Trust News February 2012 by National Trust of Western Australia

Vo lu m e 5 N O 8 F E B R UA R Y 2 0 1 2

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Time Tunnellers

NATIONAL TRUST

Australia

24 Heritage @ Risk Top 10

27 Murray Darling legacy

Curtin Anniversary celebration

William Hamilton Greek vase-engraving, c1800 J W Twycross Two children and a boat, Mornington 1922 digital Image from original glass plate negative Twycross Collection Reproduced with permission from The Twycross Estate

6362 Twycross National Trust AD HLF/FP.indd 1

Specialising in English and European 18th and 19 century prints including architectural, botanical, decorative, natural history, fashion, marine, portraits, classical and signed etchings. th

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Inside ISSN: 1835-2316

Till next we meet

Vol 5 No 8 2012

2012 National Trust Heritage Festival, Amazing Stories: Innovation and Invention

Through the doors

Celebrating World Heritage

Digging deep in the tunnels of time

Australian Rules Football – the most Australian invention, or is it?

Connecting through stories and photos

The 2011 National Top Ten Places at Risk

Watermarks conference

Trust News is published quarterly for National Trust members and subscribers in February, May, August and November.

my W o r d

with editor Gina Pickerin g

Publication is coordinated by the National Trust of Australia (WA) on behalf of the National Trusts of Australia and supported by the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. National Trust of Australia (WA) ABN 83 697 381 616 PO Box 1162 West Perth WA 6872 T: 08 9321 6088 F: 08 9324 1571 W:www.ntwa.com.au Editor: Gina Pickering gina.pickering@ntwa.com.au T: 08 9321 6088 Advertising: For advertising rates, contact the Editor. Design: Dessein Graphics Cover: The 2012 National Trust Heritage Festival celebrates inspiration and innovation through Australia’s heritage. Next Issue: May 2012 Copy deadline:10 March 2012

February 2012 - MAY 2012

Greetings, 2012 promises to be an exciting year. Highlights include the National Trust commitment to a National Heritage Festival which will feature a diverse range of community activities and

20 Reconciliation 21

Reflecting on frontiers of practice

Realising the Potential – Northern Tasmania’s Heritage Assets

Protecting post-European heritage in the Murray Darling Basin

An iconic Woolshed

A spirit of commitment: the First Rector of the Penitentiary Chapel

70th Anniversary of John Curtin’s swearing in as PM

Isabel Fidler Memorial Garden

National Trust Way Holiday Tours

special National Trust events. There’s a taste of the festival theme Amazing Stories: Innovation and Invention in this edition. We also look at Heritage @ Risk, how Aussie kids are celebrating heritage and visit the underground battlefields of WWI. Hope you enjoy the

Please help us to save our environment and circulate this magazine as widely as possible. This magazine is printed on recyclable paper and packed in 100% degradable wrap. The views expressed in Trust News are not necessarily those of the National Trusts or the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. The articles in this magazine are subject to copyright. No article may be used without the consent of the National Trust and the author.

new format! Enjoy

Gina Pickering | Editor

Trust News Australia FEBRUARY 2012

perspectives

Tony Burke | Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities

When I announced the addition of the wreck of HMS Sirius to the National Heritage List, you could feel it was an occasion at the very heart of Australia’s heritage and history. The Sirius tells a story of amazing seafaring courage and also heartbreak; a vital supply ship, whose loss was a catastrophe for the fledgling colony of New South Wales. Two years earlier, the ship had made the voyage from England as the flagship of the First Fleet, under Captain John Hunter and the overall command of Admiral Arthur Phillip.

ow, from the sea floor, the wreck of the Sirius is still yielding historical information on 18th century ship design – Sirius was cutting-edge in its time. While most of us are unlikely to dive down for a first-hand look, it’s good to know that thanks to the heritage listing the wreck, the Sirius will now be protected for generations to come. The documentation of the wreck’s artefacts and heritage treasures will be ongoing, for the learning and enjoyment of all of us.

most prominent and substantial building in town and they quickly became important meeting places. Having a post office signalled a town and community’s prosperity and permanency. The building of Albury Post Office in 1880 reflected the town’s strategic location on one of the main inland access routes between Melbourne and Sydney. The inclusion of these places on the Commonwealth Heritage List will ensure that these important local places are recognised, celebrated and protected for future generations.

Post offices placed on Commonwealth Heritage List

Australian Heritage Week

I was also proud to place post offices throughout Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales and Western Australia on the Commonwealth Heritage List. This heritage listing recognises the important role that post offices and the postal service have played in the development of towns and communities throughout Australia. The local post office has often been the heart of towns and communities, reflecting the history and stories of a region. The local post office was often the

I’m very pleased that my department will be sponsoring Australian Heritage Week for a second year in 2012. Heritage Week 2011 had thousands of volunteers organising and hosting more than 300 events around Australia. Australian Heritage Week is particularly important to regional towns in Australia, along with suburban and even urban communities. It gives Australians the opportunity to showcase their unique histories, and give others

insights into our culture and who we are at the local level. In 2012, Australian Heritage Week will run from Saturday 14 to Sunday 22 April. Australians value our culture and heritage as showcased by museums and galleries – that’s evident from our strong museum visit statistics. But Australia also has many local history societies and regional history collections and museums. During Australian Heritage week are open days, exhibitions, barbecues, lectures and walking tours. It is up to communities on the ground and the inspiration of individuals and groups, whether the focus is on history, natural heritage, or just stories of who we all are. We will be supporting the Australian Heritage Week website, as we did last year, where events can be registered and publicised. Look out for a link to be posted soon at heritage.gov.au. I’m looking forward to participating in Australian Heritage Week in 2012 by visiting some events, both in my own Sydney community and, I hope, further afield.

Above Heritage Minister Tony Burke with schoolchildren from St Patricks Primary School, Parramatta, NSW in front of the Sirius anchor at the Australian National Maritime Museum. ANMM.

Trust News Australia FEBRUARY 2012

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A vo lu nt persp eer’s ectiv e

on the Trust

Till next we meet Will Holmes à Court | Volunteer, National Trust (NSW)

Under the pressures of daily work and life we often make the mistake of missing what is of long-term and intrinsic importance, caught up as we are in the tyranny of urgent decisions which shift our focus to the here and now. So for me, after over a dozen years at the Trust, having someone hit the pause button has given me vital time to reflect on what the Trust is all about, what the last two years have meant to me and what have been the highlights.

ike many volunteers, I stepped right when I could have stepped left and found myself on the Trust Board, where I served as Treasurer for much of that time. After deciding not to stand for reelection in 2009, there was another shift in the firmaments and I found myself accepting the position of CEO. The global financial crisis had hit and the National Trust and its commitment to the heritage which has meant so much to me, my family and my ancestors, was entering rough waters. Encouraged by our volunteers, I took the bit between my teeth and took up the challenge. Over the past two years, my wife and I have made a business of meeting as many Trust people around the state as we could. Our

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members and volunteers; they are what the Trust is about. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things one step at a time as they go about their daily business - in our cities, country towns, buildings and bushlands. It has been my privilege and delight to have had the opportunity to say ‘well done’, and encourage them to continue their important work. It has not however been all ‘beer and skittles’ as the Trust throughout the country faces significant challenges to its long term viability. Traditional sources of funding have shrunk and that which remains is tied to projects or given on a dollar for dollar basis and all the while the demands of new business legislation have seen overheads rise significantly. Realistically there are two financially viable options available. One requires an appropriate amount of government support. The other is a self-supporting but much smaller Trust. The first option requires us to spend time educating and influencing the Government on the Trust’s role and the not always apparent

economic value in supporting heritage. The second option demands that, failing Government support, we have an effective Plan B to transition the Trust to a more selfsustaining model. NSW as a whole, is dealing with major issues, but in my discussions with all spheres of government I have been encouraged by their understanding of the important role we play in the community. The Trust must ‘cut its cloth to suit its purse’ and in NSW this has been expressed in a smaller, more cost effective organization; one in which I now have returned to being a volunteer. So, after nearly two thoroughly rewarding and enjoyable years it is with both sadness and hope that I leave my time as CEO of the NSW Trust. Sadness as I leave a wonderful group of dedicated colleagues, staff and volunteers. Renewed hope for the Trust as it looks to a new beginning with the NSW Government’s recent call for a review of the Trust’s operations. A review that brings with it an expectation of funding for a ‘Sustainable Trust’, secure in its important role in the preservation and promotion of NSW heritage.

the Green Corps team and employees from Max Employment at the Trust’s Norman Lindsay Gallery. W Smith

Trust News Australia FEBRUARY 2012

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Australiat e wide!

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2012 National Trust Heritage Festival, Amazing Stories: Innovation and Invention Natalie Gross | Events Manager National Trust (NSW)

The National Trusts of Australia invite you to celebrate Australia’s natural, Indigenous and historic heritage and be part of one of the largest and longest running community festivals in 2012. The Heritage Festival brings together community groups, schools, business and local government to create a unique and inspiring program of events in every state.

