5.6 aboriginal communities within the study area · aboriginal heritage assessment page 55 phase 2:...

Aboriginal Heritage Assessment Phase 2: Corridor Options InvestigationGWH Upgrade, Mt Victoria to Lithgow

5.6 Aboriginal Communities within the Study Area

5.6.1 Population in the Study Area It is not possible to calculate exactly how many Aboriginal people were living in the Study Area at the turn of the twentieth-century. It is clear however that the lives of people who had lived according to traditional ways in this area for thousands of years were catastrophically altered by the European invasion. Through perseverance and showing great resilience Aboriginal Australians retained some of their core traditions, customs and beliefs, passing them onto to future generations despite the significant changes imposed on their lives. According to the 1901 census 4,287 Aboriginal Australians were recorded as living in New South Wales including those living a ‘nomadic’ existence. The total population of Australia was recorded as 7,434. Despite the decrease in the total population the birth rate was reported to be increasing [Coghlan 1901:956-957]. As noted previously, the exact population of the Study Area cannot be calculated from the published data. Using the data from the relevant Counties the population of Aboriginal Australians in 1901 only amounted to twenty-seven, with an increasingly small population in the areas in the east and south of the region - the County of Cook with a population of six, the County of Bathurst with 24 and the County of Westmoreland with one [Coghlan 1901: 662-6]. Census collection at this date retained the procedure of describing Aboriginal Australians as either ‘Full-blood’ or ‘Half-caste’. The strikingly small number can possibly be attributed to some people not being counted, and others who were forced into missions, such as at Cowra and Wellington, and reserves outside the areas where they had historically lived.

5.6.2 The Gully Aboriginal Place – Upper Kedumba River Valley In the late nineteenth century and in the twentieth-century Aboriginal people were forced to move onto missions and reserves where their existence was monitored and controlled. Some groups and individuals who defied the authorities, such as those who settled at the Katoomba Falls Creek Valley managed to retain their independence through various strategies. A small creek running to Katoomba Falls and from there to the Jamison Valley lies within an almost continuous, green corridor. In May 2002 the place was formally declared an ‘Aboriginal Place’ recognising its Aboriginal heritage significance, many years after it was first established as an informal but permanent Aboriginal settlement. ‘The Gully’ at Katoomba is part of ninety hectares of land in Katoomba Falls Creek Valley designated as public land and is shown in the map below. Oral tradition suggests that the Katoomba Falls Creek Valley was a traditional summer camping place for Aboriginal people in pre-contact times. The location was familiar to Aboriginal people from a number of nations and they camped there regularly and over a long period of time. Close to an Aboriginal travel route it was supplied with a fresh water spring that fed the Katoomba Falls. The natural amphitheatre formed by the topography provided protection from the westerly winds. Artefacts and archaeological sites in the Valley provide evidence that Aboriginal people have occupied the place long before contact with Europeans. Archaeological investigations of the Valley have been carried out by Val Attenbrow (1993) and Allan Lance (2005) [Johnson 2009: 201]. The Gully campsite was used regularly by the Gundungurra people when travelling along ancient routes from the Burragorang, Kanimbla, Megalong and Hartley Valleys to the high ground of the Blue Mountains. Gradually displaced from their traditional land in the valleys, many families took up


residence in the Gully. The Gully was also a place of respite for the Darug people of the Hawkesbury who chose the cooler climate of the mountains to the hot climate of the plains to the east [Johnson 2009: 203].

Figure 18: The Gully Aboriginal Place, Katoomba (Johnson 2009: 200)

Few formal records indicate the extent of the Gully’s Aboriginal community in the 1890s however the Congregational Church in Katoomba was aware of the growing Aboriginal community in the gully by at least 1894 when they purchased a lease on land in Farnell’s Road, West Katoomba. A Mission Church associated with the Gully community was later built there. The Aboriginal Protection Board’s Census of 1897 recorded that 21 Aboriginal people were living in Katoomba and in 1901 the NSW Census, eight households in Katoomba were shown as having Aboriginal people living there. Baptism and burial records of the Katoomba Congregational Church show the names of families linked to the Gully from 1901. Families of Darug decent included the Stubbings (Stubbinses), Lock(e)s, Webbs and Sheards. From 1901 Gundungurra families such as the Lynchs, Coopers, Shepherds and Hughes settled in the Gully with another influx occurring in 1903 following the exodus of the Nellie’s Glen Village community in the Megalong Valley [Johnson 2009: 203-4]. The closure of the mine led to the gradual dispersal of the fringe community and today few traces of the Nellie’s Glen settlement survive [Smith 1993: 23]. Together with some non-Aboriginal people, up to four generations of some Gundungurra and Darug families co-existed in the Gully until 1957 [Johnson 2009: 204]. A notice in The Mountaineer, a local newspaper, on 27 February 1903 was the first open recognition of the existence of ‘the camp’ in the West Kedumba Valley. The article reported on the death of an Aboriginal man named Locke who had been living at ‘what is known as the camp near Katoomba’. Alfred Locke, a Darug man had been assisted by his neighbour James Lynch, a Gundungurra man.


The Locks4 and the Lynchs were related by marriage continuing a pre-contact tradition of intermarriage between Gundungurra and Darug people [Johnson 2009: 204]. The Aboriginal families who settled in West Katoomba did so quietly and through their own initiative avoiding the attention of the Aboriginal Protection Board and the restrictions that living on a managed reserve would impose on them. The Gully community, consisting of close family and kinship groups became well established over the years, with the settlement offering privacy by being concealed somewhat from the rest of the community by its bushy surrounds. While not all members of a family lived in houses in the Gully, many chose to remain close-by, moving into houses in the streets in West Katoomba nearby, participating in community life in the Gully [Johnson 2009: 206]. Traditional languages such Gundungurra and Darug continued to be spoken in the Gully by the older residents however it was generally done in private and children were discouraged from learning them. In the early days of settlement children were born at home with the assistance of local Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal midwives. The community was resourceful and although incomes were small at times families were able to supplement it through the sale of wildflowers and blackberries in local guesthouses and shops. Food was supplemented through rabbit trapping and collecting mushrooms and blackberries [Johnson 2009: 209-10]. Town water and electricity were not available in the Gully. Families collected water from the springs which, with waterholes and creeks, were meeting places where adults and children socialised. Lanterns and candles were the only light sources, while open fires were used for cooking. The West Katoomba Mission Church at the southern end of the Gully played an important role in the life of the Gully residents and although linked to the Congregational church it was formally non-denominational and run ‘chiefly in the interests of a few Aboriginal families and certain settlers’ [Johnson 2009: 211-2]. The West Katoomba Mission Committee was established in 1910 to run the Mission Church and in 1911 the Aborigines Inland Mission became involved in its operation. The church was a meeting place and attended by Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people of the Gully and some from Katoomba. In some ways the existence of the Mission at West Katoomba contributed to keeping Aboriginal families together on a small part of their traditional land by giving the appearance that it was instilling in the Gully community ‘appropriate’ European and Christian ideals. It also prevented the attention of the NSW Aboriginal Protection Board the policies of which were restrictive. The Mission was disbanded in 1956 and later sold. Today all remains of the church have disappeared [Johnson 2009: 212]. In 1954 the Blue Mountains City Council acquired the land in the vicinity of the Gully including the land on which the Gully people’s houses stood and which led to their eviction from land with which they traditionally identified and which had provided a place of safety and security. In 2002 the Gully was declared an official Aboriginal Place under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 (NSW) ('NPW Act 1974') in 2002. It provided recognition of the continuous occupation of the area by Indigenous people. Merle Williams, a Gundungurra Elder and member of the Gully Traditional Owners, noted that 'the historical significance of The Gully for the Gundungurra and Darug people is well known...[and] also has a contemporary significance to the people who lived there from the late 1800s to 1957 and their descendents.' [Koori Mail 24 Sep 2008, cited in Agreement, Aug 2008, www.atns.net.au]. The Gully is now managed by The Gully Co-operative Management Committee (GCMC), which comprises an Indigenous majority. As pointed out by Jim Smith the choice of some Aboriginal families to settle in the Gully ‘to some extent preserved their independent spirit’ [Smith 1993: 133]. The history of the Gully community is

4 The family has also been known as Locke, Lough, Loche and Analock


told in Blue Mountains Dreaming: The Aboriginal Heritage (1st and 2nd editions) [Stockton 1993; Stockton & Merriman 2009] and Sacred Waters: The Story of the Blue Mountains Gully Traditional Owners [Johnson 2007]. This present report does not attempt to provide a broad study of the people of the Gully in West Katoomba, but focuses on information of significance to the Study Area through its link to the history and traditions of Gully community.

