Trust News November 2010 by National Trust of Western Australia

trust news Australia

world heritage for Convict sites

bacchus Marsh rally

rare watercolour revealed

our Heritage at Risk

Volume 3 NO 3 November 2010 $10.00

polly woodside Precinct

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Editorial | Contents n

Contents 4

Protecting our Heritage

Polly Woodside a voyage of discovery

World stage for Australia’s convict sites

Old Government House joins World Heritage List

Barangaroo Update

“Do you see what we see?”

Competition Enter to WIN your copy! Creation DVD

The National Trust’s top 10 Our Heritage at Risk list is a special feature of this edition and was selected from almost 50 nominations nationally.

A whaling display at Runnymede House

And the winner is…

Bacchus Marsh Avenue of Honour

The built environment dominated and key threats for almost half the nominations included demolition, destruction and degradation.

Rare watercolour returns to Western Australia

Clarendon

Spirit of Yagan finally rests

Book Review

ustralia’s National Landscapes A and Heritage

‘Engaging and Memorable Experiences’

Plight of the Little Penguins

Heritage at Risk top ten

‘Alister Brae’ a landmark residence

The dying art of eco-cemeteries

The last burial at Fromelles

‘Little Lon’ - Melbourne’s 19th century underbelly

Book Review

Paddington Reservoir Gardens

Heritage buildings and sustainability

elbourne’s last residential estate M saved from sale

History of the Beaumont house garden

National Trust Tours

Editorial november 2010 - January 2011 Greetings

Some positive cultural heritage outcomes to explore as well around the country with a new future for the ship Polly Woodside, the final reburial of an Aboriginal legend and Australia’s Convict Sites joining the World Heritage List. We also announce the winners of an unforgettable journey on the Indian Pacific. Enjoy

Gina Pickering | Editor

ISSN: 1835-2316 Vol 3 No 3 November 2010 Trust News is published quarterly for National Trust members and subscribers in February, May, August and November. Publication is coordinated by the National Trust of Australia (WA) on behalf of the National Trusts of Australia and supported by the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.

Left | Yagan’s statue at Heirisson Island. G.Pickering/National Trust (WA).

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 Polly Woodside offers a voyage of discovery for all ages. G. Noakes. Next Issue: February 2011 Copy deadline:19 November 2010

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 Environment Water, Heritage and the Arts. The articles in this magazine are subject to copyright. No article may be used without the consent of the National Trust and the author.

n M e s s a ge F r o m t he A u s t r a l i a n H e r i t a ge C o u n c i l

Protecting our Heritage Professor Carmen Lawrence | Chair of the Australian Heritage Council

Becoming Chair of the Australian Heritage Council in June this year has given me the opportunity to see the important work that is being done to protect Australia’s heritage.

he Australian Heritage Council is the Government’s independent, expert advisory body on heritage matters; one of its main responsibilities is to assess places for inclusion in the National Heritage List. The List recognises and celebrates the places and stories that make Australia unique. From its very beginning in 2004 it was designed to represent the best of our heritage, our amazing natural places, our rich Indigenous heritage, and the places that reflect our development as a nation. There is often a direct link between the heritage places in our own backyard and those in the National Heritage List, as they represent experiences and events that have been played out in communities across the country—all a part of a bigger, national story. That is why protecting the tens of thousands of local heritage places around the country is so important. I particularly commend the National Trust of Australia for leading the way with heritage conservation, restoration and education projects. Through its membership the National Trust is engaged in communities all around the country. Its members are active and vocal, ready to roll up their sleeves and pitch in.

And even those who are not able to be quite so hands on, can still be involved. Protecting our heritage can be as simple as visiting a heritage place and sharing what we’ve learnt about that place with friends and family, so that its story enters our own experiences and heritage. I applaud this work by the National Trust of Australia and its members, it shows so clearly that protecting our heritage is not solely the role of government, and that we can all—in our own way—play a role. I, and the other members of the Australian Heritage Council, look forward to continue working closely with the National Trust of Australia to ensure our important places are protected for the future. Professor Carmen Lawrence is Chair of the Australian Heritage Council. Professor Lawrence entered politics in 1986, serving at both State and Federal levels for 21 years, including serving as the first woman Premier and Treasurer of a state government.

ABOVE | The National Trust of Australia (WA) has recently completed conservation and interpretation of The Curtin Family Home at Cottesloe, Western Australia. Four generations of the Curtin family called this modest house their home. Grandchildren of Prime Minister John Curtin at 24 Jarrad Street include (L-R) Barbara Davidson, John Curtin III and Beverley Lane. G Pickering/National Trust (WA).

Trust News Australia NOVEMBER 2010 | 4

H e r i t a ge V a l u e n

Polly Woodside Paola Ghirelli | National Trust (VIC)

The spectacular ship Polly Woodside will be relaunched to the public this summer following a substantial investment of $14.5m in the Maritime Precinct, including $3.6 million dollars by the National Trust of Australia (Vic).

EO Martin Purslow said the Trust is incredibly proud of engage the visitor, particularly people who may not usually visit Polly Woodside which it acquired in the 1960s for one cent. museums. “Since the construction of the Charles Grimes Bridge in “Our Exhibitions team has created an interactive experience the 1970s, Polly Woodside has been unable to be dry docked, so aboard the ship that engages the imagination and all of the the completion of this important project has enabled her to be senses,” he said. sustainably maintained, to be accessed and enjoyed by future From December arriving visitors will have the opportunity to generations,” he said. join the crew by receiving a ‘Crew Contract’, or a job on the ship The ship is located in the heart of the city as the figurehead when they arrive, so as they progress through the attraction they of Melbourne’s new $1.3 billion Convention Centre. The can learn about that job. development, led by the Multiplex/Plenary Consortium, “They will meet our guides ‘in costume’ and be shown crew includes an investment by State Government in partnership with quarters, where the cook worked and where they were stationed the National Trust in public spaces for a revitalised Maritime whilst doing their assigned job. This sets the scene or flavour of Heritage Precinct and visitor centre. the experience on site,” Mr Green said. Major Projects Victoria committed $8.5 million to refurbish Visitors will then cross global navigational lines symbolising the Duke's & Orr's Dry Dock. an important link to Belfast 1885, when Polly Woodside was “The substantial investment injected into Polly Woodside, its built. Part of their interactive experience includes a revolving new interpretation centre and programs enhances the iconic value room in which people will hear water lapping up against the the three-masted iron barque has to Melbourne, whilst providing a sides of the ship, hear the wind blowing and the sea around them unique, contemporary and engaging experience,” he said. tossing backwards and forwards. A highlight of the attraction is The Trust’s Project Manager for Polly Woodside, Andrew an innovative approach which imbeds technology into artefacts Gooday, said the ship is integral to the city’s psyche. that people can handle and use, including a 1912 forge. “Ask almost any Melburnian and they’ll A new film played in the theatre has been have a fond childhood memory of visiting specially commissioned by the Trust using the ship,” Mr Gooday said. a Melbourne-based filmmaker at a cost of “The Trust has been running Polly about $250k. It is based on the historical Woodside since 1978, and while the ship on board Polly Woodside diary of one of the ship’s carpenters George has been closed over the past four years to Andrews. Polly Woodside always had a ship’s the public, there is now huge anticipation “Everything in this 12-minute long cat, so to celebrate the Trust has created from the Tourism Industry about the production is found on board Polly a new character named ‘Patch the Cat’ updated maritime attraction,” he said. Woodside allowing visitors to get a real to help younger people enjoy understanding of the crew’s stories, some The unique visitor experience their visit. Children arriving of which are of hardship but show The newly reconstructed Polly Woodside aboard will receive a ‘Patch incredible camaraderie,” Mr Green said. Visitor Centre, housed in a heritage the Cat’ passport that will lead To celebrate Polly Woodside’s building behind the ship contains an them on an adventure to launch and departure from Ireland 125 interactive museum and theatre. secret hidey holes and years ago, the site will be opening this The Trust’s Learning and Interpretation exciting stories about summer. From then on, the ship will be Manager Martin Green said the intention the ship’s history from open every day of the year excluding of the Visitor Centre is to completely Patch’s perspective. Christmas and New Year’s Day.

‘Patch the Cat’

above Left to right | Graeme Cooper, Trust Maintenance Coordinator addresses visitors on deck. Keeping a lookout for trouble aboard the Polly Woodside. G Noakes. Insert | Patch the cat and his naughty sidekick form part of the Polly Woodisde Crew. National Trust (VIC).

Trust News Australia NOVEMBER 2010 | 5

n H e r i t a ge V a l u e

World stage for Australia’s convict sites Peter Romey | National Executive Committee of Australia ICOMOS

At its recent meeting in Brasilia, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee 2010 resolved to inscribe the 11 sites included in the Australian Convict Sites serial nomination on to the World Heritage List. The decision of the committee is a major development for the international recognition of Australia’s cultural heritage. After the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne and the Sydney Opera House, the inscription means that Australia now has three places that have been inscribed on the list because of their cultural heritage values.

here can be no doubt that convictism has been (and arguably still is) a formative influence on our history as a nation. In 1788 the first 750 convicts arrived in Sydney on the First Fleet of 11 ships. By the time transportation to Western Australia ceased in 1868 around 170 000 men, women and children had been transported to the colonies. Once, having a convict antecedent in the family closet was a major embarrassment. Sharon Sullivan has suggested that convict stain remover would have been a popular grocery item in the 19th and early 20th century. Now a convict antecedent provides a substantial measure of cache. So the proposition that the Australian convict story might be one that has relevance and value at the World Heritage level is timely. The sites that together make up the listing are spread across three states and a territory: • New South Wales: Old Government House and Domain at Parramatta; Hyde Park Barracks and Cockatoo Island Convict Site in Sydney; and Old Great North Road north of Wisemans Ferry. • Western Australia: Fremantle Prison in Fremantle. • Tasmania: Brickendon and Woolmers Estates near Longford; Darlington Probation Station on Maria Island; Port Arthur and the Coal Mines Historic Sites on the Tasman Peninsula; and the Cascades Female Factory in Hobart. • Kingston and Arthur’s Vale Historic Area on Norfolk Island. The 11 sites were inscribed as a single entity – not the first serial listing of multiple sites on the World Heritage list, but still rare LEFT | Coal Mines Historic Sites on the Tasman Peninsula. P Romey. RIGHT | Port Arthur penitentiary against a backdrop of snow. P Romey.

Trust News Australia NOVEMBER 2010 | 6

- and arguably an ambitious move given the geographical spread and diverse management and ownership of the sites. The idea of such a serial nomination was first mooted around twenty years ago by Australia ICOMOS, and that organisation has been closely involved throughout. However, the commitment to recognising the outstanding universal value of the forced migration of criminals and undesirables to further the expansionist ambitions of the colonial powers was slow in reaching fruition. The nomination process was coordinated by the Commonwealth Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, with the cooperation of the State and Territory governments, the various site managements and other committed stakeholders. The acceptance by the international community of the Outstanding Universal Value of the 11 sites will present challenges for their managers and owners. Each site is distinct in its management and funding regime, the particular values and stories that it communicates to visitors, and the expectations of its stakeholders. In particular, the challenge of presenting these stories so that they can be understood as key components of the much bigger picture of convict transportation will require close cooperation between the sites. However, these challenges also present great opportunities. Having come so far in gaining world recognition for what was once seen as a dark and sordid history, Australia will continue to demonstrate its leadership in managing and interpreting its cultural heritage.

