Conserving and celebrating our heritage

DENR aims to conserve and celebrate the state's cultural heritage for the benefit of all South Australians.

Conserving our cultural heritage

DENR is responsible for developing state heritage strategies and polices. We also identify, protect, conserve and promote state heritage places and maritime heritage within the following legislative guidelines:

Heritage Places Act 1993
Historic Shipwrecks Act 1981
Australian Government Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976.

DENR supports accepted conservation philosophy, such as that of the Burra Charter, to ensure that heritage conservation is best practice. The Burra Charter is the nationally accepted standard for heritage conservation practice in Australia.

We also support the conservation of heritage places through adaptive reuse when appropriate.

DENR, on behalf of the Minister for Environment and Conservation, provides advice and general information to councils, planning authorities, owners and the general community about heritage conservation. In addition, the Heritage Advisory Service, which services many local councils, provides professional heritage advice to local communities, including advice to individual owners.

DENR manages the South Australian Heritage Register on behalf of the South Australian Heritage Council. We also maintain files for all places assessed for entry in the Register, as well as state heritage places.

DENR also holds copies of heritage surveys (39kb pdf) and conservation management plans (78kb pdf).

Celebrating our heritage

DENR celebrates the state's cultural heritage and our heritage volunteers through the Heritage Heroes Awards.

There are several awards which recognise excellence in heritage conservation and adaptive reuse. There are also awards for tourism operators that promote a better understanding of history, heritage or culture.

Since 2005, DENR has sponsored the annual DENR SA Built Heritage Research Fellowship at the Architecture Museum, University of South Australia.