9 Aboriginal Heritage Assessment Phase 2: Corridor Options InvestigationGWH Upgrade, Mt Victoria to Lithgow

6. Archaeological Context _____________________________________________ 6.1 Introduction To allow the RTA to consider possible constraints when developing corridor options and ultimately a route for the proposed upgrade, the consultants have been requested to develop a model of occupation of the study area. This model of occupation will allow for predictive statements to be made about areas of high, medium or low sensitivity which may impose constraints upon the corridor selection and design of the route. To develop a predictive model it is necessary to review the known archaeological data. For Phase 1 of this project the consultant undertook a review of the known archaeological data within the study area. For Phase 2 the consultant has broadened the review of data to include all known sites within a 10km radius of the study area. Therefore an AHIMS search was conducted on the whole of the Hartley and Mt Wilson 1:25,000 topographic maps. The review of archaeological information below includes the review of the study area undertaken during Phase 1 and the information on known sites recorded for the Hartley and Mt Wilson 1:25,000 topographic maps.

6.2 Blue Mountains To date, archaeological investigation within the Blue Mountains area has been limited, with little systematic research or fully comprehensive archaeological site survey work being conducted. The few surveys that have been carried out have been site selective, having been conducted prior to development. Therefore, although two separate regional models of Aboriginal adaptation and population movements have been postulated for the Blue Mountains, they must be considered within the context of limited systematic archaeological investigations. These models are detailed below. However, archaeological evidence indicates that the Blue Mountains have been occupied for a long period of time. McCarthy (1948; 1964) excavated shelters in the Capertee Valley (to the north west of Lithgow) and at Lapstone Creek (east of the study area). On the basis of these excavations he proposed the Eastern Regional Sequence of stone artefacts. Such sequence includes small flakes, blades and uniface pebble implements. Stockton (1970) surveyed the Lower to Middle Blue Mountains for archaeological sites. His survey area extended west from the Nepean River to Katoomba. It was bordered in the north by the Grose River and extended approximately 10kms south of the Great Western Freeway and the railway line. During the course of his survey he recorded 20 open artefact scatters, 9 rock shelters with archaeological deposit, axe grinding groves and 30 art sites. He excavated the rock shelters and collected the artefacts from the open sites (Stockton 1970; Stockton & Holland 1974). The excavation at Kings Tableland (Stockton and Holland 1974) provided a radiocarbon date of occupation of 22,000 years BP, whilst excavation of the Greaves Creek rock shelter near Medlow Bath produced a date of 12,000 years BP (Stockton & Holland 1974).

0 Aboriginal Heritage Assessment Phase 2: Corridor Options InvestigationGWH Upgrade, Mt Victoria to Lithgow

Analyses of artefacts by Stockton’s (1970) and Stockton & Holland’s (1974) from their surveys and excavations, described above, conformed to the Eastern Regional Sequence developed by McCarthy (1948; 1964). Kohen (1977; 1981; 1984) investigated open sites on the Nepean River flood plain, at Lapstone Creek and Jamison Creek. According to Kohen (1984) the site on Jamieson Creek (approximately 70kms south east of Mt Victoria) was occupied from about 7,000 years ago until European contact. Dallas (1984) surveyed a transect approximately 60kms south east of the study area in relation to the F4 extension. She identified one open artefact scatter on high ground about 250m north of Knapsack Creek. Stockton (1983) surveyed approximately 65kms north east of the study area without identifying any sites. Rich (1984) conducted a survey at Blaxland approximately 65kms east of the study area and identified an axe-grinding groove along a creek. Rich (1986) also surveyed at Glenbrook and recorded part of a stone arrangement, a shelter with art and archaeological deposit, and three shelters with potential archaeological deposits. In 1987 a rock engraving and an art site were recorded (AHIM 45-4-142 and 45-4-67) at Hazelbrook. Also in 1987, Dallas surveyed a stretch of Jamison Creek, Wentworth Falls, approximately 35kms east of the study area, without locating any sites. In 1989 Brayshaw undertook an archaeological survey at Leura (approximately 15kms to the east of Mt Victoria) and located three stone (chert) artefacts in an area cleared for cabin construction. These artefacts were not insitu. She stated that they had obviously been moved from their original location as a result of the previous disturbance. Comber (1990a & b) surveyed two areas at Lawson, locating one scarred tree and one rock shelter with archaeological deposit. These sites were located near the hanging swamps above Adelina Falls. Corkhill (1991) conducted a survey at David Road Springwood. During the survey she recorded one grinding groove, a rock shelter with potential archaeological deposit and two small potential habitation shelters. The axe grinding groove was situated in the main creek line below a small rock ledge. No archaeological deposit was identified, although excavation was recommended (Corkhill 1991). Koettig (1995) recorded 17 artefacts near Blackheath. However, again, these artefacts were in a disturbed location and were not insitu. In 1998 Steele & Watts recorded three disturbed artefacts at Medlow Bath approximately 5kms to the east of the present study area. Their study area included Blackheath and Mt Victoria, but sites were only located at Medlow Bath. In 2001 Syme undertook an assessment from Mt Victoria to Katoomba without locating any evidence of occupation. In 2002 Brayshaw surveyed an area from Cascade to Katoomba for a water supply upgrade without locating any sites or areas of archaeological potential. The Upper Kedumba Valley at Katoomba is a Declared Aboriginal Place under the National Parks & Wildlife Act 1974 due to its cultural significance (Johnson with Colless 2001). The Upper Kedumba Valley is not within the study area. It is located approximately 20km south of Mt Victoria to the south of Katoomba. In the Wolgan Valley, which is located approximately 20km north of Lithgow (also outside of the study area) is a site which is also a Declared Aboriginal Place under the National Parks & Wildlife Act 1974. It is known as Blackfellas Hand Cave. It is a large rockshelter depicting many ochre hand stencils. The nomination of the Upper Kedumba Valley and Blackfellas Hand Cave,


