Dr. Vincent Clark & Associates Pty Ltd PO Box 266, Coburg, Victoria 3058 [email protected]Unit 11 / 240 Sydney Road, Coburg, VIC 3058 207 Ashbourne Rd, Woodend, VIC 3442 www.vincentclark.com.au Phone (03) 9386 4770 – Fax (03) 9386 4220 LAKE TYERS FORESHORE COASTAL RESERVE Due Diligence Report Helen Kiddell, Meredith Filihia and William Anderson 7 November 2014
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Figure 10: Location of and route taken during ground inspection. ...................................................... 20
Figure 11: Ground conditions and visibility during inspection. ............................................................ 23
Figure 12: Location of VAHR 8522-0244 Gully Road LDAD, looking west ............................................. 26
Figure 13: Location of VAHR 8522-0245 Bulmer’s Point 1 ................................................................... 30
Figure 14: Albert Park Guest House (source: slv.vic.gov.au. Image number H32492-3556) ................ 34
PHOTOGRAPHS
Photograph 1: The present barbed wire fence, with a fencepost from a previous fence line behind it
(M. Filihia 26 August 2014). .................................................................................................................. 19
Photograph 2: View of saltmarsh grasses and vegetation, near Gully Road, facing west (W. Anderson
26 August 2014). ................................................................................................................................... 21
Photograph 3: Coastal scrub at top of dune (W. Anderson 26 August 2014) ...................................... 21
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Photograph 4: Coastal box forest at Bulmer’s Point, facing south (W. Anderson 26 August 2014) .... 22
Photograph 5: Waterlogged gully (W. Anderson 26 August 2014). ..................................................... 24
Photograph 6: Waterlogged gully south-east of Bulmer’s Point, at the southernmost point of the
survey route (W. Anderson 26 August 2014)........................................................................................ 24
Photograph 7: VAHR 8522-0244 Gully Rd LDAD (W. Anderson 27 August 2014). ............................... 26
Photograph 8: Silcrete flake at VAHR 8522-0244, (W. Anderson 27 August 2014) .............................. 27
Photograph 9: Chert angular fragment at VAHR 8522-0244 (W. Anderson 27 August 2014) .............. 27
Photograph 10: Quartzite core at VAHR 8522-0244 (W. Anderson 27 August 2014) .......................... 27
Photograph 11: Quartzite flake at VAHR 8522-0244 (W. Anderson 27 August 2014) ......................... 28
Photograph 12: Location of VAHR 8522-0245 Bulmer’s Point 1 artefact scatter, looking north (W.
Anderson 26 August 2014).................................................................................................................... 31
Photograph 13: Silcrete flake at VAHR 8522-0245 (W. Anderson 26 August 2014) ............................. 31
Photograph 14: Silcrete flake at VAHR 8522-0245 (W. Anderson 26 August 2014) ............................. 32
Photograph 15: Chert microblade core at VAHR 8522-0245 (W. Anderson 26 August 2014) ............. 32
Photograph 16: Silcrete flake at VAHR 8522-0245 (W. Anderson 26 August 2014) ............................. 32
Photograph 17: Silcrete flake at VAHR 8522-0245 (W. Anderson 26 August 2014) ............................. 33
Photograph 18: Silcrete flake at VAHR 8522-0245 (W. Anderson 26 August 2014) ............................. 33
Photograph 19: Depression at the site of the former dam used for pumping water to the Albert Park
Guest House (M. Filihia 26 August 2014). ............................................................................................. 34
Photograph 20: Location of historic tourist landing on east shore of promontory, facing north (W.
Anderson 26 August 2014).................................................................................................................... 35
Photograph 21: Shell deposit near historic landing site (W. Anderson 26 August 2014). .................... 36
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
With thanks to Jack Whadcoat for his assistance with preparing this due diligence, in particular for
providing the ‘potted history’ included in Appendix 2 and for sharing his knowledge during the
ground inspection. Thanks also to Barry Kenny (GLaWAC) for participating in the on-site meeting and
reviewing this document.
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Introduction
In July 2014, Dr Vincent Clark & Associates were contracted by Lake Tyers Coast Action to conduct an
archaeological and cultural heritage due diligence assessment of the Lake Tyers Foreshore area,
prior to the establishment of a walking track. This report is an assessment of the cultural heritage
values of the study area, to help determine the best location, with least impact on heritage values,
for the track.