H e r i t a ge V a l u e n

Old Government House joins World Heritage List

Angela Le Sueur

Old Government House, Parramatta, and the 37 remaining hectares of what was once Governor Phillip’s Domain, farmed by convicts to provide the all-important food for the fledgling colony was one of the eleven Australian convict sites that made the World Heritage List.

he serial Australian nomination was based on the story of transporting convicts to the British colonies in Australia between 1788 and 1868. It fulfilled key criteria that nominations should be of ‘outstanding universal value’ and linked to a significant stage in human history. Although brutal, for many the transportation system offered a better life than was possible at home. Those in charge differed dramatically in their management styles. Some saw their role as meting out harsh punishment while others were more concerned with rehabilitation and reward. The governor was always at the apex of the increasingly complex questions which had to be addressed to manage the growing numbers of convicts arriving on the shores and, as the years passed, there was the matter of how to manage those whose sentences had expired. During the convict period, a number of governors used Old Government House as their primary residence, most notably Governor Macquarie (governor from 1810 to 1821). The property was the seat of decision-making which influenced the management of convicts, the granting of freedom and the transition from a penal to a free settlement. The question has often been posed as to whether we would be here today had Governor Phillip not established his Domain, or had the convicts been unable to grow the desperately needed crops. Within weeks of his arrival, Governor Phillip had established a second settlement at Rose Hill and the first town, Parramatta, was laid out. He erected a small dwelling for himself on the hilltop, from which he could survey the convicts as they worked the land, retiring to rows of huts stretching down the hill. By 1799, Phillip’s house was in a dilapidated state. His successor, Governor Hunter built the core of the house which replaced it, but it was tripled in size by the Macquaries between 1812 and 1816. The grand portico which forms the main entrance was designed by the convict architect, Francis Greenway. Around it grew the structures needed to house the Military and administer the system. The listed site includes five buildings which comprise the Garrison Building (Officers’ Quarters), the Female Convict Servants’ Quarters and the

Governor’s Dairy, built by the ex-convict George Salter on land granted in 1796. Archaeological remains include the Redoubt (Military Post), roads, convict allotments and huts and the footings of Governor Phillip’s first residence, some of which are visible under the floor of Macquarie’s ground floor office.

centre | Old Government House, Parramatta. C Shain. TOP Right | The portico, designed by ex convict Francis Greenway. C Shain.

Trust News Australia NOVEMBER 2010 | 7

n H e r i t a ge V a l u e

Barangaroo Update

Scott Woodcock | Public Relations Director National Trust (NSW)

The NSW National Trust believes that the redevelopment of Barangaroo, a 22 hectare harbourside site in Sydney’s CBD, represents a rare and invaluable opportunity for the long term future of the city. However the Trust is campaigning vigorously to protect the rich maritime heritage of the site from being erased in the process.

s well as changing the nature of the site as Sydney’s working harbour by removing a deepwater berth which has been in operation since the 1830s, the Barangaroo Development Authority intends to demolish, dismantle and literally bury a number of significant heritage items, owned by the NSW Government, contained within the boundaries of the scheme on Millers Point. All items are listed on the conservation and heritage registers of the government authorities concerned. The Trust contends that the integration of the site’s physical, environmental and cultural heritage with current proposals will add a rich dimension increasing its attraction, boosting tourism and saving irreplaceable elements, at no additional cost. The Trust’s proposals are defined in its Alternative Concepts for the site, developed in consultation with leading architects. Broadly speaking, the Alternative Concepts seek to preserve the maritime, ecological, recreational and aesthetic functions of the harbour, prohibit its privatisation and protect public access to the harbour and foreshores, while asking for increased transparency and accountability by the NSW Government with reference to the development. A key concept proposed by the Trust is to use, rather than demolish, the existing deepwater wharf at Millers Point to create an iconic cruise ship terminal. The concept has been endorsed by the NSW Shadow Minister for Ports and by Carnival Australia. A further suggestion for a nationally significant celebration of the site’s Indigenous heritage has been notionally endorsed by the NSW Government.

A recent disturbing twist in the government’s proposals for the site has been the move to revoke public housing at Millers Point, traditionally a close-knit community with direct links to its seafaring past. This has implications for the village character of the neighbourhood and its history, as well as the social toll of breaking up a community. The current situation is that the threat to Barangaroo’s heritage; built, environmental, cultural and now social, is real and present. The Trust is campaigning, lobbying and negotiating as strongly as it can, to achieve a resolution which ensures that all needs and expectations are met.

ABove | Barangaroo, the National Trust’s Alternative Concepts. Concepts and images prepared by Colin Griffiths. right | Barangaroo photo montage southern. Lend Lease.

Trust News Australia NOVEMBER 2010 | 8

H e r i t a ge V a l u e n

“Do you see what we see?” Melbourne Heritage Action Committee

So began a recent pamphlet handed out by Melbourne Heritage Action (MHA) members during an Open House weekend inviting the public to join with MHA and the National Trust (Vic) to protect Melbourne’s unique heritage character.

he title sprang from an awareness that many buildings of heritage value have been destroyed by the developer’s wrecking ball, or are likely to be demolished soon. Melbourne Heritage Action (MHA) is a new community group formed with the support of the National Trust of Australia (Vic) to support the protection of significant heritage buildings in central Melbourne, following recent demolitions and the lack of protection and good planning process in the city. Trust CEO Martin Purslow said he was proud to support this new group in a shared endeavour to bring improved protection to the city's cultural heritage. The group evolved from the former ‘Save Lonsdale House’ coalition, which was committed to saving this important Art Deco building. Despite marches and petitions, Lonsdale House was demolished – with approval by the City of Melbourne and Victorian Planning Minister Justin Madden. Many were shocked that such a landmark could fall so easily, without regard for its significant heritage value and a new group was formed dedicated to protecting heritage buildings, streetscapes, laneways and interiors in central Melbourne. Melbourne Heritage Action office bearers were appointed in July and a mandate confirmed. Importantly, MHA has established a strong collaboration with the National Trust, and this synchronicity will bring benefits to both groups and to heritage protection in the CBD. Youth and vigour is evident in the makeup of the group, and in those it is attracting and the new look office bearers are under 40. Newly elected MHA President is Rupert Mann, is an archaeologist and committed to Melbourne’s city heritage and a more transparent planning process. “So much bad development is occurring and many proposals which are being approved totally overwhelm the original

building, as in the case of the Windsor, where 27 floors will sit immediately behind the hotel, dwarfing the character and scale of the original building,” Mr Mann said. “The Princess Mary Club and Scots Church Hall are due to be replaced by office towers and the plan for the Spencer St power station has concrete struts through the retained heritage buildings, supporting 40 stories of apartments above,” he said. According to Mr Mann, development approvals are now ignoring existing Planning Scheme plot ratios and setback requirements and developers a getting a green light for even the most inappropriate plans, at great risk to Melbourne’s heritage character. “The City of Melbourne’s list of protected heritage buildings has not been updated in over 25 years, a shameful record for a major world city. In our view, many planning process issues need to be addressed, including the role and makeup of Heritage Victoria, and the Minister’s planning powers,” he said. The group plans to draw the public’s attention to threatened demolitions of heritage buildings, as well as inappropriate development plans.

For more information follow Melbourne Heritage Action on website www.melbourneheritage.org; and on Facebook and Twitter.

Above | (L-R) Members of the Melbourne Heritage Action Committee include Katrina Grant, Sue Coffey, Rupert Mann, Helene Athanasiadis are. A Dimech.

Competition Creation

From the writer of Master & Commander comes the deeply moving and inspirational story of how Charles Darwin conceived one of the most explosive ideas in history and became one of the greatest scientists the world has ever known. Starring Academy Award winner Jennifer Connelly as Charles Darwin’s deeply religious wife Emma, Creation depicts one man’s heart-wrenching war between science and love. Darwin (Paul Bettany) is a warm and loving family man who must evaluate the potentially devastating effect his revolutionary ideas could have on both society and his cherished family. To enter simply put your name and address on the back of a stamped, addressed envelope and send it to: Creation

Enter to WIN your copy! New on DVD National Trust (WA), PO Box 1162, West Perth WA 6872. Include the answer to this question: When was Origin of the species first published by Charles Darwin?

The first four correct entries drawn on 1 December 2010, will win one of these DVDs. Kindly donated by Icon Film Distribution - Home Entertainment

Trust News Australia NOVEMBER 2010 | 9

n Interpretation

A whaling display at Runnymede House Rona Hollingsworth Curator | Maritime Museum of Tasmania

As well as a wonderful new look, Runnymede House will soon have a new museum style display featuring the Bayley family’s whaling activities. The third and fourth owners of the House were Charles and James Bayley. These brothers, who arrived from England in their teens, became captains and owners of whaleships, spending a large part of their working lives whaling in the South Seas. Both took their wives on long whaling voyages and at least one child was born at sea.

his was James’ daughter, Hally, the only one of the brothers’ six legitimate offspring to reach adulthood. Since Hally moved into Runnymede House after her father died and two of her daughters lived there until the National Trust’s arrival, many items relating to the brothers’ whaling days remain in the house. These are now being exhibited in several museum rooms at the rear of the house. The exhibition includes whaling and navigation tools, paintings of Bayley ships and stories of some desperate incidents on their dangerous voyages. China-trade items in the main room were probably brought back from Canton by James. During the Victorian gold rush he stripped his ship of whaling gear and sailed to Mauritius and China to bring back sugar, tea, fireworks and other trade items. Two cannons on display would have been useful to deter pirates who infested the South China Sea.

Another small room contains fine scrimshaw crafted with whale teeth and bone and mostly made by James. He even took a lathe on board and when no whales were in sight would turn fancy works such as a child’s tea set, binoculars and walking sticks. Visitors with a bit more time can also check out log books of Bayley voyages, which have been scanned and made available on a computer, a project supported by a grant from the Maritime Museums of Australia. The new display at Runnymede House highlights the significant part the Bayley brothers played in Tasmania’s maritime history at a time when Hobart Town was a major international whaling port. The displays also underscore the importance of Runnymede as the most siginficant surviving site in Australia associated with colonial deep sea whaling. Its preparation was made possible by the Commonwealth Government’s stimulus package.

left | James Bayley was part owner of the whaler Helen and the Lufra shown here with whale barrels stacked on shore. Maritime Museum of Tasmania. right | Sperm whale jawbone at Runnymede House. Maritime Museum of Tasmania.

And the winner is… National Trust members across the country were invited to contribute their valued opinions in a comprehensive survey that accompanied the August edition of Trust News. A broad range of subjects was addressed including the quality of Trust News stories, volunteering, membership, visitation to Trust properties as well as ideas about the value of heritage to individuals and the community. Thank you to the thousands of members who took part. Those who completed the survey went into the draw to win two Gold Service tickets on the fabulous Indian Pacific sponsored by Great Southern Rail and valued at $4 016. The winner was drawn by National Trust of Australia (WA) President Hon John Cowdell on 15 September at the National Trust (WA) Headquarters. The winners are Gordon and Olwen King from NSW who have been National Trust members for 30 years. Congratulations! Above | Hon John Cowdell, President National Trust of Australia (WA) draws the winner of a trip for two on the Indian Pacific. G Pickering/National Trust (WA).

Trust News Australia NOVEMBER 2010 | 10

A d v o c a cy n

Bacchus Marsh Avenue of Honour

Paul Roser | Conservation Manager National Trust (Vic)

More than 150 people attended a rally to protect the Bacchus Marsh Avenue of honour 55 kilometres west of Melbourne. The National Trust of Australia (VIC) has been liaising with the recently formed Avenue Preservation Group which organised the rally on 29 May.

he crowd marched from Moon Reserve (named after Victoria Cross winner Rupert Moon) to the Woolpack Road intersection and addressed by Katrina Bradfield of the Preservation Group, National Trust of Australia (Vic) Conservation Manager Paul Roser, the local Greens candidate and members of the community. A letter from Booker Prize winner Peter Carey was also read to the crowd. Media coverage the event was extensive and included National Nine News. The Heritage Council conducted a hearing on 30 June, 2010 over the inclusion of the avenue on the Victorian Heritage Register. The Trust had legal representation at the hearing and expert witness Chair of the Trust’s Significant Trees Committee, Dr Greg Moore. On 11 August the Heritage Council confirmed the addition of the avenue to the register. The Trust’s Significant Trees Committee has encouraged the preparation of a Conservation Management Plan for the Avenue of Honour, which includes an interpretation component addressing the stories associated with each tree. The statement of significance adopted by the Heritage Council states: “The Bacchus Marsh Avenue of Honour is of historic significance: as one of the earliest examples of this important form of memorial planting in Victoria; for its representation of the phenomenon of commemorating individual sacrifice for the World War I effort through the planting and maintenance of a tree: and for the egalitarian treatment of the individuals commemorated by each tree within the Avenue.

