2.0 HHMP Methodology · 2019. 10. 3. · HHMP Hunter Expressway HHMP Methodology Umwelt (Australia) Pty Limited 2437/R01/FINAL May 2010 2.3 2.5 Relevant Planning Instruments A review

HHMP Hunter Expressway HHMP Methodology

Umwelt (Australia) Pty Limited 2437/R01/FINAL M ay 2010 2.1

2.0 HHMP Methodology This HHMP was developed by drawi ng on inf ormation in existing historic al h eritage assessments (Walker and Pike 1995; Umwelt 2005a; Umwelt 2005b; Umwelt 2009a; Umwelt 2009b and Umwelt 200 9c) for the approved Hunter Ex pressway and by a s ite i nspection during September 2007 of known historical heritage items within the project area by Umwelt. 2.1 Previous Historical Heritage Assessments

The Hunter E xpressway was assessed as part of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) undertaken by Conne ll Wagner for the RTA in 1995. Meredith Walker and Penelope Pike prepared a historical heritage assessment of th e proposed road corridor as part of the EIS (Working Paper No. 5, Heritage S tudy, Connell Wagner 1995). The as sessment by Walker and Pik e (1995) carri ed out detailed his torical research and as sessment for the pr oposed road corr idor and ide ntified several p laces of signi ficance including the South Ma itland Railway, Richmond Vale Railwa y T unnels and the Greta A rmy Ca mp. Since the Connell Wagner EI S (1995), the RTA modifi ed the Hunter E xpressway ro ad co rridor (refer t o Figure 1.1 for the modified and approved road corridor). Many items of heritage significance identified by Walk er and Pike (1995) are not wi thin the modified road corridor of the Hunter Expressway (refer to Figure 2.1). The RTA road corri dor modifications led to Umwelt being engaged to as sess se veral new areas. These areas were assessed and subject to several reports which included: • Umwelt (2009a) A Historical Heritage Assessment of two brick weirs, a fan shaft and a

stone wall, Minmi Creek, Seahampton, NSW.

• Umwelt (2009b) A ssessment of the Historic al A rchaeology of the Hu nter Ex pressway: The Illalong – Greta Camp Precinct.

• Umwelt (20 09c) Salvag e and Inv estigation of the Historical Bottle Du mp, Bl ack Creek, Branxton, NSW.

• Umwelt (2005a) A Historical Heritage Assessment for the South Maitland Railway.

Umwelt carried out a s urvey of the modified road corridor for the Aboriginal archaeological and cu ltural heritage v alues. The survey ide ntified several new his torical herita ge i tems. These items were recorded in Umwelt (2005). These repo rts were u sed as the contextual basis for th is HHMP. This HHMP is not a reassessment of historical heritage objects. Further discussion and de scription of historical heritage objects identified within the Hunter Expressway is provided in Section 4.0. 2.2 Site Inspection

A site i nspection was undertaken by Mary -Jean Sutto n (Seni or Archaeologist), Ju lian Travaglia (Archaeologist) of Umwe lt and Tim Chapman (Surveyor, RTA) on 22 Aug ust and 9 November 2007. The purpose of the site inspection was to assis t in the development of appropriate management strategies for this HHMP.



2.3 Consultation

Consultation with the Heritage Branch, DoP and local historical societies was undertaken for the compilation of the HHMP. 2.3.1 Heritage Branch, DoP

The s ignificance asse ssment and management s trategy pres ented i n t his report considers specific discussion with the Heritag e Branch, DoP d uring a meeti ng with Umwelt and the RTA on 8 J une 2007. The meeting was he ld with Dr S iobhan La velle (S enior Heritage Officer (Archa eology)), Sam Moody (Archaeologist) and Yvonne Kai ser-Glass (Archaeologist) from th e Heri tage Branch, DoP, Jan Wilson (Associa te/Manager Cultura l Heritage) and Mary-Jean Sutton (Senior Archaeologist) from Umwelt, Allan Bowditch (Project Development Manager ), Da vid Ledlin (Pro ject Manager) and Dani el Perciv al (Heritage Officer) from the RTA. A briefing note was provided to the Heritage Branch, DoP prior to this meeting for discu ssion. The bri efing note i ncluded a des cription of this pro ject, identified heritage items within the project area, significance assessment and proposed management. This report was revised to c onsider the outcomes of th e meeting with the Heritage Branch and now addresses all the issues raised at the meeting. 2.3.2 Local Historical Society

Consultation with rel evant loc al his torical societies wa s undertaken as part of Umwe lt assessments (2009a, 2009b, 2009 c) and for this HHMP. His torical soci eties consu lted included the Coalfields Heritage Group and the Sing leton and District Historical Society and Museum. The library of the Coalfields Heritage Group and the Newcastle Regional Library’s Local Histories Section were reviewed for the preparation of this HHMP. 2.4 Additional Research

Additional research wa s undertake n for this HHMP to as sist wi th the development of appropriate management strategies for heritage items. This research included: • internet research for specific heritage items;

• review of Parish Maps for specific heritage items;

• review of land title searches for specific heritage items;

• review of previous assessments;

• review of the Newcastle Regional Library’s Local Histories Collection; and

• review of the Coalfields Heritage Group’s library.

The results of additional research are integrated into this HHMP where appropriate (refer to Section 3.0 and Section 4.0).



2.5 Relevant Planning Instruments

A re view of the heritage studies f or the Ce ssnock Local En vironment Plan (CL EP), the Singleton L ocal En vironmental P lan (S LEP), Newcastle Local En vironmental P lan (NLEP) and the Hunter Regi onal En vironment Pla n (the HREP) was undertaken to v erify specif ic items within the road corridor for the Hunter Expressway. The CLEP 1989 rec orded the fol lowing sites and heritage resources in Schedule 3 Items of Environmental Heritage related to the South Ma itland Railwa y and the Ri chmond V ale Railway:

17 All earthworks, structures and anc illary equipment along t he railway formation from Hebburn Dam to Elrington including a corridor 40 metres wide centred on the railway trackbed centreline.

18 All earthworks, structures and ancillary equipment along the South Maitland Railway

including a corridor of la nd 1 00 metres wide c entred o n the railway tr ackbed centreline.

19 All earthworks, structures and ancillary equipment along the Richmond Vale Railway

formation inc luding a c orridor of land 100 metre s w ide c entred on the rai lway trackbed centreline.