Recommendations are given for any actions required by Lake Tyers Coast Action with regard to
future site management, within the framework of cultural heritage legislation in Victoria. The
assessment has focused on Aboriginal heritage, but historical (non-Aboriginal) heritage and
legislation has also been taken into account.
The registers of Aboriginal Affairs Victoria (Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Register [VAHR]) and
Heritage Victoria (Victorian Heritage Inventory (VHI) and Victorian Heritage Register [VHR]) were
searched for previously recorded cultural heritage sites in the vicinity of the study area. The
schedule to the heritage overlay of the Planning Scheme for the East Gippsland Shire was also
searched.
The Registered Aboriginal Party (RAP) for the study area is the Gunaikurnai Land and Waters
Aboriginal Corporation. Barry Kenny (CEO, GLaWAC) participated in the on-site meeting held on the
26 August 2014, and was provided a draft of this report.
The Study Area and Geographical Region
The study area at Lake Tyers beach is the southern shore of the Fishermans Landing Arm of Lake
Tyers Estuary, located approximately 40km east of Bairnsdale, and 6.5km east of Lakes Entrance
(Figure 1). The study area is situated in the Parish of Colquhoun, in the Shire of East Gippsland.
The walking track is planned to run along the southern Public Reserve foreshore of Fishermans
Landing at Lake Tyers, which Crown Land. The start and end points of the proposed walking track are
shown in Figure 2, along with the cadastral details of the area.
The study area is located within 200m of Lake Tyers is therefore legally defined as an area of cultural
heritage sensitivity (Aboriginal Heritage Regulations 2007, r.23(1)). There are two main branches of
the Lake Tyers inlet – the Nowa Nowa Arm and the Toorloo Arm. The Fishermans Landing Arm is an
estuary that branches off the Toorloo Arm.
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Figure 1: The Study Area locality in East Gippsland.
Figure 2: Cadastral details of the study area; the red stars indicate start and end points of
proposed trail.
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The Proposed Activity
Lake Tyers Coast Action Inc plan to create a mown walking trail along the foreshore. The
construction of a walking track is a high impact activity under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006, but
only if it results in significant ground disturbance. The strategy of mowing a track has been devised
intentionally to reduce the impact of the path on the environment.
The exact positioning of the path has not yet been determined, as the outcome of this report will
influence the path’s design to ensure that harm to Aboriginal places can be avoided.
Geographical, Geological and Environmental Setting
Broadly speaking the study area is situated on dissected coastal plain of eastern Gippsland
(Vandenberg et al 1996: 9). The coastal plain forms a broad belt between the foothills and the
coastline (Vandenberg et al 1996: 8).
The geology consists of Pleistocene gravel, sand and clay beds, according to the 1929 geological
survey of the area (Figure 3). The geomorphology of the eastern end of the study area is classified as
low relief landscapes at low elevation (Geomorphic Unit 1.3.1); while the western end of the study
area is dissected plains with dunes (GMU: 7.3.4, DEPI website).
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Figure 3: Geological Parish Plan, Colquhoun, Counties of Tanjil and Tambo, 1: 31 680, Published
1929
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Ethno-Historical Background
Evidence for human occupation of the land around Lake Tyers dates to at least 24,000 years ago
(Johnston et al 2009: 5). The people who occupied the area that became known as Gippsland were
of the Kurnai tribe, which was divided into five clans, and the Bidawal in the area furthest east
(Howitt 2001: 79). The land in the study area was occupied by people of the Krauatungalung clan of
the Kurnai tribe, who called Lake Tyers Wurnung-gatti (Howitt 2001: 76). According to Clarke and
Heydon the lake was called Wannang-Gatty, which meant Big Water (VICNAMES website). Russell
(cited in Johnston et al 2009: 5) stated that Warn-a-ngatte was the name of the tribe, and that the
lake was a significant meeting place for people of the Warn-a-ngatte and other tribes.
The map below, produced in 1880, is a representation of the areas occupied by the five Kurnai clans,
with that of the Krauatungalung clan outlined in red. According to the ‘Bataluk Cultural Trail’
website1, this territory covered the area from the Snowy River, Cape Everard (Point Hicks) to Lakes
Entrance and Lake Tyers and encompassing the Bemm, Buchan and Snowy Rivers, inland to about
Black Mountain and Mount Nowa Nowa.