by the Aboriginal community indicates the significance of landscapes, places and sites within the Blue Mountains to the Aboriginal community. Excavations of AHIMS 45-1-2573 and 45-1-2574 were undertaken at Lidsdale which is approximately 12km north west of Lithgow, by Oz Ark CHM in 2003 and 2004. From a total of 150 square metres approximately 6000 flakes were recovered. Lidsdale is located on an elevated ridge between the confluence of two creeks. In 2006 Comber undertook an assessment at Medlow Bath in respect of the upgrade of an existing substation. She located an open artefact scatter consisting of four chert flaked pieces and two isolated finds. These artefacts were located on the edge of an east west oriented plateau overlooking Katoomba Creek and Greaves Creek. Comber (2008) also undertook a survey between Faulconbridge and Springwood in 2008 in respect of the upgrade of an electricity line. She located an artefact scatter near above a rockshelter with potential archaeological deposit. Both the artefact scatter and rockshelter were located on small plateau overlooking Sassafrass Creek Individual site recordings undertaken by bushwalkers or National Park Rangers, which were not collected in a systematic manner include a Bora Ring at Govetts Leap (AHIM 45-4-133), a shelter with deposit near Leura (45-4-147) and grinding grooves (45-4-169, 45-4-170, 45-4-171, 45-4-180) also near Leura. At Springwood NPWS staff recorded a shelter with art (NPWS 45-5-26) and an open campsite containing “axe heads with flakes” (NPWS 45-5-47). The NPWS staff have also recorded five sites at Faulconbridge and these include two stone arrangements (NPWS 45-5-17/21); an axe grinding groove and rock engraving (NPWS 45-5-18); and two further axe grinding grooves (NPWS 45-5-20/632). Bushwalkers recorded axe grinding grooves (AHIMS 45-5-2050/3070) near Springwood. McIntyre (1990), Haglund (1990), Bowdler (1981) and Pearson (1981) have all suggested similar models of site occupation for the middle to lower Blue Mountains. Their models postulated that major site complexes would occur at the head of open valleys where easy access to the plateau was available and where upland swamp resources were concentrated. They indicated that larger sites would exist above major creeklines and around swamps, with smaller sites above tributaries. Brayshaw & Haglund (1992) have suggested that small, sparse artefact scatters are situated in elevated positions above creeks and swampy areas. Stockton & Holland (1974) have suggested that the Upper Blue Mountains were intermittently occupied due to the cold climatic conditions, whilst it has also been suggested that due to the paucity of occupation sites compared to the larger number of art sites recorded that the area was used intermittently for ceremonial activities (Johnson 1979; Stockton & Holland 1974). These assumptions have been based on negative evidence, i.e., the lack of archaeological information gathered to date. As previously stated this lack of information is due to the lack of detailed systematic research or fully comprehensive archaeological survey. The majority of surveys have been undertaken for small sections of sewer lines, pumping stations, power lines, tourist walks and for construction of sections of the Great Western Highway, whilst Rangers and bushwalkers favour areas where rock outcrops are located. Therefore, it has been argued (Byrne 1996) that the under representation of open camp sites is an outcome of recording bias which has favoured rockshelter sites. Therefore, it would appear that the known location, pattern and density of Aboriginal sites in the Blue Mountains region and particularly in the Upper Blue Mountains is not necessarily an Aboriginal pattern but the result of sporadic, sparse and often site specific site survey. As further


archaeological work is conducted and the data gathered systematically analysed, more information will be provided on the range and character of Aboriginal occupation of the Blue Mountains. Appendix E, provides a list of the known Aboriginal sites recorded on the Mt Wilson and Hartley topographic maps and includes the landform (as detailed in Section 4.5 of this report) within which they are located.

6.3 Study Area A search of the DECC’s Aboriginal Heritage Information System (AHIMS) has indicated that there are seven known sites within the study area. Details of these sites are shown in Table 1 on the following pages. These sites were recorded in three separate surveys and are detailed below. Four disturbed open artefact scatters (AHIM 45-4-114, 45-4-0115, 45-4-116 and 45-4-0117) were recorded by Aden Ridgeway in 1982. He was then employed by the NPWS and undertook a survey of Hartley Valley to assist in the development of the Hartley Plan of Management. Two of these sites were overlooking Blackman’s Creek and two were overlooking River Lett. As can be seen from Table 1, these sites are fairly large. Their location and size conforms to McIntyre & Hagland’s (1990) predictive model that large sites would exist above major creeklines. He also referred (Ridgeway 1982:7) to a granite tor recorded by Surveyor Liddell within Hartley Valley which had an Aboriginal name of “Key-Y-Ahn”. Ridgeway (1982:7) stated “I suspect very much so, that this rock was significant to the Aborigines of the Hartley Valley”. He further stated (Ridgeway 1982:10) “The archaeological survey itself, represents only a portion of what really exists in the Hartley Valley and all that is left to say is, that it is rich in Aboriginal culture”. In 1993 Mills & Wilkinson surveyed an area at Hartley in respect of a proposed rhyolite quarry. They recorded two open artefact scatters (AHIM 45-4-900 & 45-4-901) and three isolated finds for which site recording forms were not located. They also identified an area of “potential archaeological deposit” on a knoll adjacent to site 45-4-900. Site 45-4-900 contained an “open scatter of flakes, flaked pieces, cores, blades and debitage” and was located “on a spur overlooking Yorkeys Creek”. Site 45-4-901 was described as “an open scatter of flaked pieces, core, a blade and debitage” located on the edge of a spur overlooking the Cox’s River. Again, this site location conforms to McIntyre (1990) & Haglund’s (1990) predictive model. Consents to Destroy were issued for Sites 45-4-900 and 9001 to allow the rhyolite quarry to proceed. In February 2008 Hyde Park Reserve was surveyed by Tessa Boer-Mah of AMBS for Lithgow City Council in respect of rehabilitation of Hyde Park Reserve, Hartley. The survey was undertaken in association with Robert Clegg of the Wiradjuri Council of Elders. A total of 154 stone artefacts were recorded in Hyde Park Reserve (AHIMS 45-4-0989). The artefacts were recorded in a disturbed context and it was suggested that it was likely that sub-surface deposits existed (AMBS 2008:11). Hyde Park Reserve overlooks the River Lett which joins the Cox’s River approximately 4km south west of Hyde Park Reserve. In addition, a site which includes an artefact scatter (AHIMS 45-4-0990) is located within Hyde Park Reserve. Hyde Park Reserve and its immediate environs appear to be a major site complex of immense cultural significance. It contains a large artefact scatter. Hyde Park Reserve’s location at the head of an open valley with easy access to the plateau conforms to the model of site occupation as developed by McIntyre (1990) & Haglund (1990). Five other sites have been located within the study area either by bushwalkers or NPWS staff. They are AHIMS 45-4-128, 45-4-0935, 45-4-0092 and 45-4-0093. Each of these sites contain small artefact scatters and appear to be located on elevated positions above River Lett, Cox’s River and Govett


Creek. Again these sites conform to the model of occupation posited by McIntyre (1990) & Haglund (1990). Burials have been recorded at Bowenfels which is approximately 6km north west of Lithgow. Historian William Foster recorded the following in 1932 (Foster 1932:242)

Leaving the road at the gateway of Drew’s orchard, a rustic pathway leads us to the rear of the apple orchard where stands the most historic cemetery of the district. Nine headstones in excellent state of preservation will be seen, but old inhabitants declare that they originally numbered twenty. Behind the graves is the old burial ground of a tribe who lived in the Valley. Mr James Field gave me interesting information concerning this historic ground. As a young boy, he witnessed the burial of a member of the tribe. After the body had been placed into the ground in the manner usual to Aboriginal burial, the trees were marked for some distance around in order to indicate to all that here was hallowed ground.

The above site is not recorded on DECC’s AHIMS. However, it has been recorded as part of the Lithgow Heritage Study and has been given a study number of A024 and a SHI No. of 1960043. The Lithgow Heritage Inventory form has named the site the “Hassans Walls Aboriginal Burial Place”. The inventory form states that “none of the carved trees survives. The cemetery is located at 3029 Great Western Highway, Bowenfels (SHI 1960043). Bowenfels was previously known as Hassan’s Wall in recognition of the nearby landscape feature. This cemetery is immediately to the south of the study area. According to Downes (nd:7), the cemetery overlooks a creek at the bottom of the property. The above two cemeteries were inspected by the consultant on 26 June. The historic non-Aboriginal cemetery is located on Forty Bends Farm at Grid Reference 234508/6287159 and the Aboriginal “cemetery” is located on the property at 3029 Great Wester Highway, Bowenfels at Grid Reference 0234494/6287142. They are both just outside the corridor options. The owners of Forty Bends Farm advised that a neighbour recalls seeing three carved trees. Research has indicated that traditionally, three carved trees often marked the location of one burial, which was placed in the centre of the trees. However, Bill Allen has advised that he believes that there would have been one tree for each burial.