The draft CLEP 2009 records the following items as Area , Complex and Group li stings in Schedule 5 Environmental heritage Part 1 – Heritage Items – Indigenous & Non Indigenous: • Item No. 247 - South Maitland Railway System; and

• Item No. 249 – Richmond Vale Railway.

The South Maitland Railway System and Richmond Vale Railway are both l isted as ha ving State significance on the draft CLEP 2009. The HREP recorded the South Maitland Railway and tunnels of the Richmond Vale Railway by gazetta l on 3 November 1989 (No. 107, p.9345). The Main Northern Railwa y was not listed on the HREP, CLEP or SLEP . The pro visions of t he CLE P st ate that c onsultation with/consent from Cessnock C ity Council is required prior to any impact to th e South Maitland Railway or the Richmond Vale Railway as these items are listed as heritage sites.

HHMP Hunter Expressway Historical Context


3.0 Historical Context This section pro vides a bri ef synopsis of the b road historical the mes in the locality of the Hunter Expressway rele vant to the locali ty and identi fied historical heritage items. The purpose of this section is to provide a context for the historical heritage values of the Hunter Expressway. The preparation of a historical context and development of historical themes in this HHMP was a req uest made by the Heritage B ranch, DoP during the me eting on 8 June 2007. 3.1 Mining

The Hunter E xpressway pa sses th rough areas where mining was p revalent. Past mining practices are evident by t he pre sence of the remains likely to be a ssociated wi th the Duckenfield Colliery and the Burrenjim Dam within the Hunter Expressway road corridor. 3.1.1 Duckenfield Colliery

Evidence of early mining such as the identified fan shaft at Minmi Creek may relate to mining activity in the locality dating back to the time of John Eales in the 1840s or to its use by the Duckenfield Colliery (established in 1857 and sunk in 1872 - Newcastle and District Historical Society, 1991) (refer to Section 4.0 for further de scription of the fan shaft and other i tems likely associated with the Duckenfield Colliery). Sections of the Hunter Expressway are within the lands previously owned by the Duckenfield Colliery as shown on historical map s dating from the early twentieth century (refer to Figur e 2.1 in Umwelt 2009a). Duckenfield Colliery closed on 25 April 1916. A mining shaft identified as a fan shaft on a 1941 map of Mi nmi Creek is within the Hunter Expressway road corridor (refer to Figure 2.2 in Umwelt 2009a). A number o f collieries in the Duckenfield precinct operate d between the period of 1857 to 1980. With the acquisition of the Minmi colliery ope rations from John Eal es, J & A B rown established Duckenfield Merthyr Colliery at Minmi (later known as the Minmi Old Tunnel) in 1857. Investigation of t he neighbouring valley to the Minmi operatio ns, Back Cr eek valley, proved its potential for coal production and in 1876 the works at Brown’s Colliery (also known as The Ne w Tunnel, Browns Merthyr Co lliery and B ack Creek Co lliery) was e stablished. Duckenfield No.3 Tunnel at Brown’s Colliery began operations in 1884 but su spended operations in 18 90 and had c losed by 1900. Duck enfield No.4 sta rted operations in 1888. The decrease in trade brought about by World War I saw the suspension of works at the old tunnel at Minmi in 1916. To replace declining operations at Minmi preliminary developments of Duck enfield No 2 Col liery bega n in 1912 with produ ction starting in 1921. Duckenfield No. 2 Colliery wa s later rename d Stockrington Colliery. A n add itional Co lliery near Stockrington Coll iery was opened in 1940 . Orig inally na med Freeman’s Tunnel Co lliery it was rena med Stock rington No. 2 Colliery in 1943 (s ummary ba sed on And rews 2004). Duckenfield Coll iery R ailway (r elics), Du ckenfield No. 1 Colliery railway bran ch line and Duckenfield No. 2, 3 an d 4 Col lieries railway branch lines are listed on the Newc astle LEP (2003) as heritage items of local significance. 3.1.2 Burrenjim Dam

Burrenjim Dam is believed to be associated with mining operations and may previously have been named Blue Gum Creek Dam. It is located within the Hunter Expressway road corridor. Andrews (2004) notes that Blue Gum Creek Dam was located on Blue Gum Creek adjacent to the western portal of Tunnel No.1 on the Richmond Vale railway line and was constructed in 1945 i n order to supply water to the St ockrington collie ries. A railwa y sidi ng wa s constructed in order to deliver materials for the dams’ construction which took 12 mo nths to



complete (A ndrews 2 004:96). The railway sidings u sed f or the construction project were subsequently dismant led in 1946 (Andrews 2004:96). No historical documents ref er to thi s dam as ‘Burrenjim’ however from th e date and desc ription of its construction and location it can be inferred that the Blue Gum Creek Dam is ‘Burrenjim’ Dam (refer to Section 4.0 for further description). 3.2 Railways

Three railways are within the locality of the Hunter Expressway; the South Maitland Railway, Richmond Vale Railway and the Main Northern Railway. 3.2.1 South Maitland Railway