Throughout Australia you will discover local inventions and firsts. Tamworth NSW, was the first town in Australia to light its streets by electricity in 1888. The first metal mine in Australia opened at Glen Osmond, South Australia in 1841 and the Courthouse at Berrima NSW was the site of the first trial by jury. A myriad of inventive, innovative and ingenious items and ideas can be found in museums, households and public organisations across the country. You are invited to join in the 2012 National Trust Heritage Festival, Amazing Stories: Innovation and Invention, through talks, tours, exhibitions and events. The 2012 National Heritage Festival is proudly sponsored by the Commonwealth Government under their National Trust Partnership Program.

rom Aboriginal ingenuity through living on the land, to examples of resourceful ‘make do’ in hard times, to the creative use of heritage places in the 21st century – the 2012 National Trust Heritage Festival celebrates inspiration and innovation through Australia’s heritage, past, present and future. The boomerang, the stump jump plough, the rotary clothes hoist and Victa mower are all icons of Australian invention. Australians were the first to fly across the Pacific, create the black box flight recorder and bravely built the extraordinary Sydney Opera House. Lesser known examples of ingenuity include trousers with permanent creases, the ‘Ute’, the automatic totaliser, multi focal contact lens and the first feature length film in 1906.

For more information on what is happening in your state please go to our website: www.nationaltrust.com.au/heritagefestival/national/

Above (L-R) Curator

and Heritage Festival coordinator Catherine Czerw with artists Anne Duff and Jane King, who will create an artwork inspired by a safe loaned from the WA Museum and its curator Leigh O’Brien. G Pickering NTWA

Trust News Australia FEBRUARY 2012

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Victoria

and i n v e n t i o n

Through the doors

In Victoria, over 150 festival events will be held from Horsham to Eldorado, Warrnambool to Maffra and include vintage car rallies, open houses, horse musters, Aboriginal walks and art exhibitions. Festival goers will have events at their fingertips with a new free and Trust iPhone App that searches by location, date or type of event. Find additional information so you can plan your trip around fabulous heritage events and download the App at the National Trust (Vic) website or the iTunes store.

Stewart Armstrong | CEO National Trust (Qld)

South Australia The National Trust (SA) will leap into the Wiki world as part of the heritage festival.. A Wiki is an interactive web page that creates a community of its own and can be accessed by anybody with a web browser and Internet connection. It will showcase Australian creativity and tell the stories behind the making of some wonderful examples of Aussie ingenuity. Community members will also be able to create and edit content.

Western Australia The Coolgardie Safe is a hot topic in Western Australia during the festival. As one of WA’s iconic inventions, it will be central to the National Trust’s Safe Keeping exhibition. The unique display will feature a range of Coolgardie Safes collected from around the state, each housing an original artwork specially made in response to an aspect of our cultural heritage.

Queensland Queensland’s Heritage Festival will include a Gala Heritage Fundraising Dinner and will feature auctions and some ‘amazing stories’.

Trust News Australia FEBRUARY 2012

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shot of the Masonic Lodge. A Mujaj

More than 17,000 residents and visitors took a sneak peek inside intriguing historical and contemporary spaces as part of Brisbane Open House 2011.

hirty of the Queensland capital’s architecturally significant buildings were open free of charge with the aim of introducing the public to their built environment and fostering an appreciation for good design. Inspired by the growing success of similar international events in London, New York, Dublin and Melbourne, a partnership between the Office of the Government Architect, the Brisbane Development Association and the National Trust of Queensland launched the initiative in 2010. Buoyed with the success of the inaugural event, Brisbane Open House 2011 was expanded beyond Brisbane’s CBD to include nearby precincts in Fortitude Valley and Southbank, increasing the number of participating places by 50 percent on the previous year.

The Masonic Memorial Temple proved to be the most popular building again this year. Completed in 1930, the Temple was constructed as a home for the newly-formed United Grand Lodge of Queensland and also a memorial to the Brethren who died in World War I. A highlight of the tour of the Temple is the Grand Hall on the top floor, which seats 1,100 under its imposing vaulted coffered ceiling. With its focus on good design from all periods, Brisbane Open House includes significant contemporary as well as historic buildings. There is a growing interest in environmentally sustainable design and the design of urban spaces, as well as the adaptive reuse of heritage places. Planning is already underway for the next Brisbane Open House, to be held on Saturday 6 October 2012.

For more information visit www.brisbaneopenhouse.com.au

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Celebrating World Heritage Jane Harrington | President Australia ICOMOS

April 18 is a major celebration for the International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and each year the state representatives of Australia ICOMOS organise a number of activities to celebrate the diversity of the world’s cultural heritage. Aligning this year with the National Trusts’ Heritage Festival, this special day offers an opportunity to raise awareness about cultural heritage places and landscapes whether they be of international, national or local significance, including the efforts that are required to protect and conserve them.

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Port Arthur Historic Site. Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority. J Wherrett Port Arthur Historic Site. Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority. J Shemesh Right Main entry of the Fremantle Prison. K Danis LEft Church,

Trust News Australia FEBRUARY 2012

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Between the lines 18

April was endorsed as The International Day for Monuments and Sites by UNESCO in 1983. Through its Scientific Council, ICOMOS develops a triennial plan for the themes for the International Day for Monuments and Sites. Previous themes to date have included Save Our Historic Villages (2001), 20th Century Cultural Heritage (2002), 40th Anniversary of ICOMOS (2005), Industrial Heritage (2006), Heritage and Science (2009) and Heritage of Agriculture (2010). The 2011 theme was Heritage and Water, which was a joint theme of the recent national conference Waterworks held jointly in Melbourne by Australia ICOMOS and the National Trust (Vic). The 2012 theme chosen to mark the 40th anniversary of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, will focus on “World Heritage and Sustainable Development: the Role of Local Communities” – which spans community involvement in the nomination, management and conservation of properties, local socio-economic perspectives, and the consideration of Indigenous management practices and traditional knowledge. The World Heritage Convention was born in the wake of a series of successful UNESCO campaigns to save irreplaceable cultural and natural treasures including the Abu Simbel temples in Egypt, and Venice and its Lagoon in Italy. The Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage was adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO on 16 November 1972. In 1978, 12 sites were inscribed on the original list. Following the 35th session of the World Heritage Committee in June 2011, the World Heritage List includes 936 properties. Of these properties 725 are cultural, 183 are natural and 28 are mixed properties. Australia was one of the earliest countries to ratify the World Heritage Convention and the Australian Government made a mark by quickly getting Australia’s first entries on the list in 1981. These sites were the Great Barrier Reef, Kakadu National Park and Willandra Lakes Region. Today Australia has 19 sites on the World Heritage List. Until the inscription of Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens in 2004 and the Sydney Opera House in 2007 all World Heritage sites in Australia were either natural or combined natural and cultural properties. Australia’s latest two additions to the World Heritage List are the Australian Convict Sites (2010), consisting of 11 sites across Australia, and the Ningaloo Coast (2011) on the remote western coast of Australia, which includes one of the longest near-shore reefs in the world. An additional outcome for Australia at the 2011 meeting of the World Heritage Committee was the decision to modify the boundary of Kakadu National Park to include the Koongarra area in the World Heritage Area.

Trust News Australia FEBRUARY 2012

The Encyclopedia of Australian Architecture Editors: Prof Philip Goad and Assoc Prof Julie Willis Publisher: Cambridge University Press Reviewer: Paul Roser isbn 978 0521888578

This 800-page Encyclopedia is an instant classic in Australian architecture publishing. Containing more than 1000 entries compiled by more than 200 contributors, illustrated by 500 drawings and photographs, and taking five years from commissioning to launch, words like epic and sumptuous barely begin to describe it. The relief of the editors was palpable at the launch in Melbourne last November. Philip Goad and Julie Willis, based at the University of Melbourne, have taken on a gargantuan task and produced an unparalleled work of reference. It is not simply a list of architects and their works but also contains detailed thematic accounts. Philip Goad says the book profiles leading Australian architects and building styles as well as looking at construction materials, influences the development of the profession and many other aspects of the built environment. This only hints at the breadth of material covered. Appropriately, the opening entry is Aboriginal architecture and the entry explains how Aboriginal architecture is now understood as encompassing the full range of traditional Aboriginal built environment, including traditional dwellings, camps, associated engineering structures, (such as weirs, dams and wells) secretive ceremonial structures and installations. For those whose business or interest is heritage, the Encyclopedia will be a constant reference. That the publication was made possible by the support of the Grollo Foundation and Lovell Chen reveals something of the nature of the work: the contribution of architects made possible by the need to build, and the nuanced heritage industry that has followed in its wake in Australia. While entries on conservation, heritage, the Burra Charter and the National Trusts are rightfully only entrées to the subject, they indicate the broad grasp that the editors have for the architectural inheritance enjoyed by Australians, and which is well documented in the entries. The skill in editing a massive volume like this is to give it a uniform and authoritative voice, and the editors have somehow succeeded. With time there will be the inevitable rise of new knowledge and assessments about much of the subject matter. Just don’t ask the editors when a second edition is likely.

