Below is the introduction, overall position, section headings and conclusion of the submission. see the attached pdf for the full submission.
1. Introduction
Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the Draft Yarra Ranges Heritage Strategy 2026– 2036 and the Draft Heritage Policy. This submission has been prepared on behalf of the Save the Dandenongs League Inc. (SDL).
The Save the Dandenongs League was founded on 9 October 1950 when 200 residents gathered at the Kalorama Memorial Hall at the initiative of Miss May Moon MBE, Professor John Turner, and Cr Eric Leane of Ferntree Gully. For 75 years the League has maintained a continuous and active public advocacy for the protection and orderly development of the Dandenong Ranges, including their natural beauty, historical significance, native habitat, watersheds, and cultural landscapes. The League is a not-for-profit, non-sectarian, non-party organisation and an active member of the Yarra Ranges Heritage Network.
We commend Council for developing its first-ever Heritage Strategy and Policy, a milestone that community groups—including the League—have advocated for over more than two decades. We also commend the broad community consultation process, including the community heritage group workshop held at Montrose Township Centre in April 2026.
SDL acknowledges that the long-awaited Strategy follows the adoption of the Council Community Vision 2036, builds upon the Yarra Ranges Heritage Study, and draws on the consultant Thematic Environmental History (2000).
2. Overall Position
SDL strongly supports the adoption of both the Draft Heritage Strategy and the Draft Heritage Policy. We endorse the Strategy as well structured, accessible, and visually engaging. We support its guiding principles, its overview of Council’s role in heritage, and its alignment with Heritage Victoria’s Municipal Heritage Strategies guidance and The First Peoples’ Ways of Knowing, Being and Doing framework.
We commend the identification of key issues, challenges, and opportunities, and we endorse the Action Plan as a clear response to the pivotal role Council plays in understanding, protecting, and celebrating the heritage of the Yarra Ranges municipality.
We strongly endorse the inclusion of traditional and evolving perspectives on natural environmental heritage and the recognition that heritage encompasses First Peoples’ cultural heritage, European and post-contact heritage, natural heritage, cultural landscapes, and intangible heritage including stories, traditions, and community memory.
While we commend the overall direction, this submission provides both general comments and specific recommendations to strengthen the documents as they are finalised for consideration by Council.
3. General Comments
3.1 The Central Role of Council in Heritage Protection
3.2 Statutory Planning and Heritage Landscape Protection
4. Specific Comments on the Draft Strategy Action Plan
5. Resourcing and Implementation
6. Climate Change, Bushfire, and Heritage Risk
7. Conclusion
Save the Dandenongs League again commends Council on the release of the Draft Heritage Strategy and Heritage Policy. These documents represent a significant and long-awaited step toward comprehensive heritage management in the Yarra Ranges.
We strongly advocate for the provision of the necessary resources to ensure the Strategy’s effective implementation, ongoing review, and transparent reporting to the community. Heritage is not merely a record of the past; it is the foundation upon which communities build their identity, resilience, and sense of place. The Dandenong Ranges and the broader Yarra Ranges deserve a heritage framework equal to their significance.