Figure 4: Location of Study Area in relation to the land of the Krauatungalung clan of the Kurnai
tribe. (Adapted from Fison and Howitt (1880) reproduced in The La Trobe Journal No. 85).
The Krauatungalung clan was further divided into smaller units or bands, usually consisting of a few
families who would range together undertaking subsistence hunting and gathering activities, with
each division having its own tract of land (Howitt 2001: 73). Social relationships were based on
kinship ties, and suitable marriage partners were selected from other divisions in the clan. Family
site is located approximately 1.7 km north east of the present study area. The authors of this report
were not concerned to document or record Aboriginal sites for the VAHR, but rather to evaluate the
historical heritage of the place and produce a management plan for its conservation.
Schell (2009) conducted an archaeological investigation of Red Bluff, located less than 2 km from the
study area. The study, commissioned by Parks Victoria, aimed to locate and record Aboriginal
archaeological sites and areas of cultural sensitivity, and to locate any landforms with archaeological
potential within the Red Bluff study area. The study also aimed to interpret any relationships that
existed between the sites and determine the significance of them (Schell 2009: 5). Schell found that
one previously recorded site, a shell midden, was being eroded by foot traffic and environmental
factors (VAHR 5822-0023) and that a reputed rock well (VAHR 5822-0211) could not be verified. Her
survey identified a third site, an artefact scatter, which was recorded as VAHR 5822-0208 (Schell
2009: 24).
Green et al (2011) prepared a Cultural Heritage Management Plan (CHMP 10677) for East Gippsland
Water prior to the construction of a pipeline through the Lake Tyers Aboriginal Trust property. Two
registered Aboriginal places (VAHR 8522-0049 and -0050) were located within or in close proximity
to their activity area, and an artefact scatter (VAHR5822-0240) was recorded within the activity area.
As indicated in this CHMP the pipeline alignment passes near the western end of the present study
area, but was restricted to the Mill Point Road reserve. They noted that this area of Fishermans
Landing Arm was highly disturbed by road cut and fill and the construction of pavements, verges and
a bridge crossing, and that the impact is such that it is unlikely that any Aboriginal cultural heritage is
present (Green et al 2011: 75).
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Previously Recorded Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Places
Within 2km of the study area, there are 10 places registered on the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage
Register (Table 1).
Aboriginal Place No
Aboriginal Place Name
Component Type Details Location
8522-0023 Red Bluff Shell Midden A well stratified (but eroding) midden up to 3m in length.
1.97 km SW
8522-0049 Lake Tyers 5 Shell Midden Stone artefacts also present amongst shell midden material.
1.5 km N
8522-0050 Lake Tyers 6 Shell Midden Shell midden in fair state of preservation when recorded
1.5 km N
8522-0069 Lake Tyers Beach 1 Artefact Scatter Isolated quartz artefact unable to be relocated in 2006
0.4 km S
8522-0208 Red Bluff Scatter Artefact Scatter Quartz, silcrete and chert artefacts.
2 km SW
8522-0211 Red Bluff Well Stone Feature Rockwell originally noted during the recording of 8522-0023, but was obscured by thick vegetation when subsequently inspected and needs further verification.
2 km SW
8522-0228 Lake Tyers Beach Burial
Aboriginal Human Remains (Burial)
Human remains recorded by AAV staff in 2006. Site is destroyed.
0.75 km SE
8522-0229 Lake Tyers Beach 2 Shell Midden 0.75 km SE
8522-0240 Mill Point Road 1 Artefact Scatter 64 artefacts in a subsurface context located during testing for CHMP 10677.
1.5 km NW
8522-0241 Bunyarnda Lake Tyers Aboriginal Trust
Aboriginal Historical Place
The Lake Tyers Aboriginal Trust is registered on the VAHR
1.85 km NE
Table 1: Registered Aboriginal Heritage Places within 2km of the study area.
As can be seen in Table 1, within 2km of the study area there are four shell middens, three artefact
scatters, one historic place, one stone feature, and one human remains (burial) place. In comparison,
within 5km of the study area there are 50 registered places, and in broadening the scope of the
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search, it is evident that there are sites, mostly artefact scatters, recorded along the shorelines of
both the Nowa Nowa and Toorloo Arms of Lake Tyers.