The name plaques associated with each tree are arranged in alphabetical order along the Avenue of Honour, keeping families together and symbolising the idea that each individual’s contribution to the war effort was equally important, regardless of rank. The Bacchus Marsh Avenue of Honour is aesthetically significant for the dramatic, continuous and unbroken cathedrallike arching of the canopy, making it one of the most distinctive elm avenues in Victoria.” While the registration is a positive result, it does not provide a guarantee of preservation of the avenue intact. Encouragingly however, the Federal election prompted commitments from the Green candidate and Liberal candidate to find alternative routes and avoid the need for a roundabout altogether. At the time of writing there is a hung parliament in Canberra, and the future of Federally-funded works is still to be determined. In addition, the Trust has also sought professional road engineering opinion about alternative intersection treatments that would minimise tree removal. These alternatives are not suitable and we continue to advocate for a solution that bypasses the Avenue completely. The Trust has also met the RSL in Melbourne to advocate for a commitment from them at the state level to oppose the works. The Bacchus Marsh Avenue of honour was dedicated on 10 August 1918 when 281 Canadian elms were planted alongside more than two kilometres of road leading into the town.

Above | More than 150 people rallied to protect Bacchus Marsh, Avenue of Honour on 29 May. National Trust (Vic).

Trust News Australia NOVEMBER 2010 | 11

n c u l t u r a l he r i t a ge LEFT | The watercolour purchased by the National Trust (WA) depicts the nationally significant The Old Farm, Strawberry Hill. G Pickering/National Trust (WA)

Rare watercolour

returns to Western Australia Gina Pickering | Editor

A 19th century sketchbook containing a rare watercolour painting of Western Australia’s first settlement at The Old Farm, Strawberry Hill in Albany has arrived in Perth and is undergoing conservation.

he bound sketchbook, the biggest investment ever made by the National Trust of Australia (WA) in a single object, was purchased at auction in July for $57 000 by the Trust’s Manager of Conservation and Stewardship, Sarah Murphy. Ms Murphy said there was unprecedented interest in the rare sketchbook which sold for considerably more than the Trust expected to pay. “The Trust sees this purchase as an exceptional investment that will ensure the future of Western Australia’s heritage while bringing great value to the community,” Ms Murphy said. “The watercolour featured in the sketchbook appears to have been painted by an amateur artist and is of special interest because it includes buildings that are no longer extant,” she said. “This image will also help us explore the potential for future archaeological study at the property because it so clearly depicts the locations of these buildings and other features.” The National Trust is committed to the conservation of Western Australia’s heritage and increasing community understanding and awareness of WA’s unique heritage values. Ms Murphy said the National Trust plans to feature the sketchbook as a key element of its exhibitions at The Old Farm, Strawberry Hill.

“We aim to make both the sketchbook and the painting as accessible as possible to the community through exhibition and hands-on digital technology.” Each page will be photographed and loaded into an ipad which will reduce the need for handling and provide a means by which the sketchbook can be exhibited at the National Trust’s Old Farm, Strawberry Hill so that visitor’s can flick through the entire sketchbook and enlarge images as they wish to view details. Paul Malone, paper conservator of Preservation Services, North Perth is undertaking an assessment of the sketchbook and will make recommendations for its future treatment. He has already indicated to the Trust that the pages require deacidification and the spine of the sketchbook is broken from the leaves and needs to be reattached. The National Trust of Australia (WA) plans to display the sketchbook at The Old Farm, Strawberry Hill for a short period before returning it to Perth for recommended conservation treatments. The Old Farm, Strawberry Hill is a nationally significant place which was established in 1827 as part of the first European settlement at King George Sound and was home to the first Government Resident in Albany, Sir Richard Spencer. Charles Darwin visited the property in 1836 describing it as ‘a small and neat farm’. The National Trust has cared for the place since 1964. Funds for the purchase of the sketchbook were raised from the Trust’s deaccessioning program in 2007. The auction lot also includes an early photograph of The Old Farm, Strawberry Hill. “We are delighted that the sketchbook will be coming to The Old Farm and it’s only right that it has been bought by the National Trust of Australia (WA) and will become part of the Trust’s permanent collection.”

Above |Paul Malone, paper conservator of Preservation Services inspects the watercolour with Sarah Murphy, Manager Conservation and Stewardship at his North Perth studio. G Pickering/National Trust (WA). right | A series of images accompanied the 19th century sketchbook and included an original photographic image of The Old Farm, Strawberry Hill. G Pickering/National Trust (WA).

Trust News Australia NOVEMBER 2010 | 12

c u l t u r a l he r i t a ge n

Clarendon

Connecting Rural Communities Matthew Smithies | Community Heritage Officer, National Trust (Tas)

Built in 1838 by James Cox, ‘Clarendon’ is today regarded as one of Australia’s greatest early colonial houses. Cox established an extraordinary agricultural enterprise that extended over 18 000 acres at a time when northern Tasmania was the food bowl for Australia exporting large quantities of grain not only to New South Wales but also India, Mauritius and the Cape Colony.

ABOVE | Clarendon – Connecting Rural Communities is an initiative of the National Trust of Australia (Tasmania) Community Heritage program. National Trust (Tas)

s well as growing grain Cox was involved in the development of the fine wool industry in Tasmania importing merino rams from the Macarthur stud in New South Wales as well as from Europe. Initially using convicts as servants and farm workers, by the 1830s he was actively seeking free employees and by the 1840s Cox played a very public role in the anti-transportation movement chairing critical public meetings that sought the cessation of transportation to Tasmania. Clarendon – Connecting Rural Communities is an initiative of the National Trust of Australia (Tasmania) Community Heritage program designed to reflect on the important legacy of James Cox through an engaging, contemporary and relevant event. It takes into careful consideration the human qualities of James Cox who was an entrepreneur, a risk taker, a visionary and an ambitious man with strong ethical and moral convictions. Above all, we can safely say that James Cox had a great belief in the future of Tasmania. On the 5, 6 and 7 November 2010, the National Trust of Tasmania is hosting one of Tasmania’s most important events of the year at Clarendon. ‘Connecting Rural Communities’ will highlight the many issues facing rural communities in Tasmania with many topics having national relevance and significance. The event also aims to provide a platform for urban communities to gain an understanding of these issues. This free event is organised by the National Trust in partnership with the Tasmanian Farmers & Graziers Association and the Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment (DPIPWE). The program includes professional presentations, panel discussions, educational programs, information sessions and demonstrations as well as a range of entertainment activities all set against the powerful backdrop of Clarendon a unique and treasured Tasmanian agricultural icon. Topics covered will include such things as the processes involved in food production, emerging boutique markets, organic farming, viticulture, farm management deposits, the Tasmanian wool and dairy industries, legislation / restrictions and regulations, retailing, farm gate initiatives and a wide range of health related issues ranging from depression to the availability of GPs in rural areas. The commitment of participating organizations and expert professionals involved highlights the significance of the event and clearly demonstrates that ‘Clarendon’ is very much a living, breathing place that belongs as much in the present as in the past. On the lighter side, a cricket match between school teams from urban and rural communities will be one of the many highlights in the packed entertainment schedule. It is planned that ‘Clarendon – Connecting Rural Communities’ will be an annual event providing the opportunity for contemporary issues to be freely discussed in a constructive, meaningful, relevant and sometimes provocative and challenging way. The National Trust of Tasmania is certain James Cox would approve. Trust News Australia NOVEMBER 2010 | 13

n c u l t u r a l he r i t a ge

Spirit of Yagan finally rests Gina Pickering | Editor

I think in every walk of life we need our heroes and we have one of the main heroes of the pre-settlement days. Richard Wilkes, Whadjuk Nyoongar Elder.

Above Left to Right | Dr Richard Walley leads the male dancers at the ceremony for Yagan. G.Pickering/National Trust (WA). Nyoongar Elder Richard Wilkes interviewed by television crews at the Yagan Memorial Park. G.Pickering/National Trust (WA). Main Image | Yaganâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s statue at Heirisson Island. G.Pickering/National Trust (WA). Right | Kaed Kearing dances for the fallen Nyoongar hero Yagan. G.Pickering/National Trust (WA).

Trust News Australia NOVEMBER 2010 | 14

c u l t u r a l he r i t a ge n

he mood was respectful and sombre. Intermittent showers fell and guests huddled in a large marquee overlooking the new Yagan Memorial Park, east of Perth at Belhus in the Upper Swan Valley. Nyoongar community leaders and state politicians spoke thoughtfully about Yagan the warrior and the long journey he had undertaken to reach this final resting place. Chairman of the Yagan reburial Committee Nyoongar elder Richard Wilkes described Yagan as a hero who stood up for land rights at a time when the fledgling Swan River Colony was the western frontier. “People don’t realize the oppression and pressure under the first wave of the blue blood settlers. The land was never conceded, people like Yagan were losing their prime land along the river and then were promptly called outlaws,” Mr Wilkes said. The story of Yagan’s death is a tragic and a grim reminder of 1830s history in a brutal political landscape. However, at a special ceremony attended by more than 300 people including many Nyoongar community members as well as representatives of the Western Australian State Government, Yagan’s story was also acknowledged as a respected chapter of Nyoongar culture. WA Premier Colin Barnett described Yagan as a hero warrior of his people at a difficult and treacherous time. The context was violent. Yagan’s father Midgegooroo - a Whadjuk leader - was executed without trial, his brother was shot for stealing flour and Yagan was cut down in his prime with a bounty on his head of just £30. On 11 July 1833 two young brothers William and James Keats accompanied Yagan in the Upper Swan area near Bull’s Farm and eighteen year old William shot Yagan fatally through the head. While Yagan’s body was buried in the vicinity of where he was killed, his skeletal remains have never been found. Yagan’s head was severed from his body then smoked in a tree. In September 1833, it was taken to England as a curio and finally buried for the first time in a cemetery in Everton, Liverpool in 1964. By 1997 Nyoongar elders were accompanying Yagan’s skull home to Western Australia. The process of repatriation had taken 13 years to achieve. The Yagan Memorial Park includes an entry statement of sculptured scar trees, rammed earth walls, ceramic tiles depicting traditional Nyoongar life pre-colonisation, and early contact with the settlers until Yagan’s death. The $550 000 project was funded by the WA State Government. Yagan’s fate is a vital element in Western Australian history and his life has also been commemorated with a statue overlooking Heirisson island, Perth. Richard Wilkes believes it has been very important for the contemporary Nyoongar community to bring Yagan home and free his spirit. “How could we produce leaders spiritually and physically if we didn’t rebury Yagan’s Kaat (head)? This was the dreaming of Ken Colbung and other Nyoongars - how can we produce leaders if we don’t bury our leader?” he said. The ceremony was treated as a funeral by the Nyoongar community. It was 177 years in the making and both male and female dancers contributed with spectacular movement and traditional music. Earlier during a private Nyoongar ceremony the reburial of Yagan’s Kaat was performed in the landscaped park dedicated to his memory on a gentle hillside near the upper reaches of the Swan River. His demise was one of Western Australia’s longest and saddest cultural episodes, defined by Nyoongar Elder Irene Stainton as a disgraceful chapter in Western Australia’s history. In 2010 Yagan is again a unifying force.