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WW1 tunni nelsg in France.

Digging deep in the tunnels of time Robin Sanderson | historian

Descendants of former allies are still welcomed warmly in France, even after all this time. In late 2011 historian and Design Technology teacher Robin Sanderson joined the Durand Group - a fraternal association of individuals with wide ranging skills in ordinance, bomb-disposal, engineering and surveying, in the exploration of historic WWI tunnels in Picardy, France.

opse tunnel was started by 173 Tunnelling Company Royal Engineers in January 1916 and then taken over by 3rd Australian Tunnelling Company (3 ATC) on 4 April 1917. The Copse tunnel was connected to a network of tunnels under the renowned Hill 70. In 2011 the team worked to lift up a ton of chalk from a blocked shaft in an attempt to get access to the deepest tunnel which connects the network. In memory of the Australians, Robin Sanderson relit the stub of a candle still on an underground chalk shelf. On 5 November, the team made their first attempt to access the Hythe Tunnel, conceived by Robin’s grandfather Alexander and dug during the first three months of 1918, as a communication subway to the front line. With a German spring offensive expected, it became a veritable fortress with trap, bascule & gas doors and machine-gun positions. The railway entrance they uncovered was in very shallow, fractured chalk. This 27m section of the tunnel interior has unfortunately not stood the test of time. 3 ATC was one of four Mining Corps companies, (with the Electrical, Mechanical Mining & Boring Company), engaged from

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1916 in the secret underground war waged on the Western Front. Alexander Sanderson, born in Otago, NZ in 1881, received his second Military Cross and became the Officer Commanding of this unit, after his friend Major Leslie ‘Jack’ Coulter was killed by a sniper bullet, during a raid to destroy German mine shafts at Hill 70 at Loos. On the death of his father, Colonel John Sanderson (a Burma 50th Indian Para veteran), Robin discovered a metal trunk, a veritable ‘time capsule’ filled with family history documents dating back 300 years when his ancestors were making primitive clocks and watches. Henry Sanderson (born 1798) and his five sons became civil engineers and surveyors who collaborated with Brunel and Stephenson in building the first railways in England and India. Alexander emigrated to Perth and became, at 16 years of age, the private student of the Chief Engineer of Western Australia C Y O’Connor. He opened a quarry at Darlington and a rail line to transport granite blocks for the South Mole of Fremantle harbour. He worked on the Southern Cross

of Major Alexander Sanderson

Trust News Australia FEBRUARY 2012

to Coolgardie railway and the water pipeline to Kalgoorlie, where he later attended the School of Mines and became a gold-mining engineer and underground mine manager. Alexander enlisted as a second-lieutenant in the Mining Corps, as an expert assigned to the technical staff. In May 1916, 3 ATC went into the lines near La Bassee and were soon fighting the Germans in tunnels dug in blue clay. Listeners crouched quietly at their posts underground, pinpointing enemy approaches. On 19 July Alexander won his first MC, and the first of two wound stripes, during the battle of Fromelles, going out under fire to blow a communication trench. In November of the same year, 3 ATC were sent to Hill 70. The tunnels were in both flint and hard chalk and Alexander carried out

aboveâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; The

Trust News Australia FEBRUARY 2012

camouflets blown by the 3rd Australian Tunnelling Company redrawn by Robin Sanderson.

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an immediate, complete survey of the galleries. The shaftheads and trenches were under constant bombardment. The enemy was heard working at a depth of 65 feet near the Black Watch Mine and a camouflet (a counter explosive charge) of 6,000 lbs was prepared. However, the Germans were first, setting off two explosions at 115 feet, simultaneously igniting the Australian charge and killing 20 tunnellers. By March 1917, however, the Australians were skillfully out-manoeuvering the enemy underground. War historian Charles Bean described them as “working and fighting in a maze of tunnels and saps and burrows like a band of murderous trolls”. After the Australians had exploded camouflets of 5,000 lbs and 2,000 lbs at 80 feet depth and an enormous charge of 9,000 lbs of ammonal at 100 feet, the enemy ceased its mining activities. With the valued cooperation of the Loos Historical Society, the Durand Group plans to explore deeper parts of the Hythe system in 2012. (For more information google ‘youtube Copse Tunnel’ and visit www.tunnellers.net for Alexander Sanderson’s full profile story.

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Australian Tunnelling Company Officers with Major Alexander Sanderson in the centre front at Noeux-les-Mines. R Sanderson

BELOW Live ordinance discovered during the recent search includes (L-R) minenwerfer or ‘minnie’ (mortar), German 77mm Shrapnel shell, German rifle grenade, British Number 3 rifle grenade, German 77 High explosive shell, French rifle grenade, another German rifle grenade. R Sanderson right Combining the life of a tunneller and Christmas Greetings in 1919. R.Sanderson

Robin Sanderson is seeking an Australian

publisher for his book ‘Tunnelling Commander 1916-19’. A DVD of archive photos and a unique 1967 recorded interview with Major Alexander Sanderson will soon be available. Contact: robs.sanderson@btopenworld.com

Map Alexander

Trust News Australia FEBRUARY 2012

Sanderson’s signature is visible on the Hythe Tunnel map. R Sanderson 12

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Australian Rules Football – the most Australian invention, or is it? Alexandra Hill | Advocate Heritage Programs National Trust of Australia (Vic)

If ever a game was associated with a geographic location, as emblematic of a culture, as having a true heartland, it is Australian Rules Football in Victoria.

t’s been described as a “bastard of a game – swift, bold and beautiful – for a bastard of a people.” The nation has embraced this no longer state based rugged game of skill, stamina and determination. However, a game does not spring into creation at a definable moment, nor does its evolution cease. Development of any game is a long and incremental system of playing and honing that leads to the formation of formalised rules and standards. The origins of Aussie Rules have been hotly debated. Is it a form of English public school rugby, a derivative of the Gaelic football or an interpretation of marn-grook played by the Aboriginal peoples of the Grampians and Western District of Victoria? Was Tom Wills, commonly known as the father of Aussie Rules, more its midwife who helped modify a number of codes for the requirements of the Victorian players, eventually delivering the first set of game rules and contentiously defining the ball shape as oval. Tom Wills’ suggestion in Bell’s Life in Victoria 1858, to develop a football game to keep cricketers

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fit between seasons was swiftly followed by a game between friends at Richmond Paddock. The pre-codified English public school games of soccer and rugby, played only at select public schools in England, led to a variety of rules and disputes. A similar problem at a game between Melbourne Grammar School and the St Kilda Club, ended in fisticuffs.

A more formalised Australian Rules was developed for the first time during a game between Melbourne Grammar and Scotch College. Based on a modified Rugby School Rules system, the game took three days and was played with an oval rugby ball. The Scotch College Classics Master was Tom Wills. The interest generated by this game encouraged cricketers to play between season and contributed to the development of the Melbourne Football Club out of the Cricket Club. On Tuesday 17 May 1859, during a meeting at the Parade Hotel, Wellington Parade, East Melbourne, the first ten formal rules of the game were written. The first teams were created in 1859, Geelong and Melbourne, followed in 1864 by Carlton, then St Kilda and Essendon in 1873, Fitzroy in 1884, South Melbourne (later to become the Sydney Swans) in 1874 and Collingwood in 1889. By 1866 the Melbourne Rules Football was accepted as Victorian Rules football and so began its sweep out from Melbourne, across the State and eventually to the rest of the country.

at the football match - Geelong v. Melbourne, Gordon & Gotch, 1880 (Collection of the State Library of Victoria).

Trust News Australia FEBRUARY 2012

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Connecting through stories and photos Joy Lefroy | Manager, Education & Learning National Trust (WA)

Western Australian school students are recognising that valuing heritage can begin with a connection to the stories of local places thanks to an innovative competition established by the National Trust (WA).

big tree by the gate of the author’s farm in the WA wheatbelt, the heritage listed Stirk Cottage in Kalamunda, Gurrumul Rock in the John Forrest National Park and an island off the Dampier Peninsula in the Pilbara were among the winning topics of the 2011 Photography and Story competition. Calling on their creativity and research skills, the students used narrative writing to engage their readers and to show why the place they are writing about has heritage value to them. The shortlisted entries in 2011 were extremely diverse. The photographs were judged by professional photographers who chose winning entries for the photographic skills displayed. In 2011 the winning images were put onto canvas as part of the prize awarded to the student. When these awards were presented, the students were delighted to see their work blown up for display.

