Member Profile Guidelines

Your website member profile

Your profile on victoriasheartland.com.au helps visitors discover your business and plan their trip. This guide walks you through setting up your profile, selecting the appropriate categories, and making the most of your listing.

Why have a profile?

A business profile listing increases your visibility to visitors looking for things to do, places to eat, and where to stay.

It also boosts your business’s online presence by adding links from trusted tourism websites like victoriasheartland.com.au, Visit Victoria and Tourism Australia which can help improve your search engine ranking.

Business profiles are either:

Pulled from the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW)

  • An ATDW listing provides additional exposure through Visit Victoria and Australia.com, helping your business reach a wider, travel-ready audience.
    You can easily add deals and events, and tour operators can showcase multiple tour products within a single profile.
  • An ATDW listing is included as part of DCV’s Strategic and Engaged partnerships. Once you sign up as a DCV partner, we’ll issue you with an ATDW coupon code to use at checkout when you visit atdw.com.au
    to create your dashboard and activate your listing.

Created directly on our website

If you are a DCV Connected partner you will need to complete our website listing form providing a range of information and images, which we will review and upload. A direct listing follows the ATDW categories and guidelines for consistency across victoriasheartland.com.au

Connected partner business profile

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

To list on our Victoria’s Heartland website your business must meet the following criteria:

  • Be a financial direct tourism partner of Destination Central Victoria
  • Operate within Central Victoria, in the following Shires Hepburn Shire, Macedon Ranges Shire, Mt Alexander Shire, and Central Goldfields Shire.
  • Provide a tourism or leisure experience
  • Have a physical presence in Victoria’s Heartland where visitors can access your product or service

WHAT’S INCLUDED IN YOUR PROFILE?

Your listing should include:

  • Business name, address, contact details, social media, and website link
  • Up to three categories (see options below)
  • A short, engaging business description (200-300 words)
  • At least one landscape image

IMAGE REQUIREMENTS

Size: 2500px x 1500px, 1-5Mb

Format: .jpg or .png (no posters, collages, or text overlays)

Orientation: Landscape preferred

HOW TO CHANGE YOUR LISTING

What happens when you need to make changes, for example to update a business description, change contact information or change images?

If you have an ATDW business profile listing, any changes must be made by you via the ATDW platform, after review by ATDW these are automatically updated on victoriasheartland.com.au

If you are a connected partner with a direct listing, changes can be made by contacting info@dcvtourism.com.au

We will accept a maximum of two changes per financial year. Additional changes will be at the discretion of the DCV team. Please allow up to 4 business days for changes to appear.

CATEGORIES

victoriasheartland.com.au is split into five main sections to match how people search when planning their trip. Within each section, you can choose up to three categories that best describe your business. These categories help visitors find you more easily when they’re browsing the site.

STAY

  1. Hotels & Motels
  2. Cottages & Holiday Homes – includes Farmstays
  3. Retreats & Resorts – includes Lodges
  4. Bed & Breakfast
  5. Caravan, Camping & Holiday Parks

SEE AND DO

  1. Attractions – Theme parks, cinemas, observatories, and other entertainment venues. Examples: Adventure Park, mini golf, cinemas.
  2. Arts & Culture – Museums, galleries, and heritage sites open to visitors.
  3. Parks & Gardens – National parks, nature reserves, and botanical gardens.
    Examples: Geelong Botanic gardens, You Yangs.
  4. Shopping – Retail stores focusing on local or unique products.
    Examples: Artisan shops, local markets, shopping precincts.
  5. Wellbeing & Spa – Day spas, wellness retreats, and relaxation services.
  6. Sport & Adventure – Golf courses, rock climbing, skydiving, and other active experiences.
  7. Wildlife – Zoos, sanctuaries, and aquariums.
    Walks & Trails – Walking and biking routes, including national park trails.

TOURS

  1. Adventure & Outdoor – Surfing, skydiving, rock climbing, and similar activities. Examples: Surf schools, abseiling tours, canyoning guides.
  2. Food & Wine – Winery tours, tastings, and behind-the-scenes experiences. Examples: Wine tours, food tastings, brewery visits.
    Sightseeing – Guided coach or walking tours of attractions and landmarks. Examples: City tours, heritage walks, scenic drives.
  3. Boating & Fishing – Cruises, sailing, fishing charters, and water activities. Examples: Deep-sea fishing, yacht charters, boat rentals.

EAT AND DRINK

  1. Restaurants
  2. Cafes & General Stores
  3. Pubs & Bars
  4. Wineries & Cellar Doors
  5. Distilleries, Ciders & Breweries
  6. Makers & Growers
  7. Farmers’ Markets
  8. Cooking Schools & Classes
  9. Food & Wine Tours

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Visitor Information Centres – Official centres where visitors can get travel tips and brochures. Examples: Regional visitor centres, local tourism offices.

LIST AN EVENT

Please note: ALL events need to be listed on ATDW – these are free. Check out how to list your event here. All updates and edits are made through your ATDW login, this is completely free.

If you have an ATDW business profile listing, your event will also show under your profile