HERITAGE ADVICE

Assistance in traversing the heritage system

Navigating the heritage system — whether to satisfy council or statutory requirements, or simply to better understand a place — requires clear, practical advice.

At Touring the Past, we provide heritage guidance that is realistic, usable, and tailored to your needs.

Our advisory service supports projects of all scales and stages. We work on an hourly basis, ensuring advice is commensurate with your requirements and delivered efficiently.

We can assist with:

Pre-purchase advice
Investigate or testing the identified significance of a heritage place
Reviewing proposed changes or designs
Engage with consent bodies on your behalf
Prepare Feasibility Studies and Master Plans
Provide ad hoc or ongoing heritage advice

Popular Insights on Heritage Advice

Heritage ‘Breathing Space’: Why Architectural Pauses Matter

When new architecture meets old in Sydney or Melbourne, the gap between them is never just empty space — it’s a design tool. A recess, screen, or setback makes it clear what is historic and what is new, allowing each to be understood on its own terms. Like a pause in music, separation gives weight to what comes before and after, encouraging reflection rather than confusion. Far from wasted space, these gaps honour history, sharpen design, and let contemporary interventions co

Touring the Past

Oct 183 min read

Heritage Impact Assessments: Why Junctions Matter

Ensuring that transition between significant fabric and an addition is vital to the success of a heritage project.

Touring the Past

Jun 13, 20203 min read

Working with Heritage Regulations in Sydney and Melbourne

Managing Change, Not Freezing Time Municipal rules aren’t new. As The Past and Future City (Stephanie Meeks and Kevin C. Murphy, 2016) reminds us, even ancient Assyria had planning edicts: If ever any person living in the city pulls down his old house and builds a new and the foundations of that house encroaches on the royal processional way, they shall hang that man upon a stake over his own house. By comparison, even the prickliest design review in Melbourne or regional Vi

Touring the Past

Jan 5, 20203 min read