Over 250 entries were received from students aged between five and fifteen. These entries came from as far afield as Christmas Island approximately 9000 kilometres to the northwest of

Perth (under the jurisdiction of the Western Australian Department for Education) and Albany on the southern coast of Western Australia. Other regional areas represented were Karratha on the

above left to right Winning photographs include My Personal World War by Tayla Bently (images 1 and 3), Gurrumul Rock by Rory Charles, Big Tree by Zac Sanderson. The judges included Mike Lefroy, Val Maas and Christian Sprogoe. insert left to right Winners are grinners in the National Trust of Australia (WA) Photography and Story competition Samantha Hackman, Alexie Kinnear, Zac Sanderson, Maddison Gillett, Rory Charles, Tayla Bentley, Jadon Granville and Rachel Mumme. G Pickering NTWA

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Obituary Helen Proudfoot 1930-2011 Dinah Dysart

Burrup Peninsula renowned for its large collection of rock art and resources industry, Kalannie in the wheatbelt region and Margaret River known to the world for its magnificent wines and surf beaches. Metropolitan schools were also well represented. The competition has become a significant event on the Trust’s Education & Learning calendar in Western Australia. The Trust recognises the potential of this program to reach beyond areas where there are Trust properties with a growing number of students involved from both metropolitan and regional schools, and strong links to the new Australian Curriculum: History and English. ‘Valuing heritage’ is the umbrella under which the National Trust (WA) its Education & Learning

programs for school aged students. These programs can be site specific and linked to the Australian Curriculum or they may be more generic, encouraging young people to recognise and value the heritage they have around them. The competition was introduced in 2004, in an attempt to engage more young people with the stories of their local history and heritage. The places chosen do not have to be heritage listed or even recognised by their local community as having heritage significance but the students must be able to say why the place has heritage value to them. In its first year, the Valuing Our Heritage competition received over 100 entries from across all age groups. Over the last seven years, the competition has become a valued tool for teachers introducing their students to local history through heritage.

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Helen Proudfoot was an exemplary National Trust (NSW) member whose professional and personal life was preoccupied with heritage concerns. Born and raised on a country property at Gunnedah, she graduated from Sydney University firstly as an historian and later as a planner, joining the staff of the County of Cumberland Planning Scheme where she pioneered heritage studies of Parramatta, Windsor and Richmond, Campbelltown, Liverpool and central Sydney. She was an active National Trust member, giving her time and expertise to committees, from 1966 – 1978 as a member of the Historic Buildings Committee and from 1975 – 1978 on the Book Publishing Committee. In 1990 she was appointed to the Museums and Collections Committee and she continued as a member until 2003 despite suffering a stroke in 1991 which left her physically frail but as mentally acute as ever. She went on to gain her doctorate on the subject of Town Plans and their impact on the settlement process in Australia 1788-1849. National Trust Board member Ian Stephenson described Helen as exceptionally nice person – and very generous in sharing her knowledge and engaging in discussion. I had the pleasure of working with her on a publication celebrating the sesquicentenary of Lindesay. The book Lindesay: A Biography of the House included a chapter by Helen on ‘Life at Lindesay’ where her meticulous research skills were put to great use in furthering Trust knowledge of the house. She paid similar attention to Old Government House, and her book on the building and its landscape is one of her most important achievements. In 1996 Helen was awarded The National Trust of Australia’s Gold Medal for her distinguished and voluntary service to the Trust. She was a mentor and dear friend to many and her legacy is the wealth of invaluable information contained in her conservation plans and her many heritage publications.

judges. G Pickering NTWA

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The 2011 National Top Ten Places at Risk Dr Peter Dowling | National Heritage Officer Australian Council of National Trusts

The Chairman of the Australian Council of National Trusts, Dr Graeme Blackman OAM, recently announced the top places in Australia nominated as being most at risk under the National Trusts 2011 Our Heritage at Risk program.

2 Snake Creek Armament Depot - NT

Lake Burley Griffin - ACT There are development pressures on the open spaces around the shores of Lake Burley Griffin. The proposed development of two War Memorials on Rond Terrace will have a severe impact on the Land Axis vista between the Australian War Memorial and the Parliamentary Zone. This Land Axis was a central part of Walter Burley Griffin’s design for Canberra. The ACT Trust has stated that there should be no development which impacts on the heritage and visual significance of the Lake and its shoreline. The current Heritage Management Plan for Lake Burley Griffin should be endorsed and its policies enforced to ensure the important heritage aspects of the shore are appropriately managed and conserved.

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Snake Creek Armament Depot is highly significant for being one of the Northern Territory’s most extensive, extant military sites from WWII. The facility fell into disuse in the 1970s and subsequently the site was vandalised and much material removed. The structures on the site are showing decay and in some cases extensive damage through vandalism, while others have been burnt down. Despite the neglect and vandalism, the layout and purpose of the site are still visible. A conservation and management plan completed for the site recommends guidelines for immediate and long-term conservation and protection of the site complex. The site should be fully interpreted in terms of Australia’s defence efforts during the WWII.

Land Axis vista seen from Mt Ainslie. D Dowling National Trust (ACT) has endorsed the protection of heritage values of Lake Burley Griffin. P Dowling

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5 3 Historic Pubs - VIC The Victorian National Trust has classified 176 hotels and pubs throughout the state. Of the 100 not used for their original purpose, 30 have been demolished and 70 have alternate uses. Are we seeing a trend of deterioration amongst our watering holes? In early 2012 the Victorian National Trust will curate an exhibition of historic pubs that have been registered by the Trust since 1956 but subsequently have been demolished, reused unsympathetically or are simply unloved and looking for a new owner.

Declining Birds of the Mount Lofty Ranges - SA Eight endemic bird species are locally extinct, and nine others are experiencing population loss. Threats to these populations include continuing vegetation clearance and fragmentation of habitat, a reduction in nesting sites, the loss of key food plants, predation by foxes and cats, competition with introduced bird species and grazing by domestic stock and feral animals. What is happening here is an early warning for Australia’s other avian populations. A rejuvenated and coordinated conservation approach aimed at these populations is urgently needed on a broad scale.

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Robin, a species subjected to population decline in the Mount Lofty Ranges. NTSA above right Diamond Firetails are a threatened population in the Mount Lofty Ranges. NTSA

6 Hunter Valley Rural Landscapes - NSW

4 Coorong and Lower Lakes - SA The Lower Lakes and Coorong region of South Australia has been internationally recognised as a significant wetland system. The region is also of high cultural significance to the Ngarrindjeri people. The rejection of flows set out in the 2010 Guide to the Murray Darling Basin Plan and the alienation of recommendations in scientific work including the Wentworth Group plan show a lack of political will by Governments to support the ecosystems. Environmental flows need to be guaranteed to save the lower Murray Lakes and the Coorong.

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Sixteen separate areas in the Hunter Valley were listed as Landscape Conservation Areas on the National Trust Register in the 1970s and 1980s for their scenic, scientific and historical values. These landscapes are now threatened by open-cut and long-wall mining and/or gas extraction activity. In April 2011 a National Trust submission to the NSW Department of Planning on the Coal and Gas Strategy outlined a series of actions to conserve the heritage values of the conservation areas. These actions included the utilisation of low impact methods for coal extraction, and that gas production facilities be located away from prime agricultural land and recognised heritage landscapes.

Ravenswood Community Church - QLD Ravenswood is of historical significance for its strong association with the early development of north Queensland, particularly as part of the history of gold mining in the region. Community Church worshippers are at risk of being undermined by Carpentaria Gold’s Sarsfield Expansion Project at Ravenswood in North Queensland. The Queensland National Trust has urged that the church be protected from the impact of industrial development and preserved as part of the significance of Ravenswood. ABOVe Ravenswood

Community Church, Ravenswood Queensland. NTQLD

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The 2011 National Top Ten Places at Risk continued

Burnie Paper Mill (Tas Paper) – TAS The Paper Mill has broad and deep-rooted significance within Tasmania as the symbol of industrial success and associated wealth, which in turn has impacted on the social and cultural heritage of the region. There is currently a Development Application in the approval process for demolition of the entire site with no consideration being given to maintaining significant structures of heritage significance. The historical integrity of the site should be secured and maintained in an adaptive and sympathetic reuse of buildings and surrounds.

Register of the National Estate (RNE, National Heritage Database) – All States and Territories Murray Darling Basin - Qld, NSW, Vic, SA The RNE, created by the former Australian Heritage Commission Act 1975, is a list of cultural and natural heritage places of local, regional, and national significance. Under the present Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) the legislative provisions of the RNE will be removed in February 2012. This places at risk many places of identified heritage values, which are not covered by the current National Heritage List, the Commonwealth Heritage List or State/Territory heritage lists. The statutory status of the RNE should be maintained until the outcome of a strategic review is completed and protection for places not covered by heritage listing.

The Murray Darling Basin contains Australia’s most important river system beginning in Queensland and extending through New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. The system supports agriculture and a wide variety of ecosystems, and has archaeological, scientific, ecological, Indigenous and European cultural significance. The demise of the 2010 Murray Darling Basin Plan Guide and the resulting lack of an overall control and management plan, together with the uncertainty of formulating such a plan in the near future have allowed the deterioration to continue. Current market-based mechanisms are failing and Commonwealth government intervention is urgently needed to ensure sufficient freshwater to flow through the system. The Trust is concerned for historic landscapes which are facing a wide range of threats as well as natural environments and species diversity throughout Australia. The latter is exemplified in the declining bird populations in the Mount Lofty Ranges of South Australia. This is not an isolated situation, it is being played out in many other regions of Australia.