The South Maitland Railway is the result of the construction of a network of pr ivate railway lines betwe en East G reta J unction to a point west of Cess nock, the amalgamation of th e main connections between these lines, the gradual closure of spurs or branch li nes and the survival of the up-through road (the active road). Construction of the first component of the railway commenced on 20 July 1892. This length was built and operated by the East Greta Coal Mining Company and extended as far as East Greta workings, to serve it s mines in what is now the Gillieston Heights area, south of Maitland. In 1900, the railway was extended south to a mi ne already operating at Stanford Merthyr and further ex tended in No vember 1901 to reach the Stanford Greta No. 2 tunnel mine, subsequently acquired by J and A Brown and re-named Pelaw Main. The Brown brothers were engaged in the construction of their line between Hexham, Minmi, Stockrington and Ric hmond Vale (initially to Pe law Main and therea fter to Richmond Main). When this link was completed, the connection between Pelaw Main via Stanford Merthyr to the South Maitl and Railway was maintained only as a conn ection between the two s ystems and was infrequently used. In 1934, ground abo ve old Ayrfield workings subsided near the Stanford Merthyr single road. The only mines still in operation on the spur were Pelaw Main and (the fi re susceptible) Ayrfield. As a result, the spur from Aber dare Junction was cl osed and coal from these remnant mines was lifted along the Richmond Vale line. In 1936, a spur was constructed from just east of the Weston complex to Pelaw Main to re-connect the South Maitland Railway and Richmond Vale Railway. In 1901 Aberdare Collieries and the Australian Agricultural Company (AA Co) co mmenced construction of an e xtension of the rail way that became known as th e Aberda re Rail way, from Aberd are J unction, i nitially to Hebburn No. 1 (at We ston) and Ab ermain No. 1 (at Abermain) mines. E ventually the line was e xtended to the infant town of Cessnock and, in 1912, to the Aberdare Extended mine south of the town. Over its original line and the extension, passengers were conveyed on the East Greta Coal Mining Co mpany’s line between Stanford Mert hyr, Kurri Road, Heddon Greta, A berdare Junction and East Greta Junction between 1902 and 1929, a service that was extended east to Maitland in 1903, and by the AA Co south, reach ing to Cessnock in 1912. In itially the service was operated entirely by the East Greta Coal Mining Company, later (after 1906) the AA Co and , from 19 18, the South Maitland Ra ilway. In 1930, NSW Go vernment Railway took over the running of the Maitland to Cess nock passenger run. In 1961, steam t raction was repla ced by two-car die sel hydraulic se rvices. The South Maitland Rai lway a gain commenced pass enger running with three se lf-contained ra ilcars, sharing the service with NSWGR 600-700 cla ss dies el hyd raulic set s. This situation continued until, with falling patronage, the So uth Ma itland Rail way withdrew it s vehicles from service o n



24 January 1967. The NSWGR serv ice continued un til the last we ekday service was withdrawn on 26 May 1972. Originally laid as a single road, the line was duplicated between 1903 a nd 1912, to account for its increased usage by developing mines of the S outh Maitland coal f ield, which by that time e xtended as far south as the Aberdare Extended Colliery, south of Ce ssnock (the general location of the present Pelton Colliery). In this form, the li ne was operated for c oal haulage until the mid-1960s. Between that time and the ear ly 1980s, most of the ra il of the down-road was progre ssively lifted. Some re sidual track of the down -road remains in the vicinity of t he We ston (Hebburn N o. 1) e xchange siding and across down-road b ridges (e.g.: at Chinaman’s Hollow and over a permanent tributary of Swamp Creek). The line has been owne d and maintained b y South Maitland Ra ilways Pty Lt d si nce 19 17 and is anticipated to return to commercial traffic in the near future. The South Ma itland Railway is noted as having been the last commercial steam railway in New South Wales and is inextricably associated with the long-term operation of the 10-Class locomotives built between 1911 and 1927 by Beyer, Peacock & Co exclusively for use on the line. There were only 14 10-class locomotives ever built and all 14 st ill survive. They were the l ast commercial s team l ocomotives to run i n Aus tralia, having been replaced on the South Ma itland Railwa y by Go vernment diesel lo comotives in 19 83. The 10-Cla ss locomotives are listed on the State Heritage Register. The South Maitland Railway is within the approved Hunter Expressway (refer to Section 4.0 for further description). 3.2.2 Richmond Vale Railway

The Richmond Val e Railway was dev eloped after Ja mes and Ale xander Brown, hav ing acquired the Min mi co lliery operation and as sociated ra ilway from J ohn Eales, expanded their coal interests westward. The Hexham to Minmi line formed the init ial se ction of what became the Ri chmond Va le Railwa y. More than 16 mile s of additional rail line and three railway tunnels was required to service the coal mines at Pelaw Main (1901), Richmond Vale Main (1908) and the Duckenfield and Stock rington Collieries. The Rich mond Vale Railway ceased to run beyond the Stockrington Collieries when operations at Richmond Main Colliery ceased in 1967. The Hexham to Stockrington line finally closed in 1987 when coal began to be transported by road (summary based on Andrews 2004, Preston 1989). Richmond Main Colli ery (former ly Richmond V ale Colliery), Kurri Ku rri; all earthworks, structures and anc illary equipment along the Ric hmond Vale Rail way formation including a corridor of 100 metres wide centred on the r ailway tra ck bed centreli ne; the Pe law Main Colliery precinct and the Richmond Main Colliery precinct are listed as heritage items in the Cessnock Local Environmental Plan (1989). Richmond Vale Ra ilway Cutti ng a nd Tunnel 134 ar e wi thin the Hunter Expressway road corridor. Richmond Vale Railway Tunnel 139 is within the vicinity of the Hunter Expressway. Refer to Section 4.0 for further d escriptions of the Ri chmond Val e Railway Tunnels in relation to the Hunter Expressway road corridor. 3.2.3 Main Northern Railway

The first s ection of the Mai n Northern Railway, also known as the G reat Northern Rail way, was bu ilt in 1857 extending from Newca stle to Maitland. A n additional line was laid from Maitland to Singleton in 18 63. The li ne e ventually ended i n Wallangarra Queen sland in 1888. The Sydney to Newcastle section (still in use today) was also completed at this time.



Sections of the Ma in Northern Railway are within the Hunter Expressway ro ad c orridor including a brick and sandstone culvert. This culvert is located over a tributary of Anvil Creek and lies approximately 1 kilometre from Bran xton train stat ion (opened in 1862) on the l ine between Branxton and Greta (station opened 1869) (NSW Rail Lines website). It is likely the culvert wa s co nstructed i n the peri od betwee n work starting in Ne wcastle in 1 857 and completion in Sing leton in 1863. The culvert is not listed as a herita ge i tem in either the Singleton Local Environmental Pla n or th e Hunter Regio nal En vironmental Plan (refer to Section 4.0 and Section 5.0 for further discussion). 3.3 Greta Army Camp

Troop training in the Hunter Valley culminated in the 1940’s during World War II when some 15,000 troops were en camped in the regi on. The site at Greta wa s chosen as an army training camp due to its location near ma jor road an d rail lin ks and established in 193 9 (Keating 1997). Six hundred acres of land on the property of ‘Dunoon’ was acquired along with a number of adj oining properties to form a 1350 acre ca mpsite and 1580 acre f iring range (Keati ng 1997 ). Th e army camp wa s essentially self contained with infra structure including sleeping huts, a hospital, mess halls, kitchens, ablutions, workshops, store houses, boiler rooms, lecture halls, offices , barber, meat houses, a sawmil l and a number of other buildings as well as targets and earth firing mounds, concrete stop-butts, flags, signals, roads and shed s at the fi ring range (Kas s 1994, Kea ting 1997). The camp had the c apacity to house up to 6300 men at a time and was one of the largest training camps in Australia during World War II. After the end of the World War II Greta Army camp gradually became used as a holding centre, initially for Prisoners of War (u p to 1947) a nd later for migrants (beginning 1949). The camp was closed by early 1960 and the infrastructure removed; though selling what materials they could, much of the infrastructure was salvaged by locals or dropped into a local disused mine shaft (Keating 1994). There are n o known remain s of the Greta Army Camp within the Hu nter Expressway. Th e Firing Range Stop Butt is outside the Hunter Expressway road corridor but within its close proximity (refer to Section 4.0 for further description) 3.4 Early Settlement in the Lower Hunter Valley

