elouera estate cherrybrook i

I I I ARCHAEOLOGICALMONITORING

I I I ELOUERA ESTATE

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I CHERRYBROOK I I I I I I January 1999

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F~r Australand Holdings Ltd

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Wendy Thorp Cultural Resources Management

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I I I ARCHAEOLOGICALMONITORING

I I I ELOUERA ESTATE

I CHERRYBROOK I I I I I I January 1999

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For Australand_Holdings Ltd

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WendyThorp Cultural Resources Management

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1I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

Report on Archaeological Monitoring: Elouera Estate, Cherrybrook

CONTENTS OF THE REPORT

1.0 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

2.0 The Investigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

2.1 The Site. . . . . 2

2.2

2.3

2.4

The Investigation

TheWork ....

Authorship and Client .

2

2

2

3.0 Site Context and Significance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

4.0 The Evidence .......................... 6

4.1

4.2

Prior to Excavation

The Features ...

6

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I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I


SECTION 1.0

ISUMMARY

This report documents archaeological evidence recorded during the excavation for a sewer across the line of an early nineteenth century road located in the Elouera Housing Estate off New Line Road at Cherrybrook. The work was undertaken in response to a recommendation contained in the heritage assessment for this site and is the subject of an Excavation Permit issued by the Heritage Council of NSW. The excavation encompassed a trench 1.25 metres in width and between 720mm and one metre in depth.

The relic has been identified as a loop excised from New Line Road in the 1890s. "It was originally built in the early 1830s as part of the great road-making projects designed to provide communications between Sydney and the Hunter Valley. This portion was considered to be of secondary significance to the scheme and, as such, was subject to less sophisticated methods of construction than, for example, the great works near Windsor and was carried out by less skilled convict labour.

The road was assessed to possess both local and redional significance because: "

• it is one of the earliest relics of European occupation in the area;

• its construction was instrumental in encouraging settlement here;

• it is a rare fragment of an important early nineteenth century public work and demonstrates variations in skill and techniques which may be contrasted with better known sections and provides tangible evidence of early nineteenth century engineering practices;

• it has particular associations with influential Colonial figures such as Major Thomas Mitchell;

• it provides a sense of age in the landscape which may be used to interpret the past history and development of this place.

The excavation did not reveal any new features but it did provide the opportunity to document construction methods. These were found to comprise an L-shaped cut made at the mid-point of a naturally occurring slope. Above and below the road the slope retains the original A-horizon of topsoil. The rock-face wall, gutters and surface of the road have been formed from the weathered sandstone of the B-horizon and, principally, the upper portion of the C-Horizon sandstone bedrock. No other features associated with the construction of the road were identified within or around the excavation.

Wendy Thorp for Australand Holdings Ltd Page 1



SECTION- 2.0

ITHE INVESTIGATION

2.1 The Site

The subject of this report is the archaeological evidence which was recorded during the course of excavations for a sewer which cut through a portion of a nineteenth century road now partially contained within the Elouera Estate. The latter is a housing subdivision located at Cherrybrook on the southern side of New Line Road. The earlier road is encompassed within bushland at the end of Millstream Grove, one of the streets contained in the new subdivision. The former road terminates at one end at New Line Road and at the other at a yard and house constructed as part of the new subdivision.

2.2 The Investigation

The work was undertaken in response to a recommendation made in a heritage assessment for this site (W. Thorp, Heritage Assessment Elouera Estate Relics Dural, Australand Properties 1996). This recommendation required supervision and recording where appropriate of any works undertaken in the vicinity of the relic. Application was made for an Excavation Permit from the Heritage Council of NSW and it was approved in Septembe~ 1998 (Ref. 8063212).

2.3 The Work

The work entailed the excavation of a trench for a sewer across the line of the old road to a point below it on the slope and above it on the hill. The trench measured 1.25 metres in width and was between 720mm and one metre in depth. It was excavated with a back-hoe. The deposits across the line of the road were removed in 5mm spits until the surface of the road was reached. The evidence revealed by the excavation was recorded by an archaeologist by means of photographs and a nominal section. Survey of the line of the excavation beyond the area of the earlier road did not reveal any ancillary features to it, such as those observed at Windsor and along the Great North Road.

2.4 Authorship and Client

This report has been written by Wendy Thorp who also was responsible for the heritage assessment. The monitoring and recording was undertaken by Peter Douglas. The client and applicant for the Excavation Permit is Australand Holdings Ltd.



Report on Archaeological Monitoring:

Location of Site

Wendy Thorp for Australand Holdings Ud

Elouera Estate, Cherrybrook

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Page 3

I Figure: Une of excavation in relation to nineteenth century road

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SECTION 3.0

ISITE CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE

A complete historical analysis and assessment of significance were presented.in the heritage assessment made of this site in 1996. This research determined that the relic originally was part of New Line Road. The construction of the latter was part of a much greater undertaking to provide a land route between the settlements at Sydney and Parramatta and those in the Hunter Valley. Construction on the road commenced in 1826 and eventually it stretched from Parramatta Road, through Gladesville, 8eecroft, Dural and on to Windsor and then to the north. New Line Road was constructed between 1829 and 1831 as a continuation of the earlier road but it was intended to provide a shorter journey between Sydney and Dural by means of by-passing a large loop in the earlier road.