For more information visit www.heritageatrisk.org.au

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Watermarks conference Paul Roser Conservation Manager | National Trust of Australia (Vic)

The Watermarks conference held at the Melbourne Convention Centre in October 2011 included 50 papers as well as more than 30 shorter snapshots with a focus on water heritage.

he National Trust was represented by professional staff from all around Australia and more than 150 delegates attended. The joint National TrustAustralia ICOMOS program incorporated many of the Trust’s properties, including the welcome function on the Polly Woodside, dinner at the Old Melbourne Gaol and a farewell function at Rippon Lea. The recently reopened Polly Woodside sits in the Duke’s & Orr’s Drydock, and long-time Trust volunteer at the Polly Woodside, Derek Moore, gave a paper about the history of the dry dock and the associated pumphouse. The Commonwealth Government supported the event through the National Trusts’ Partnership Program. Other sponsors included Lovell Chen, Heritage Council of Victoria, Context Pty Ltd, Godden MacKay Logan, Deakin University and Laithwaites the Wine People. The Conference was formally opened by Michael Danby MP, Federal Member for Melbourne

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Ports in whose electorate the Polly Woodside, Rippon Lea and the Convention Centre are located. The role of water and its significance to Indigenous Australians was well covered, and we particularly thank Joe Ross, Chair of the Indigenous Water Policy Group and a member of the Bunuba people in the Kimberley region of Western Australia for providing an inspirational opening key note address. Joe explored the concept of ‘cultural flow’ in the context of water allocation which was particularly relevant given the release of the draft Murray Darling Basin Plan. A River Yarra based conference tour with Dean Stewart

Above The Watermarks Conference welcome function was held aboard the Polly Woodside. P Roser. NTVIC

Danby Federal Member for Melbourne Ports, opening the conference.

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from the Koori Heritage Trust provided an inspiring insight into the changing landscape of the river including a remnant rock crossing in the centre of the city. The post-conference tour included a visit to Yan Yean Reservoir, Melbourne’s first permanent water supply system built in the mid 1850s at the height of the gold rush, and the first public works project in the newly formed Colony of Victoria. All the conference papers will be published in a forthcoming edition of the ICOMOS Australia publication Historic Environment.

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Reconciliation Alexandra Hill | Advocate Heritage Programs National Trust of Australia (Vic)

Between the lines

The development of the National Trust (Vic)’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) has been met with strong support. The process, started last August with a formal Commitment to Reconciliation signed by CEO Martin Purslow and Chairman Graeme Blackman, is now in the final stages of development.

2012 National Year of Reading

early half our population (46%) can’t read with any fluency. It’s a shocking and worrying statistic for all Australians. The National Year of Reading 2012 is about Australians becoming a nation of readers. It’s about children learning to read and keen readers finding new sources of inspiration. It’s about supporting reading initiatives while respecting the oral tradition of storytelling and this year the National Trust plans to support the Year of Reading with events at its properties. The organisers are aiming to sign up 45 ambassadors for the year and William McInnes is the Patron. The Reading Hour is a highlight of 2012 and may just change the way many of us spend our precious time. There are a number of events already on the Love2Read website. http://www.love2read.org. au/partners.cfm

n November 2011 Paul Roser, Alexandra Hill and Michael Gellert (Wimmera Branch President) were invited to participate in the Registered Aboriginal Parties Forum at the Little Desert Nature Park, outside Nhill. Indigenous review of the National Trust’s RAP was a key element in the development of the Plan. Well received by the Registered Aboriginal Parties, a direction team has been established to guide the nomination and acceptance process of the National Trust’s Aboriginal Advisory Committee, a keystone of the RAP. With the formation of the Committee, a representative of which will sit on the Board, the implementation of the Reconciliation Action Plan can begin. At the Registered Aboriginal

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Parties Forum, a number of similar issues between the Parties and the National Trust became apparent. All members are engaged in the preservation and conservation of heritage and as key lobbyists in the area, we can only be strengthened by working together. The development of Memorandum of Understandings between Registered Aboriginal Parties and National Trust Branches and Properties will allow a grass roots relationship, support engagement, interpretation and a strengthening of heritage preservation and lobbying. The RAP will be adopted formally once it has been ratified by the National Trust Board and accepted by Reconciliation Australia, the peak organisation promoting reconciliation.

Elder, Uncle Ringo Terick performing a smoke ceremony at the recent Ross House community ownership launch. M Grifiths Forum, Little Desert, Nhill 2011. Back row – Barbara Huggins, Ron Jones, Eileen Alberts. Middle row – Fay Milsom, Paul Roser, Vicki Nicholson, Kim Monohan, Sonny Secombe. Front row – Michael Gellert, Travis Morgan, Patsy Smith, Jim Golden-Brown, Alexandra Hill, Darren Griffin. P Roser

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Between the lines St Helena Island Moreton Bay By Lauren Penny Reviewer: National Trust of Qld

Reflecting on frontiers of practice

Publisher: Inspire Publishing

Dr Kate Gregory | Chair of Program

In 1828 a local Aboriginal inhabitant of Moreton Bay, nicknamed ‘Napoleon’ for his uncanny resemblance to the Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte I, was banished to a small island in Moreton Bay for stealing an axe. This island became known as St Helena. Unlike the French Emperor, this Napoleon’s sojourn on the island would most probably have been quite short, about as long as it took him to make a canoe without an axe. Sadly many of the following prisoners who were incarcerated at the St Helena Penal establishment after 1867 stayed there for much longer, and some never left. For most of its operational life St Helena fulfilled its role as a maximum security prison, but it was also a place of rehabilitation where prisoners were taught a trade in preparation for re-entry into society. Prisoners laboured as field workers, tailors, tinsmiths, saddlers, shoe makers, carpenters and bricklayers, and some eventually even became politicians. William Hamilton, born in Victoria in 1858 the son of a miner, went on to become an Australian Trade Union leader and Labor Party politician. In 1891 William and 13 others had been charged with either arson or conspiracy and sedition, and were imprisoned on St Helena for participating in the infamous shearer’s strike at Barcaldine. Author and former St Helena tour guide Lauren Penny answers many curious questions while recounting the very human stories of this island’s rich history in her book St Helena Island Moreton Bay, An Historical Account. Through the reproduced images, plans, correspondence and file reports, this well researched publication makes a key contribution to public knowledge of the St Helena penal settlement, its remaining structures and the lives led by its inmates and their prison custodians. Lauren received a National Trust of Queensland Heritage Award in 2011 for this project which was made possible with the assistance of a Brisbane City Council funding grant. ISBN 978-0-9807003-4-3 Size A4, 229 pages including index. $49.95 includes postage within Australia.

erth’s new State Theatre Centre provided an inspiring venue for the joint national conference for Museums Australia and Interpretation Australia in mid November. Attracting over 550 delegates from Australia’s museum and interpretation worlds, the conference stimulated debate about the frontiers of practice across our sectors. This was the first time the two organisations have collaborated, providing an opportunity for cross-sector conversations that extended thinking in each, tested boundaries and opened up possibilities. Keynote speaker John Holden explored new directions in culture, showing that old models separating ‘high art’, popular culture and homemade culture are now less relevant, replaced by a more complex and fluid model, where the tools of culture are available to all. Digital platforms have shifted content production to the hands of ‘our audience’, who are our co-producers in culture, heritage and museums. The theme of historical representation wove through the conference with keynotes exploring how to ethically represent past lives and events. Storytelling is part of this and Susan Cross reminded us that we are all telling stories in our practice across museums and interpretation. Andrea Witcomb advocated for interpretation that allows space for the visitor’s own response. Ethical representation of the past, she argues, requires independent critical reflection so that contemporary audiences can learn from the past. Witcomb cautions against prescriptive interpretive experiences. Denis Byrne explored the notion of twilight heritage as a form of heritage that hovers at the edge of perception. He described the twilight heritage of Bali, an island paradise with a traumatic past, unacknowledged within the contemporary landscape of tourism and mythology of cultural authenticity. Byrne reflected on the value of recovering hidden stories for landscapes of reconciliation in Australia. Peter Read took this further, in the closing keynote address, by recounting how the history of the disappeared in Chile is suppressed in heritage sites or glossed over through bland interpretation. Read invoked challenging questions about memory, traces, absence and presence. He showed how an opportunity for reconciliation exists through interpretation that honours the primary voice. above Dr

For more information Queensland Prison & Penal Historical Association Inc, 23 Henry Samuel Drive, Redbank Plains. 4301 Email: qppha@bigpond.com Books can be ordered on-line at www.sthelenaisland.net

Kate Gregory welcomes delegates to the At the Frontier Conference. ICE

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Realising the Potential – Northern Tasmania’s Heritage Assets Chris Tassell | Managing Director National Trust (Tas)

A new National Trust report is bridging a critical gap between the heritage and tourism sectors in Tasmania. A heritage audit of the state’s north, revealed strong visitor numbers, cost effective outcomes and valued community involvement.

he ‘Realising the Potential – Northern Tasmania’s Heritage Assets’ project had its origins in discussions between Tourism Tasmania, Northern Tasmania Development and the National Trust (Tas) about the important contribution that heritage makes to Tasmania. The report revealed, for the first time in Tasmania, the documentation of heritage assets of a major region of the state. The project was funded by Tourism Tasmania and Northern Tasmania Development and supported by local government authorities in the region.