Scarred trees are the most frequently occurring site-type, but of the 20 recorded 19 of them are
within a small area on Lake Tyers Island, recorded by the Victorian Archaeology Survey in the 1970s
(Table 2).
Component Type Frequency (no.) Frequency (%)
Aboriginal Historic Place 1 2
Aboriginal Human Remains (Burial) 1 2
Artefact Scatter 17 34
Earth Feature 1 2
Scarred Tree 20 40
Shell Midden 9 18
Stone Feature 1 2
TOTAL 50 100%
Table 2: Number of places by type within 5km of the study area
Given the known Aboriginal history of the place, the environmental setting, and abundant natural
resources that would have been available to Aboriginal people, it is perhaps surprising that there are
not more archaeological places recorded within the study area at Lake Tyers Beach. This may be due
to post-contact land use practises which may have had an impact on archaeological sites; probably it
is more due to a lack of archaeological investigation in the area.
In addition to the archaeological places listed on the VAHR there are many places with historic
associations that have been noted on the Historic References supplementary list. Most of these
places have been recorded from Pepper’s memoir ‘You are what you make yourself to be’ (Pepper
and de Araugo 1989), but they all speak to the ongoing strong connections Aboriginal people have
with the Lake Tyers area.
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Historical Ref. ID
Historical Reference Name
Historical Reference Association
Details from site listing
11.2-1 Toorloo Arm Guest House
11.2 Significant incident relating to a number of people
In 1934 the artist Percy Leason went to Lake Tyers to paint the portraits of thirty-one Aboriginal people. The portraits were painted at a guesthouse at Toorloo Arm, where Leason was staying. The collection of portraits was known as 'Victoria's Last Full-Blood Aboriginals' (Pepper 1980:97).
12.3-1 Scrub Ghost 12.3 Spiritual places
There was a place near an area around Lake Tyers where the old people always said there was a ghost which hung around a scrub "-- y'could see it from one side of the lake".
12.3-2 Nargun Cave, Toorloo
12.2 Camp sites/meeting places
The following quote comes from Pepper (1980:57):
"When the Thorpes and the Peppers were camped over the high sands in the bush overlooking the beach out from the settlement at LakeTyers, they would listen to the old people tell stories. One story told was about the Hairy Man, who some people called Nargun and he would go out at night to hunt and eat children. One night the nargun came to the camp to get the children but there were fires set all around the camp so it couldn't get in and it burnt its feet trying. In the morning the people saw the marks the Nargun had made and could see it wasn't a blackfellas track. They knew it was the Nargun so they followed the tracks which led them to the top of Tooloo. Some people were frightened and went back to the camp but three of the tribesmen who kept going were Big Charlie, Big Joe and Short Harry and they followed the Nargun to a cave. There were still other tribesmen with their waddies, knocking at it with the nulla-nullas and poking their spears into it, but they couldn't get it out of the hole. Short Harry (because he was short) therefore had to crawl into the cave after the Nargun. "He grabbed a foot but there were so many legs and feet dangling about he wasn't sure if it was the Nargun's, so he yelled out, 'What blackfella's foot is this?' One of the tribesmen said it was his, so Short Harry kept grabbin' until nobody answered, then they all knew it was the Hairy One's leg. He hung on and the Aborigines cut the Hairy Man's ham-string with reed and bone knives. Thats how they finished off the Nargun".
12.3-4 Devil's Holes 12.3 Spiritual places
The Devil's Holes are natural sink holes in the Lake Tyers area. It is said that local Aboriginal mythology is associated with the place. The area is also
used as a camping area (Tom Henderson, AHC Workshop No. NR04).
12.4-1 Lake Tyers Initiation Site
12.4 Ceremonial places
'Little Jack - a Krawatoon Kurnai; his father was made Jera-el at Lake Tyers from which his mother was. Some of the Krawatoon used to go to Maneroo or to beyond Bega to be made Jerael but they had not any Jera-el themselves'. This extract comes from the Howitt Papers.
12.5-4 Candle-Bark Light Fishing, Lake Tyers
12.5 Sources of raw materials used for making artefacts post-contact
No further details available.