Table 1: Known sites within the study area

AHIMS NO.

LANDFORM

DESCRIPTION

CONSENT TO DESTROY

ISSUED

45-4-0114 Spur Crest/ Crest Open artefact scatter consisting of more than 100 flakes made from predominantly chert with some quartz

No

45-4-0115 Spur Crest/ Crest Open artefact scatter of approximately 30 chert and quartz flakes.

No

45-4-0116 Alluvial Channel Open artefact scatter “area extensively covered with chert and quartz flakes”

No

45-4-0935 Spur Crest/ Saddle Isolated find No

45-4-0989 Alluvial Channel Open artefact scatter containing 154 artefacts No

45-4-0990 Alluvial Channel Open artefact scatter – female site Yes. No. 678 issued 30/8/94

45-4-0117 Spur Crest/ Saddle Open artefact scatter containing 10-15 chert and quartz flakes

No


7.0 Predictive Model _____________________________________________ The background environmental and archaeological data as detailed in Sections 4 and 6 of this report allow a predictive model to be developed for the study area which indicates that different landforms were utilised for different activities. Whilst known data for the study area is incomplete it could be extrapolated from the available information that the following landforms are culturally sensitive:

• The head of open valleys where easy access to the plateau was available and where upland swamp resources were concentrated might contain major site complexes.

• The areas above major creeklines and around swamps, may contain large sites. • The areas above tributaries which may contain small sites. • Elevated positions above creeks and swampy areas may contain small, sparse artefact

scatters. They may also contain axe grinding grooves. • Rock art sites and rockshelters which may contain evidence of occupation will be

located within sandstone escarpments. • Scarred trees may be located in areas of old growth forest in association with open

artefact scatters.

In addition, Aboriginal people traditionally used ridgelines, creeklines and valley corridors for travel and sites will often be located in such areas. To further refine the above model and allow for mapping, Table 2 provides a summary of the known sites in association with their landform, as detailed in section 6 of this report. As can be seen from these tables certain landform units contain a higher density of known sites indicating that certain landforms were possibly seen as more desirable places to occupy. By combining the information contained in Table 1 and 2, with a combination of the archaeological predictive modeling detailed above it is possible to tentatively identify the variation of archaeological potential within and between landforms across the study area (illustrated in Figure 19). This can further be refined into graded areas of sensitivity to provide an indication of possible constraints across the study area. These graded sensitivity constraints can be divided into “High”, “Medium” and “Low” sensitivity, as follows: High sensitivity constraints are areas predicted to contain the greater number of sites. These areas are:

• Ridge Crests • Spur Crests and saddles • Alluvial terraces and associated alluvial channels • Creeklines

Medium sensitivity constraints are areas predicted to contain sites but in a smaller concentration to the high sensitivity areas. These areas are:

• Footslopes • Steep slopes/colluvial


Low sensitivity areas are those areas that are predicted to contain a minimum number of sites. Such areas are:

• Towns • Villages

Table 2: Summary of site types within the major landforms

Landform

Site type

Frequency

Alluvial Channel Shelter with art: 1

Artefact Scatter: 4 5

Alluvial Terrace Artefact Scatter: 6 Rock shelter with art: 4 Grinding grooves: 1 Scarred Tree: 1

11

Creek Rock shelter with art: 1 Artefact Scatter: 2 Scarred Tree Rockshelter with potential archaeological deposit

5

Ridge Crest Grinding grooves: 21 Artefact scatter with grinding grooves : 1 Stone arrangement: 1 Artefact scatter: 2 Engraving: 2 Hand Stencils: 1

27

Spur Crest/Crest Shelter with art: 2 Stone arrangement: 1 Artefact scatter: 5 Scarred tree: 1 Burial site: 1 Ceremonial Site (Men’s)

11

Spur Crest/Saddle Grinding grooves and shelter with art: 1 Engraving: 1 Shelter with art: 1 Artefact scatter: 2

5

Footslope Scarred tree: 1 Artefact scatter: 1

2

Steep slope/colluvial Rock shelter with art: 1 Grinding grooves: 1

2

Floodplain/flat Axe Grinding Grooves: 1 1 Dissected Gorge Ceremonial Site (women’s): 1 1

Aboriginal Heritage Assessment Phase 2: Corridor Options Investigation GWH Upgrade, Mt Victoria to Lithgow

Figure 19: Areas of archaeological sensitivity


8.0 Corridor Options __________________________________________________ From earlier phases of the Preliminary Environmental Investigation, the RTA has developed four different corridors within the study area (Orange, Red, Green and Purple). The RTA has advised that in developing these corridors they have attempted to avoid many key constraints, including Aboriginal cultural heritage. According to the RTA, while each corridor avoids many sensitive sites and areas, cultural heritage constraints still exist within each corridor. For further decision making these Aboriginal cultural heritage constraints are summarised by corridor below Modified Orange Corridor The modified orange option passes through areas of high sensitivity. Selection of a route within this corridor may impact upon the following:

• A significant site complex in the vicinity of Mt Victoria. • Areas of predicted high archaeological sensitivity. • The Hartley Valley which has been identified as being of high archaeological and cultural

significance. Management considerations would be required where a route is located near constraints outside the Orange corridor Unknown potential impacts:

• The Gundungurra Tribal Council (GTC) has advised regarding a particular site. At this stage, the exact location of this site is not known. Further consultation should be undertaken with the GTC to determine a suitable curtilage for this site.

Modified Red Corridor The modified red corridor passes through areas of high sensitivity. Selection of a route within this corridor may impact upon the following:

• A significant site complex in the vicinity of Mt Victoria. • The red option may impact upon the site identified by the GTC.

Management considerations would be required where a route is located near constraints outside the Red corridor Unknown potential impacts:

• The Gundungurra Tribal Council (GTC) has advised regarding a particular site. At this stage, the exact location of this site is not known. Further consultation should be undertaken with the GTC to determine a suitable curtilage for this site.


Modified Green Option The modified green corridor also passes through areas of high sensitivity. Selection of this option would impact upon the following:

• The area of high sensitivity which is shown at Figure 19.

Management considerations would be required where a route is located near constraints outside the Green corridor. Modified Purple Corridor The modified purple corridor also passes through areas of high sensitivity. Selection of this option would impact upon the following:

• The area of high sensitivity which is shown on Figure 19. Management considerations would be required where a route is located near constraints outside the Green corridor.


9.0 Summary & Recommendations _____________________________________________

9.1 Summary of constraints The background environmental and archaeological data as detailed in Sections 4 and 5 of this report allow very broad statements to be made about site prediction, as detailed in Section 7 of this report. In turn, such data allows statements to be made about areas of high, medium and low sensitivity which provides information in respect of possible constraints. This information will assist the RTA in assessing suitable corridor options. The mapping of the areas of sensitivity is shown at Figure 19. High Sensitivity: Specific areas:

• Areas/ sites identified in consultation with the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities. • Hartley Valley. The Hartley Valley contains many known significant sites and is likely to

contain many more. • The known sites listed in Table 1

Landforms:

• Ridge Crests • Spur Crests and saddles • Alluvial terraces and associated alluvial channels • Creeklines

Medium Sensitivity

• Footslopes • Steep slopes/colluvial

Low Sensitivity

• Towns • Villages

9.2 Recommendations Consultation Ongoing consultation with the Aboriginal community should continue throughout this project. Such consultation should be undertaken in accordance with the RTA’s Procedure for Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Consultation and Investigation and the DECCW’s Interim Community Consultation Guidelines.