When the Hunter Valley opened to free settlement in the 1820’s it became one of the first large areas suitable for pastoralism in the colony (NSW Heritage Office and DUAP 1996:46) Large freehold estates dominated the landscape into the 1890’ s, with f ourteen men hol ding most of the land, of which only 331 acres were cultivated (NSW Heritage Office and DUA P 1996:48). Sometime aft er 1903 (probabl y after 1907), Raymond Stande n and his brother Stanley bought a large portion of the ‘Belford’ estate, which is within the area now known as Branxton an d Bla ck Cre ek (Branxton Tidy Towns , 1993; S tanden family his tory iinet). It is unclear what portions of the land they acquired, and what t heir primary activities on the land were. A v ariety of lan d use activities were b eing undertake n in the Bran xton and Bl ack Creek locality. The first commercial production of grapes in the area was undertaken from 1831 on land granted to J ames Busby in 1824, two lot s wes t of a grant held by Mit chell. Pumpkin, cucumber, t omato, onio n, melon, sweet peppers and olives were a lso grown. Bus by imported and planted Mulberry trees with the plan to start the silk trade in the area (Branxton Tidy Towns, 1993: 4&27). At the other side of the Belford Parish, Archibald Bell Jnr is said to have had a condensed milk factory, ‘Kurrindar (Corinda) Creamery and Condensery’, as well as nineteen horses and 1902 sheep (Branxton Tidy Towns, 1993:21 & 27).



In 1831 Robert Pringle built a f lour mill on Black Creek, while in 1860 Thomas Lindsay built another mill on A nvil Creek (Branxton Tid y To wns, 1993: 4). The Hunter Valle y produced wheat, maize, vegetables and tob acco. Around one third of the colony’s wheat and 60% of the maize was produced in the valley in 1840, with 15,000 acres of maize, 1,400 acres of barley be ing grown (NSW Heritage O ffice and DUAP 1 996:38; Bran xton Tidy Towns, 1993:27). Livestock w as also a key pursuit in the v alley, with records of 50,000 sheep and between 11,000 and 25,000 cattle by 1828 and 15,000 pigs in 1850 (Branxton Tidy Towns 1993:27-8, NSW Herita ge Office and DUAP 1 996: 46). Stud horse breeding b egan in the 1830s to improve the quali ty of draught horses, e xpanding and developing to export sto ck to India. Sheep grazing was one of the original uses of land in the Hunter Valley, with wool production being more profi table t han beef or hide s, a lthough with t he introdu ction of refrigeration, mutton and l amb prod uction increased (Branxton Tid y Towns, 1993:27-8). The us e of livestock to produce tal low for candles was also necessary, with eleven boiling down pl ants present in 1844, with 37,283 sheep and 7,852 cattle boiled down for tallow in 1846. The 1880s technological rev olution and the foundation of the butter factory in Newcastle shifted the focus of the agric ultural industry towards dairying in place of crop growing. Land subdivision in the area came as a result of dairying and a shift from the wool t rade to that of beef (NSW Heritage Office and DUAP 1996:47). 3.5 Dairying in the Lower Hunter Valley

Dairying was a particularly important industry in the Lower Hunter and became the main rural industry af ter the 1880’s with advancements in dai rying technol ogy de veloped at K iama (NSW Heritage O ffice and DUAP 1996:49). ‘Ierlands’ Butter Fact ory was e stablished at Raymond Terrace and many other factories were located throughout t he Hunter Valley at Singleton, Muswellbro ok, Aberdeen and S cone (NSW Heritage Office and DUAP 1996). Cattle grazing main ly occurred in the poorer lands removed from the Hunter, Paterson and Williams Rivers, however there was extensive cattle grazing around Raymond Terrace at the junction of the Hunter and Williams Rivers (NS W Heritage Off ice and DUA P 1996 :38-39). The property ‘Invertay’ in the locality of the Hunter Expressway contains the ruins of a former dairy wh ich originated duri ng the mid 20th century (ref er to Section 4.0 for furthe r discussion). 3.6 Bushrangers

The Jewboy Bushrangers Cave is within the Hunter Expressway road corridor. 3.6.1 Jewboy Bushrangers Cave

Jewboy Bu shrangers Cave is na med a fter the escaped Jewish convict Edward Da vis, a member of a gang of bushrange rs known a s the ‘Jewboy’ gang. The ‘Je wboy’ gang membership ranged between two and seven members and was act ive over a peri od of four months between August and December 1840 . Contrary to popular belief (Boxall 1890) the leader of the gang was not Edward Davis but John Marshall who was a one of a number of convicts who escaped from Hyde Park Barracks while on assigned service. Edward Davis appears to have only been a me mber of the gang for a period of six wee ks when he absconded fro m assigned duty on November 10, 1840 and joined John Marshall and other members of the gang i n the Murrurundi area (Roope and Gregson, 2002). After Edward Da vis jo ined t he gang they mo ved south into the S ugarloaf area wh ere they



conducted a number of raids . The gang may have us ed the Jewboy Bushrangers Cave during this period however there is no di rect evidence that the c ave was ever used by the gang as a hide out and the association between the gan g and the cav e derives from folk history. During thei r active period the gang als o condu cted raids in t he Lake Ma cquarie, Central Coast and Upper Hunter regions establishing a number of camp bases including one at Doughboy Ho llow where they were la ter captured o n Dec ember 21 by the poli ce Magistrate Edward Denny Da y. F ive me mbers of the gang, includi ng Edward Da vis, were tried and hung in Sydney on February 24, 1841 (Sy dney Morning Herald, February 25, 1841). The Jewboy Bushrangers Cave is within the roa d corridor fo r the Hunter E xpressway (refer to Section 4.0 for further description). 3.7 Historical Themes

A historical theme is a research tool, which can be used at the national, state or local level to aid in the identification, assessment and in terpretation and management of heritage places (AHC 2001:1). Ni ne nation al hist orical th emes hav e been identified by the Australian Heritage Commission. The Heritage Branch, DoP has identified 35 sta te h istorical themes for unders tanding t he h eritage of NSW. The de velopment of the pro ject area is broadl y reflective of the history of the local region, and can be assessed in the context of the broader historic themes def ined by the Heri tage Branch, DoP . His torical themes tabulated in Table 3.1, are relevant to the s tudy area and locality. Further analysis of the se themes is carried out as part of the significance assessment of the study area in Section 4.0.


