, who manages the Macedon Regional Park, originally applied to the Macedon Ranges Shire Council for the project that will see up to 150 trees removed from the park, including vulnerable Snow Gums and endangered Alpine Ash. The council however refused the application, citing the park’s environmental protections and concerns about biodiversity. Despite this, the project has proceeded after being approved by Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny, being deemed a “state significant project”, effectively bypassing the council’s decision and community opposition. 

Parks Victoria has cited the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) listing of the Macedon Cross, along with a heritage covenant, to justify the tree removals from the surrounding landscape to “restore” views to and from the cross. Their FAQs on the project webpage read as follows, 

Parks Victoria is undertaking work to remove re-growth vegetation to restore historical views to and from the site which is generally consistent with known historical records including the Statement of Significance – H1027 registered with Heritage Victoria….There is a heritage covenant over the Cross Reserve which outlines the expectation that views can be enjoyed from Melbourne and looking out from the cross. These works will reinstate these views, generally consistent, but to a lesser extent than is identified in Heritage Victoria – Statement of Significance – H1027 and the Heritage Impact Statement – Mount Macedon Memorial Cross (H1027). (Mount Macedon viewscape, Parks Victoria) 

We find Parks Victoria’s interpretation stretches the intent of the heritage listing well beyond its scope. While the Statement of Significance for the cross does note its ability to be viewed from considerable distances, the VHR listing does not, however, mandate the reinstatement or maintenance of these view lines as a binding heritage requirement. 

It is able to demonstrate an association with important events in Victoria’s history, the First World War, and it demonstrates the use of particular material in the form of Wunderlich tiles which, because of their reflective nature, are able to enhance the simplicity and symbolism of the cross, and enable it to be viewed from considerable distances. (Macedon Cross (H1027), Statement of Significance, VHD)

It’s unclear what is meant by the reference to a “heritage covenant over the Cross Reserve,” as the extent of the state heritage registration for the Macedon Cross does not include the surrounding reserve. As such, the landscape in which these trees stand is outside the direct remit of Heritage Victoria’s statutory authority. Therefore, to suggest that the VHR requires or compels the removal of these trees is a misrepresentation of the heritage registration, especially when there is no evidence of Heritage Victoria having issued a permit regarding theses works. Instead, it appears that Parks Victoria has used the heritage registration as a justification for the tree removal. 

Our concern for the implications of this case stretches beyond the Mount Macedon Park tree removals, as heritage protections across Victoria are increasingly being drawn into broader debates, including misinformed claims that they constrain development. At a time when heritage protections are already under scrutiny, the misrepresentation of heritage law in this case risks undermining public confidence in a system frequently being scapegoated and misused.   

If heritage protections are to retain public confidence, they must be applied transparently and accurately. In particular, state government bodies should have the integrity to resist the temptation to use heritage as a convenient rationale for decisions driven by other objectives. 

The National Trust calls for a reset in how heritage is being represented in this case. We urge decision-makers to ensure that heritage advice is applied correctly, and that the intent of the Victorian Heritage Register is upheld.

Feature Image: Mount Macedon War Memorial Cross, 2008. Source: VHD