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National Heritage List (Australia) facts for kids

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Australian National Heritage List
GreatBarrierReef-EO.JPG
Satellite image of part of the Great Barrier Reef adjacent to the Queensland coastal areas of Airlie Beach and Mackay.
Type Heritage register of natural, historic and indigenous places that are not owned by the Commonwealth of Australia
Country Australia
Years 2003–present
Preceded by Register of the National Estate
Compiled by Commonwealth of Australia via the Australian Heritage Council
Approved by Minister for the Environment
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The Australian National Heritage List (also called the National Heritage List or NHL) is a special list of places in Australia. These places are chosen because they are super important to Australia's history, nature, or Indigenous culture. The list was created in 2003. It includes amazing natural spots, historic buildings, and places that are very meaningful to Indigenous Australians, like sacred sites. When a place is added to this list, it gets special protection under an important law called the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (or EPBC Act). You can find all the places on this list, and other heritage lists, in the online Australian Heritage Database.

A Look Back: How the List Started

The National Heritage List was created in 2003. This happened when a law called the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 was updated.

The National Heritage List, along with the Commonwealth Heritage List, took the place of an older list. This older list was called the Register of the National Estate. It was closed and archived in 2007. The National Heritage List is for places that are incredibly important to all of Australia. The Commonwealth Heritage List is for places owned or controlled by the Australian Government.

What Makes a Place Special Enough to Be Listed?

The National Heritage List includes places that have outstanding heritage value for Australia. Once a place is on the list, it is protected by the EPBC Act. To be added to the list, a place is carefully checked by the Australian Heritage Council. They look at nine different reasons why a place might be special:

  • It played an important part in Australia's natural or cultural history.
  • It has rare or unique features from Australia's natural or cultural past.
  • It could help us learn new things about Australia's history or nature.
  • It shows important features of a certain type of Australian place or environment.
  • It has special beauty that a community or group really values.
  • It shows amazing creative or technical skills from a certain time.
  • It has a strong or special connection with a community or group for social, cultural, or spiritual reasons.
  • It is linked to the life or work of an important person or group in Australia's history or nature.
  • It is important as part of Indigenous traditions.

Besides these reasons, the place must be "outstanding." This means its heritage value must be truly amazing for the whole country. This is decided by comparing it to other similar places. After the Heritage Council checks everything, they send their advice to the Minister for the Environment. The Minister then makes the final decision.

How Many Places Are on the List?

As of August 10, 2020, the Australian National Heritage List had 120 special places. Here's how they are spread across Australia's states and territories:

State/territory Number of places
Australian Capital Territory 5
New South Wales 36
Northern Territory 4
Queensland 13
South Australia 8
Tasmania 11
Victoria 32
Western Australia 15
Other territories 3
(duplicates): (4)
Total: 120

Examples of Listed Places

The Australian National Heritage List includes many different types of places. Here are a few examples to give you an idea:

# Image Listed place State Date listed Coordinates Notes
1 Carols at the Abbostford Convent 2009.JPG Abbotsford Convent
(listing)		 Victoria 31 August 2017 37°48′09″S 145°00′14″E / 37.8025°S 145.003889°E / -37.8025; 145.003889 (Abbottsford Convent)
2 Rymill park.JPG Adelaide Park Lands and City Layout
(listing)		 South Australia 7 November 2008 34°56′05″S 138°37′00″E / 34.93467°S 138.6167°E / -34.93467; 138.6167 (Adelaide Park Lands)
3 Australian Academy of Science - The Shine Dome.jpg Australian Academy of Science Building
(listing)		 Australian Capital Territory 21 November 2005 35°17′01.2″S 149°07′21.4″E / 35.283667°S 149.122611°E / -35.283667; 149.122611 (Australian Academy of Science)
4 Mount-howitt-summit.jpg Australian Alps National Parks and Reserves – Alpine National Park
(listing)		 Victoria 7 November 2008 36°29′59″S 148°03′50″E / 36.49972°S 148.06389°E / -36.49972; 148.06389 (Alpine National Park)
Australian Alps National Parks and Reserves – Avon Wilderness
(listing)		 Victoria 37°36′45″S 146°50′34″E / 37.61250°S 146.84278°E / -37.61250; 146.84278 (Avon Wilderness Park)
Baw-baw-view-gippsland.jpg Australian Alps National Parks and Reserves – Baw Baw National Park
(listing)		 Victoria 37°45′50″S 146°13′23″E / 37.76389°S 146.22306°E / -37.76389; 146.22306 (Baw Baw National Park)
Bimberi Wilderness.jpg Australian Alps National Parks and Reserves – Bimberi Nature Reserve
(listing)		 New South Wales 35°34′54″S 148°45′04″E / 35.58167°S 148.75111°E / -35.58167; 148.75111 (Bimberi Nature Reserve)
BrindabellaValleyAndGoodradigbeeRiver.jpg Australian Alps National Parks and Reserves – Brindabella National Park
(listing)		 New South Wales 35°13′54″S 148°46′44″E / 35.23167°S 148.77889°E / -35.23167; 148.77889 (Brindabella National Park)
AU Kosciuszko L Cootapatamba.jpg Australian Alps National Parks and Reserves – Kosciuszko National Park
(listing)		 New South Wales 36°04′20″S 148°20′55″E / 36.07222°S 148.34861°E / -36.07222; 148.34861 (Kosciuszko National Park)
Mt buffalo plateau.jpg Australian Alps National Parks and Reserves – Mount Buffalo National Park
(listing)		 Victoria 36°44′18″S 146°46′30″E / 36.73833°S 146.77500°E / -36.73833; 146.77500 (Mount Buffalo National Park)
Mount Ginini - Namadgi National Park - 2.jpg Australian Alps National Parks and Reserves – Namadgi National Park
(listing)		 Australian Capital Territory 35°40′00″S 148°57′00″E / 35.66667°S 148.95000°E / -35.66667; 148.95000 (Namadgi National Park)
Australian Alps National Parks and Reserves – Scabby Range Nature Reserve
(listing)		 New South Wales 35°45′55″S 148°52′04″E / 35.76528°S 148.86778°E / -35.76528; 148.86778 (Scabby Range)
Little River Gorge.jpg Australian Alps National Parks and Reserves – Snowy River National Park
(listing)		 Victoria 37°16′30″S 148°33′12″E / 37.27500°S 148.55333°E / -37.27500; 148.55333 (Snowy River)
Tidbinbilla Kangaroo.jpg Australian Alps National Parks and Reserves – Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve
(listing)		 Australian Capital Territory 35°27′47″S 148°54′38″E / 35.46306°S 148.91056°E / -35.46306; 148.91056 (Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve)
5 Brickendon farm.jpg Australian Convict Sites – Brickendon Estate
(listing)		 Tasmania 23 June 2007 41°37′01″S 147°07′39″E / 41.61694°S 147.12750°E / -41.61694; 147.12750 (Brickendon Estate) World Heritage Site 2010
CascadesWomens.jpg Australian Convict Sites – Cascades Female Factory and Yard 4 North
(listing)		 Tasmania 1 August 2007[B] 42°53′37″S 147°17′57″E / 42.89361°S 147.29917°E / -42.89361; 147.29917 (Cascades Female Factory)
Saltwater Creek ruins 2.jpg Australian Convict Sites – Coal Mines Historic Site
(listing)		 Tasmania 1 August 2007 42°59′01″S 147°42′59″E / 42.98361°S 147.71639°E / -42.98361; 147.71639 (Coal Mines)
CockatooIslandPanorama.jpg Australian Convict Sites – Cockatoo Island
(listing)		 New South Wales 1 August 2007 33°50′49″S 151°10′16″E / 33.84684°S 151.17115°E / -33.84684; 151.17115 (Cockatoo Island)
Commissariat Store 1825.jpg Australian Convict Sites – Darlington Probation Station
