Heritage isn’t just about the past - it’s a powerful part of the future! Held at Bendigo’s newest cultural venue, designed to honour the survival of the Dja Dja Wurrung People while embracing new ways of sharing knowledge, this event merges tech and tradition to explore how innovation keeps heritage alive.

Through engaging lightning talks, discover:

3D laser scanning and digital tools preserving Bendigo’s heritage
How heritage inspires new generations and enriches communities
Updates on the Victorian Goldfields World Heritage Listing

This forum offers a rare opportunity for discovery, discussion, and connection. Whether passionate about heritage and history, fascinated by technology, or just curious, this event promises to inspire and engage!

Event program

6pm to 6.15pm: Welcome and introduction

Welcome to Country
Opening remarks: Mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf and Heritage Advisory Committee Chair, Cr Damien Hurrell

6.15pm to 7.30pm: Session 1 - Unearthing Stories and Practices

Keynote address: Reflections from a DJAARA representative, and an update on a major landscape mapping project. Presented by Cora Wolswinkel, Strategic Aboriginal Heritage Assessments Project Officer, DJAARA.
Innovative Heritage Practices: Highlights of 3D laser scanning projects, with live visuals of heritage sites. Presented by Janita Norman, Built Heritage Advisor, City of Greater Bendigo
Hidden Treasures Heritage: Using digital access to uncovering information from titles. Presented by Dr Sue Walter, Bendigo Regional Archives Centre.
Community Contributions: An overview and update of the Bendigo Military Museum’s digital storytelling project, Faces of Peace: Central Victoria’s Peacekeepers, Peacebuilders and Peacemakers. Presented by Lena Morrison-van Velsen, Museum Curator, Bendigo Military Museum.
Heritage Sustainability: Case study on preserving historic properties & integrating sustainability. Presented by Ian McBurney, Bendigo resident and Coordinator Climate Action, City of Greater Bendigo.
Panel discussion: "How Can Bendigo’s Heritage Engage and Enrich the Next Generation?" Q&A with previous speakers.

7.30pm to 7.50pm: Lightly catered break

7.50pm to 8.20pm: Session 2 - Shaping the Future

Central Victorian Goldfields World Heritage Bid: Trevor Budge on the importance and progress of the bid.

8.20pm to 8.30pm: Conclusion and thanks.