Book Review WHO LIED? THE LY-EE-MOON DISASTER AND A QUESTION OF TRUTH By Graeme Barrow Dagraja Press, Canberra 2010 Reviewed by Angela le Sueur

At around 9.30pm on Saturday 29 May 1886, the 'pretty little steamship' built in 1859 that had so delighted the travelling public with her speed, lurched to a grating halt on the rocks off Green Cape. The vessel which was on her return journey from Melbourne to Sydney was not the first to be claimed by the often fogbound promontory just south of Eden. However while other shipwrecks had occurred without loss of life, on this occasion around 71 people perished in a disaster likened to that of the wreck of the Dunbar. And although there was a swell, the night was clear and starry. There were other factors which puzzled the ensuing inquest, wrapping the disaster in shrouds of mystery. Both Captain Arthur Webber and third officer James Fotheringhame were men of repute, although one consistently lied to a coroner and jury, a magistrate, Marine Board investigators and a judge and jury trying to unravel what had happened and who was to blame. There was also the question of who was, and who was not on board. Barrow starts his tale with accounts of two prior misfortunes which almost put paid to the ill-fated Ly-ee-Moon. He sets the scene for the third and final disaster, which has all the ingredients of a classic whodunnit if not a block-buster movie, as the inquest attempted to unravel the facts and reporters and public alike were gripped by the horror of the story and the mystery it presented. Barrow’s book is a meticulously researched account, detailing accounts by survivors, reportage and court records. It will be a fascinating read for anyone interested in maritime history. For copies contact the author Graeme Barrow on

granorab@ozemail.com.au

ABOVE | Irene Stainton described Yagan’s death as a disgraceful chapter in Western Australia’s history. G.Pickering/National Trust (WA).

Trust News Australia NOVEMBER 2010 | 15

n Cultural Tourism

Australia’s

National Landscapes and Heritage Bruce Leaver | Chair of the National Landscapes Reference Committee

The National Landscapes program is a Tourism Australia – Parks Australia initiative identifying Australia’s top 15 world class nature/cultural tourism experiences for marketing to the Brand Australia experience seeker target market. Beyond the hackneyed ‘Reef, Rock and Opera House’ Australia has never strategically marketed its best.

nbound tourism is worth some $30 billion to the economy, employing over half a million Australians. It is critically important in many parts of regional Australia. 68% of inbound tourists seek a nature-based experience and over half seek three or more different experiences. The Australian environment is our major competitive tourism asset. Research has identified the profile of the experience seeker as a traveller who is educated, well heeled and highly discerning. They avoid the tourist traps and instead are looking for life changing experiences of nature and culture. Experiences they can learn from and while having their personal horizons expanded. Experience seekers are also environmentally aware and have high expectations of sustainable tourism. The National Landscapes are featured on www.australia. com, Australia’s face to international tourism. This site is now in 17 languages and attracts over 1.6 million hits per month. Each landscape has its own page which includes downloadable destination information, video and images, as well as links to related sites to provide access to information for potential visitors. Nearly 90% of visitors now research the internet for their travel information and well over half organise their trips on the internet.

The Landscapes are the Red Centre, Greater Blue Mountains, Australia’s Coastal Wilderness, the Australian Alps, Great Ocean Road, Flinders Ranges, Kangaroo Island, Green Cauldron, the Kimberley and broader Kakadu region. Great Barrier Reef, South Coast Western Australia, Shark Bay/Ningaloo and Tasmania is soon to join. Some straddle state and territory borders. The program is managed by a Reference Committee that includes membership of peak tourism bodies, an Indigenous representative, the World Commission on Protected Areas, Commonwealth agencies responsible for heritage, tourism and regional development and state tourism and park agency representatives (on a rotational membership). Identification is easy. To gain acceptance a Landscape has to satisfy the Reference Committee that it has a representative regional management structure in place, has world class offering to the experience seeker target market, is prepared to undertake destination branding and experience development planning and is committed to the long term delivery of sustainable tourism. The promise of a world-class experience has to be delivered. The main heritage offering to the experience seeker is Indigenous culture and heritage relating to the distinctive Australian character. Both these elements are of interest to this market. The strength of these elements vary with the particular landscape.

TOP | The huts of the Australian Alps provide a taste of rustic living history.Tourism Australia. Main pic | Mt Ohlssen Bagge Hike, Flinders Ranges. Tourism Australia.

Trust News Australia NOVEMBER 2010 | 16

Cultural Tourism n

Many of the Landscapes are on the World Heritage List or the National Heritage List. While the program is ‘experiences’ driven the fact that an area is world or nationally recognised for outstanding heritage is a significant boost to appeal and credibility to this class of visitor. Some of the Landscape management bodies quickly realised that their region’s heritage provided a significant extra dimension for this class of visitor. They may be initially motivated by a world class nature-based experience but once they are in the region that same type of visitor will be stimulated to increase their length of stay by visiting quality heritage attractions. This is good news for regional heritage. It spreads the social and economic value of tourism across a broader area and involves the existing cultural and historic assets as valued components of a region’s economy. Heritage that is economically valuable is heritage that is conserved. Some areas are undertaking a heritage tourism strategy as a supplement to their National Landscapes Experiences Development Strategy. The far south coast region of NSW is part of Australia’s Coastal Wilderness and its heritage strategy is almost completed. The strategy is not a compendium of heritage sites but rather features those key fascinating heritage stories that are distinctive to the region. The selected stories relate to outstanding natural features (mountains and coast) and how these have driven Indigenous and historic occupation and livelihood. Great Ocean Road and Flinders Ranges are planning similar strategies. The Landscapes sub-agenda is domestic tourism. Australia is largely indigestible to Australians and the identification of iconic experiences to a discerning international market will be of great significance to those Australians who wish to explore their own country. This includes heritage. In an otherwise flat outlook for domestic tourism, heritage is the one activity forecast to grow over the next 10 years. Bruce Leaver is the Chair of the National Landscapes

Reference Committee. He has formerly worked at executive level in three national park agencies including the Commonwealth. He is a former Executive Director of the Australian Heritage Commission.

TOP | The spectacular Great Ocean Road. Tourism Australia. Above | Maguk Plunge Pool at Kakadu National Park - Kakadu is one of very

‘Engaging and Memorable Experiences’ Matthew Smithies | Community Heritage Officer National Trust (Tas)

Tourism Tasmania’s visitor research results continue to demonstrate that, heritage plays an important role as a motivator attracting visitors to Tasmania with a high percentage of them advising ‘visiting historic houses’ as a key activity to their experience.

he National Trust of Australia (Tasmania) is implementing a suite of visitor information material which clearly highlights the specific attributes, stories and national significance of each of the National Trust properties. As National Trust properties are located throughout the state, a comprehensive ‘Tasmanian National Trust Trail’ guide is being developed to assist visitors in planning and enriching their Tasmanian experience. The guide is designed to promote and enthuse visitors to all of the Trust properties by clearly defining the differences between the heritage experiences. This approach is a component to an over all strategy to change the current trend where only two or three sites are visited by interstate and international tourists. Special events, tours and programs are also being researched and developed for each of the National Trust properties providing “engaging experiences in living, breathing, vibrant places that belong as much in the present as in the past”. Above | Milestone located in Franklin House gardens. National Trust (Tas).

few places World Heritage listed for both its cultural and its natural values. Tourism Australia.

Trust News Australia NOVEMBER 2010 | 17

n L i v i n g H e r i t a ge

Plight of the

Little Penguins Dorothy Longden | Penguin Centre Coordinator

The Penguin Centre on Granite Island is situated 85km South of Adelaide. Despite the Island being an important breeding colony for the Little Penguin many sick and injured penguins have needlessly died, because no accessible support had been in place for them.

his changed in 2003, when Dorothy and Keith Longden decided to turn a disused building and garden into an area where these beautiful birds could recover from sickness and injury before returning to the wild. Since then hundreds of little Penguins have been nursed back to health. Not all are strong enough to be released and ten penguins now call the Centre home. Dorothy is the main carer and her husband Keith and three other Volunteers provide much needed support. Granite Island is home to a colony of Little Penguins. There were more than 2 000 Penguins inhabiting the island, but sadly their numbers have depleted since 2001 when the first count was taken. Although sleek and fast in the ocean, the little Penguins are clumsy on land where they are most vulnerable on the mainland to injury from dogs or cats. This year’s count shows only 146 Little Penguins left on the Island. For the past five years the committed team at the Penguin Centre has been advocating for the small flightless birds which could vanish from Granite Island. The Penguin Centre is attempting to raise awareness about the Little Penguins and offers an ‘Adopt a Penguin’ program. For more information visit www.penguincentre.com.au

Insert | The Granite Island Penguin Centre offers an ‘adopt a penguin’ program. A.Cearns/Houndstooth Studio. Main image | Numbers of Little Penguins on Granite Island have recently dropped to 146. A.Cearns/Houndstooth Studio. Top right | Domestic dogs and cats are a real threat to the Little Penguins. A.Cearns/Houndstooth Studio.

Trust News Australia NOVEMBER 2010 | 18

H e r i t a ge a t R i s k n

Our Heritage at Risk 2010 www.heritageatrisk.org.au

The National Trust and partners, Australian Historical Association and Australian Institute of Architects, are alarmed at the continuing loss of our urban and rural heritage throughout Australia. Last year’s national Top Ten list highlighted three major issues threatening Australia’s built, cultural and natural heritage: •

Development pressures

•

Redundancy, neglect and disposal

•

Land planning issues associated with pressure to cater for growing populations at the expense of heritage and livability

This year shows little change. The most common threat affecting nearly half of all nominations is Built historic landscapes/ demolition/ destruction/degradation. Deficiencies in legislation and/or compliance and administration of legislation, an underlying factor of other threats, is the second most common, affecting over one third of nominations. More than a quarter of nominations were threatened by Abandonment and neglect causing destruction/ degradation of fabric. Our natural heritage continues to be at risk. For the fourth year, Lower Lakes and Coorong and Murray Darling Basin is Our Region at Risk. This year’s National Top Ten was selected from 47 nominations and represents a sample of our Heritage At Risk throughout Australia. Although this year’s nominations were dominated by our built environment, reflecting the significant and ongoing threats to this very tangible heritage, social and intangible heritage, moveable heritage and collections are also at risk. Some of this heritage is associated with the places on the list, particularly cemeteries, but much more has yet to be inventoried. We continue to lose our heritage bit by bit and, until a national approach to heritage conservation takes place, this will continue. The National Trust and its partners are determined to work with the community, authorities and government agencies to conserve our valuable heritage for the benefit of future Australians, and work to find the right solutions as we battle with population and development pressures and conflicting uses. Our Heritage at Risk program, coordinated by the Australian Council of National Trusts, is just one part of the National Trusts’ work to conserve and raise community awareness of our valuable threatened heritage on behalf of our 80 000 members and all Australians. Visit www.heritageatrisk.org.au for more information on the National Top Ten and State Lists for 2010.

Our Heritage at risk 2010

NATIONAL

TOP TEN Burnie Paper Mill, Burnie, Tasmania Burra Monster Mine Reserve, South Australia Historical burial places and cemeteries, cemetery headstones and monuments in Queensland and New South Wales Inner Urban character in Queensland cities and towns, Queensland Millers Point Village Precinct, Sydney New South Wales Molonglo Valley Historic Sites, Australian Capital Territory Murtoa Stick Shed, Victoria Neglected and unused Public Places comprising Treasury Building/ Central Government building complex, East Perth Power Station and South Fremantle Power Station, Western Australia Windsor Hotel & Parliamentary Precinct, Melbourne, Victoria WWII Catalina Wrecks in Darwin Harbour, Northern Territory Region at Risk: Lower Lakes and Coorong and Murray Darling Basin

Trust News Australia NOVEMBER 2010 | 19

n H e r i t a ge a t R i s k

Molonglo Valley Historic Sites

ACT

High risk of deterioration and devaluation of heritage values • Historic association to 19th Century rural occupation of the valley • High social and historic heritage values • Insufficient heritage investigation and assessment • Site planned for large scale urban development These two homestead ruins are remnants of the final phase of rural settlement in the Molonglo Valley when small parcels of freehold land were made available to selectors following the 1861 Robertson Land Acts. THREAT: Urban development without prior assessment of heritage values. DESIRED OUTCOME/VISION: A comprehensive heritage assets survey to be conducted in the Valley targeted at historical sites. The survey should assess identified sites for heritage significance. A conservation and management plan completed including all historic sites identified. The identified sites be protected and integrated into the urban plan for the Valley Interpretive signage erected in places identified with historical/heritage significance. FATE/OUTCOME: Suffering

Millers Point Village Precinct

NSW

Imminent risk of deterioration and devaluation • Rare and historic part of Sydney, retaining traditional character of a workers township • Of state significance for documenting the development of colonial and post-colonial settlement in Sydney and New South Wales • Significant urban cultural landscape in which land and water, nature and culture are intimately connected historically, socially, visually and functionally The precinct comprises the suburbs of Millers Point and Dawes Point and is a unique urban area greatly valued by local residents and the people of New South Wales. THREAT: Current plans by the NSW Government for redevelopment of East Darling Harbour (now called ‘Barangaroo’) propose the removal of all

NSW Queensland

existing heritage items at Barangaroo North and the creation of an urban park, impacting significantly on the village character of Millers Point. Housing NSW also plans to sell off government-owned former port-workers housing without consideration of the cumulative impact upon Heritage values. DESIRED OUTCOME/VISION: Existing residential tenancies should be recognised and given some degree of security of tenure and Housing NSW’s maintenance obligations should be met to a standard commensurate with the State Heritage significance of the buildings. FATE/OUTCOME: Strongly suffering. Heritage values could be destroyed and lost entirely.