Umwelt (Australia) Pty Limited 2437/R01/FINAL May 2010 3.7

Table 3.1 - Historical Themes

National Theme Groups

National Themes National Sub Themes State Themes Local Themes/Application

2. Peopling Australia 2.4 Migrating 2.4.2 Migrating to seek opportunity

Migration Greta Army Camp

3. Developing local, regional and national economies.

3.3 Surveying the continent 3.3.4 Looking for land with agricultural potential 3.3.5 Laying out boundaries

Agriculture Transport Pastoralism Dairying Land Tenure

Main Northern Railway South Maitland Railway Richmond Vale Railway Dairying in the Lower Hunter Valley Early Settlement in the Lower Hunter Valley

3.4 Utilising Natural Resources 3.4.3 Mining Mining Duckenfield Colliery Burrenjim Dam

3.5 Developing Primary Production 3.5.1 Grazing stock 3.5.2 Breeding animals 3.5.3 Developing agricultural industries

Agriculture Pastoralism Dairying

Dairying in the Lower Hunter Valley Early Settlement in the Lower Hunter Valley

3.8 Moving goods and people 3.8.5 Moving goods and people on land 3.8.6 Building and maintaining railways 3.8.7 Building and maintaining roads

Transport Main Northern Railway South Maitland Railway Richmond Vale Railway

4. Building settlements, towns and cities

4.5 Making settlements to serve rural Australia 4.6 Remembering significant phases in the development of settlements, towns and cities

4.1.1 Selecting township sites

Land Tenure Towns Suburbs and Villages

Early Settlement in the Lower Hunter Valley


Umwelt (Australia) Pty Limited 2437/R01/FINAL May 2010 3.8

Table 3.1 - Historical Themes (cont)

National Theme Groups

National Themes National Sub Themes State Themes Local Themes/Application

5. Working 5.8 Working on the land Organising workers and workplaces

No sub themes in this category

Labour Dairying in the Lower Hunter Valley Early Settlement in the Lower Hunter Valley Duckenfield Colliery Burrenjim Dam

7. Governing 7.7 Defending Australia Defence Greta Army Camp

8. Developing Australia’s Cultural Life

8.11 Making Australian folklore 8.11.1 Celebrating folk heroes 8.11.2 Myth making and story-telling

Leisure Bu shrangers Jewboy Bushrangers Cave

HHMP Hunter Expressway Known Historical Heritage Items


4.0 Known Historical Heritage Items This section provi des a summary o f known hi storical herit age i tems identified by previ ous assessments for the Hunter Ex pressway or i dentified during inspectio n for the A boriginal archaeology s urvey of the modified road c orridor. This section is divided int o known historical he ritage items identi fied wi thin the Hunter E xpressway roa d corridor and those items in the immediate vicinity. 4.1 Known Historical Heritage Items Within the Hunter

Expressway Road Corridor

Known historical heritage items within the Hunter Expressway road corridor include: • remains associated with the ruin of the Invertay farmstead (refer to Umwelt 2009b for full

assessment);

• South Maitland Railway (refer to Umwelt 2005a for a full assessment);

• Richmond Vale Railway (refer to Walker and Pike 1995);

• culverts associated with the Main Northern Railway (refer to Umwelt 2005b);

• unidentified Concrete Footings (refer to Umwelt 2005b);

• bottle dump near Black Creek (refer to Umwelt 2009c); and

• structures and remains of pipes associated with Minmi Creek (refer to Umwelt 2009a).

The Burrenjim Dam and Jewboy Bushrangers Cave are additional known local heritage items identified during the preparation of this HHMP. Descriptions of these i tems are provided be low. Inv entory sheets of these i tems with photographs are attached in Appendix 2. 4.1.1 Remains Associated with Ruined Farmstead – ‘Invertay’

Several discrete features associated with the ruined farmstead ‘Invertay’ are located in the north-eastern corner of P ortion 25 4/Lot 2553 DP8271 10, within the road corridor for the Hunter Expressway. These features include: • the residue of farm out-buildings;

• concrete slab – remains of a cattle crush;

• dairy slab and associated features;

• remains of yards or piggery; and

• avenue of trees and associated features.

Further description of these features is provided below. These features are shown in relation to the Hunter Expressway road corridor on Figure 4.1.



4.1.1.1 Residue of Farm Out-buildings

Virtually abutting the modern fence were earth-formation p latforms of what appeared to be two sheds, both oriented east-west, the northern of which was approximately 30 metres long and 20 metres wide. About 4 metres to the south of the first platform was what appeared to be the residue of a small hay shed, represented by a platform approximately 15 metres long and 5 metres wide and particul arly n otable for y oung growth that may ha ve been eith er cereal or lucerne, or both. Two s heds are identified on the 1919 Charting Pl an i n thi s location. Photographs of the standing sheds prior to their demolition are shown in a property inspection report’s arch ived photographs in 2000 (A.G. P ugh 2000) (refer to A ppendix 2 of Umwelt 200 9b for photographs). Thes e sh eds ma y ha ve originally dated to t he early twentieth century, however as shown in Pugh (2000) they have been substantially modified. There are no remains of the sheds evident on site apart from some disturbance to the ground surface. 4.1.1.2 Concrete Slab – Remains of a Cattle Crush

Approximately 80 metres south of the mos t southerly peppertree in the ho mestead precinct was located a concrete slab approximately 4 metres long and 900 millimetres wide. The slab was oriented north-south. Re sidual bolts in the concrete initially suggested the possibility of a machinery bed however the conformation of the northern end of the slab and the position and configuration of the slab suggested this may have been a cattle crush, as a component of cattl e yards, for wh ich depressi ons could be found that indic ated th e lik elihood of post holes. The remains of the cattle crush da tes to probably not earlier than the 1960s, wh en c attle crushes began to replace the earlier style of race found in cattle yards. 4.1.1.3 Dairy Slab and Associated Features