Site Survey and Cultural Heritage Assessment of identified constraints The areas of sensitivity have been extrapolated from occupation models for the Blue Mountains as detailed in this preliminary desktop assessment. This does not factor in unpredictable human behavior resulting in sites or places being located away from the identified landforms. It is important that the areas of sensitivity as identified above are surveyed to determine the integrity of known sites and the presence or otherwise of sites within various landforms. If sites do exist within the identified landforms, their significance should be assessed and management strategies developed. If the significance and integrity of a site is low it may be possible to apply for a permit to salvage the site. Such a survey will assist the RTA to determine appropriate route selections which will avoid known sites. This survey and assessment should be undertaken in consultation with the Aboriginal community. Site Survey and Cultural Heritage Assessment of Route Selection After the RTA has selected a preferred route, a site survey of the preferred route should be undertaken in association with the Aboriginal community. The aim of the survey would be to determine whether sites are located within the preferred route and if so to assess their significance and provide management recommendations in respect of same. The above information, outlining areas of sensitivity within various landforms has been provided after completing a desk top review only. Whilst a drive through of the study area has been undertaken a detailed site survey has not been undertaken. There will be many Aboriginal sites within the study area which have not previously been recorded. There will also most likely be Aboriginal sites located outside of the landform units identified above, and possibly in totally unexpected places. Therefore it is important that a detailed assessment of the preferred route is undertaken, including a site survey in consultation with the Aboriginal community.


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Unpublished Primary Sources including Images held in the State Library of NSW ‘Instructions by Governor Macquarie re hostile Aborigines at Bathurst’, Colonial Secretary’s Papers, State Records of New South Wales, Reel 6065 4/1798, 35-7. ‘Papers. 1833-35, including returns of Aborigines taken at Bathurst, Windsor, Strathallan, Janevalle and Brownlowshire’, Colonial Secretary’s Papers: Special Bundles, State Records of New South Wales, Reel 3706 2/2219.1. C C Towle Papers, Typescript copy of a study titled “The Aborigines of the Western Road: A Brief Survey – historical and archaeological of the Aborigines who occupied the territories from the Nepean River to the Bathurst Plains and the Wellington Valley”, not dated, Mitchell Library Manuscripts ML MSS 3580 MLK 2241. ‘Distribution of Blankets 1837-44’, Colonial Secretary’s Papers: Special Bundles, State Records of New South Wales, Reel 3706 4/1133.3. ‘The Vale of Clwydd’, drawn by Henry G. Lloyd, 1880, Mitchell Library, Small Picture File, State Library of New South Wales, ZDL PX 43 f.250. ‘[View] from Mount Victoria, Bathurst Road, Weatherboard’ drawn by Lady Georgiana Sherbrooke (Mrs Robert Lowe), 1842-1850, Mitchell Library, Small Picture File, State Library of New South Wales, Z PXD 390 f.22. Cox’s River Stockade Convict stockade at Cox's River Crossing near Hartley, Artist unknown, Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales, Picman Call No: XV/1. Diaries and Journals of Andrew Brown, settler at Cooerwull and manager of Wallerawang, 1838-1876, Mitchell Library Manuscripts, State Library of New South Wales, FM4/3107. Electronic Sources ‘Aborigines Welfare Board’, Concise Guide, State Records of NSW, www.records.nsw.gov.au/cguide/ab/aborwel.htm, accessed 30 Jan 2007. ‘Blue Mountains City Council and the Gully Traditional Owners Joint Management Agreement’, dated August 2008, Agreements, Treaties and Negotiated Settlements website, www.atns.net.au, accessed 1 April 2008. ‘Board of the Protection of Aborigines’, Agency Detail, State Records of NSW, http://investigator.records.nsw.gov.au, accessed 30 Jan 2007. ‘Glenroy-Cox’s River History’, The Lithgow, Hartley, Town and Around Website, www.lithgow-nsw.com/GlenroyH6.html, accessed 24 Mar 2009. ‘Journal of an excursion over the Blue or Western Mountains of New South Wales, to visit a tract of new discovered country, in company with His Excellency Governor & Mrs. Macquarie, and a Party of Gentlemen’, Henry Antill, 1815, Lachlan and Elizabeth Macquarie Archive, www.library.mq.edu.au, accessed 26 Mar 2009.


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APPENDIX A: _________________________________________________________________________________ Timeline including records of expeditions, accounts of travellers and settlers diaries that were consulted in the research for this report. In the majority of cases the primary source of the accounts were consulted; a few were accessed through secondary sources, especially where the material was used for comparative purposes or the originals were not accessible.


Date Individual/Group Nature of visit/record 1802 Francis Barrallier Exploration - Nattai/Cox’s

River 1802 David Collins Exploration 1813 Gregory Blaxland, William Lawson and William

Charles Wentworth Exploration – Blue Mountains

1813 George William Evans, Deputy Surveyor Survey – Blue Mountains to Bathurst

1815 Governor Lachlan Macquarie, Major H.C. Antill, aide de camp to Macquarie

Journey – to Bathurst

1817, 1818

John Oxley Exploration – from Bathurst

1818 Sir John Jamieson and Thomas Jones Exploration – Nepean River/Cox’s River

1819 Jean Rene Constant Quoy, Charles Gaudichaud and Alphonse Pellion


1823 Allan Cunningham

Exploration – from Bathurst

1824 Jules Sebastien Césare Dumont D’Urville and René-Primevère Lesson


1828-9 Charles Sturt

Exploration – from Bathurst

1830-33 Lt William Henry Breton (1800-1867), Naval officer and magistrate

Expedition – Bathurst District

1830 Dr John Henderson Journey - Wellington 1835 James Backhouse (1794-1869), naturalist and

Quaker missionary Journey - Wellington Valley

1835, 1836

Thomas Livingstone Mitchell

Exploration – from Bathurst District

1836 Charles Darwin Journey – Sydney to Bathurst 1839-40 Louisa Meredith (1812-1895), Resident - Bathurst 1837 [1835-40]

Annabella Boswell (1826-1914) Resident - Bathurst District (Capertee?)

c.1840s James Günther, missionary Resident - Wellington Valley 1846 Godfrey Charles Mundy, with Governor Fitzroy Journey - to Bathurst From 1824

James Walker, settler Resident - Wallerawang Station

1838-1872

Andrew Brown, settler and manager of Wallerawang Station

Resident - Cooerwull and Caigan Stations [Lithgow], Diary 1838-72


APPENDIX B: _________________________________________________________________________________

A Return of the Aboriginal Natives to whom blankets have been distributed, taken at Bathurst on 29 May and 3 July 1833

(Colonial Secretary’s, Special Bundles, SRNSW, Reel 3706 4/2219.1)


APPENDIX C: ________________________________________________________________________________________

A Return of the Aboriginal Natives to whom blankets have been distributed, taken at Hartley

on 5 May 1842 (Colonial Secretary’s, Special Bundles, SRNSW, Reel 3706 4/2219.1)


APPENDIX D: ________________________________________________________________________________________

Sources consulted in the course of research but which did not provide additional information

about the study area and therefore and have there not been cited or included in the reference list


