Monuments to precincts: the National Trust, the Parkville Association and the invention of local heritage in Parkville, Melbourne, 1950s–2020s

Abstract This article traces the conservation history of the inner suburb of Parkville in Melbourne, Australia. It focuses on its 1972 designation as Melbourne’s first urban conservation area by the National Trust of Australia (Victoria). It examines Parkville’s establishment in the setter-colonial city as an elite neighbourhood, its post-war transformation, the role of the resident amenity group, the Parkville Association, and the evolution of heritage planning policies by the City of Melbourne and the state government of Victoria. Using a range of archival sources, including the Victorian Heritage Database, the article analyses the expanding building, conservation area and heritage overlay protections for Parkville from the 1950s to the 2020s, with a particular focus on the years 1971–85. This article interlaces policy and planning, heritage and conservation, and cultural and social change. It argues that Parkville’s designation was demonstrative of urban conservation in Melbourne and reflected evolving international approaches to urban heritage.