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

Is Your Melbourne Property Affected by a Heritage Overlay? Initial Heritage Advice | Touring the Past

Planning alterations, an extension, demolition or redevelopment to a Melbourne property affected by a Heritage Overlay can raise important questions. Touring the Past provides independent heritage advice to help identify key constraints and opportunities early. Book a free, no-obligation online heritage project discussion of up to 30 minutes with us.

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The Burra Charter’s cautious approach still holds. But the ‘as little as possible’ refrain is too readily turned into a default ‘no’ — Heritage consulting Sydney and Melbourne

The Burra Charter’s ‘do as much as necessary, and as little as possible’ is a useful discipline, but in Melbourne and Sydney it is too often used as a polite shut-down. If we cannot explain what is actually ‘necessary’ — and for what outcome — ‘as little as possible’ becomes a comforting default rather than a test. Keep the maxim. Stop using it as a veto stamp. Identify the real risks to the place, then design the tightest intervention that genuinely addresses them without er

Touring the Past

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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 18, 20253 min read