Historical burial places and cemeteries, cemetery headstones and monuments High risk of deterioration and destruction • Cemeteries and their gravestones are markers for the community They are places of social and spiritual significance • Cemeteries and burial places are significant historically • Cemeteries can have scientific significance - Many support rare and endangered plants and ecological communities • Cemeteries have aesthetic significance as rich sites of mortuary art (graves and headstones), architecture and landscape design Cemeteries and burial grounds are among the most important material, emotional and spiritual sites in our communities: they are places of memory, learning, reflection, imagination, beauty, symbolism and poignancy. They document invaluable details about individuals and they are irreplaceable documents of society’s changing attitudes to death and memorialisation. THREATS: Vandalism, neglect, lack of maintenance, destruction and current proposals for sustainable burials, infill burials and eco-cemeteries. DESIRED OUTCOME/VISION: Governments should introduce legislation to protect cemeteries from vandalism. Cemeteries need to be thought of as assets rather than liabilities. Conservation of heritage values of cemeteries requires good management, adequate funding and improved public appreciation. FATE/OUTCOME: Suffering.

Queensland

Inner Urban character in Queensland cities and towns High risk of dissipation, deterioration and destruction • Queensland is known for its character housing - a dominant tradition of timber houses with corrugated iron roofing and timber stumps of varying heights built for its climate • Contributing to the character of Queensland’s towns and suburbs are nineteenth century masonry commercial buildings and interwar apartment blocks, some in central or close-to-transport locations • Planning provisions are being challenged by the pressure for urban densification, in particular around transport corridors. This is changing the character of inner suburbs Recent experiences have shown that incorporating remnants of a heritage building in a proposed development through ‘partial demolition’ does not guarantee those elements will be retained. THREAT: Character houses and heritage places are at risk of being overshadowed by or even replaced with residential towers. DESIRED OUTCOME/VISION: A strengthening of planning provisions to ensure that, given the pace of development in Queensland, character housing precincts and heritage places are protected in accordance with community expectations. FATE/OUTCOME: Suffering. Trust News Australia

NOVEMBER 2010 | 20

Northern Territory

H e r i t a ge a t R i s k n

WWII Catalina Wrecks in Darwin Harbour High risk of deterioration and destruction • Historic and social heritage significance • Nominated for heritage listing • Only physical evidence of the role of the Catalinas in defending the Northern Territory There are six wrecked catalinas on the harbour floor. Three of these are US Navy Catalinas that were sunk in the bombing of Darwin on the 19th February 1942. All the remains of the Quarantine Island Catalina Base that serviced them have now disappeared. As pressure for development of the harbour increases, the fate of historic relics and wrecks becomes more uncertain. THREAT: Rapid development of Darwin Harbour may well spell their destruction. There are plans to dredge the harbour and blow up a section of reef in order to bring LNG tankers in and out of the harbour to Blayden point. The wrecks are also subject to damage caused by fishermen and souvenir hunters. DESIRED OUTCOME/VISION: The wrecks to be given heritage listing, an exclusion zone placed around them and a management plan put in place. FATE/OUTCOME: Suffering.

South Australia

Burra Monster Mine Reserve Imminent risk of destruction and devaluation • State heritage area comprising 11 heritage places (historic mining buildings) and significant native tussock grassland • Pending UNESCO world heritage listing as an Australian Cornish mining site • Social and historic heritage values with high levels of authenticity and integrity • Social significance to economy of the young colony • Burra was the site of adoption of the ICOMOS Charter for conservation and management of places of cultural significance Burra is an old copper mining town, founded in 1845 about 160 km from Adelaide, now a rural centre with a thriving cultural tourism industry. The historic Monster Mine is at the heart of its heritage values. THREAT: Burra’s mining buildings are now threatened due to an application for an Exploration licence over the Burra Heritage Monster mine site. Significant historic buildings are at risk of demolition, and the grassland could be destroyed under these actions. DESIRED OUTCOME/VISION: This proposal, which has gone to a consultation phase, must be rejected to protect the significant heritage of the site. FATE/OUTCOME: Bleak. Heritage values could be irredeemably lost.

Burnie Paper Mill

Western Australia

Tasmania

Imminent risk of destruction • Significant association since 1936 with paper industry and Tasmania’s development • Contains fine examples of historical “state of the art” equipment • Site includes numerous deco and post modern style commercial and industrial buildings including some rare applications • Major contributor to social and cultural heritage of region • Influenced the rich heritage of deco style domestic dwellings and city buildings in Burnie The site has a deep and broad rooted significance to Tasmania but there is no management plan for conservation of its heritage values. THREAT: The vast site is on prime coastal land and there is a risk that its cultural, social and physical heritage attributes could be overlooked and destroyed making way for new development. DESIRED OUTCOME/VISION: Successful adaptive re-use of buildings maintaining the integrity of heritage values. FATE/OUTCOME: Strongly Suffering. Heritage values could be irredeemably lost.

Neglected and unused Public Places comprising Treasury Building/ Central Government building complex, East Perth Power Station and South Fremantle Power Station High risk of deterioration and destruction • Associated with renowned architects • National and state significance • Representing important phases in Western Australia’s development including pioneering electricity supply and of Perth • East Perth Power complex contains the most comprehensive in situ collection of steam turbine generating units in Australia These three places are important examples of a number of public places of heritage significance in Perth and Fremantle that have been left unused or neglected for long periods of time, and are at risk as a result. THREAT: All three places have been abandoned and neglected for a number of years, and viable futures have not yet been determined. They are at risk of decay and damage and demolition by neglect. DESIRED OUTCOME/VISION: Viable, adaptive reuse incorporating fully funded and implemented conservation and interpretation plans ensuring active involvement of the community is required to determine the future of these significant places. FATE/OUTCOME: Suffering. Trust News Australia NOVEMBER 2010 | 21

n H e r i t a ge a t R i s k

Windsor Hotel & Parliamentary Precinct Melbourne Imminent risk of destruction and devaluation

Victoria

• Architectural and historical significance • Associated with prominent historical figures • Precinct associated with Parliament House, prominent historical buildings, sympathetic low-scale surrounding buildings and important vistas • Windsor Hotel considered largest & grandest of Australian 19th century hotels • Precinct in Heritage Overlay and hotel on State and Trust registers The Windsor Hotel, an important part of the precinct, was saved from demolition in 1977 and restored in the 1980s. Heritage Victoria has issued planning permit for 26 storey 91m high tower, and associated demolition of part of the building on economic grounds. THREAT: This development will significantly impact on the architectural integrity and historical significance of the hotel and on the broader parliamentary precinct known as Bourke Hill. DESIRED OUTCOME/VISION: There is no appeal on the decision, and the only remaining step is a judicial review at the Supreme Court. The decision reinforces a perceived flexibility of height controls in the city centre. Height controls need to be strengthened to protect the low-scale characteristics of much of the city. FATE/OUTCOME: Strongly Suffering. Heritage values of the Parliamentary precinct are being eroded and could be irredeemably lost.

Murtoa Stick Shed Imminent risk of deterioration and devaluation • Earliest and only remaining colossal grain storage shed built during WWII in Victoria • Quintessentially Australian and vernacular response to the wartime exigencies of surplus wheat and shortage of modern building materials • Materials shortage required use of unmilled mountain ash poles or “sticks” to support corrugated iron roof • National Trust & State heritage listed. Nominated to National Heritage List Located in the Wimmera, the building has a long low profile with the angle of the roof the same as the angle of repose of wheat, and is a dramatic component of the landscape. THREAT: Last used for storing grain in 1990, the redundant shed continues to be threatened with demolition, and has deteriorated due to lack of maintenance and neglect. Many of the poles are rotting at the base, and the building is at risk during high winds. DESIRED OUTCOME/VISION: The Victorian Government has committed $1.2 million to the repair of the shed enough to repair all poles, but only 50% of the shed. Additional funds are required and adaptive reuse should be found. Reuse will help secure its future maintenance and preservation, however buildings as significant as this should be preserved regardless. FATE/OUTCOME: Suffering.

Eastern and Southern Australia Lower Lakes and Coorong and the Murray Darling Basin

Region at Ristk

Immediate risk of deterioration and degradation • Australia’s most important river system! • The Murray River’s drainage basin covers over 1,000,000 km2, beginning in Queensland and extending though NSW, Victoria and South Australia • The Darling River is the longest in Australia with a larger catchment than the Murray • Both river systems support agriculture and a wide variety of ecosystems, and have archaeological, scientific, ecological, Indigenous and European cultural and historic significance • Lower Lakes and Coorong is an Internationally significant wetland with high ecological diversity and one of six top water bird sites in Australia The Lower Lakes and Coorong supplies Adelaide’s water and is a major tourist and holiday destination. It exemplifies the cultural, social and ecological values of the Murray Darling River System and the threats it faces. THREAT: River flow has been drastically reduced in both systems, ceasing altogether in some places. 95% of the Murray is degraded due to historical over allocation of water, and only 10% of pre-European fish populations remain. Lack of flows and excessive salt levels due to regulatory structures, unsustainable water extraction and drought have endangered flora and fauna in the Lower Lakes and Coorong and it is now in a dire state and at risk of losing RAMSAR status. Proposals to pump in saltwater will if implemented destroy the freshwater ecology. DESIRED OUTCOME/VISION: Both rivers must be restored to health by Government and community action with support of all stakeholders. Current market-based mechanisms are failing and Commonwealth Government intervention is urgently needed to ensure sufficient freshwater to flush the lower Murray River and to reject the short-sighted engineering solutions proposed. FATE/OUTCOME: Strongly Suffering. Heritage and ecological values could be irredeemably lost. Lower Lakes & Coorong SA Photography courtesy of MAPLAND Disclaimer | Inclusion of a place in this National Top Ten List does not necessarily imply criticism of the owner or agencies responsible for the listed places, many of whom are working actively to finds ways of securing the future of the places in question.

Trust News Australia NOVEMBER 2010 | 22

AD V E RTORIAL n

‘Alister Brae’

a landmark residence T

he first owners of ‘Alistair Brae’, Samuel and Annie Head, bought the land in 1904 and built a house typical of the Queen Anne Federation style, naming it to commemorate Annie’s maiden name, McAlistair. Nothing is known of the architect because all plans were lost in the Ku-ring-gai Council fire. ‘Alistair Brae’ shows a strong Scottish influence in the interior joinery and decorative glass, and in the well-crafted timber on the wide return verandah. A picturesque turret above the corner bay brings an added dimension to the landmark slate roof of this gracious house. The property was open for inspection to members of the National Trust as part of ‘Pymble Day’ 9 March 2010 and several hundred members toured the property. Magnificent in both its grand proportions and elegant style this impressive architectural landmark, reminiscent of an early Queen Anne Federation, is a stunning single storey masterpiece set on approximately 2 032 square metres. This remarkable c 1904 residence has been graced with a wealth of fine features retaining historical integrity. With advice from heritage expert Alia Porter the owners have restored the interior decor to its original style.

