Victoria’s Heartland: Place of Plenty Is Unveiled as Central Victoria’s Bold New Tourism Brand Uniting Four Shires for Regional Visitor Growth

Tourism across Central Victoria is being presented with a fresh face as Destination Central Victoria rolls out its new regional brand, Victoria’s Heartland: Place of Plenty. This shift is being positioned as more than a logo or slogan; it is being framed as an invitation to view Central Victoria as a cohesive, high‑value destination in its own right, rather than as a series of disconnected shires and townships.

Under this new approach, the shires of Central Goldfields, Hepburn, Macedon Ranges and Mount Alexander are being brought together under one regional umbrella. By speaking with a single voice, the region is being placed more firmly on the tourism map, allowing visitors, media and industry partners to recognise a unified story of Central Victoria rather than piecing together separate narratives.

Destination Central Victoria is being positioned as a unified force

Destination Central Victoria is now being recognised as the regional body tasked with shaping, promoting and strengthening tourism across the participating local government areas. The organisation is being backed and funded by the Victorian Government alongside the four partner councils, giving it both legitimacy and the resources needed to act.

Its remit is being described as broad and forward‑looking. Tourism development, collaborative marketing, product innovation and regional partnerships are all being grouped under its responsibility. Rather than each shire pursuing separate efforts in isolation, the region is being encouraged to operate as one coordinated tourism cluster, with Destination Central Victoria acting as a central driver.

Victoria’s Heartland: Place of Plenty is being used to define the promise

The new brand, Victoria’s Heartland: Place of Plenty, is being used to capture the essence of what makes Central Victoria distinctive. The phrase is being chosen deliberately to suggest abundance – not just in one dimension, but across a range of visitor experiences.

Mineral springs and spa retreats are being highlighted as core elements, particularly in areas such as Hepburn, where wellness tourism has long been a strength. Cool‑climate wineries are being positioned as another pillar, inviting visitors to explore cellar doors and vineyard landscapes that thrive in Central Victoria’s conditions. Thriving arts communities, creative spaces and local makers are being included as part of the creative fabric that gives the region personality and depth. Historic heritage townships, with their goldfields history and preserved streetscapes, are being woven into the heartland narrative to appeal to culture and history travellers.

Through this lens, the region is being framed as a place where visitors can reconnect with nature, embrace wellness, savour exceptional food and wine, and immerse themselves in creativity – all within a compact but varied geographic area.

Central Goldfields Shire is being repositioned within the new structure

Central Goldfields Shire is being repositioned as a key destination inside this broader Central Victorian identity. Mayor Cr Ben Green has outlined how the new arrangement differs from the previous alignment with Bendigo Regional Tourism. The change has been brought about by the Victorian Government to ensure more equitable support across councils, and it aligns with evidence showing that visitation patterns to Central Goldfields Shire are driven mainly from the southern part of Central Victoria.

Under the Destination Central Victoria umbrella, Central Goldfields is now being promoted as an integral part of Victoria’s Heartland, rather than as an adjunct to Bendigo. This repositioning is expected to bring clearer focus and more tailored promotional efforts that speak directly to how visitors actually move through the region.

Tourism operators are being promised stronger and more consistent support

From the perspective of tourism businesses and operators, the new brand and structure are being described as an opportunity. The Mayor has emphasised that local tourism enterprises will stand to benefit from more consistent marketing activities and collaborative programs. Instead of fragmented messaging, a coordinated regional marketing strategy is being promised, with Destination Central Victoria curating campaigns that present the whole region as an interconnected journey.

Support for product development and investment is also being highlighted. Under the new arrangements, it is being anticipated that emerging experiences, accommodation offerings, tours and events will be nurtured within a framework that looks across all four shires, identifying gaps and opportunities in the regional visitor offering.

The Victorian Government’s Visitor Economy Plan is being implemented

The shift towards Destination Central Victoria and the launch of Victoria’s Heartland: Place of Plenty are being rooted in a larger statewide strategy. The Victorian Government’s Visitor Economy Recovery and Reform Plan, commissioned in 2019, is being identified as the framework that set these changes in motion.

This plan was designed to ensure that regional communities were given the support and opportunities required to grow within the tourism market. A key outcome has been the transition from the older model of Regional Tourism Boards to a new structure known as Visitor Economy Partnerships. These partnerships are being tasked with delivering greater equity of support, strengthening collaboration and avoiding duplication of effort across the tourism sector.

Destination Central Victoria is being recognised as one of these new‑generation partnerships, built to serve multiple councils and to ensure that the benefits of tourism are distributed more evenly across regions rather than concentrated around a small number of already well‑known hubs.

Collaboration and identity are being placed at the centre of growth

With Victoria’s Heartland: Place of Plenty now in place, Central Victoria is being invited to think of itself as a connected tourism landscape. Guests can move from mineral springs in Hepburn to goldfields heritage in Central Goldfields, from cool‑climate wine in Macedon Ranges to creative communities in Mount Alexander, all under one coherent brand story.

This sense of shared identity is being treated as a strategic advantage. Instead of competing for attention, the four shires are being encouraged to complement each other, promoting themed itineraries, cross‑regional trails and multi‑day journeys that keep visitors in the area longer. In doing so, the region as a whole is being positioned to capture a larger share of the tourism market, while individual towns maintain their distinct character within the broader narrative.

A new chapter for Central Victoria’s visitor economy is being written

With funding and support from the Victorian Government and partner councils, Destination Central Victoria is being tasked with turning this brand into tangible outcomes over the coming years. Marketing campaigns, industry development programs and collaborative experiences are expected to roll out under the banner of Victoria’s Heartland: Place of Plenty.

As this new chapter unfolds, Central Victoria is being framed as a region ready to step forward with clarity and confidence in the tourism arena. Visitors are being invited to see it not as a stopover between more famous places, but as a destination in its own right – one where abundance is expressed through landscapes, history, creativity, wellness and the quiet satisfaction of discovering a place that lives up to its promise of plenty.

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