An historical and archaeological study of Victoria Pass, Great Western Highway, Mt Victoria, New South Wales / prepared by Grace Karskens in association with Robyn Stocks for the Department of Main Roads, Central Mountains Division Lithgow, New South Wales, 1988. The Aboriginal population revisited: 70,000 years to the present / edited by Gordon Briscoe and Len Smith, Canberra: Aboriginal History Incorporated, 2002. The Aborigines of Australia / by Richard Sadleir, Sydney: T. Richards, Govt. Printer, 1883. Survey of historical sites Lithgow area / directed by Aedeen Cremin with R. Ian Jack ... [et al.] : report on a survey prepared for the Heritage Council of New South Wales by the University of Sydney 1981, Sydney : Dept. of Environment and Planning, 1987. Observations on the colonies of New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land / by John Henderson, Calcutta: Baptist Mission Press, 1832. Wolgan Valley Homestead Complex – Conservation Management Plan, HBO+EMTB Pty Ltd, Sep 2006, majorprojects.planning.nsw.gov.au/files/20104/061106%20CMP%20PART%20B.pdf Three expeditions into the interior of eastern Australia : with descriptions of the recently explored region of Australia Felix, and of the present colony of New South Wales / by T.L. Mitchell, 1838. Hartley, New South Wales: a conservation study / by Geoff Dawson, Thesis (M. Sc. (Arch.) (Cons.))--University of Sydney, 1989. The last of the Cox's River men: Ben Estate 1914-2003 / by Jim Smith, Wentworth Falls, N.S.W. : Den Fenella Press, c2006. The Darug and their neighbours : the traditional Aboriginal owners of the Sydney region / James Kohen, Blacktown, N.S.W. : Darug Link in association with the Blacktown and District Historical Society, 1993. Excursions and adventures in New South Wales: with pictures of squatting and of life in the bush : an account of the climate, productions, and natural history of the colony, and of the manners and customs of the natives : with advice to emigrants, etc. : together with a prefatory chapter on the gold fields, comprising all the information received up to the autumn of 1854 : accompanied by plates, and a coloured map of the gold regions / by Captain Henderson, London : Saunders and Otley, 1854. On the Aboriginal inhabitants of N. S. Wales / by George French Angas, "Extracted from Australian Almanac and Country Directory, 1858". H.A. MacLeod Morgan, ‘A Short History of the Wolgan Valley’, Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society, Vol 45, Pt 2, Jul 1959: 86-96. Published works related to the Darug, Gundungurra and Wiradjuri, by R.H. Mathews, surveyor and anthropologist. State Library of NSW – images catalogues, maps and plans, manuscripts catalogues, card and electronic catalogues, Small Pictures File. State Records of NSW – maps and plans, Colonial Secretary’s Papers and other indexes. Sources not yet examined due to problems in accessing material History of the Walker and Archer Families in Australia 1813-1868, B.H. Crew, MA Thesis ANU, 1963. (re Wallerawang). Film of thesis has gone missing from ANU Library. Bell's line of road : the North Grose route / by H.A. MacLeod Morgan, Sydney : D.S. Ford, 1956. Missing at Mitchell Library.


APPENDIX E: ________________________________________________________________________________________

List of known sites within a 10km radius of the study area


LIST OF KNOWN SITES WITHIN A 10KM RADIUS OF THE STUDY AREA

AHIMS

NO.

LANDFORM

DESCRIPTION

CONSENT TO DESTROY

ISSUED 45-4-0006 Alluvial Channel Shelter with surface artefacts

45-4-0013 Ridge Crest/Crest Grinding grooves on rock platform 45-4-0014 Ridge Crest/Crest Grinding grooves on rock platform 45-4-0018 Spur Crest/Saddle Grinding grooves and rock art

consisting of emu footprints in shelter, with convict rock engraving in the rock outside the cave

45-4-0022 Ridge Crest/Crest Grinding grooves on sandstone platform

45-4-0023 Ridge Crest/Crest Grinding grooves on rock platform 45-4-0038 Ridge Crest/Crest Open campsite consisting of stone axe

and flaked chert, rock engraving of emu on ridge, grinding grooves all over the area

45-4-0045 Spur Crest/Saddle Rock engraving of a man 45-4-0046 Ridge Crest/Crest 100 grinding grooves, rock engravings

of kangaroo prints and other figures on rock platform

45-4-0058 Alluvial Terrace Burial (bones have been removed) and open campsite consisting of flakes and flaked pieces of quartz and fine grained siliceous stone on hillslope

45-4-0059 Alluvial Channel Open artefact scatter consisting of chert flakes and core and one quartz flake

45-4-0078 Alluvial Terrace Rockshelter with art 45-4-0079 Alluvial Terrace Rockshelter with art 45-4-0080 Spur Crest/Crest Rockshelter with art 45-4-0081 Spur Crest/Saddle Rock outcrop with two grinding

grooves

45-4-0082 Ridge Crest/Crest Rock platform with six grinding grooves 45-4-0086 Ridge Crest/Crest Rock platform with four grinding

grooves

45-4-0087 Ridge Crest/Crest Rock Platform with four grinding grooves

Yes. No. 545

45-4-0088 Ridge Crest/Crest Rock platform with two grinding grooves

Yes. No. 545

45-4-0090 Ridge Crest/Crest Rock platform with five grinding grooves

Yes. No. 545

45-4-0091 Ridge Crest/Crest Rock platform with 52 grinding grooves Yes. No. 545 45-4-0097 Spur Crest/Crest Shelter with art depicting animals and a

man

45-4-0098 Alluvial Terrace Shelter with archaeological deposit including granite hammerstone, hearthstone, chert artefacts, flaked quartz and a chert blade

45-4-0101 Ridge Crest/Crest Rock platform with 30 grinding grooves Yes. No. 545

45-4-0110 Spur Crest/Crest Rock arrangement involving three piles of sandstone rocks forming an equilateral triangle

45-4-0111 Footslope Scarred tree

45-4-0113 Alluvial terrace Rock platform with grinding grooves


AHIMS

NO.

LANDFORM

DESCRIPTION

CONSENT TO DESTROY

ISSUED 45-4-0118 Ridge Crest/Crest Stone arrangement

45-4-0130 Creek Open artefact scatter consisting of more than 100 chert flakes

45-4-0132 Ridge Crest/Crest Open artefact scatter consisting of chert flakes, a worked red ochre, and a broken grinding stone

45-4-0134 Creek Rock shelter with art and open artefact scatter consisting of 12 artefacts

45-4-0137 Ridge Crest/Crest Art and open artefact scatter consisting of 10 chert flakes and two quartz artefacts

45-4-0138 Alluvial Terrace Rock shelter with art depicting red ochre hands and open artefact scatter containing chert flakes

45-4-0141 Ridge Crest/Crest Rock platform with engraving of emu prints and grinding groove

??? 45-4-

0142

Ridge Crest/Crest Rock platform with 12 grinding grooves, small open artifact scatter containing 2 chert “blocks”, and a stone arrangement

45-4-0143 Ridge Crest/Crest Eight grinding grooves (although there is a question whether a couple of these are engravings rather than grinding grooves)

45-4-0146 Ridge Crest/Crest Engraving

45-4-0150 Ridge Crest/Crest Grinding grooves

45-4-0151 Ridge Crest/Crest 15 grinding grooves

45-4-0152 Ridge Crest/Crest Four grinding grooves

45-4-0153 Ridge Crest/Crest Six grinding grooves

45-4-0154 Ridge Crest/Crest Five grinding grooves

45-4-0197 Steep slope/Colluvial Rock shelter with deposit of about 12 chert artefacts (including flakes, flaked pieces and cores)

45-4-0200 Ridge Crest/Crest Grinding groove

45-4-0201 Ridge Crest/Crest Grinding groove

45-4-0204 Steep slope/Colluvial Three grinding grooves

45-4-0607 Alluvial Terrace Open scatter consisting of an unworked quartz flake and a small chert scraper

45-5-0737 Alluvial Terrace Open scatter consisting of 15 artefacts including a quartzite hammerstone, a chert adze flake and a red silcrete core

45-5-0738 Alluvial Terrace Scarred tree

45-4-0914 Spur Crest/Crest. Open camp site


AHIMS

NO.

