Mount Macedon viewscape
The project
This project is being delivered on the Traditional Lands of the Wurundjeri People.
Standing at the top of Mount Macedon, the Mount Macedon Memorial Cross is an important historical Victorian symbol.
The Memorial Cross is registered in the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) and is important to the State of Victoria for historic, social and aesthetic reasons.
The cross was originally designed to be visible from the surrounding countryside and to have sweeping views over the plains towards the city. In the years since 1983 Ash Wednesday fires, the trees around the Memorial Cross have grown to a point where the viewscape has been obscured.
There is a heritage note over the Memorial Cross Reserve which outlines the requirement that views can be enjoyed towards Melbourne looking out from the base of the Cross while also allowing locals from Macedon and beyond to see the Memorial as a reassuring feature of peace enduring. To reinstate these view attributes, Parks Victoria will remove a minimal number of trees that are on a section below the Cross, leaving mid-story, and a grass and forbs understory. To respect changing times, the viewscape area has been vastly reduced from what has been existed for nearly one hundred years.
Open House and Community Engagement - 6 June
Parks Victoria is providing an opportunity for community groups and individuals to meet with Park Rangers and hear about these works.
Those interested can drop-in anytime between 2-7pm on Tuesday 6 June at the Parks Victoria Office - Nursery Road, Macedon.
Project benefits
Visitors
Each year, hundreds-of-thousands of people visit Macedon Regional Park and the Memorial Cross Reserve. This project will reinstate a spectacular partial view at one of the mounts highest locations.
Community
The local community has strong connections to the Memorial Cross, which is Victoria’s second most visited war memorial. This undertaking will help maintain a reduced view that supports the site’s purpose and intent.
Heritage
The Mount Macedon Memorial Cross Reserve has been listed on the Victorian Heritage Register since 1994. These works will reinstate views to, and from, the cross- an expectation of the site’s heritage covenant.
Project funding
This project is funded through the Victorian Government’s Distinctive Area Landscape (DAL) program, which recognizes and safeguards landscapes of outstanding environmental and cultural significance.
Project timeline
Subject to assessments, permits and on-ground conditions, this project is expected to occur late 2023. Completion time will be approximately two weeks.
Environment and cultural heritage management
Thorough environmental, heritage and cultural assessments will be completed as required prior to any removal of vegetation, with any disturbance kept to a minimum and indigenous shrubs and grasses retained wherever possible.
Only tall re-growth vegetation will be removed, with all other vegetation retained to create a montane grassland with smaller shrubs, herbs and sedges.
All tree root balls will remain in the ground to reduce soil disturbance and prevent erosion. Machinery operators will put measures in place to minimize disturbance, with selected trees being hand fallen. Most debris will be removed from site.
Parks Victoria has completed a detailed planning process to ensure protection of Aboriginal Cultural Heritage, historical heritage and environmental values around the Memorial Cross.
Macedon Ranges Shire Council Permit Requirement
Currently Parks Victoria has a planning application to removed 0.79Ha of tall timber native vegetation directly below the Memorial Cross and is waiting for a notification of the application.
Who are we working with?
Parks Victoria has engaged with key community stakeholders and groups, including the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation, and the Mount Macedon Memorial Cross Committee.
Access changes
Before visiting any park you should check the relevant park page for any Change of Conditions.
During this project, there may be short periods of time when access to the Memorial Cross is temporarily unavailable. Signage will inform visitors about any changes, in addition to the Parks Victoria website.
A section of the Macedon Ranges Walking Track between Bawden Road and the Memorial Cross (locally referred to as the ‘Goat Track’) will be closed during the works to ensure the safety of visitors. Parks Victoria advises hikers to start or end their walk at the Harbison’s Picnic Ground.
Staying updated
This page will be updated with the latest information about the project.
Related information
- Macedon Regional Park
- Distinctive Areas and Landscapes: Macedon Ranges
- Fact Sheet: Mount Macedon viewscape (May 2023 - PDF)
FAQs
How are snow gums being managed through the works?
Some regrowth Snow Gums will be removed to allow views to and from the cross and to protect the historical Mount Macedon Memorial Cross during a bushfire. A small number of Snow Gum trees will be impacted within Macedon Regional Park.
When will the works be undertaken?
Works are expected to commence late 2023 and are expected to take up to two weeks, subject to weather conditions, contractor availability and other on site conditions. Works will be occurring Monday to Friday and will not be scheduled over the weekend and Public Holidays.
How will Parks Victoria minimize the impacts to wildlife?
All Parks Victoria operations are carefully planned and managed to minimize impacts on the landscape, plants and animals. Each morning prior to the start of the works, and during the day at regular intervals, contractors will inspect the work site to prevent impacts to wildlife.
Will there be additional planting during the works?
A montane grassland is to develop naturally in the project area. Staff will monitor the site to see if additional lower storey plantings are beneficial.
What is the future maintenance plans to ensure the view is maintained?
The way the works have been designed, it is expected that the views will require limited annual maintenance because the vegetation types and the site typography.