The-Burra-Charter-2013-Adopted-31.10.2013
The Burra Charter defines the basic principles and procedures to be followed in the conservation of heritage places. These principles and procedures can be applied to a monument, a courthouse, a garden, a shell midden, a rock art site, a cottage, a road, a mining or archaeological site, a whole district or a region.
At an international conference of people involved in conservation in Venice in 1966, a charter was drawn up dealing with the preservation and restoration of historic monuments. In 1977 the newly formed Australia ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) decided to review the Venice Charter in relation to Australian practice.
In 1979, the Australia ICOMOS charter for the conservation of places of cultural significance was adopted at a meeting at the historic mining town of Burra Burra in South Australia. It was given the short title of The Burra Charter.
The Burra Charter accepted the philosophy and concepts of the Venice Charter, but wrote them in a form which would be practical and useful in Australia. The Burra Charter is the result of the collective wisdom and experience of people working in the conservation of heritage places in Australia and overseas.