LANDFORM

DESCRIPTION

CONSENT TO DESTROY

ISSUED 45-4-0915 Spur Crest/Saddle Open camp site consisting of several

hundred quartz artefacts with a maximum density of 11artefacts/m2

45-4-0916 Creek Open camp site consisting of 94 recorded artefacts of quartz, and indurated mudstone

45-4-0918 Foot slope Open camp site consisting of basalt, chert and silcrete artefacts

45-4-0962 Spur Crest/Crest Scarred tree 45-4-0969 Creek Scarred tree

45-4-0980 Spur Crest/Crest Scarred tree

45-4-0128 Creek Small open artefact scatter

45-4-0900 Spur Crest/Crest Open artefact scatter containing “flakes, flaked pieces, cores, blades and debitage.

45-4-0901 Spur Crest/Crest Open artefact scatter containing 10 artefacts of “flaked pieces, core, a blade and debitage”

45-4-0992 Alluvial Channel Open artefact scatter containing approximately 6 artefacts

45-4-0993 Alluvial Channel Open artefact scatter


APPENDIX F: ________________________________________________________________________________________

National Native Title Claims within study area

Printouts from the National Native Title Tribunal’s website of active Native Title claims within the

study area plus map prepared by SKM

The following map is courtesy of SKM and is taken from Mt Victoria to Lithgow Great Western Highway Upgrade

Background and Proposed Development Report June 2008 (page 24)


APPENDIX G: ________________________________________________________________________________________

Details of consultation undertaken prior to advertisement


G


MT Victoria to Lithgow – Great Western Highway Upgrade

Aboriginal Community Information Meeting 12/12/08

NAME ORGANISATION

Barry Gunther RTA

Celestine Everingham DACHA

Ross Delaney ACRC

Brenda Delaney ACRC

Beverley Eaton ACRC

Michael Thorne RTA

Gordon Workman DLO

Jacinta Tobin DARUG

Chris Barnett RTA

George Shearer RTA

Diana Loges RTA

Andrew Spinks SKM

Sean Boree Hooper

Brad Moore


Aboriginal Information Session 12/12/08 14 Oak Street – Darug / Gundungarra

-

Introductions CB Identify route of end 2009 Will impact someone.

Constraints currently identified. Minimise impacts on people / env / artefacts etc. Need to make road safer. Want to upgrade to highway ___ faster, smoother, River lett hill currently slow. Mt Victoria pass not safe. People sick from chemical spills.

RB Waste sweeping bend – not as safe as it looks. Things fly off trucks. CB Could have been accident yesterday

Project kicked off May. Meeting in Katoomba and Lithgow in June. Andrew and team to do field investigations. To date desktop. Early planning. No acquinbuon at this stage. Identified 4 corridors. Need to choose 1 route. Number of corridors 3 Phases. 1st phase done – desktop Andrew to get out on foot in new year. Biodiv, Ab, non ab, noise i.e vib, water quality, studies being looked at Urban design.

JT Also the Grose area? Zinc polluting area from mine. CB In speaking to community, everyone thinks it is a nice area? CB Has a lot of history of different tribal group. Lots of interest in area. Should add to

knowledge of area. CE Will you be looking @ flora-fauna including wombats including tunnels. Slaughter at

Mittagong after it opened. AS Will be looking at f-f, underpasses BM Why isn’t this looked at across the highway. Done on north coast. Should be done here?

Used on Dac Highway. Also tunnels. CE Tunnelled into tunnels.

Celestine Everingham Ross and Brenda Delaney Whalan Kamilaroi

Land under red option Beverley – Eaton Elder / Whalan Kamilaroi

Jacinta Tobin Darug. House on GWH concern re animals and run off

Gordon Workman Darug Mick Thorne, RTA Sean Chris Barrett +? Brad Maul, BMC George Shearer Tracey? Andrew Spinks Sean Boree Hooper Diana Loges


RD Lots of animals around Mt York. Most feasible spot likely to be past power lines. How will

animals get across. CE If we can keep away we will. JT / BM Scarred tree at Mt Vic should never have been moved. Want to avoid that. CE Retention basins must be placed carefully to avoid road kill. It is distressing to see this. JT Why aren’t you following road to Clarence? CB Interest in corridor – out of valley. Benefits for travelling community. CE Keep of Bells line of Road. JT Share traffic around CB RTA will make decision GW/JT Will you listen to us? No, we know they will do what they want. RD It’s a much more open process and I’m for it.

Red option not a good one. JT Convergence of 3 waters – marriage place GS This is the type of information we want. Gather information. Balance issues. Not just about

people. CE Need to consider aesthetics GS That’s Urban Design. Engineering and architecture Charlestown bypass. Eagle totem

imprinted. RTA getting better @ bypass. T Whitehorse interchange – Monstronty. GS Different ideas and values, but community involved. SB Bells line of road – what timeframe. CB No plans. Reports – too expensive JT That’s the influence of the Dulpin farmers

Yellow – bridge – heritage item CB Unlikely to be affected. Will probably be listened. RTA is listening. Want you to understand

how decision is made. CE If decided to take through Hartley Vale, would it fully bypass Mt Vic and not destroy it? CB It is the intention JT Ret in a tunnel CB Corridor would be about 20m around Mt Vic. JT Water under Mt Vic.

Worry about going through Hartley. CB Concerned across Newnes about information because people don’t live there.

(Went through main constraints and identified sites). AS Need for more investigation GS What effort made, when sites pointed out?

S99 – consultant who finds sites has responsibility to bypass them on. JT Have more sites than any other in Australia.

40 Bends – big guardian up there. Rock formation at top. Same rock formation at Katoomba.

Will be asking for verbal and written comment on reports. JT Hartley is huge Gundungurra came down from one ridge

Warrangai came down from one ridge Dharug came down from one ridge

Chert and artefacts Hyde park

Londonderry -> Gap Road. Near Delta Coal Mine Burial CB Arden Ridgeway did report when with NIAWS.

Meet at 3 waters


CB “Fatal Flows” state heritage register listed CB Eight tracks into area – avoiding history.

Flora fauna – fauna corridors identified. JT Hartley Vale Road – can see Cehidmas walking across road. Be more tho that you can’t see. CB Land use – lots of rural residential

800 residences and workplaces affected. Urban design – road can look better from different places.

AS Corridor selection process. Two stages. Institutive and Quantum computer. CB Hard copies of report available at Council (Katoomba and Lithgow). SBH Predictive mapping misses out on a number of sites. Split between major and small sites.

Could be mapped in different ways. GS Comments on predictive mapping appreciated. GS Have to start with what you know? Won’t walk through whole area. BG Will do drive through GS What we’ve been hearing across state is that cultural knowledge is more important than

stores on ground. BG Also working at plants and environment as whole. CE Can’t divorce place and environment.

Preferred route 12 months down track? CB We’d like to be in that place end of next year, but there is a lot to do.

We need information across the study area. Newnes Plateau -> different consultant and mapping, traffic.