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The importance of heritage as one of the two key drivers of Tasmania’s tourism industry has recently been widely acknowledged following the release of Tourism Tasmania’s Motivations Research in 2011. It was recognised that there was a lack of understanding by the wider tourism sector about the scale of the heritage and its contributions in the region. Exacerbating this was an almost complete absence of data about that part of the heritage sector owned and managed by community and government organisations.

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The National Trust undertook an audit of the heritage assets of the Northern Tasmanian Region identifying 151 heritage assets and resources that were publicly owned. Of these more than 55 percent were managed by community organisations. A detailed audit of 24 of the publicly owned heritage assets revealed annual attendance of more than 246,700 visitors, the employment of more than 60 full and part-time staff and a gross turn-over of more than $2.5 million. These 24 heritage places were supported by more than 1,400 members and volunteers

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rofessor Alistair Paterson is a Councilor with the National Trust (WA) and the Chair of Archaeology at the University of Western Australia. His new book, A Millennium of Cultural Contact was recently launched.

and together received less than $200,000 in annual financial support from the Tasmanian State Government. A comparison with the Port Arthur historic site, undeniably a key state heritage and tourism asset, shows that for the same period the number of visitors was comparable (247,000) while the level of State Government annual funding for Port Arthur was some ten times greater. The audit includes a substantial number of heritage sites of national importance, many of which are managed by local government or community organisations. The audit also revealed that organisations managing heritage assets were strongly engaged with the community in heritage related matters at both a local and regional level. However, the same organisations managing heritage assets had only limited engagement with the tourism sector within the region. Significantly this limited engagement was characterised by a high level of negativity amongst heritage organisations which considered that the tourism sector, particularly at regional and state levels was at best disinterested in them. Given the fundamental importance of heritage to Tasmania’s tourism industry the opportunity to realise the potential of Northern Tasmania’s heritage assets by enabling an effective, productive engagement between the region’s heritage and tourism sectors is one that offers significant economic and social benefits to the region. above Penitentiary

Takes a globa perspective on l archaeology

What is your motivation for involvement with the Trust? The National Trust is a leader and innovator in terms of the management and future of cultural heritage in WA. In an era of heritage reform the Trust has an important role to play. I became involved with the National Trust soon after arriving in WA and since then we have had five UWA archaeology field schools at Trust properties, as well as collaborated on an Australian Research Council Linkage project on the Golden Pipeline.

Why is archaeology important for you? Archaeology is an independent source of information about the past. I love most that it requires going to sites in landscapes and working on multiple problems such as determining where sites should be, and how they should be interpreted. Archaeology often reflects a past beyond historical sources. For more ancient times there may be no other way of knowing the past other than through memories passed down through generations.

What are you trying to achieve with ‘A Millennium of Cultural Contact’ and why is it important? I had an idea about a book that took a global perspective on the archaeology of cultural contact and was asked to write a book for students about historical anthropology/archaeology that provided a regional overview of the topic. The book looks at the last 1,000 years of European contacts with various Indigenous peoples around the globe. The year 1,000AD roughly marks the arrival of the Norse in the northwestern Atlantic (in Greenland and Newfoundland). I consider the contact around the Mediterranean that followed, then Africa (from the 1400s), Asia, Australia, and the Americas. I wrote the book while based at the National Museum of Denmark and the University of Copenhagen and had access to excellent resources and experts for these places around the globe.

Why is archaeology important for Western Australia in 2011? Archaeology and cultural heritage are resources, just like environmental resources. The impact on our natural and cultural resources has increased in WA, particularly with the resources and population boom. We will develop the tools to properly manage these resources and better value them in the years ahead. I also hope that Australians come to better understand Aboriginal heritage — it is significant at a global level in many respects, yet many Australians still don’t understand this.

Chapel, Hobart. G Pickering

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Protecting post-European heritage in the Murray Darling Basin Dr Juliet Bird and Dr Sue Hughes | Environmental Heritage Specialist National Trust (Vic)

Over the past two decades Australian governments at both Federal and State levels have become increasingly concerned about the deteriorating environmental condition of the river systems within the Murray Darling Basin.

n 2010 the Murray Darling Basin Authority released a Guide to the Murray Darling Basin Plan, which prioritised environmental protection. The Murray Darling Basin Draft Plan has now been released for community consultation, with implementation of the Plan due in 2012. The Draft Plan will require all sub-basin managers to reduce withdrawals from the rivers, resulting in decreased water allocation for irrigation. The plan claims to acknowledge the need to protect cultural heritage in the face of this change, however, the emphasis is on Aboriginal heritage, values and beliefs, and post-European heritage is largely ignored.

Landscapes in the Murray Darling Basin have evolved gradually over the period since European settlement in response to changes in land subdivision, legislation, water availability, management and technology, all of which have left their mark on irrigated landscapes. Further changes expected in the landscape as a result of modernisation of the irrigation scheme and reductions in water allocation include the elimination of many minor channels and isolation of some farms from the irrigation network as farmers sell their water rights and land is decommissioned. The likely result has been dubbed the ‘Swiss cheese effect’, under which buildings and

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equipment associated with outdated technology and infrastructure will be discarded, old farm houses abandoned, and farm sheds and dairies made redundant. The protection of heritage in the Basin requires an informed approach. There is an urgent need to document places, items and landscapes through thematic studies, maps and photographs using a ‘whole of landscape approach’, to identify significant aspects of this heritage which can be preserved in ways that benefit the local community. This information can be used to identify potential museum objects before machinery and associated infrastructure is removed or decays.

west along Waranga Channel near Ballendella. dairy shed near Ballendella. Modern channel outlet solar powered meter. Lockington Historic Museum J.Bird NTVIC Inset pics top to bottom Abandoned

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Items of interest specific to irrigation are likely to include water distribution equipment such as pipes, pumps, regulators and Dethridge wheels. A better understanding of our water heritage can support the development of sustainable rural tourism and provide economic advantages for local communities. The documentation of water heritage can form the basis for interpretive trails and displays. Trails in turn can encourage visitors to look at museum displays as well as to visit important sites in the field, including the Murray and Darling Rivers, their tributaries and water-courses, major works such as channels and branches, and the system of water control in reservoirs, weirs, diversions and bypasses. Cultural heritage tourism’s role in the economy of the historic riverboat town of Echuca, just north of Rochester, illustrates the potential of using post-European heritage to benefit local communities. In the face of change, the management and protection of cultural heritage values requires a process for ongoing community participation in the management of Indigenous as well as postEuropean settlement heritage. At the very least, it is important to document places, artefacts and landscapes to avoid the loss of the historic memories of water management techniques and irrigation tailored to a particular terrain or landuse.

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Siphon, where the Waranga channel is taken down under the Campaspe River 2km north of Rochester. NTVIC

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An iconic Woolshed Deborah Morgan | Councillor National Trust (SA)

The Glencoe Woolshed is described as a key symbol of the wealth and status of the pastoral era of the South East of South Australia. Located about 20 kilometres from Mount Gambier it is both impressive and handsome. Constructed in 1863, it is a dominant visual landmark in Glencoe. It is owned by the National Trust (SA) having been donated to the Trust by Clarence Gordon Kennedy in 1976.

his stone building is approximately 50 metres long and 20 metres wide with a wide central front door and arched windows. The considerable length of the building is emphasised by its low sweeping roof and pairs of Blackwood columns that support the hand adzed timber roof beams that have quite an ecclesiastical appearance. The woolshed contains 36 pens with 18 on each side. Its architect was William Thomas Postlewaite Gore and his design for Glencoe demonstrates an understanding of the qualities of space, a capacity for inventive detailing, and a thorough knowledge of the efficient design of such buildings. The Woolshed cost £1,500 and originally had 32 stands for blade shearers. In full operation 2,000 sheep could be shorn daily and in its first year 50,000 sheep were shorn over three to four weeks. The story of Edward Leake who took control of the Glencoe property in 1861 is quite intriguing. Edward was one of the six sons of John Leake who arrived in Hobart Above left Glencoe

Shearing Shed. S Scheiffers

from Leith in Scotland in 1823. The family travelled to Australia by the “Andromeda” and brought with them the first Saxon Merino sheep to be imported from Germany. John Leake and a Mr Gillis are credited with having introduced Merino sheep to Tasmania. Robert Leake, an older brother to Edward, was responsible for the family’s sheep from the start. Robert must have been something of an entrepreneur because in 1835 he investigated the Port Phillip Bay district, Kangaroo Island, Gulf St Vincent, Spencer Gulf and Lake Alexandrina for further sheep farming purposes. Robert initially decided to settle north of Adelaide in the vicinity of Burra. By 1850 the Leakes had more than 45,000 sheep and their wool clip brought £5,000 to £6,000 a year. Edward moved his family back to Glencoe in early 1861. On 19 November 1863 Edward gave a supper ball at the Glencoe Woolshed to celebrate its completion and the first shearing commenced a few days after the opening celebrations. above right Glencoe

