Parks Victoria


Parks Victoria is a government agency of the state of Victoria, Australia.
Parks Victoria was established in December 1996 as a statutory authority, reporting to the Victorian Minister for Environment and Climate Change. The Parks Victoria Act 2018 updates the previous act, Parks Victoria Act 1998. Under the new Act Parks Victoria is responsible for managing over '...4 million hectares including 3,000 land and marine parks and reserves making up 18 per cent of Victoria’s landmass, 75 per cent of Victoria’s wetlands and 70 per cent of Victoria’s coastline'.
For a list of parks and other sites managed by Parks Victoria, see Protected areas of Victoria.

History

Parks Victoria replaced many of the functions and absorbed the staff of the then Department of Natural Resources and Environment and Melbourne Parks & Waterways, which itself was originally part of the former Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works, which mostly managed urban parklands, some of which were formerly MMBW facilities, such as Braeside Park.
The Department of Natural Resources and Environment itself was part of a succession of government departments, originating back to a number of entities including the Forests Commission Victoria, the Crown Lands and Survey Department, National Park Service, Soil Conservation Authority and Fisheries and Wildlife Service.

Notable heritage properties and historic places