SBH Would it affect word heritage AS No CE Newnes – would still have a lot of traffic on existing highway


Contact List of attendees and meeting notes from the Aboriginal information session for the Mt Vic2L Great Western Hwy Upgrade, held at Lithgow Library 29/11/08. NAME ORGANISATION Chris Barnett RTA Barry Gunther RTA Michael Thorne RTA Louise Collier CARDNO Richard Peters Bathurst LALC Carol Ager - Peters Mingaan Aboriginal

Corp Helen Riley Mingaan Aboriginal

Corp Leonie Williams Mingaan Aboriginal

Corp Meg Huddleston Mingaan Aboriginal

Corp Mark Huddleston Mingaan Aboriginal

Corp Apologies: Sharon Riley - Mingaan Aboriginal Corp Bill Allen - Mingaan Aboriginal Corp Mingaan Aboriginal Corporation 38 Tweed Rd, Lithgow

• Chair: Meg Huddleston • Secretary: Carol Ager-Peters • Treasurer: Helen Riley • Directors: Rick Peters (Bathurst LALC), Bill Allen, Sharon Riley • email: [email protected]

Synopsis of meeting- After a Welcome to Country and introductions Chris Barnett gave a power point presentation to the group about the proposedproject that explained how the RTA had arrived at the feasible corridor selection stage and also the reason behind the project regarding road safety and other historical contributing factors. Chris identified both study areas, being the Hartley Valley and Newnes areas and explained in detail the diverse constraints that the RTA needed to take into account when assessing corridor selection including the likely hood of impacts on Aboriginal heritage. Louise Collier from CARDNO gave a presentation and explained her role as an external consultant and identified the reasons for her organisations involvement and the findings of the CARDNO report. Louise identified that there is a very high likelihood of Aboriginal Heritage being present in the Newnes Plateau study area and showed maps that indicated a predictable model for previous Aboriginal occupation of the area and explained about AHIMS searches and how these searches identified known recorded sites from the DECC database. Barry Gunther and Michael Thorne explained their role in the project and spoke about the Aboriginal groups that were in the area and also revealed the process of consultation that the RTA is taking so as to include all comments from Aboriginal people that attend these information sessions. The group


were informed about previous Aboriginal information sessions that the RTA has undertaken and discussed further involvement and process of the next upcoming Aboriginal community meeting to be held on the 12/12/2008 at Katoomba so they understood that the RTA was trying to capture an Aboriginal audience from all of the communities of the study areas. The group were also told that the intangible (unseen)and the tangible (visible)Aboriginal culture were valid and needed to be captured if that information was available as it will assist the RTA in avoiding, if possible impacting on sensitive areas of Aboriginal cultural importance. Question: From Mark Huddleston asked if there were any further meetings with the Aboriginal groups? Answer: Barry answered, Yes that further consultation will occur. Barry explained about the RTA procedure document and how the RTA at a date to be confirmed will advertise for stakeholders to register their interest in the project and about the AFG (Aboriginal Focus Group) process. Question: From Mark Huddleston How do you consult with Aboriginal groups? Answer: It was explained about media advertising to capture other interested Aboriginal groups and how AFG's are co ordinated. Question: Who are the Aboriginal groups in the study areas? Answer: Barry explained about the NSW legislation that identifies Aboriginal groups, such as the NSW Aboriginal Lands Rights Act, Native Title Claimants/Holders and those communities affected by the proposed project. The two LALCs were identified being to the south Deerubbin LALC and to the north Bathurst LALC with various Native Title claimants being represented. Question: How are AFG's done and where at? Answer: Barry explained the RTA Procedure for Aboriginal Cultural Heritage & Consultation & Investigation (PACHCI) document and how the RTA was doing more than what the document required and how the AFG process will occur but we had no set timeframe for those meetings as yet but more than likely will occur in early / mid 2009. Question: Will the road join at 40 Bends or River Lett Hill? Answer: Chris relayed that as part of the Great Western Hwy Upgrade that 40 Bends, River Lett Hill and Victoria Pass were of concern and that the scope of the project was to bypass those areas however no firm decision has been made as to where the road will go until all information has been assessed. NOTE: No cultural knowledge was given by the group but it was mentioned that Sharon Riley and Bill Allen were people to speak to and that Richard Peters is an ex- National Parks & Wildlife officer from Bathurst LALC who will know information regarding Aboriginal culture. Regards Barry Gunther Aboriginal Culture & Heritage Advisor, Sydney RTA. 27- 31 Argyle St Parramatta. NSW 2150 Ph- 02 8849 2006 Mob- 0447 498 847 Fax- 02 8849 2886 Email- [email protected]


Attendance of Aboriginal Community MV2L Meeting 29/11/08 Lithgow Library

NAME ORGANISATION

Chris Barnett RTA

Barry Gunther RTA

Michael Thorne RTA

Louise Collier CARDNO

Richard Peters Bathurst Local Aboriginal Land Council (MAC)

Carol Ager - Peters Mingaan Aboriginal Corporation (MAC)

Helen Riley Mingaan Aboriginal Corporation (MAC)

Leonie Williams Mingaan Aboriginal Corporation (MAC)

Meg Huddleston Mingaan Aboriginal Corporation (MAC)

Mark Huddleston Mingaan Aboriginal Corporation (MAC)


APPENDIX H: ________________________________________________________________________________________

Template Advertisement


Published in:

Blue Mountains Gazette


Published in:

Bathurst Western Advocate

Koori Mail Lithgow Mercury Oberon Review


Published in:

National Indigenous Times


APPENDIX I: ________________________________________________________________________________________

Template Notification Letter


X March 2009

Recipients Address

Dear Sir/Madam/ Mr. X

Aboriginal community consultation notification for the proposed Great Western Highway Upgrade from Mount Victoria to Lithgow.

The Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW (RTA) would like to inform your organisation that we are currently investigating options for a feasible route to upgrade the Great Western Highway from Mount Victoria to Lithgow.

This letter forms part of the RTA’s commitment to actively identify Aboriginal community stakeholder groups or people wishing to be consulted on Aboriginal cultural heritage matters during this investigation. This letter is consistent with the Department of Environment and Climate Change’s (DECC) Interim Community Consultation Requirements for Applicants should they be triggered in the future.

The proposal is at a preliminary stage of environmental investigations and the RTA has identified several corridors across a large study area for investigation. The next stage is to investigate feasible routes within these corridors over the coming months. If feasible routes are identified, further investigations and consultation would be required before a preferred route is selected. Please find enclosed a community update showing the corridor study areas.

Should the proposal proceed beyond the preferred route selection stage, formal and detailed environmental and cultural heritage assessment would take place in accordance with the Environmental Planning & Assessment Act 1979. Depending on whether the project is assessed under Part 3A or Part 5 of that Act, the project may also require section 87 permits and/or section 90 consents under Part 6 of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974.

If your organisation would like to register their interest or if you know of Aboriginal groups and/or Aboriginal people we should be consulting with please don’t hesitate to make contact.

Yours sincerely

Chris Barnett Senior Project Manager RTA Western Region 02 6352 8954 [email protected] Roads and Traffic Authority ABN 64 480 155 255

15-33 Cooerwull Road, BOWENFELS, NSW 2790 T 02 6352 8954 F 02 6352 8915 E [email protected] www.rta.nsw.gov.au | 13 22 13


APPENDIX J: ________________________________________________________________________________________

Response from Office of Registrar


APPENDIX K: ________________________________________________________________________________________

Individuals and organisations who registered their interest


REGISTER OF EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST IN MTVICTORIA TO LITHGOW –GREAT WESTERN HWY

UPGRADE (27 March 2009)

DATE

NAME

GROUP REPRESENTATED AND POSITION

16/03/09

Scott Franks

Wargon & Burra Aboriginal Centre Inc

17/03/09

Helen Riley

Mingaan Aboriginal Corporation

17/03/09

Gordon Workman

Duarug Land Observation

06/04/09

Suzanne Ingram

Shady Players Group Pty Ltd

21/3/09 Merle Williams Gundungurra Aboriginal Heritage Association Inc

28/3/09 Brian Grant Director

Wiradjuri Traditional Owners Central West Aboriginal Corporation ICN 7184


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5.6 aboriginal communities within the study area · aboriginal heritage assessment page 55 phase 2:...

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