Approximately 35 metr es south an d 20 metres west of the ‘cattle crush’ were another two concrete slabs. The most northern slab was approximately 10 metres long and 4 metres wide oriented north-south while offset from the south-western corner of the f irst, but continuing at the same level and d irectly connected, was a second slab approximately 5 metres long and 3 metres wide. The full perimeter plint h and con cave-floated i nterface be tween horizontal and vertical elements sugges ted that this slab may have been the residue of a dai ry/bails complex. It is quite possible that the second slab extended the full width of the first but had been covered by vegetation and/or sediment. Associated with the dairy floor was a length of residual posts of a post-and-rail fence. Approximately 40 metres west of the dairy slab were small b rick features, the remains of a c oncrete wall (approximately 10 metres in length), a disturbed re ctilinear feature of b roken bri ck and circul ar mounds of c oncrete fragments approximately 5 metres in diameter. The ground surface was very disturbed in these areas. The features associated with the dairy slab are the remains of yards and fencing which are visible on a property inspection report’s archived photographs in 2000 (A.G. Pugh 2000). The dairy slab identified on site does not have any physical evidence which dates to the early development of dairyi ng in the Lower Hunter re gion in the 1890s or t he early part of the twentieth century. The dairy slab and associated features indicate that it is likely associated with the c attle c rush (the conc rete s lab described above) that appea rs to be muc h later, probably no t earli er than the 1960s , when the cattle c rushes began to repl ace the earlier style of race found in cattle yards.



4.1.1.4 Remains of Yards or Piggery

A copse of a mixture of what appeared to be peppertrees (Schinus molle) and tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima) wa s l ocated ap proximately 150 metres s outh west of the d airy slab, suggesting the possible location of either yards or a piggery. 4.1.1.5 Avenue of Trees and Associated Features

The line of the property access road, including the original service gate containing a wrought iron property name ‘Invertay’, was defined on its western side by a row of white cedar trees which continued virtually from the gate to a point east of the ‘cattle crush’ slab. An additional white cedar was located approximately 25 metres west of the last in the line. On the eastern side of the avenue of trees, a br ick lined circular feature whic h conta ined water an d plants was identified. This feature was considered to be remains of a c ircular brick lined garden feature. Table 4.1 provides a lis t of the indiv idual elements of the ruined Invertay farmstead as discussed above.

Table 4.1 - Individual elements of ruined Invertay farmstead Number on Figure 4.1

Item and description of feature MGA Grid Co-ordinates

1 Avenue of trees and associated features: Remains of gate or fence

350209, 6378139

2 Dairy slab and associated features: Large slab at Invertay 350121, 63784393 Concrete slab – Remains of a cattle crush 350083, 6378410 4 Dairy slab and associated features: Post and rail fence

associated with Invertay 350069, 6378419

5 Dairy slab and associated features: Structural feature associated with Invertay

350124, 6378454

6 Dairy slab and associated features: Concrete fragments associated with Invertay

350130, 6378466

7 Residue of farm out-buildings: Large depressed area - rectangular

350110, 6378483

8 palm tree and remains of roofed structure associated with Invertay

350115, 6378502

9 Dairy slab and associated features: Fence line remains 350109, 6378488 10 Dairy slab and associated features: Remains of a pipe 350149, 6378467 11 Avenue of trees and associated features: Garden feature 350175, 6378422 12 Avenue of trees and associated features: Line of

introduced trees associated with Invertay 350138, 6378425

13 Dairy slab and associated features: Conglomerate slab 350139, 6378424 14 Dairy slab and associated features: Bricks 350133, 6378419 15 Remains of yards or piggery: Rectilinear feature 350123, 6378405 16 Residue of farm out-buildings: Concrete edging 350125, 6378417 16b Residue of farm out-buildings: Concrete edging 350115, 6378418



4.1.2 South Maitland Railway

An assessment by Umwe lt (200 5a) was un dertaken for the S outh Mai tland Railway. The assessment identified the following remains within the Hunter Expressway road corridor: • roads;

• signal markers;

• present road;

• earthworks;

• road bed; and

• roadside elements.

Further description of the features is pro vided below a s o utlined in Umwelt (200 5a). The location of the South Maitland Railway and the Hunter Expressway are shown on Figure 4.2. 4.1.2.1 Roads

Present Permanent Way (Formerly the Up-Road)

The present permanent way of the SMR consists of a single road of st andard gauge (4’8½” or 1.435 metres) tra ck, on sle epers mostly of hardwood av eraging approximately 8’ (approximately 2.4 metres) long on a good ballast bed, and appea red still to follo w the historical ro ute of the f ormer up-road. At l ocations on the road close to the Mcleod Road level crossing, timber sleepers had been repla ced in the course of routine maintenance by steel sleepers and this appears to be a progre ssive s trategy to overcome the l ong-term problem of t imber deterioration. The rail wa s in short lengths, bolted through jointing plates and fixed to sleepers with a combination of spikes and torsion spring fixtures. At the time of survey, the rail upper surface was marked by a thin film of rus t, confirming the current irregular traffic pattern consequent on the closure of the Pelton Colliery. Residue of the Former Down-Road

Substantial residual material e vidence wa s fou nd in the road corri dor of the former down-road, in the form of earthworks and grade, old ballast and timber sleepers, with occasional fish p lates and abandoned spik es. The down-road site p aralleled th e present permanent way at a centreline spacing of appro ximately 3. 4 metre s to the east. The ma jority of the material evidence of th e road has been buried in the approximately 40 years since rail was lifted, by si lt, load spillage and bal last spread, which has been compounded by the use of roadbed as an access road beside the present permanent way. 4.1.2.2 Signal Markers

10 Kilometre Distance Marker and Working Standard The 10-kil ometre dis tance marker denoted the di stance between that location and the established datum at the Eas t Greta sidi ng in the pos t-decimal period. By wa y of comparison, the mark er wa s loc ated appro ximately 6.2 mile s (or appro ximately 10,940 yards) south of t hat datum and approximately 200 metres south of the centreline of the projec ted unde rpass site. The dis tance marker co mprised a v ertical post of cut rail approximately 1.2 metres high, mounted with the flat base facing the road. To this post was affixed a rectangular plate 150 x 300 millimetres (6 x 12”) nomina l upon which the legend



