Heritage specialist Dr Kevin Rains from Niche’s Brisbane office presented at the joint conference of the Australian Society for Historical Archaeology (ASHA) and the Australian Institute of Maritime Archaeology (AIMA), on Friday 28 September 2018 in Parramatta.
His presentation, entitled The Ravenswood Mining Landscape and Chinese Settlement Area Project, was based on Niche’s involvement in Carpentaria Gold’s Buck Reef West Expansion Project at Ravenswood, north Queensland.
Gold was discovered in Ravenswood in 1868, initiating various phases of gold mining activity which peaked in the early 1900s but still continues. What exists now is the remnant township and a complex archaeological landscape relating to 150 years of gold production and domestic activity. In 2016 approximately 50ha of the area were entered on the Queensland Heritage Register as the Ravenswood Mining Landscape and Chinese Settlement Area (QHR Item ID: 650038).
Proposed expansion of existing gold mining operations within the heritage area resulted in the development conservation and archaeological management plans to form the basis of a heritage agreement with the State Government, allowing the development to proceed. Out of these plans have come a raft of mitigation measures including aerial and 3D recording and an extensive archaeological salvage program.
The project has been innovative in working closely with the proponent and authorities throughout the planning process and collaborating with the Queensland Museum, University of Queensland and local community in providing long-term education, research and tourism opportunities with the data and artefacts recovered.
To find out more about this project follow the links below or contact us.
Case Study: Buck Reef West Expansion Project – Ravenswood Goldmine
The joint ASHA/AIMA conference took place 26-28 September 2018 at UNE Campus, Parramatta NSW and included presentations, artefacts workshops, archaeological walking tours of Parramatta and a tour of the Australian National Maritime Museum’s conservation labs. For more information, visit the conference website.
