Criteria for Inclusion in the Victorian Heritage Register

For a place or object to be included in the Victorian Heritage Register it must meet at least one of the Heritage Council of Victoria’s criteria for assessment. These criteria are used to determine the importance of a place or object to the history and development of Victoria.

Below are a series of examples of which illustrate each criterion, click on each image for details.

For guidance in applying these criteria refer to the Victorian Heritage Register Criteria and Threshold Guidelines 2019 (PDF 1.2MB) .

For additional assistance in assessing the cultural heritage significance of places and objects under Criterion G (social value) see our Guidance on identifying places and objects of state-level social value in Victoria (PDF 403KB) and (Word 267 KB).

Find the Heritage Council’s other policy and guidance material here.

Criterion A

Importance to the course, or pattern, of Victoria’s cultural history.

Criterion B

Possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Victoria’s cultural history.

Criterion C

Potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Victoria’s cultural history.

Criterion D

Importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of cultural places and objects.

Criterion E

Importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics

Criterion F

Importance in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period.

Criterion G

Strong or special association with a particular present-day community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons.

Criterion H

Special association with the life or works of a person, or group of persons, of importance in Victoria’s history.