(listing)		 Tasmania 1 August 2007 42°34′54″S 148°04′12″E / 42.58167°S 148.07000°E / -42.58167; 148.07000 (Darlington Probation Station)
Fremantle prison main cellblock.JPG Australian Convict Sites – Fremantle Prison
(listing)		 Western Australia 1 August 2005 32°3′18″S 115°45′13″E / 32.05500°S 115.75361°E / -32.05500; 115.75361 (Fremantle Prison)
Cutting devine hill.jpg Australian Convict Sites – Old Great North Road
(listing)		 New South Wales 1 August 2007 33°22′42″S 150°59′40″E / 33.37833°S 150.99444°E / -33.37833; 150.99444 (Old Great North Road)
Macquarie Night Lights 031-1.jpg Australian Convict Sites – Hyde Park Barracks
(listing)		 New South Wales 1 August 2007 33°52′10″S 151°12′45″E / 33.86944°S 151.21250°E / -33.86944; 151.21250 (Hyde Park Barracks)
Norfolk Island jail1.jpg Australian Convict Sites – Kingston and Arthurs Vale Historic Area
(listing)		 Norfolk Island 1 August 2007 29°03′12″S 167°57′31″E / 29.05333°S 167.95861°E / -29.05333; 167.95861 (KAVHA)
Parramatta-NSW-GovernmentHouse.jpg Australian Convict Sites – Old Government House and Government Domain
(listing)		 New South Wales 1 August 2007 33°48′35″S 150°59′42″E / 33.80972°S 150.99500°E / -33.80972; 150.99500 (Old Government House)
PortArthurPenitentiary.jpg Australian Convict Sites – Port Arthur Historic site
(listing)		 Tasmania 3 June 2005 43°08′52″S 147°51′05″E / 43.14778°S 147.85139°E / -43.14778; 147.85139 (Port Arthur)
WoolmersEstateLongford.jpg Australian Convict Sites – Woolmers Estate
(listing)		 Tasmania 23 November 2007 41°37′01″S 147°07′48″E / 41.61694°S 147.13000°E / -41.61694; 147.13000 (Woolmers Estate)
6 Burra mine site.JPG Australian Cornish Mining Sites – Burra
(listing)		 South Australia 9 May 2017 33°40′47″S 138°55′03″E / 33.67972°S 138.91750°E / -33.67972; 138.91750 (Australian Cornish Mining Sites – Burra)
Moonta Mines Hughes' Enginehouse 4 (22049325459).jpg Australian Cornish Mining Sites – Moonta
(listing)		 34°04′32″S 137°36′31″E / 34.07556°S 137.60861°E / -34.07556; 137.60861 (Australian Cornish Mining Sites – Moonta)
7 Thylacoleo skeleton in Naracoorte Caves.jpg Australian Fossil Mammal Sites (Naracoorte)
(listing)		 South Australia 21 May 2007[A] 36°57′S 140°45′E / 36.950°S 140.750°E / -36.950; 140.750 (Naracoorte Caves) Inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1994
Riversleigh.jpg Australian Fossil Mammal Sites (Riversleigh)
(listing)		 Queensland 19°04′59″S 138°43′01″E / 19.083°S 138.717°E / -19.083; 138.717 (Riversleigh) World Heritage Site 1994
8 The National War Memorial, Canberra.JPG Australian War Memorial and the Memorial Parade
(listing)		 Australian Capital Territory 25 April 2006 35°16′49.76″S 149°08′56.56″E / 35.2804889°S 149.1490444°E / -35.2804889; 149.1490444 (Australian War Memorial)
9 Wallabi Group (excluding North Island).jpg Batavia Shipwreck Site and Survivor Camps Area 1629, Houtman Abrolhos
(listing)		 Western Australia 6 April 2006 28°29′25″S 113°47′36″E / 28.49028°S 113.79333°E / -28.49028; 113.79333 (Batavia Shipwreck Site)
10 Bondi Beach.jpg Bondi Beach
(listing)		 New South Wales 25 January 2008 33°53′28″S 151°16′40″E / 33.8910°S 151.2778°E / -33.8910; 151.2778 (Bondi Beach)
11 BonegillaMigrantCampSculpture.JPG Bonegilla Migrant Camp – Block 19
(listing)		 Victoria 7 December 2007 36°07′52″S 147°00′49″E / 36.1310°S 147.0136°E / -36.1310; 147.0136 (Bonegilla)
12 Brewarrina fish traps on the Barwon.JPG Brewarrina Aboriginal Fish Traps (Baiames Ngunnhu)
(listing)		 New South Wales 3 June 2005
13 BrokenHillFromAbove1.JPG City of Broken Hill
(listing)		 New South Wales 20 January 2015 31°57′S 141°27′E / 31.950°S 141.450°E / -31.950; 141.450 (Broken Hill)
14 Budj Bim National Heritage Landscape – Tyrendarra Area
(listing)		 Victoria 20 July 2004 38°12′00″S 141°46′00″E / 38.20000°S 141.76667°E / -38.20000; 141.76667 (Budj Bim Tyrendarra)
Complex Stone Arrangement - Stony Peninsula 001.jpg Budj Bim National Heritage Landscape – Mount Eccles Lake Condah Area
(listing)		 38°04′00″S 141°55′00″E / 38.06667°S 141.91667°E / -38.06667; 141.91667 (Mount Eccles)
  • One of 15 World Heritage places included in the National Heritage List on 21 May 2007.
  • Yard 4 North was added on 4 August 2009.