Woolshed. S Scheiffers

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A spirit of commitment: the First Rector of the Penitentiary Chapel Brian Rieusset Curator | Penitentiary Chapel Historic Site National Trust (Tas)

The Bishop of London recommended Philip Palmer, for appointment as Colonial Chaplain and Rural Dean on a salary of £350 in Van Diemen’s Land. He arrived with his family in the Warrior at Hobart Town on 26 June, 1833. His son, Henry was born on board as the Warrior approached the coast.

hilip Palmer was born in 1799 at Landrake, Cornwall. After schooling he went on to Trinity College, Cambridge. In 1830 he married Harriet, daughter of Rev Jeremiah Owen, of Carmarthen, Wales. They had one daughter in May 1831 and a second in April 1832. He was a Curate at Langdon Hills, Essex, from 1831 to 1833. A difficulty arose almost immediately over boundaries and rights on Palmer’s arrival in Hobart Town. Local Archdeacon Broughton decreed that Mr Palmer should confine his time to New Town, the Penitentiary Chapel, funerals at Campbell Street Cemetery and services at the Hospital on Sunday mornings, as the Penitentiary Chapel had not yet been consecrated and was unlicensed. While baptisms were permitted in the Penitentiary Chapel, marriages were to be celebrated

at St. David’s only. However, Palmer overrode the Archdeacon’s strict rules and the first marriage was held on 18 November 1833 between William Moore, gardener, and Christiana Petterson, spinster. The first baptism was that of Nowell Swanstone on 31 October, 1833 and second baptism on 1 December in the same year was that of Philip and Harriet’s five month old son Henry. The dual role of the Penitentiary Chapel to serve the Christian needs of both free inhabitants and prisoners caused tensions in the community. Modifications were carried out in the nave of the Penitentiary Chapel to allow the local inhabitants to occupy and pay a rent on pews. Palmer wrote to the Colonial Secretary, explaining that: “the sight of the prisoners is very objectionable, particularly to the

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view of the Penitentiary Chapel (c1835) showing Convicts entering either transept with the Free Inhabitants in the nave of the Chapel and solitary confinement cells under the floor. S. Barnard. insert Portrait of Philip Palmer, Courtesy of the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery. Trust News Australia FEBRUARY 2012

female part of my audience, this difficulty can be fully obviated by curtains the expense of which will not exceed fifteen pounds and the minister will also be able, at the same time, to have a view in every part of the church.” Lieutenant Governor Arthur approved and the curtains were paid for from pew rents and duly installed. However, within a few weeks Lieutenant Governor Arthur had been informed that the convicts rejected the screen because it prevented them from being visible to the rest of the congregation. The desire of the local free inhabitants to celebrate in their own church without sharing their Divine Services with the convicts in the Penitentiary Chapel continued for many years. As Rural Dean, Palmer was given a seat in the Legislative Council and later served in the Executive Council where Lieutenant Governor Arthur appreciated his accommodating nature. Perhaps Palmer’s greatest achievement was in the building of Holy Trinity Church in Warwick Street and providing it with the first peal of bells in Australia. He also took a great interest in the education of children and established three Church of England schools in Hobart. Palmer died in Trinity Parsonage on 21 May 1853 after continuing ill health. Palmer’s funeral at Trinity Church was attended by a large number of clergymen and dignitaries. He was buried in the Prisoners and Trinity Burial Ground in Campbell Street, surrounded by more than a 1,000 bond convicts and free parishioners whom he had laid to rest in the cemetery. Palmer and his family’s remains were later removed and re-interred at Cornelian Bay Cemetery at a cost of £34. There is no record of just where they were re-interred at Cornelian Bay or the whereabouts of the headstone.

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70th Anniversary of John Curtin’s swearing in as PM Consultant Curator Elizabeth Hof National Trust (WA)

On 3 October 1941 John Curtin saw the short-lived minority government of Arthur Fadden defeated as its budget was voted down with the support of two independent members. Curtin’s swearing-in as Prime Minister of Australia followed on 7 October.

eventy years later, the National Trust (WA) celebrated the anniversary of this day with a special address from Curtin scholar and distinguished political historian Professor David Black AM. The address was hosted jointly with The Grove Library in Peppermint Grove. Professor Black spoke of Curtin’s achievements: the unity he brought to the parliamentary Labor Party, his leadership of Australia’s government through the most dangerous years of World War II, his government’s focus on a relationship with the United States that was vital to Australia’s security and its plans for a post-war future. He reminded his audience of Curtin’s love for his home and family, the separation from both that he endured while in parliament and the work of his wife Elsie in his electorate of Fremantle. Professor Black was welcomed at The Grove by Melissa Parke, today’s federal member for Fremantle.The Curtin

Family Home in Cottesloe has been in the care of the National Trust since 2002. It was home to four generations of the Curtin family after it was built for John and Elsie Curtin, their two young children and Elsie’s mother in 1923. Its modest style reflected their socialist ideals and simple tastes. John Curtin, who was the only Australian prime minister to represent a Western Australian electorate, died in office in 1945 but Elsie lived in the house until her death in 1975. She remained an active member of the Fremantle Labor Women’s Organisation, became a Justice of the Peace, served on the bench of the Married Women’s Court and worked for other community causes. Her daughter Elsie Macleod, lived in the Curtin home with her family from the 1940s and remained there until 1998. Two open days were organised in the Trust’s 2011 public program for the Curtin Family Home to

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celebrate the anniversary. The first featured tours of the garden with its landscape architect Phil Palmer and consultant archaeologist Renee Gardiner. Mr Palmer spoke of the challenges that he faced when preparing the garden after recent conservation works on the house. He has interpreted it in an ad hoc style common among suburban gardens of its time— without mass or repetitive plantings—and in keeping with the skills of amateur gardeners such as the Curtins. Ms Gardiner’s work confirmed the sites of paths that have been retained and the original level of the front garden, which was about 30 centimetres higher than when the house was built. It has now been returned to its former level. There were special tours for primary school-aged children during the second open day. These concluded with scones and fresh lemonade that Elsie Curtin might have served in her time.

Davidson and Beverley Lane celebrate their grandmother Elsie’s birthday. G Pickering Davidson, Beverley Lane, Professor David Black, National Trust Curator Elizabeth Hof and Melissa Parke MP at the 70th anniversary of John Curtin’s swearing in. G Pickering ABove: (L-R) Barbara

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Isabel Fidler Memorial Garden Matthew Devine Chair | National Trust (NSW) Landscape Advocacy Committee

Located within the grounds of the University of Sydney and officially opened in 1959, the Isabel Fidler Memorial Garden is an elegant egg-shaped garden, featuring a sunken lawn, traced by a stone-flagged path with a sandstone memorial at the southern end. It is a new listing on the Register of the National Trust (NSW).

his garden commemorates Isabel Fidler, a pioneer for her role encouraging women students at Sydney University, improving conditions for women students as well as promoting the opportunities and obligations of university life. Fidler was also an advocate for the status of women in public and social life, leading her to major roles in a number of women’s organizations from 1900-1952. Designed in a Stripped Classical style popular during the Interwar period, the garden and Memorial is reputedly by Professor A. Denis Winston, architect and Professor of Town and Country Planning. It is more likely, but not proven, that noted modernist architect Arthur Baldwinson was the designer above Isabel

of the garden, as he worked collaboratively as a teacher with Denis Winston. It was Baldwinson who made the sketch that accompanied an appeal for funds. The Memorial was designed in 1953, the year after Fidler’s death. Ground works commenced in 1954, but it was not completed until 1959. Within the garden, the memorial structure is a simple structure, comprising a semi-circular recess or exedra, upon a raised stone platform, inscribed with Fidler’s name and years of birth and death, and including a curved seat. Little of the existing planting appears to be original, or as specified, except for a hedge of primrose jasmine, Jasminum Mesnyi. Dominant features of the garden are

Fidler garden and memorial from the entry. J Quoyle from ‘The Gazette’, Oct 1953 p111, published by the University of Sydney

above Sketch

Trust News Australia FEBRUARY 2012

mounded lawns along the east and northern edges, sculpted to rise up and fall to meet the footpaths of the bounding streets. To the south there was once a dark evergreen backdrop of two large Port Jackson figs, ficus rubiginosa. These figs are now gone, likely to have been removed for the construction of a curved ramp to provide disabled access to the adjoining building.

> N at i o n a l T ru s t Way

Holiday Tours

DISCOVER THE HEART OF ITALY 16 - 28 May 2012

ABOVE Pristine

New Zealand.