‘10 K’ had been painte d. The ma rker was p ainted bl ack at ground level to a h eight of approximately 28 centimetres and otherwise white. The paint was in very good condition. Associated with the distance marker was a rail-working standard comprising a vertical post of cut rail appro ximately 1.2 metres high, s urmounted by a triangul ar vertical blo ck arrow formed in approximately 1.0 centimetres flat plate. Although worn, the standard was painted white fro m ground l evel. The functi on of the standard w as apparentl y a d istance marke r used in the past of operations of the South Maitland Railway (B Holliday, pers. comm.). 6 Mile Distance Marker The 6-mile distance marker denoted the distance between that location and the established datum at the East Greta siding in the pre-decimal period. By way of comparison, the marker was l ocated approximately 9.65 kilometres (or approximately 10,56 0 yards) south of th at datum and approximately 150 metres north of the centreline of the projected underpass site. The dista nce marker comprised a vertical po st of c ut ra il approximately 1.2 metres high, mounted wit h the flat base facing the road. T o this po st was affix ed an angled pl ate o f 100 x 300 millimetres (4” x 12”) nominal at ea ch face, providing b i-directional visibi lity. On each face the legend ‘6’ had been painted in black. The marker was painted white although the painted surface was worn. 4.1.3 Minmi Creek

A number of works (two brick weirs and a mining shaft), movable heritage items (the remains of a metal p ipe, cast iron pipe and a sandstone slab with slots) and a structure (stone wall) were identified in th e Minmi Creek section of the Hunter E xpressway road corridor that are likely be associated with the Duckenfield Colliery. These works, movable heritage items and the structure were a ssessed in a separate report (refer to Umwelt 2009a). A description of the two brick we irs (Weir 1 and Weir 2), a mining fan s haft, the remain s of a meta l pipe, a cast iron pipe and a sandstone slab with slots and a stone wall is provided below. Figure 4.3 shows the location of these items in relation to the Hunter Expressway road corridor. 4.1.3.1 Weir 1

Weir 1 is constructed of wire cut bricks. The bricks are in colonial o r English ga rden wall bond coursing. This weir has a pil lar system on th e fac e o f the weir. There a re sixteen courses of brick remaining on the first pillar, ten courses on the second pillar, fifteen courses on the third and ten courses on the fourth. On the western side of the weir, its height is 1.5 metres from the top of the wall to the base of the bricks. On the eastern side of the weir, the height is 1.45 metres from the top of the wa ll to the base of the bricks. The brick s are bonded by concrete render. There are four ‘steps’ or t iers of br icks on the pillars. For the main wall of the weir there are in total sixteen courses of bricks to the water line and there is probably a nother three courses (min imum) submerged. The b rick dimensions are 23 x 11 x 8 centimetres. Weir 1 has a length of 12.3 metres an d the western edge of the weir has a width of 1.63 metres. The b ase of the we ir is con structed of a concrete foundation, made with large cobbles, with the brick coursing constructed on top of this base. Weir 1 is located approximately 30 metres upstream of Weir 2 and it is probable that this weir was constructed when the downstream (and old er weir) infilled with sediment. We ir 1 has now also infilled with sediment and the water backed up behind the weir is very shallow. 4.1.3.2 Weir 2

Weir 2 has two spillways, the original (older) spillway is constructed of local sandstone. The second spillway is constructed of bricks and concrete and appears to have been constructed



when the original weir began to leak/fail. Weir 2 is similar to Weir 1 in that the later spillway is constructed of wire cut bricks. The bonding medium for the bricks is also concrete render and the brickwork is colonial or English garden wall bond coursing. The brick section of the weir has fifteen courses of bricks on its eastern side, twelve courses on its western side and the central section has eleven courses. The total length of the weir is 14.6 metres and the length of the brick spillway is 3.72 metres. At 3.8 metres from the western en d the bri ck spillway en ds. The top of the weir wall has irregular sandstone ca sing and is mortared in so me areas o ver so me of the sandstone blocks. The mortar incorporates river cobbles and appears to date to the time of the repair of the weir. The brick section of the we ir is 1.5 metres in height down to the s tretchers of red brick on it s base. The s andstone weir’s height is 1.93 me tres from th e top of the retaining wall. Th e weir is 83 centimetres in width at it s centre. The far wes tern side of t he weir is 1.01 metres in width. The brick dimensions are 24 x 11.5 x 10.5 centimetres. The bricks are red-orange in colour and the clay appears to be s oft a nd i rregular. The bric ks are wire cut and not modern moulded bricks. An elongated rectangular frog appears on many of the bricks. Some of the bricks contain a small circular impression near the rectangular frog mark. These impressions are discussed further in Umwelt (2009a). Weir 2 also has a pipe loc ated on the bas e of the bri ck wall. The pipe is constructed of coarse earthenware and is s ealed with stone casing. Weir 2 has i nfilled with sediment and the water backed up behind the weir is very shallow. 4.1.3.3 Mining Fan Shaft

The shaft is on a ridge crest overlooking the two wei rs (refer Sections 2.1.1.2 and 2.1.1.3 in Umwelt 2009a and Figure 4.3) and Minmi Creek. The shaft is in an area recently cleared by RTA to obt ain acce ss for geotec hnical te sting. The shaft is c apped with concret e. The concrete capping appears to have been laid recently within the last fifty years. The concrete capping is approximately square wi th two circular holes incorporating PVC pipes. One hole has a 22 centimetre d iameter wi th the P VC pipe ha ving a 10 cent imetre d iameter. The second ci rcular hole has a 23 centimetre d iameter and th e secon d PVC pipe also has a 10 centimetre diameter. Th e concrete capp ing has d imensions west to east of 6 .6 metres and north to sou th of 6.2 metre s. A weighted s tring line o ver 100 metres i n le ngth wa s lowered into the shaft and did not appear to re ach the bott om. In i ts current condition it is impossible to examine the shaft’s construction. It is assumed that the shaft is not filled in. 4.1.3.4 Stone Wall

A remnant section of stone wall is located on the eastern side of Minmi Creek, approximately 10 metres south of Wei r 1 and 5 me tres south o f one of the Aboriginal stone arrangements located in this area. The wall is located approximately 5 metres from the eastern edge of the creek. The stone wall is constructed of six courses of local sandstone. The wall has random coursing. It is 90 centimetres in height and 5.3 metres in length. The thickness of the wall is variable due to the size of the st ones it incorporates. The wall appears to h ave been constructed as a retain ing wa ll to hold back the sl ope after the foot of the slope was excavated, probably to allow the movement of materials along the side of the creek for we ir construction.