You can find the full list of all 120 places on the official Australian Heritage Database website.

Images for kids

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    The Burke, Wills, King and Yandruwandha National Heritage Place

  • Castlemaine Diggings 002

    Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park

  • Centennial Park NSW 2021, Australia - panoramio (1)

    Centennial Park, Sydney

  • Barak's grave headstone

    Coranderrk

  • Cyprus-Hellene Club 150-152 Elizabeth Street Sydney

    Cyprus Hellene Club - Australian Hall, site of the Day of Mourning in 1938

  • Cape Inscription Lighthouse

    Dirk Hartog Landing Site 1616 – Cape Inscription Area

  • ConversationBuilding LarkQuarry

    Dinosaur Stampede National Monument

  • EchucaWharf

    Echuca Wharf

  • Ediacaran-GSSP-IMGP6652-

    Ediacara Fossil Site – Nilpena

  • Eureka 150th official commemoration

    Eureka Stockade Gardens

  • Gairdnerriver

    Fitzgerald River National Park

  • Flemington Racecourse

    Flemington Racecourse

  • Fraser Island view from Indian Head

    Fraser Island

  • Glass House Mountains

    Glass House Mountains National Landscape

  • GlenrowanHistoricPoliceStation

    Glenrowan Heritage Precinct, site of Ned Kelly's capture

  • Mundaring Weir SMC4

    Goldfields Water Supply Scheme

  • Barrington lookout

    Gondwana Rainforests – Barrington Tops Area

  • Toonumbar National Park - Syzygium francisii & Argyrodendron trifoliolatum

    Gondwana Rainforests – Focal Peak Group

  • Werrikimbe

    Gondwana Rainforests – Hastings-Macleay Group

  • Ficus watkinsiana on Syzygium hemilampra-Iluka

    Gondwana Rainforests – Iluka Nature Reserve

  • Mount Mitchell1

    Gondwana Rainforests – Main Range National Park

  • Dorrigo NP

    Gondwana Rainforests – New England Group

  • Ships Stern Lamington National Park

    Gondwana Rainforests – Shield Volcano Group

  • Washpool

    Gondwana Rainforests – Washpool and Gibraltar Range

  • SydneyBay1 ST 03

    Governors' Domain and Civic Precinct

  • Grampians 12 4 05 to 15 4 05 039

    Grampians National Park (Gariwerd)

  • Amazing Great Barrier Reef 1

    Great Barrier Reef

  • Blue Mountains

    Greater Blue Mountains Area

  • The twelve apostles Victoria Australia 2010

    Great Ocean Road

  • HMAS Sydney (AWM 301473) cropped

    HMAS Sydney shipwreck site

  • Cerberus 2007

    HMVS Cerberus

  • The melancholy loss of HMS Sirius off Norfolk Island March 19th 1790 - George Raper