'Alister Brae' - 24 King Edward Street Pymble C1904 Stunning Single Storey Landmark Residence For Sale: Price on Request Inspect: By Appointment Enquiries: Julie Bennett 0416 128 858 L.J Hooker Pymble 9449 8888

Property features:

Pymble

•

Impressive original front door, and intricately molded plaster archway.

•

Grand entrance hall showcasing a spectacular stained glass domed ceiling and eight doorways, each bordered by an intricately carved frame and surmounted by a pediment which features carvings of Scottish thistles. Above each door there are charming paintings baked into glass.

•

Formal lounge room featuring graceful curved wall, bow window, moulded plaster ceiling and marble tiled fireplace with gilt over mantel mirror.

•

Timber paneled formal dining room with French doors opening onto the return verandah.

•

Federation features throughout including an expansive tallow wood decked return verandah with ornate timber work, ornately decorated 13ft ceilings, Californian redwood timber detailing, 5 period fireplaces, stained glass windows and original NZ kauri timber floors.

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5 bedrooms, 2 with fireplaces and 3 bathrooms. The master bedroom reflects the shape of the turret above, with a large luxurious en-suite/ dressing room and French doors opening to a return verandah.

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The spacious, light filled kitchen with adjoining casual dining area has access to the back verandah on one side and a sandstone terrace on the other.

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Generous family room, sandstone terrace and private gardens.

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Huge family room, which was once the ballroom, featuring a charming original wunderlich pressed metal ceiling and ornate gas fireplace.

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Beautiful, established gardens of approx 2 032 square metres.

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In-ground swimming pool and sandstone built double garage.

Trust News Australia NOVEMBER 2010 | 23

n I n t e r n a t i o n a l he r i t a ge

The dying art of eco-cemeteries Dr Peter Dowling | Coordinator National Heritage Research Project ACNT

There is a new trend emerging in our funeral practices. Eco-cemeteries, or natural burial preserves, are claimed to be an environmentally sustainable alternative to the existing traditional funeral practices. The philosophy behind eco-burials is that the body be returned to the earth to decompose naturally and be recycled into new life. The body should be prepared without chemical preservation and embalming, dressed in a shroud of natural materials and buried in a biodegradable casket. Eco-burials have no, or non-intrusive surfaces or grave markers, and include open grassed areas merging with native trees and vegetation. The only built feature in the cemetery may be a centralised memorial structure where visitors can sit and reflect within the forest environment. Since the early 1990s eco-cemeteries have become popular in the UK, with over 200 burial sites in place today. The trend is beginning to catch on in Australia, with at least four in operation and newly formed societies such as the Natural Earth Burial Society of Australia lobbying local governments for more.

o how do visitors find a loved one in an eco-cemetery? When a body is buried in the more recently established ecocemeteries, the position of the grave is recorded with a Global Positioning System (GPS) device and visitors are loaned a GPS receiver so they can locate the grave. While eco-burials can be seen as environmentally friendly and high-tech, what will we lose by moving more towards this type of burial custom? Would the cultural statements related to traditional burials and cemeteries be just as potent and obvious? A cemetery is a place of burial, which may consist of a single grave, known but unmarked graves, as well as formal and collective burial areas, including those of cremated remains. From the pyramids of ancient Egypt to the pioneering family burials in remote Australia, one thing is true: they are usually made to be highly visible in the landscapes. As such, graves make a statement about the local community for all to see such as ‘this is where our ancestors are buried’; ‘this cemetery sanctions our right and inheritance to the lands we occupy’ or for example ‘our heritage, history and culture can be seen in the burial places of our ancestors.’ Five thousand years ago these were the statements made by Aboriginal groups living along the Murray River basin, epitomised by the dedicated burial grounds in sand dunes in the river valley. Cemeteries, as we generally perceive them in Australia today, are usually laid out in a formal plan of designed pathways and

plantings with graves often in religious and denominational sections or in a more irregular or informal design. The graves are usually marked by a wide variety and form of highly visible headstones, footstones, monuments, fences, plinths and gravels. They have been designed that way to make the same statements of cultural ownership. The traditional cemeteries we are all accustomed to have several layers of cultural significance. Aesthetic values are represented in the formal or informal design of the cemetery, the rows of eclectic memorials, trees both indigenous and exotic, and the built structures such as gateways and rotundas and the quiet, reflective areas. The memorials record the history of the community, expressing the lives of the rich and poor and the in-between, for the historian, genealogist or visitor to observe. The names, dates and inscriptions reveal family lineages and relationships, geographical origins and population dynamics; their grandeur or simplicity expresses the religious values and social standing of individuals within the community. Walking through a cemetery can immediately invoke an intense feeling of the lives, deaths, achievements and failures of the community. You get the feeling that you are walking through history which is in fact what you are really doing. Traditional cemeteries have scientific values also. They are often areas that have undergone minimal changes since establishment, and can contain indigenous flora and fauna communities which are rare, endangered or no longer exist in the region. But above all, these cemeteries make a clear and familiar cultural statement to all who visit – values that may be challenged by the adoption of eco-cemetries. It is worth noting, however, that in the “2010 Our Heritage at Risk” listings (this edition) traditional cemeteries of historic significance are being recognised as significant places that must be saved and conserved.

ABOVE | Lone Pine cemetery in Gallipoli is simple, stark and extremely evocative. Even though it's located on the other side of the world this cemetery tells the story of a country, its people and their beliefs in a time of conflict. D Dowling/National Trust (ACT). Top Left | The Pyramids of Giza. The most recognisable burial monuments in the world and the only remaining Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Peter Dowling/National Trust (ACT). Top right | Colverwell Graves - the first recorded European burials in the ACT. Reading the inscriptions on the headstones of two children who drowned while playing in a creek near their home immediately speaks of the remoteness and isolation of the early pastoral history of Canberra. P Dowling/National Trust (ACT).

Trust News Australia NOVEMBER 2010 | 24

I n t e r n a t i o n a l he r i t a ge n

LEFT | The bearer party carry the coffin of the 250th soldier into the Fromelles Military Cemetery. Australian Government, Department of Defence, 19 July 2010. bottom left (l to r) | Chief of Staff of the French Army General Elrick Irastorza, British Army Chief General David Richards, and Australian Chief of Army Lieutenant General Ken Gillespie, salute for the national anthems. Australian Government, Department of Defence, 19 July 2010. bottom right | His Royal Highness Prince Charles and wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall watch on with Governor-General Ms Quentin Bryce AC and His Excellency Michael Bryce. Australian Government, Department of Defence, 19 July 2010.

The last burial at Fromelles

Dr Peter Dowling | Coordinator National Heritage Research Project, ACNT

On 19 July 2010, a warm, sunny French day, a silent group of people numbering more than 5 500 watched as the coffin of a soldier was lowered slowly beneath the grassy surface of a new military cemetery. Among the group were His Royal Highness Prince Charles, Her Excellency, the GovernorGeneral of Australia, Ms Quentin Bryce AC, Chief of Army, Lieutenant General Ken Gillespie AO and Minister for Veterans Affairs, Alan Griffin. They had come to the small village of Fromelles to see the burial of the last of the 250 soldiers recently recovered from a mass grave at nearby Pheasant Wood. The identity of the soldier buried that day is unknown in the military records, but his headstone reads ‘Known unto God’.

he soldiers had died in the terrible hours of 19 and 20 July 1916, during a bloody and senseless charge on heavily fortified German lines. The charge is now referred to in Australia as the Battle of Fromelles. During the 24 hours of conflict, 5 533 Australian soldiers were lost: 1 917 killed, 3 146 wounded, and 470 taken prisoner or reported missing. When the human cost of the battle was released to the Australian public, a wave of deep shock spread through the population who were still coming to terms with the losses at Gallipoli. After the battle, the German military recovered 250 Australian and British soldiers who had penetrated their lines and buried them with as much reverence as possible in a mass grave at Pheasant Wood. Most of the remaining dead were left where they fell. Two years later, on Armistice Day, 11 November 1918, an Australian walked across the battlefield: ‘We found the old No-Man’s-Land simply full of our dead’, he wrote, ‘the skulls and bones and torn uniforms were lying about everywhere.’1 These remains were later interred in VC Corner Cemetery.

Of the 250 men recovered from Pheasant Wood, 205 have now been identified as Australians, three as British and 42 remain unidentified. Of the 205 Australians, 96 have been named. This remarkable feat of personal identification after 94 years – giving the soldiers names and reconnecting them with families – has been possible by meticulous archaeological, anthropological, historical and DNA research. It is quite an achievement unparalleled in the history of World War I. The last of the 250 soldiers was finally buried, with full military honours, on that warm July day which marked the 94th anniversary of the battle. Among the silent group observing the ceremony were family members of the identified soldiers. The final act on this remarkable day was a private ceremony held for them to dedicate the named headstones within the cemetery. 1

Quoted in C.E.W. Bean 1941, Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-1918, Vol 3, The Australian Imperial Force in France 1916 (12th edition), University of Queensland Press, P. 395.

LEFT | Flowers and tributes surround the tombstones of the soldiers re-buried in the Fromelles Military Cemetery. Australian Government, Department of Defence, 19 July 2010.

Trust News Australia NOVEMBER 2010 | 25

n Interpretation

‘Little Lon’ Melbourne’s th 19 century underbelly Rohan Storey | Architectural Historian National Trust (Vic)

Melbourne was one of the 19th century’s ‘boom cities’ expanding from a handful in 1835 to nearly half a million by 1890.

hile many were made rich, creating a legacy of grand structures on the city’s streets, others struggled to make a living, or were crippled by alcohol, infirmity or social disgrace living in dire poverty at a time when the only safety net was the charity of the better off. The poor lived in badly built or run down houses or even shacks, usually out of sight down many back lanes and alleys scattered across the city. But there was one area large enough and famous enough to be declared the most dire ‘slum’ of all, and it was virtually in the middle of town. During and after the gold rush of the 1850s, the blocks around the intersection of Exhibition and Lonsdale Streets were heavily subdivided, with small lanes branching off the already narrow Little Bourke and Little Lonsdale Streets. There were even smaller lanes off the lanes, and the area was crammed with tiny timber houses, workshops, small hotels, lodging houses and pubs. Little Bourke Street soon developed as the service centre for Victoria’s large Chinese population, with cheap lodgings down the side streets. The blocks around Little Lonsdale provided cheap shelter for the poor, some respectable and some who turned to crime of various sorts. By the 1880s the area had become decidedly notorious, seen as a refuge for drunkards and criminals. Most scandalously for the 19th century, women of ill repute occupied at least 36 premises identified as brothels. ABOVE | Barbarous murder in Little Lonsdale St, 1877. State Library of Victoria.

Trust News Australia NOVEMBER 2010 | 26

The respectable and the less so, existed in close proximity. The grand theatres of Bourke Street operated as a rendezvous point for gentlemen who might make a new lady friend and take a short stroll to one of the Little Lon brothels. Visitors to Melbourne during the Centennial Exhibition in 1888 could engage a private detective to escort them on a thrilling ‘night tour’ of the dangerous environs of Little Bourke and Little Lonsdale Streets. Indeed those without an escort and perhaps not entirely sober looking for a cheap hotel might have found themselves relieved of their wallet. Growing public disquiet led to the de-licensing of many of the hotels in the early 1900s, and the brothels were scattered into the inner suburbs. By the 1920s, furniture workshops leased or owned by Chinese had expanded into the area to take Chinatown to its largest extent, in the process replacing many of the older structures with light industrial buildings. The area was still considered as something of a slum in the late 1940s when the block between Spring, Lonsdale, Exhibition and La Trobe Streets was compulsorily acquired by the Federal Government and all but one house from the buildings not facing the main streets was cleared. Half this block was still vacant in the 1980s and was the subject of a number of archaeological digs, revealing the life led by some of the inhabitants was not always that of abject poverty.

