Did you know 18 April is World Heritage Day? Each year on this date we mark the ICOMOS International Day for Monuments and Sites.
This day is a chance to reflect on the places that matter to us all, no matter where we live.
Australia is home to 21 natural, cultural and mixed World Heritage places.
Many of us have experienced a World Heritage site, whether:
- on a holiday to one of our beautiful natural sites
- learning about places sacred to Australia' s First Nations people
- travelling past an iconic building on our daily commute.
World Heritage Day is a reminder of our role to look after these places, so future generations from all over the world can appreciate them.
Being included on the UNESCO World Heritage List protects places that have outstanding value to the world. It shines an international spotlight on monitoring, managing and protecting. This is especially important in the face of climate change.
Australia's most recent World Heritage listing is the Murujuga Cultural Landscape, in Western Australia's Pilbara region. It is a remarkable example of First Nations cultural heritage.
Murujuga is estimated to be home to an astounding 1 to 2 million petroglyphs. It also contains stone arrangements and countless stories of connection to Country and culture.
The 2025 inscription for Murujuga honours the leadership of the Ngarda-Ngarli, the Traditional Owners and Custodians of Murujuga. They have cared for this sacred landscape for more than 50,000 years.
Murujuga is one of Earth's most extraordinary cultural landscapes and the second property in Australia recognised for its First Nations cultural values, following the inscription of Budj Bim in 2019.
Budj Bim, in Victoria, is a mixed World Heritage property. It demonstrates the strong connection between culture and nature. Budj Bim is recognised for its sophisticated aquaculture system, engineered by the Gunditjmara people.
We also have the Great Barrier Reef, the largest living structure on Earth. It can be seen from space, including from the International Space Station. Added to the list in 1981, it is one of 29 World Heritage properties with coral reef systems.
We also have outstanding built heritage like the instantly recognisable Sydney Opera House. It has more than one million ceramic tiles across its shell structures and more than 1,000 rooms.
The Sydney Opera House is listed as a masterpiece of human creative genius. It is one of the great architectural works of the 20th century.
Other built heritage includes:
- the Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens
- Port Arthur Historic Site, one of 11 convict-era places that together form the Australian Convict Sites.
We are not yet finished recognising our amazing and unique contributions to World Heritage. The Victorian and Broken Hill Trades Halls were recently nominated for World Heritage listing. They were nominated together with halls in Denmark and Belgium for their early contribution to workers' rights.
We have progressed application to recognise the Flinders Rangers, The Cornish Mine sites in South Australia.
Nominating and having sites listed isn't enough. We must continue to care for these sites so future generations can enjoy, learn from and be proud of our ongoing contribution to humanity and the World.
By caring for sites like Murujuga, the Sydney Opera House and the Great Barrier Reef we are protecting the world's shared heritage. This ensures future generations can enjoy the wonder of these places.