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13.3-1 Eliza O'Rourke's Fish Cooking, Lake Tyers
13.3 Tourism endeavours
Eliza O'Rourke used to cross Lake Tyers from the settlement at a place near Blay's Hill every morning in the holiday times and would cook fish in the traditional way for the tourists. She would plaster the fish with mud and cook it in the hot sand and if the tourists had potatoes she would toss them into the ashes too (Pepper 1980:87).
2.1-11 Aunt Julia's Place
2.1 Places where people camped/lived around towns
Phillip Pepper's Auntie Julia had a place near one of the 'arms' of Lake Tyers (Pepper 1980:86).
2.3-5 Tyers Entrance Crossing
2.3 Shops/industries/places where people worked around settlements/towns
When Lake Tyers was open to the sea (sometimes for three or four months of the year), Billy Thorpe had a job taking the mail and passengers across in a boat (Pepper 1980: 56).
4.1-3 Pepper Camp, Lake Tyers
4.1 Living camps away from towns & properties
Sometimes at Christmas the Pepper family went to Lake Tyers to camp and would go over to the settlement in a boat during the day (Pepper 1980:86)
4.1-4 Thorpe's Camp, Lake Tyers
4.1 Living camps away from towns & properties
Sometimes during the school holidays when the lake was closed, people would come over the high sands from the settlement at Lake Tyers and camp in the bush overlooking the beach there. They would dig a hole for fresh water and there was an abundance of hummocks with basket grass for the women to make baskets from. There was a big mahogany tree that they camped under and there was always plenty for the children to do, such as going down the hill to the water edge to turn the rocks over to get the feather-leg crabs. They could also fish and climb trees to look for birds nests. The children would learn how to talk their tribal language and would listen to the old people tell tribal stories. The Peppers and the Thorpes would all be there as it was Billy Thorpe's favourite camping spot and he would tell the children many stories (Pepper 1980:57).
Table 3: Historic References recorded on the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Register, for places within 2kms of the proposed track.
Previously Recorded Historic (non-Aboriginal) Sites
A search of relevant registers at National, State and Local Government levels was conducted to
identify any previously recorded historical sites or places either within the current study area or
within 3km of the study area. There are no previously recorded historical (non-Aboriginal) sites
within the current study area, but there are three sites within 3 km of the study area, as shown in
Table 4 below. Heritage Register places have significance to the state of Victoria; Heritage Inventory
places have an archaeological component; and Heritage Overlay places are included in the Shire of
East Gippsland planning scheme and are of local significance.
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Historic
Registration
Place Name Listing Description Location in
relation to
study area
H1796 Lake Tyers
Anglican Church
Victorian
Heritage
Register
Timber church constructed in 1878
for the Lake Tyers Mission
2.1 km NE
H8522-0001,
HO244
Lake Tyers
Mission
Heritage
Inventory
and
Heritage
Overlay
Houses and other buildings such as a
dairy, store rooms and a cemetery.
2 km ENE
H8522-0014 Lake Tyers Timber
Company
Tramway Bridge,
Lake Bunga
Heritage
Inventory
Sixteen sets of triple-pile bridge piers
protruding from the lake
2.4 km WSW
Table 4: Historic Places within 3km of study area
Lake Tyers and neighbouring Lake Bunga are listed by the National Trust as having significant
landscapes that demonstrate the nature of colonisation in Victoria. The Lake Tyers Glassworks Site
includes the remains of wood-fired glass working furnace, operated by Edward Roberts and a brick
chimney and foundations. The site is located on the east shore of Lake Tyers, at the end of Tyers
House track, approximately 3km from the study area (Brady and Perham 1993: 98). The site is listed
by the National Trust (B1257), and although the site is outside the present study area and the task is
beyond the scope of this study; the site should be considered for inclusion on the Heritage Inventory
if an archaeological survey of the region is done in future.
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Field inspection
A field inspection was undertaken on 26 August 2014 by Dr William Anderson and Dr Meredith
Filihia (both archaeologists and cultural heritage advisors, Dr Vincent Clark and Associates) and Mr
Jack Whadcoat (Coast Action) with a view to identifying Aboriginal and historical cultural heritage
sites that may be located along the general alignment of the proposed walking track. Prior to the
ground inspection commencing an onsite meeting was held which Mr Barry Kenny (Gunaikurnai
Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation) attended. The project was discussed with Mr Kenny and he
provided a statement of the significance of the area to the Kurnai people.