Considered to be a less important project than the main and earlier road, the construction techniques used on New Line Road were less sophisticated than those employed on the earlier roadworks. Generally less skilled and experienced workers were employed upon it. At least two convict road parties were at work in the Dural area by 1830. Following its completion the road was little used; it was described as circuitous. Plans were prepared in 1869 to make the road more serviceable; several of the loops or deviations which had been made around difficult natural features such as rock outcrops were to be excised and new, straight sections built in their place.

This work did not occur until the 1890s. One of the loops removed from the main road is that which is now contained asa fragment within the Elouera Estate. It came to be in private ownership and remained unused and largely untouched until the present day.

The significance of this relic of early road-making was determined to be of value for both the immediate locale and region by means of it documenting one of the first major European works in the area and one which provided an important incentive for local settlement. It provides a particularly visual and evocative land-mark of the earliest origins of the community and provides a physical layering of antiquity that unites several communities.

As well, this site is a rare fragment in its original condition of one of the most significant early nineteenth century public works undertaken in NSW, that of the main road north from Sydney to the Hunter Valley. It has particular associations with its planner, Sir Thomas Mitchell, its Surveyor Major Lockyer and the men in the road gangs who provided the labour for the project. It is an example of one of the most important contributions of convict labour to the development of the country and the means by which early Colonial authorities controlled the convict population. Its lesser importance in the overall project meant that less skilled overseers and labourers were applied to the construction. This fragment demonstrates those less sophisticated




practices, a more modest scale project and provides an important contrast to the grand works near, for example, Windsor.

The evidence presented by this site enables us to achieve a better record of early nineteenth century engineering, surveying and construction methods than is now available from primary documents particularly because it is relatively intact and in its original condition. Few other relics of this nature and type are found in the suburbs surrounding Sydney.

Wendy Thorp for Australand Holdings Ltd PageS

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Detail Lands Departrnent Plan 487-690 shoH~ng original devviatio17s, proposed am.endlnents and present line of New Line Road c. 1887 (Plan of land appliecifi:Jl' by Jarnes Grainge7:)

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il of Lands Departm,ent Plan 728-2030 showing deviation excised fl'07n New Lihe Road now in Elouera le. 1898 (Plan of Portion No. 61)

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SECTION 4.0

ITHE EVIDENCE

4.1 Prior to Excavation

Throughout its entire length the road appears to be no more than a bush track although closer inspection reveals the efforts made to create a formed surface. On the upper, western side the naturally occurring sandstone has been cut back to form a rock-faced wall approximately one metre in height. It is intermittent throughout,the length of the road; its existence was dependent on rock being close to the surface at these points. At the base of the wall and forming the edge of the high side of the road channels or gutters have been cut into the natural rock. They vary in depth from a few millimetres up to 200mm. In places V-~haped cuts intersect with it. The principal purpose of these features was to catch water running off the hill and redirect it away from the surface of the road.

The third main element of the road is its surface. It has been crudely formed by levelling the remnant natural rock to provide a relatively flat and smooth surface. Some rocks have been introduced in places but generally the road presents what was available to the road-makers.

The excavation for the sewer occurred at the very southern end of what remains of the road. Here there was no visible surface still intact; this had been removed or covered over during earlier demolition and construction works. The site was chosen because it provided a position which was likely to cause the least damage to any remnant historic features. The only visible evidence of the road in this position was a shallow depression at the base of the rock-face which was taken to be part of the drainage system.


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4.2 The Features

The excavation essentially did not reveal any new features but it did provide a clearer impression of the pre-existing landform and the way in which it had been shaped to provide for the construction of the road.

It was found that, prior to the 1830s, the site was a shallow sloping hill falling from west to east the road being cut into the mid-point of the slope. Observations of the depoSits at the top of the hill, above the road, show the original soil profile t6 have comprised approximately 50-1 OOmm of topsoil (the A horizon) above 200-300mm of weathered sandstone (the B Horizon). Below was sandstone bedrock. The L-shaped cut for the road was made through the weathered sandstone and bedrock. These two form the rock-face wall and the bed-rock forms the surface of the road. Immediately below the surface of the road the remnant slope of the hill resumes with the same soil profile seen on the hill above it. Since it has gone out of use a deep layer of leaf litter and soil has covered most of the road and filled in the drainage channels.

No evidence was found in the area of the excavation of any associated features or relics.

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Figure: View of surface cleared or soil and removal of first Smm spit

Wendy Thorp for Australand Holdings Ud Page 7


ReporT on Archaeological Monitoring.

Figure Views of site prior to ex~avation

Wendy Thorp for Austra/and Holdings Ltd

Elouera Estate, Cherrybrook

Page 8

I I Report on Archaeological Monitoring. Elouera Cherrybrook

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Figure.· View and profile of tren4h through road

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I Wendy Thorp for Australand Holdings Ltd Page 9

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SECTION: NINETEENTH CENTURY ROAD ELOUERA ESTATE (1998)

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. . Rock-face wall 04

Limits of road surface

2000 mm 07 Cut (for drainage)

Scale 1: 20

Evidence of original topography and excavation for road recorded during monitoring work

15 metres E

Scale 1: 50

Notional line of slope prior to road formation

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RL 174.78

.. ' KEY

01: Shallow topsoil covering surface of road

02: Weathered sandstone road surface

03: Sandstone bedrock

04: Rock-face wall forms the high side of the road

05: Shallow topsoil on slope

06: Weathered sandstone on slope

07: Cut at base of wall for drainage

elouera estate cherrybrook i

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