Several states have recently overhauled their planning legislation. This paper discusses flaws in heritage legislation and how they might be rectified. It finds that heritage decisions fail to consider the costs of heritage protections. As a result, too many unremarkable buildings are preserved, restricting housing density and exacerbating the housing crisis.

This research paper provides an overview of the system of laws, regulations and bodies designed to protect Victoria’s historic buildings, landscapes, and culturally significant places. Maps of local government areas showing the concentration of heritage overlays within each LGA are also included.

Using the example of the entrance to Flinders Street Station – and the iconic steps and clocks that serves as a popular gathering point – this paper discusses how the development of an informal cultural practice embedded within the Melbourne imaginary is also challenged by competing policy objectives.

2016 marks the 30th anniversary of Richard Lowenstein’s acclaimed Dogs in Space, a fictionalized cinematic memoir of nominal bohemians in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond. Set 6-8 years before the film’s release, Lowenstein utilised genuine participants in the events/milieu depicted, as well as key locations, notably the house central to the film’s story.

Nineteenth-century shopping arcades are woven into Melbourne’s urban fabric. Images of the Block and Royal Arcades adorn social media and other websites and during the day, they are thronged by both locals and tourists. On the ground level, boutique stores and eateries display their goods, while on the upper floors, a variety of businesses occupy...