Two Aboriginal sites were recorded as a result of the ground inspection, which have been added to
the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Register.
Methodology
The field inspection was conducted by walking from east to west over the proposed route of the
walking track, which is to be developed in stages. The first stage, covered by this report, measures
approximately 2km along the foreshore of the Fishermans Landing Arm from Gully Rd to Bulmer’s
Point (see Figure below). The area west of Bulmer’s Point was not surveyed due to time constraints.
Notes were made regarding ground conditions and the former uses of the land and photographs
were taken. The position of a barbed wire fence line, which separates the foreshore from farmland,
was recorded using a handheld DGPS unit (Trimble Geoexplorer 600). The remains of another fence,
associated with a former asparagus farm, were noted (see photo below). Mr Whadcoat provided an
oral account of past events in the area and pointed out features of interest and gave local place
names. The locations of Aboriginal artefacts found on the surface were recorded using the DSPS,
photographs were taken of each item and the attributes of each item (material, form, dimensions
etc.) were recorded digitally.
Photograph 1: The present barbed wire fence, with a fencepost from a previous fence line behind it (M. Filihia 26 August 2014).
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Results
The ground inspection covered a linear distance of approximately 2.07 km, which was walked during
a period of two hours. The route of the ground inspection is shown in Figure 10.
Figure 10: Location of and route taken during ground inspection (the stars mark the start and end points of the proposed track, as examined in the desktop assessment).
Due to dense vegetation very little of the ground surface (approximately 25%) was visible: the
exception to this was at Bulmer’s Point where the presence of a dirt track exposed all of the soil
along its alignment and lighter cover of leaf litter on the side of the track allowed about 50% of the
surface to be seen.
Two Aboriginal sites were recorded as a result of the ground inspection and have been placed on the
Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Register: Gully Road (VAHR 8522-0244) (a Low Density Artefact
Distribution) and Bulmer’s Point 1 (VAHR 8522-0254), (an artefact scatter, registered as a Low
Density Artefact Distribution). Both consist of lithic artefact scatters, found at places where the
ground has been eroded as the result of animal burrowing, track construction and vehicular and
pedestrian movement. In addition, the location of a tourist landing or jetty which operated on the
eastern side of Bulmer’s Point in the early 20th
century was noted; however, the physical remains of
the site are insufficient for it to be recorded on the Victorian Heritage Inventory.
Visibility and ground conditions
The vegetation in the study area greatly affected visibility and ground conditions. Along the
foreshore at sea level and at the highly variable high water mark, saltmarsh conditions prevailed.
Higher up the coastal dune, the Lake Tyers Coast Action group has undertaken a replanting program,
and a number of species have been introduced among the remnant and intact coastal box forest
(Wildlife Unlimited 2014 25-6).
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Photograph 2: View of saltmarsh grasses and vegetation, near Gully Road, facing west (W. Anderson 26 August 2014).
Photograph 3: Coastal scrub at top of dune (W. Anderson 26 August 2014)
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Photograph 4: Coastal box forest at Bulmer’s Point, facing south (W. Anderson 26 August 2014)
Ground visibility varied from excellent to no visibility at all. The inspection was conducted across
paddocks that were being used for cattle grazing because most of the foreshore reserve is covered
by thick vegetation that hindered access. Almost the entire length of the area traversed was covered
in kikuyu grass which prevented close inspection of ground surfaces; the exception to this were
eroded patches exposed through cattle trampling, the site of a former water bore near Gully Road
and patches of exposed ground under trees.
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Figure 11: Ground conditions and visibility during inspection (W. Anderson and M. Filihia, 26 August 2014). Images show (clockwise from top left) Whadcoats Road at Bulmer’s Point, cattle track on eastern side of inlet, rabbit burrowing close to Gully Road, foreshore on eastern side of Bulmer’s Point
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Cattle grazing has caused patches of disturbance and erosion, as has rabbit burrowing; these areas
were closely inspected for Aboriginal artefacts. The area of best visibility is the point at which
Whadcoats Road meets the foreshore at Bulmer’s Point. The ground conditions are shown in Figure
11. The proposed track crosses two gullies; both of these areas are boggy and waterlogged at their
lowest points (Photograph 6 and 6).