    HMS Sirius shipwreck site

  • Heard Island

    Heard and McDonald Islands

  • Hermannsburg NT

    Hermannsburg Historic Precinct

  • HCA Melbourne LtBourke

    High Court of Australia (former)

  • High Court of Australia

    High Court – National Gallery precinct

  • Orica House

    ICI Building

  • Camp-Kutalayna

    Jordan River Levee

  • View across Botany Bay from Inscription Point

    Kamay Botany Bay

  • Lion Island at sunset

    Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park

  • Kakadu 2411

    Kakadu National Park

  • Captain Cook's Monument, Kurnell

    Kurnell Peninsula Headland, James Cook's first landing site

  • 29 Mount Michaud Lesueur NP XI-2013

    Lesueur National Park

  • Lord Howe Island from North

    Lord Howe Island Group

  • MacquarieIslandIsthmus

    Macquarie Island

  • Mawsons Hut at Cape Denison

    Mawsons Huts and Mawsons Huts Historic site

  • Mcg melb

    Melbourne Cricket Ground

  • IA2015 gnangarra-146

    Melbourne's Domain Parkland and Memorial Precinct

  • Student Action for Aborigines protest outside Moree Artesian Baths, February 1965 - The Tribune (20642815940)

    Moree Baths and Swimming Pool Complex

  • Mount William Aboriginal stone axe quarry

    Mount William Stone Hatchet Quarry

  • Murtoa Stick Shed

    Murtoa No. 1 Grain Shed

  • Newman College - Dining from courtyard

    Newman College

  • Ningaloo

    The Ningaloo Coast

  • Ngarrabullgin001

    Ngarrabullgan

  • North Heads 2

    North Head, Sydney

  • Old Parliament House Canberra NS

    Old Parliament House and Curtilage

  • CSIRO ScienceImage 4350 CSIROs Parkes Radio Telescope with moon in the background

    Parkes Observatory

  • Lockheed C-130A Hercules (A97-214) at the RAAF Museum

    Point Cook Air Base

  • Artillery at Point Nepean 3

    Point Nepean Defence Sites and Quarantine Station Area

  • Devils-slide-frombatespk

    Porongurup National Park

  • Purnululu2

    Purnululu National Park

  • Qantas hangar Longreach

    QANTAS hangar, Longreach

  • Aerial photograph of Queen Victoria Market

    Queen Victoria Market

  • Quinkan1

    Quinkan Country

  • Recherche Bay near Cockle creek

    Recherche Bay (North East Peninsula) Area

  • Richmond Bridge Panorama Restitch

    Richmond Bridge

  • Rippon Lea Estate, Victoria

    Rippon Lea House and Gardens

  • Royal exhibition building tulips straight

    Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens

  • Palm Jungle

    Royal National Park and Garawarra State Conservation Area

  • Stromatolites in Shark Bay

    Shark Bay

  • Sidney Myer Music Bowl

    Sidney Myer Music Bowl

  • Snowy hydro murray 1 machine hall floor

    Snowy Mountains Scheme

  • Adelaide parliament house

    South Australia's Parliament House

  • Bluff knoll 01 gnangarra

    Stirling Range National Park

  • Sydney harbour bridge new south wales

    Sydney Harbour Bridge

  • Sydney Opera House - Dec 2008

    Sydney Opera House

  • CradleMountain

    Tasmanian Wilderness

  • Tree of knowledge monument 1

    Tree of Knowledge, Barcaldine

  • UluruClip3ArtC1941

    Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park

  • The Breadknife

    Warrumbungle National Park

  • Sundown-Point-coast-20160924-004

    Western Tasmania Aboriginal Cultural Landscape

  • Lennard River

    West Kimberley

  • Kuranda - Barron Gorge lookout

    Wet Tropics of Queensland

  • MungoNP

    Willandra Lakes Region

  • Dalhousie Ruins - palms and old buildings in Witjira

    Witjira-Dalhousie Springs

  • Macassan stone arrangement

    Wurrwurrwuy stone arrangements

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