Interpretation n

This intense study of one block took attention away from the fact that the ‘Little Lon’ area and its activities actually occurred over a wider area. This year, a development was proposed that would have seen the demolition of a pair of terraces thought to date from the 1850s in Little Lonsdale Street, south of Exhibition, prompting a re-examination of the ‘Little Lon’ extent. It was quickly apparent to the National Trust that the terraces were in the middle of a row of six buildings all dating prior to WWI and representing the only remaining intact streetscape of the Little Lon area, that demonstrated the ‘slum’ period, as well as the following workshop period. A request to the City of Melbourne for further research was met by a report prepared by historian Graeme Butler. It referenced contemporary newspapers bringing to life the often ‘colourful’ life of the actual inhabitants of the buildings. For instance, the terraces turned out to have been built in 1870 (replacing the 1850s versions) as accommodation for the Exploration Hotel, built in 1861. The hotel was run by a Mr John Glavin, a former policeman, who often appeared in police reports on robberies and assaults in the hotel as well as in the dwellings on the lane side of the hotel, often referred to in police reports as brothels, hovels and, in one report from 1862, ‘A School Of Vice’. A decade later a ‘barbarous murder’ in Little Lonsdale Street took place just outside the hotel, and the ongoing investigation and trial was reported in the Argus newspaper. William Payne, a tailor who worked nearby in Russell Street, was murdered by a group of four men at 1am on 11 April, 1877 in a drunken robbery. The accused and two female witnesses (described as ‘single women’) had been drinking at the hotel. The slightly more upmarket Leitrim Hotel built in 1888 (replacing a hotel of the same name identified as a brothel in 1881) was the home of Richard Faber, a barman, and brother of the licensee Lawrence Faber, who in 1893 in the depths of the property crash “had latterly been drinking heavily ….and… went to the Eastern Market, [in Bourke Street] and having had 11 shots at a target, shot himself dead with the twelfth and last bullet his payment entitled him to.” There is even a National Trust connection. The warehouse on the corner of Bennetts Lane was built in 1906 for Benjamin Nathan - Director of the growing Maples Furniture chain stores, who was rich enough by 1911 to purchase Rippon Lea House & Gardens. It was his daughter who gifted the property to the people of Victoria. His fortune was partly built on the back of the Chinese labourers who rented ‘Nathan’s Warehouse’ occupied by cabinetmakers Ah Goon Brothers & Company and then from 1915 by Lim Wing War & Company who no doubt supplied Maples’ stores. The immediate area, long dominated by plain interwar industrial buildings, is rapidly being transformed into a high rise residential precinct. Residents of these gleaming 21st century towers concerned about interest rates will be able to look down on an intact reminder of their city’s more humble beginnings, when life was unimaginably harder.

Book Review The Garden of Ideas Four Centuries of Australian Style Published by The Miegunyah Press Reviewer Philip Palmer

The Garden of Ideas Four Centuries of Australian Style is an important new book by architect, curator and garden historian Richard Aitken tracing the evolution of manmade landscapes and gardens in Australia from European settlement to the present day. It is however much more than a catalogue of gardens and styles over time. The author investigates and analyses the philosophic, social and scientific movements and ideas that have formed our cultural attitudes towards the natural environment, its use and manipulation by man for productive, aesthetic and social purposes. The book begins with a rather dense exploration of the 17th and 18th century philosophies of naturalism, scientific enlightenment, romanticism and the picturesque movement which cumulatively formed the attitudes and aspirations of the early British settlers who set in train the process of “Europeanising” the Australian landscape. This section establishes the fundamental basis of why our cultural landscape is the way it is. As the historical analysis progresses through gardenesque, sub-tropical, arts and crafts, modernist, “bush” gardens and post-modernism towards the present day, the ideas and examples presented become more familiar and easier to grasp. The text is richly supported by relevant and fascinating illustrations depicting real and imagined landscapes, botanical drawings and garden plans. The Garden of Ideas is as much about the forces forming our attitudes to the environment and aesthetics as it is about the physical manifestation of the landscapes and gardens themselves. It should become a standard text for everyone studying or working in the fields of landscape, planning, urban development and architecture and will appeal to anyone interested in the evolution of the Australian landscape in general and gardens in particular. For copies, please contact Olivia Blake, Melbourne

Publishing email: oblake@unimelb.edu.au

Left | Three men, one holding carving knife, waiting for policeman to help rescue woman from house, Little Lonsdale Street, 1877. State Library of Victoria.

Trust News Australia NOVEMBER 2010 | 27

n Conservation

Paddington Reservoir Gardens Angela Le Sueur | National Trust (NSW)

The NSW National Trust is delighted that the sensitive and highly innovative reuse of an important piece of Sydney’s history has received three major awards in addition to the 2010 Energy Australia/National Trust Heritage Award for Adaptive Reuse. Other 2010 awards for the project, realised by architects Tonkin Zulaikha Greer, are the highly prestigious International Architecture Award of the Chicago Athenaeum and The European Centre for Architecture, Art, Design and Urban Studies; the Lloyd Rees Award for Urban Design, Australian Institute of Architects (NSW) Awards, and the Greenway Award for Heritage, Australian Institute of Architecture (NSW) Awards.

sed as a public reserve for many decades, Paddington Reservoir and Walter Read Reserve at the gateway to Sydney’s historic Paddington were restored in response to the City of Sydney’s aim to meet community demands to return the site to public open space while protecting its heritage. The structure was built between 1866 and 1878, and was an integral component of the Botany Swamp Scheme; the first Sydney water supply that utilised steam pumping and roofed underground reservoirs for reticulated water distribution. In 1899 the Reservoir was decommissioned and from 1914 was turned into a government garage and workshop facility. It was purchased by Paddington Municipal Council in 1934 (the council was amalgamated in 1949), which allowed public access to its grassed roof as much-needed open space. In 1990 a section of roof collapsed over the Reservoir‘s western chamber. The petrol station, garage operation and access to the park stopped forthwith, due to safety concerns. However, as part of a heritage precinct that includes Paddington Town Hall, the National Trust property Juniper Hall and Paddington Post Office, the site and its potential could not be, and was not forgotten by the community. In 2006, Tanner Architects were engaged by the City of Sydney to prepare a Conservation Management Plan, followed by the engagement of Tonkin Zulaikha Greer and their specialist sub-consultant team to document the restoration of the gardens for public use and to preserve the remaining heritage fabric found within the site.

ABOVE left to right | As it was for many decades. City of Sydney. A compliment to Paddington’s heritage precinct. B Boardman. Graffiti preserved. E Sierens. Right | The sunken garden. B Boardman.

Trust News Australia NOVEMBER 2010 | 28

The project, which was officially opened by the Lord Mayor of Sydney in March 2009, took some two years to complete. It involved the restoration of the old park on the Reservoir roof which was completely reconstructed and the creation of a new sunken garden within the Reservoir’s western chamber. Some vibrant graffiti has been preserved in the eastern chamber, which provides a new space for community and cultural activities. Special lighting highlights new timber work and the existing stone of the Reservoir. The success of this small but beautiful project is demonstrated by its new-found popularity and the obvious delight of those who visit. The project was carried out in accordance with the policies of the Conservation Management Plan and the principles of the ICOMOS Burra Charter. It is a shining example of how heritage can be integrated with modern living without compromise to its integrity, and the National Trust congratulates the City of Sydney, Tanner Architects and Tonkin Zulaikha Greer for an exemplary outcome.

Conservation n

Heritage buildings and sustainability Ken Horrigan | 2009 Churchill Fellowship recipient

The relationship between heritage conservation and sustainability is the subject of a great deal of research and policy development internationally. There is an increasing level of public interest in sustainability and what role the conservation of heritage buildings can play in achieving sustainable development.

eritage organisations in particular accept that conserving heritage buildings can make an important contribution to environmental, social and economic sustainability. In 2009 I was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to study the relationship between heritage conservation and sustainability. My fellowship was undertaken between 21 September and 6 November 2009, and I visited a number of government and non-government organisations in Canada, the UK and the USA. I was particularly interested in researching the current thinking and policy positions of key government and non-government heritage organisations with regard to sustainability and heritage conservation, and investigating leading environmental rating tools and systems and how they address heritage buildings. My fellowship provided me with the opportunity to visit and learn from some of the leading heritage organisations and practitioners in the UK and North America. On completion of my fellowship, my principal observations were that: • the environmental merit of retaining and conserving older buildings, including heritage buildings, may seem obvious however it appears to be difficult to prove without access to the appropriate data and tools; • indicators, measurement and scientific data are important in the sustainability field, and heritage conservation is traditionally weak in scientific data and measurement; • there are significant gaps in existing green rating tools which do not address social and cultural indicators of sustainability—including the consideration of durability, embodied energy and life cycle analysis. The inclusion of social and cultural metrics would acknowledge heritage conservation as a sustainable action; and • decisions about whether to keep or demolish a building often revolve only around cost considerations without taking account of the environmental implications. There is a need to quantify the avoided environmental impact—

the potential environmental gains available with keeping and renovating a building versus demolishing and building new. Environmental impacts can then be brought into the decision making process along with costs and other considerations. A highlight of my fellowship was visiting the National Trust’s headquarters at Heelis in Swindon, south west England. The National Trust strives to lead by example with respect to energy efficiency and historic buildings. The Trust is reducing its own dependency on fossil fuels by measuring the baseline energy consumption and performance of each of its properties, instigating energy efficiency measures and adopting renewable energy sources and low carbon technologies. Heelis is located in an historic precinct in Swindon, and demonstrates how commercially viable buildings can be built in a more sustainable way, maximising the use of daylight and natural ventilation. The building opened in 2005 and has many sustainable features, including extensive use of photovoltaic panels, timber from the National Trust’s estates and carpet that is woven from sheep’s wool from the National Trust’s own flocks. I completed my fellowship report in February 2010 and now am actively pursuing the report’s recommendations. I greatly appreciated the assistance and guidance I received from the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust throughout the fellowship. My report is available online at www.churchilltrust.com.au

Ken Horrigan is an architect and long-standing member of the National Trust of Queensland. Ken works with the Heritage Branch of the Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management.

ABOVE LEFT TO RIGHT | National Trust Heelis Building, Swindon, UK. Ken Horrigan inspecting components of an early heating and ventilation system at Glasgow City Chambers. National Trust (Qld). RIGHT | Ken Horrigan. National Trust (Qld).

Trust News Australia NOVEMBER 2010 | 29

n ecc l e s i a s t i c i a l H e r i t a ge

Melbourne’s last residential estate saved from sale David Wetherell | Hon Fellow in History, Deakin University

Bishopscourt is the last surviving urban estate in the City of Melbourne. The builder, Charles Perry, first Anglican bishop of Melbourne (1847-1876) wanted to be within walking distance of his cathedral and rejected larger sites elsewhere. The house is situated on a prime two-acre site opposite Fitzroy Gardens not far from the city centre. Its Italian tower became a model for aspiring home owners in the days of ‘marvellous Melbourne’, and many a mansion thereafter boasted a Tuscan tower in imitation of Bishopscourt’s.

n the garden many of the original plants placed in the gardenesque style in the 1860s remain. Standing in the garden until the 1990s was the 500 year old Corroboree Tree, probably the oldest tree in the city, and it is a nice thought that – as the Victorian colonial botanist von Mueller observed – the Corroboree Tree had been a sapling at the time Thomas Cranmer was drafting the Book of Common Prayer in 1549. The Australian Garden History Society led by Helen Page began restoring the garden to its former glory in 2001. Early in 2006 it became known that an overwhelming majority of the 59-member Anglican Diocesan Council had voted in favour of disposing of the property, either by lease or sale. One option previously discussed had been to give Bishopscourt a new role as the Melbourne home for the Australian Prime Minister, to match Kirribilli House, the PM’s official Sydney residence. The property had been inspected personally by the then deputy Prime Minister Peter Costello. But the Commonwealth option was not pursued, and a public debate was conducted to determine alternative uses. Opponents of sale were spurred on by two goals. One was that the property should remain in the hands of its original owners. The second

was that Bishopscourt, precious to the Anglican Church in Melbourne for 150 years, might become the property of interests unsympathetic to the Christian message. One of Melbourne’s ‘casino kings’ was rumoured to be interested in a property ‘scoop’. An irony: mindful of the surge in gambling addiction, the diocese of Melbourne had earlier spent large sums in unsuccessful legal challenges to the licensing of Crown Casino. Letters in the press opposing sale ran at 4:1 in the six months of the debate. The new archbishop of Melbourne, Philip Freier, lived in the chaplain’s flat with his wife Joy while the issue was decided. The archbishop and his wife, who were in favour of retaining the property, moved into the main part of the building a year later. The chapel at Bishopscourt is used for regular services and the garden is used for a variety of social and religious purposes. The future of Bishopscourt has been decided, at least for the 14 years left to run until the reign of the present archbishop draws to an end. For the present, an important part of Australia’s ecclesiastical heritage remains safe from private sale. The city of Melbourne’s only surviving residential estate continues to belong to the Anglican people of Melbourne and to the people of Victoria.