NEW ZEALAND’S SOUTH ISLAND COUNTRY ESTATE AND LANDSCAPE TOUR 15 - 24 April 2012 Homestead Tours has designed this itinerary especially for National Trust members. It is a rare chance to visit high country estates and historic homesteads, winemakers and local artists; to explore this area amid the Southern Lakes and experience the generous hospitality of our hosts. We will travel in April when the autumn colours will be at their peak and the roses and late summer flowers still in bloom - a magical time of year to visit the South Island. Unparalleled scenic variety awaits as we travel south from Christchurch to Lake Tekapo, Lake Wanaka, Lake Hawea and Queenstown. With two or three night stays we have daily visits to private properties, historic homesteads, towns and villages. This is a tour full of surprises as we experience highlights of New Zealand’s spectacular South Island. Cost per person twin share: Cost per person single room: Note: Costs do not include airfares Bookings: David Smith, Travelscene on Capri P: 1800 679 066 License No: TA1091 Leader: Jill Bunning T: (02) 9798 8914

Unpack only twice on this tour which takes in two spectacular regions in the heart of Italy: Umbria and Le Marche. We stay in charming, centrally located hotels first in Spoleto then in Urbino, a medieval town with UNESCO heritage listing once described as ‘a dream shaped into a city’. Our leisurely daily excursions include the gardens of Villa Lante, the Ceramics Museum in Deruta, the elegant town of Pesaro on the Adriatic coast - birthplace of the composer Rossini - the fascinating museum in Fabriano to see papermaking by hand, and the Castle at Gradara. These regions have a history of good food and wine, and we will have lunch in a private country home, see truffle dogs working in Acqualanga and enjoy local wines and food specialties. Tour Leader Loma Priddle lived in Italy for 12 years and our Italian host, Ugo Mariotti, has conducted National Trust tours over the past 8 years. Cost per person twin share: $4,990 Cost per person single room: $5,580 Note: Costs do not include airfares Bookings: David Smith, Travelscene on Capri P: 1800 679 066 License No: TA1091 Tour Leader: Loma Priddle T: (02) 9412 2875

$ 4,290 $ 4,945

Trust News Australia FEBRUARY 2012

below The

heart of Italy

ABOVE The

spectacular colours of New England’s Fall.

NEW ENGLAND (USA) IN THE FALL 7 - 21 October 2012 The sheer beauty of the autumn foliage in Vermont and New Hampshire in the eastern United States will absolutely astound you. It is nature at its very best. The tour, which will be led by Lorraine Collins who spent 20 years living in the United States and still visits regularly, will start in Boston. Although it will have an autumn theme, there will also be an emphasis on the history and architecture around the regions of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Visits to Salem and Old Sturbridge Village capture the essence of Colonial America as well as a visit to Plymouth where the pilgrims landed on the Mayflower. The tour also includes a visit to the Mansions of Newport, famous for its quaintness and the America’s Cup, and a day trip to Martha’s Vineyard. We will pass through beautiful small towns with white church spires and old graveyards. No visit to New England is complete without a visit to Maine where the autumn colours meet the shore and where you will find some of the best seafood in the world. Where possible we will stay in hotels for 2 or 3 nights. Cost per person twin share: $5,690 Single room supplement: $1,550 Note: Costs do not include airfares Bookings: David Smith, Travelscene on Capri P: 1800 679 066 License No: TA1091 Tour Leader: Lorraine Collins T: 0439 947 479

Trust News Australia FEBRUARY 2012

2012 www.quiltytours.com.au

WORLD HERITAGE OF ITALY TOUR 15 SEPTEMBER - 14 OCTOBER 2012 This tour will experience the long history and archaeology of Italy from the Neolithic Age 6,000 years ago by concentrating on many of the UNESCO listed World Heritage places. Beginning in Rome the tour will take in the famous sites of the capital city including the Coliseum, Roman Forum, Vatican City and St Peters Basilica. While based in Rome we will take a step back into the ancient past by visiting the mysterious Etruscan sites, the precursors to Roman civilization. We will later journey further back into the past by visiting the famous rock engravings at Valcamonica which date from the Neolithic Age (6,000 years ago) to the Medieval and Roman periods. We will also make a special visit to see Ötzi the 5,300 year old ‘Iceman‘ who was found preserved in an alpine glacier. We will visit the famous archaeological sites of Pompeii where a devastating volcanic eruption destroyed the city in AD79; take a day trip to Naples to visit the National Archaeology Museum where many of the artefacts from Pompeii are housed; and take a drive along the world famous Amalfi coast. Along the way we will enjoy the more recent history, culture and delights of Venice, Umbria, Pisa, Florence, Alberobello and Sorrento. Sicily is next where we will be exploring the history and culture of the island including Syracuse, Palermo and the archaeological area of Agrigento. Founded as a Greek colony in the 6th century B.C., Agrigento became one of the leading cities in the ancient Mediterranean world. Cost per person twin share: $15,160 (includes air fares, hotels, breakfast daily and all touring) Single supplement: $1,960 Bookings: Gay Boersma at Travelscene Canberra City (02) 6247 6544 Group Leaders Dr Peter Dowling (Historical Archaeologist) & Dianne Dowling (Group Manager) OR Contact the ACT National Trust on: (02) 6230 0533 Open Monday - Friday info@nationaltrustact.org.au

Flinders ranges 13-25 sePTeMBer, 2012

The most comprehensive tour of the Flinders Ranges travels this part of South Australia from end to end, from the beautiful undulating country which announce the ranges from the south, to the Strzlecki Track where the northern end of the Range evaporates into the plains of the northern desert. The tour reaches out to the giant salt lakes - Lake Frome to the east and to Lake Torrens to the west. With time to visit the spectacular gorges and relax under the gum trees made famous by Hans Heysen and, if you wish, to fly over places like Wilpena Pound. 430km long and up to 150km wide – this tour covers every part of this beautiful South Australian region. $4,850 per person (Twin Share) Single Supplement is also available

reMOTe QUeensland 13–30 JUly, 2012

Beyond the Warrumbungles to far Western Queensland, into the remote north of South Australia, and back to NSW via Broken Hill. This tour includes 2 nights in places as spectacularly beautiful as Carnarvon Gorge, at Mungeranie on the Birdsville Track, and at Arkaroola in the Flinders Ranges. We cross Cooper’s Creek at Windorah and visit the Stockman’s Hall of Fame in Longreach. We spend a day in Winton at a Bush Race meeting. Traversing the vast Mitchell Grass Plains of Western Queensland - down through Boulia, Bedourie and Birdsville we then take the Birdsville Track down to the Flinders Ranges in South Australia. Some of the best Australia has to offer if you are looking for travel to really remote places. $6,350 per person (Twin Share) Single Supplement is also available

For 2012 tours being offered contact Richard Quilty personally on 0418 201 677 or visit www.quiltytours.com.au

Trust News Australia FEBRUARY 2012

B ELEURA I N V I TAT I O N

Discover Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s National Trust heritage places and have a great day out! National Trust

An Invitation to National Trust Members and their friends to visit a very special place. In April 2007 Beleura and The National Trust exchanged a Memorandum of Understanding and Beleura became a Property Associated with The National Trust. To celebrate we extend an invitation to National Trust Members and friends to be our guests at Beleura for Morning Tea - 10am on Tuesday 3rd April 2012

A property associated

members gain FREE entry* *except for special events

The House will be open. Acceptance (and directions) by telephoning 03 5975 2027 before 27 March To visit on other occasions, please telephone 03 5975 2027 Bookings are essential

Beleura - Victoriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Secret Place The Summer House of Sir George Tallis and later of John Tallis, now a Property Associated with The National Trust.

www.placestovisit.com.au

with the National Trust

Trust News Australia FEBRUARY 2012

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ity

Magnificent Australia

Heritage Air Tour 2012 2 depa r t u r es

July 16 & August 21

15 days s 17 seat e pa per d

rt u r

National Trust Members Price Exclusive Substantial Discount on published fare With 25 years of exploratory air touring throughout the continent, Flight Through The Spectacular Land Of The Dreamtime Pty Limited has created for National Trust members an extraordinary itinerary of remote Australia and the founder and director of these tours, David Marks has been acknowledged as the pioneer of modern day air touring in Australia. During the â&#x20AC;&#x153;dry seasonâ&#x20AC;? - July and August 2012, two only departures will realize lifelong ambitions to experience a vast expanse of Australia, visiting destinations of world importance for wilderness and cultural heritage. The diverse and exciting itinerary includes specially arranged visits to ancient rock art sites in the Kimberley and in stone country of western Arnhemland. Also included is a rare opportunity for cultural exchange with Aboriginal saltwater people in remote eastern Arnhemland. Extensive surface touring by vehicle and boat on inland waterways is provided with expert or informed commentary. National Trust members wanting to join either of the two departures are urged to apply without delay to avoid disappointment, as each departure is limited to 17 passengers.

Enquiries and Brochure: Flight Through The Spectacular Land of the Dreamtime Pty Limited Level 57, MLC Centre, Martin Place, Sydney, NSW, Australia 2000 Phone: (02) 9963 0602 FAx: (02) 9221 1987 Email: info@dreamtimebyair.com.au Trust News Australia FEBRUARY 2012