 Mr. Tim O’Brien Convenor Save the Holden Bushlands Re: GMH Holden Proving Ground, Lang Lang Dear Mr. O’Brien, The National Trust of Australia (Victoria) [National Trust] is the state’s largest community- based heritage advocacy organisation actively working towards conserving and protecting our heritage for future generations to enjoy, representing 28,000 members across Victoria. The National Trust maintains a Heritage Register of Significant Places, including buildings, landscapes, gardens and trees. As Victoria’s premier heritage and conservation organisation, the National Trust has an interest in ensuring that the wide range of natural, cultural, social and Indigenous heritage values are protected and respected, contributing to strong, vibrant and prosperous communities. We strongly support the advocacy of Save The Holden Bushlands in seeking public ownership and long-term protection of the Holden Proving Ground site. The 877-hectare site forms an important biodiversity corridor that extends from Lang Lang to Western Port, and contains remnant coastal vegetation and endangered fauna species.
The site has cultural heritage value as a significant landscape and we are in strong support of its inclusion within the Statement of Planning Policy currently being prepared as part of the Distinctive Areas and Landscapes project. As noted by Pat Macwhirther in Harewood, Western Port: Stardust To Us (2016, Hilaka Press), the site also has the potential to provide significant information on Aboriginal-Settler relations, Aboriginal astronomy, and long-term human history in relation to movement and flooding of the Bass Strait. We encourage consultation with Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation and the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council on this matter. We commend Save The Holden Bushlands and Bass Coast Shire Council for progressing this important work, with a view to ensuring the continued identification, protection, conservation, interpretation, and celebration of the site’s environmental and cultural heritage. If you have any questions regarding the above, please contact Eloise Dowd, Environmental Heritage Advocate, on 9656 9823, or at eloise.dowd@nattrust.com.au. Yours faithfully, Felicity Watson Advocacy Manager National Trust of Australia (Victoria) Comments are closed.
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resourcesDocuments, letters and submissions related to the campaign to save the Holden bushlands 
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