BELOW | Bishopscourt holds a significant place in Australia’s ecclesiastical heritage. R Page.

Trust News Australia NOVEMBER 2010 | 30

ecc l e s i a s t i c i a l H e r i t a ge n

History of the Beaumont house garden Rod Matheson

Beaumont House is now the headquarters of the National Trust of South Australia but its history goes back at least to 1850 when the first Bishop of Adelaide, Augustus Short, leased land, upon which a small cottage was erected, from Mr Samuel [later Sir Samuel] Davenport.

ishop Short added more rooms and called it Claremont Cottage. Bishop Short’s plan of 1850 shows garden to the west, north and east of the house, but little is known of the garden during his occupation. He is, however, recorded as having planted fruit trees and olive trees provided by Davenport, and early sketches show shrubs and succulents under mature native trees bordering a driveway. The Short family occupied the house from 1851 until they moved to Bishop’s Court in 1857. The Davenports moved into the house, renamed Beaumont House, in 1857 and lived there until 1906. They were keen gardeners and their greater garden extended down to Beaumont Common. Trees planted by them exist in the garden today, including Aleppo, stone and pencil pines, almonds and pears, cotton, Canary date and European fan palms, several eucalypts and of course olive trees. No precise records remain of what flowers they planted, but in their earlier garden at Macclesfield, English honeysuckle, roses, broom, violets, mignonette, foxgloves, catchfly and geraniums were included. Only rainwater was available to water them. Sir Samuel was a most ardent promoter of agriculture. He planted olives as early as 1852. He built an olive oil factory. He planted vineyards on the property. He built cellars and made wine in the 1860s. He sowed and harvested jasmine and French lavender for a perfume industry. He was attracted to the silk industry. There were undoubtedly mulberry trees on his Beaumont property. He had also raised tobacco plants at Macclesfield, but probably not at Beaumont House. Sir Samuel died on 3 September 1906 and left his estate to his nephew, Howard Davenport. The property then consisted of 54 acres. It passed successively to the Vincents, the Bennetts and the Brocks. Mrs Vincent had a well sunk in about 1910 and she is recorded as having a vegetable and fruit tree garden and presumably a flower garden. Mrs Bennett [subsequently Brock] had aviaries, and kept parrots and peacocks. Wisteria on the north and east of the house probably dates from this period, as do exotica such as Wigandia (pictured) and Acocanthera.

When Kenneth Brock came into possession there were 1400 olive trees, including 27 different varieties. That number was substantially reduced when a new highway leading out of Adelaide was constructed. He established an olive tree nursery on the property. Mr and Mrs Brock presented the property to the Trust on 24 August 1967 and after the Trust gained possession of the property it was cared for by the 18 – 36 Group, [subsequently the Young Trust], then by successive Committees and more recently by the Burnside Branch of the Trust. It was only connected with the mains water in 1980. A bore was installed in 1981/2.The property now consists of only 1.3 hectares. The Trust’s headquarters moved there in April 2009. Earlier this year its Council resolved to employ a gardener with horticultural qualifications for two days a week, and to appoint a Garden Committee, one member of which is Merilyn Kuchel, who is well qualified and experienced in renovating old gardens. A Term of Reference of the Committee requires it to retain and reflect where practicable the heritage value of the garden. In four months much progress has been made. On the eastern boundary crepe myrtles and a persimmon have been planted and a white plumbago hedge, to follow the low brick wall, is planned. To the west, native pines have been planted to obscure a neighbouring house and an unattractive fence. In the large bed north of the house, crab apples, pomegranates and a medlar have been planted. Further north, six grey boxes have been planted. New and old beds have been weeded and mulched. The Rotary Club of Adelaide is renovating the surviving aviary, soon to be filled with canaries and other birds. Sir Samuel’s olive grove planted in 1860 is also to be renovated. The Council considers that it can be just as important to conserve a heritage garden as it is to conserve a heritage building. Undoubtedly a beautiful Beaumont House Garden, as it should ultimately become, will enhance the status of the Trust, and also help the Burnside Branch when catering for weddings and other functions.

ABOVE | Beaumont House the headquarters of the National Trust of South Australia. National Trust (SA). INSERT | Wigandia is one of the exotic species found in the Beaumont House Garden. C Hughes.

Trust News Australia NOVEMBER 2010 | 31

n TOURS

National Trust Tours NATIONAL TRUST WAY HOLIDAY TOURS THE MOUNTAINS IN AUTUMN 10 - 17 April 2011

Join this Richard Quilty tour to see autumn at its spectacular best in the NSW and Victorian Alps. Visiting places such as Adaminaby, Bright, Corryong, Khancoban, Beechworth, Omeo and Yacandanah, the tour follows those valleys in the Southern Alps where the changing colours of autumn will be giving their finest display. The itinerary also includes the ski resorts of Thredbo, Falls Creek and Mt Hotham and the Victorian coastal town of Lakes Entrance. The tour will be accompanied by a member of the Tours Committee. Travel is by private, deluxe coach starting and ending in Sydney and the cost includes transport, accommodation, all meals, entrance fees and local guide fees. Please refer to the website for details: www.quiltytours.com.au Cost per person twin share: $3 300 Cost per person single room: $3 850 Bookings: Richard Quilty M: 0418 201 677 License No: 2TA6093 Tour Leader: Jill Bunning P: 02 9798 8914

AUSTRALIA’S SOUTHERN COASTLINE 30 April - 15 May 2011

This new Richard Quilty tour by coach starting in Adelaide and ending in Sydney is the best way to see the sometimes wild, often uninhabited and always spectacular southern coastline of Australia. The first nine days are spent exploring the Eyre, Yorke and Fleurieu peninsulas of South Australia including Lincoln and Coffin Bay Parks, arguably the best coastal National Parks in Australia. Some of the many other highlights are Streaky Bay, the National Trust classified town of Mintaro and Coorong National Park. After a tour of Mt Gambier the route follows the Great Ocean Road, Otway Ranges, Lakes Entrance and the Great Alpine Road before reaching Sydney. The tour will be accompanied by a member of the Tours Committee. Travel is by private, deluxe coach and the cost includes transport, accommodation, all meals, entrance fees and local guide fees. Airfares are not included in the tour cost. Please refer to the website for details: www.quiltytours.com.au Cost per person twin share: $6 450 Cost per person single room: $7 170 Bookings: Richard Quilty M: 0418 201 677 License No: 2TA6093 Tour Leader: Margaret Durham P: 02 9326 2963

AUTUMN IN CANBERRA May 2011

Our Nation’s Capital is the guardian of our heritage and history. This can be seen at the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House – at the National and Portrait Galleries and at the War Memorial judged to be one of the best in the world. Who can forget the wonderful sound shows! Our modern history is being played out at new Parliament House. There are also a number of heritage sites including Calthorpe House, Mugga Mugga Homestead and Cooma House at Yass. Spend five days in Autumn in Canberra and journey through our history. Enquiries: Lorraine Collins M: 0439 947 479

Trust News Australia NOVEMBER 2010 | 32

DISCOVER THE HEART OF ITALY 18 - 30 May 2011

This tour takes in two spectacular regions in the heart of Italy: Umbria and Le Marche. The itinerary has been planned by Tours Committee member Loma Priddle, who lived in Italy for 12 years, and our Italian hosts will be Ugo and Barbara Mariotti who have conducted National Trust tours of Tuscany over the past seven years. Unpack only twice as we stay in 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 will 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 paper making by hand, and the Castle at Gradara. These regions have a history of good food and wine, and we will see truffle dogs working in Acqualanga, world famous for its truffles; have lunch in a private country home, and enjoy local wines and food specialties. Early bookings are highly recommended. 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 P: 02 9412 2875

WINTON CAMEL RACES OUTBACK TOUR 15 July - 1 August 2011

This popular 17 day tour features spectacular outback areas of Australia including a day at the annual Winton Camel Races in Western Queensland. Departing Sydney by coach the tour includes two nights at the Carnarvon Gorge Wilderness Resort then on to Windorah and Winton before going to Birdsville. Two nights are then spent at Mungeranie on the Birdsville Track, allowing the opportunity to visit a remote cattle station on the Warburton River where it flows to Lake Eyre. Heading south the itinerary includes two nights at the Arkaroola Wilderness Resort in the Flinders Ranges, with the ‘Ridgetop’ tour a highlight. Afterwards drive through Outback NSW and Broken Hill to Sydney. The tour will be accompanied by a member of the Tours Committee. Travel is by private, deluxe coach starting and ending in Sydney and the cost includes transport, accommodation, all meals, entrance fees and local guide fees. Please refer to the website for details: www.quiltytours.com.au Cost per person twin share: $6 950 Cost per person single room: $7 750 Bookings: Richard Quilty M: 0418 201 677 License No: 2TA6093 Tour Leader: Debbie Loughnan P: 02 9997 5949 or 0419 141 933

TOURS n

September 2011

This Richard Quilty eight day tour is being repeated next year due to popular demand. The tour by coach starts and ends in Sydney and is timed to pass through the wheat and canola fields of the Central West of NSW when these crops are at their colourful best. Highlights include visits to country mansions Abercrombie House, Boree Cabonne and Landra, and travelling to lesser known places such as Rockley, Tarana, Millthorpe, Eugowra, Manildra, Cumnock and Gulgong. The tour will be accompanied by a member of the Tours Committee. Travel is by private, deluxe coach and the cost includes transport, accommodation, all meals, entrance fees and local guide fees. Please refer to the website for details: www.quiltytours.com.au Cost per person twin share: $2 950 Cost per person single room: $3 300 Bookings: Richard Quilty M: 0418 201 677 License No: 2TA6093 Tour Leader: Lorraine Collins M: 0439 947 479

WILDFLOWERS & WINES OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA 19 September - 4 October 2011

Western Australia is famed for its thousands of species of wildflowers, many of which are unique to the south west. This landmark National Trust Way Tour begins in Perth then heads north following the trail of the wildflowers, together with a diverse range of historic and geographic features. We visit National Trust properties, historic wineries and geographic wonders as far north as Geraldton, before travelling south to the Margaret River area. Here we are also transported into the magical world of the Karri forests, a magnet for artisans and artists. We travel to the rugged southern coast and Albany before returning to Perth and colonial Fremantle for our last 2 nights. Bookings: Classic Holidays P: 1800 625 177 License No: 9TA1086 Tour Leader: Jill Bunning P: 02 9798 8914

Trust News Australia NOVEMBER 2010 | 33

M elbourne ' s hidden

premier anti q ue precinct

National Trust members are invited to visit what many people describe as Melbourne's hidden antique precinct in Camberwell.

'Landscape with setting sun, mezzotint after Claude Le Lorrain, 1775' Specialising in English and European 18th and 19th century prints including architectural, botanical, decorative, natural history, fashion, marine, portraits, classical and signed etchings.

LJ C o ok and C ompan y Fine Antiques since 1959

404 Burke Road, Camberwell Victoria 3124 Telephone +61 3 9889 7285 Fax +61 3 9889 0457 Mobile 0413 804 911 Email ljcook@bigpond.net.au

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Magnificent Australia

Heritage Air Tour 2011 2 depa r t u r es

July 16 & August 21

15 days 17 seats per departure

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 2011, 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