4.1.3.5 Remains of a Metal Pipe

The remains of a corroding meta l pipe were found in the v egetation alongside Minmi Creek, approximately 5 metres from the e dge of the water line. The pipe is made o f ferrous material. This p ipe was located between Weir 1 and Weir 2. The pi pe was badly corroded and in a fragile condition. It wa s infilled with soil and vegetation was growing through and around it. There was a shackle on the pipe and the pipe had metal bands holding it together. The pipe was appro ximately 35 centimetres in di ameter and its re mains were 1 metre 86 centimetres in length. The length from the shackle to the top of the remain s of the pipe was 1 metre 28 centimetres and the width of the two metal bands surrounding the pipe was 8 centimetres. 4.1.3.6 Remains of a Cast Iron Pipe/Joint

A circular ferrous pipe with an end plate with six circular perforations, which may have been riveted, was also located in the vegetation upslope of Minmi Creek on the ridge crest near the mining shaft. The diameter of the pipe is 6.5 centimetres and the diameter of the round end plate is 17 centimetres. The entire object has a length of 1.2 metres. 4.1.3.7 Sandstone Slab with Slots

A sandstone slab was found in the vegetation located on the slope on the eastern side of the weirs, west of the co ncrete slab covering the mini ng shaft. This sandstone slab appears to be a fragment of natural sandstone but the slots that run the length of the slab are of human origin. There are five deeply etched slots which are parallel and relatively straight. The slots could have been made by a ripper running over the s andstone scraping the surface of the rock. 4.1.4 Richmond Vale Railway Cutting and Tunnel 134

The tunnel is constructed with bricks and lime mortar and is excellently preserved with only a few bricks suffering decay. Occasional remains of d isplaced rails and sleepers are e vident within the tunnel. Figure 4.4 shows the lo cation of the Richmond Vale Railway Cutting and Tunnel 134 and the Hunter Expressway road corridor. 4.1.5 Bottle Dump near Black Creek, Branxton

A sus pected bottle dump was revealed at B lack Creek near Branx ton during Aborig inal archaeological salvage investigations for the Hunter Expressway. The bottle dump consisted of fragments of mid to late nineteenth century bottles (dating based on the pontil marks and glass t ype etc), primar ily bases an d coll ars including schnapps, alco hol (beer/wine) and vinegar/oil bottles and some smaller fragments of ceramic (fine earthenware and mainly blue transfer prin t, willow pattern). The bottle du mp was identified adjacent to a large tree root and within sections of th e tree roots which had been burnt. The feature was approximately 1 metre by 50 centimetres and did not extend into any of t he adjacent excavated squares. Additional small fragments of undiagnostic miscellaneous gl ass and c eramic fragments extended across the Aboriginal salvage in vestigations due to mo vements from plo ughing. There was no evidence uncovered from historical research (refer to Umwelt 2009c – draft in preparation) to s uggest that t he fea ture i s structura l or ev idence th at rel ates to a homestead/farm. The f eature was identified at a depth of appro ximately 35 centimetres. The bottl e dump was salv aged duri ng the Aboriginal archaeological salvage u nder an exception from the Executive Director, the Heritage Branch, DoP (refer to Section 8.0).



4.1.6 Brick and Sandstone Culverts and the Main Northern Railway

A culvert, constructed predominantly of sandstone with some brick, is located approximately 1 kilometre from Branxton train station on the line between Greta and Branxton. The culvert crosses a tributary of Anvil Creek. The culvert is belie ved to be associated wi th t he Main Northern Railway. The culvert was identified during Aboriginal archaeological survey for the Hunter Ex pressway ( refer to Umwe lt 2005b). Sections of the Mai n Northern Railway are within the vicinity of th e road corridor but the rai lway or as sociated culvert will not be impacted by the Hunter Expressway. 4.1.7 Concrete Footings

A series of concrete footings were identified during the A boriginal archaeological survey for the Hunter Ex pressway (re fer to Umwe lt 2005b). There was no e vidence uncovered from historical research (review of parish map s, internet research and re search in the Coalfields Heritage Group’s library) and consultation with the Coalfields Heritage Group to suggest that the footings are related to a particular homes tead or farm. The footi ngs are l ikely to be the remains of concrete edging or an isolated shed. 4.1.8 Burrenjim Dam

Burrenjim Dam is a djacent to the western portal of Tunnel No.1 on the Ric hmond V ale Railway and situated on Blue Gum Creek. The dam wall is several metre s high and constructed with concrete and conglo merate g ravels. Ther e i s e xtensive pipe work and a 1 metre diameter gate valve underneath the dam wall. An inscription on the dam wall states ‘Burrenjim Dam Nov 1945’. Figure 4.5 shows the location of the Burrenjim Dam in relation to the Hunter Expressway road corridor. 4.1.9 Jewboy Bushrangers Cave

Jewboy Bushrangers Cave is a cave approximately 50 metres west of Burrenjim Dam (refer to Figure 4.5). The cave has an exposed entrance with a low roof (n o standing room). The Jewboy B ushrangers Cave is approximately 1 50 metre s f rom the Richmond Va le Ra ilway Tunnels. 4.1.10 Remains of a Post and Rail Fence

The rema ins of a pos t and rail fe nce were i dentified during the Aborigi nal archa eological survey for the Hunter Ex pressway (refer to Umwe lt 20 05b). There was no e vidence uncovered from historical research (review of parish maps, internet research and research in the Coalfields Heritage G roup’s library) and consultation with the Coalfields Heritage Group to suggest that the remains of the post and rail fence can be attributed to a particular farm or house. The post and rail fence is in very poor condition and was partially falling down when it was originally recorded in 2005.

Documents

2.0 HHMP Methodology · 2019. 10. 3. · HHMP Hunter Expressway HHMP Methodology Umwelt (Australia) Pty Limited 2437/R01/FINAL May 2010 2.3 2.5 Relevant Planning Instruments A review