Photograph 5: Waterlogged gully (W. Anderson 26 August 2014).
Photograph 6: Waterlogged gully south-east of Bulmer’s Point, at the southernmost point of the survey route (W. Anderson 26 August 2014).
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The field inspection was conducted over a short period of time and along just one alignment of the
foreshore. Therefore it does not constitute a comprehensive archaeological survey. The two
Aboriginal artefact deposits were identified on patches of exposed and disturbed ground. It is highly
likely that more deposits are present, both on the surface and below ground. The fact that two
surface artefact scatters were found during a relatively brief survey, at certain eroded locations,
strongly suggests that there are buried Aboriginal cultural deposits along the foreshore area.
Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Finds
“Gully Road” VAHR 8522-0244
The site VAHR 8522-0244 is located at the eastern end point of the proposed track, on land that was
formerly owned by J. D. Blay, a pioneer settler of the Lake Tyers area. A wire fence has been erected
to separate farmland from the foreshore. This paddock was used for growing asparagus
approximately 30-40 years ago (J. Whadcoat, pers. comm.) but is now used for grazing cattle (see
Figure 12 below).
Four lithic artefacts were located in the north eastern corner of the paddock approximately 30 m
metres south of the shoreline. Approximately ten metres to the west, and within the same paddock,
three further angular stones were inspected but discounted as being artefacts due to the lack of
clear diagnostic indicators.
All four artefacts were located within one metre of each other and were lying on a small patch of
dark grey sandy soil that had been exposed by rabbit burrowing. The artefacts are not in situ and
have been redeposited from a different context. Other areas of rabbit burrowing on both sides of
the wire fence were inspected but no further artefacts were located.
The four artefacts were manufactured from three raw materials and included a quartzite core and
an accompanying refitting flake, a silcrete flake and a chert angular fragment.
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Figure 12: Location of VAHR 8522-0244 Gully Road LDAD, looking west (W. Anderson 27 August 2014).
Photograph 7: VAHR 8522-0244 Gully Rd LDAD (W. Anderson 27 August 2014).
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Photograph 8: Silcrete flake at VAHR 8522-0244, (W. Anderson 27 August 2014)
Photograph 9: Chert angular fragment at VAHR 8522-0244 (W. Anderson 27 August 2014)
Photograph 10: Quartzite core at VAHR 8522-0244 (W. Anderson 27 August 2014)
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Photograph 11: Quartzite flake at VAHR 8522-0244 (W. Anderson 27 August 2014)
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“Bulmer’s Point 1” VAHR 8522-0245
Bulmer’s Point is the local name given to a promontory of land jutting into Lake Tyers and situated at
the end of Whadcoats Road (Figure 13).
At this site, lithic artefacts are eroding from the ground along a north-south aligned track that runs
to the tip of the northward projecting promontory. The dirt track has been slightly excavated to a
depth of approximately 20 cm into the natural level of the ground. The track runs downhill
northwards on a gentle to moderate slope (see Photograph 12, below)
The artefacts are concentrated on the west side of the track, where there are deeper wheel ruts,
though one item was found in scrub to the east side of the track. The artefacts are all within 10m of
each other. Six artefacts were recorded (shown in the photographs below) but more are present
which were not recorded due to time constraints. At least five more artefacts were observed and it
is strongly suspected that there are buried cultural deposits at this location, which may extend
across the whole promontory.
The recorded lithic items consist of medium-coarse to fine and very fine-grained silcrete in grey, dark
grey and red materials, and one very fine-grained dark grey chert multidirectional core for
microblades. The concentration is located about 30 m south of the place where the track ends as it
reaches the lake foreshore. Artefacts are likely to come from in situ buried deposits that have been
revealed through vehicular erosion of the track and are probably associated with the red clay soil
that forms the track’s surface.
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Figure 13: Location of VAHR 8522-0245 Bulmer’s Point 1
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Photograph 12: Location of VAHR 8522-0245 Bulmer’s Point 1 artefact scatter, looking north (W. Anderson 26 August 2014).
Photograph 13: Silcrete flake at VAHR 8522-0245 (W. Anderson 26 August 2014)
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Photograph 14: Silcrete flake at VAHR 8522-0245 (W. Anderson 26 August 2014)
Photograph 15: Chert microblade core at VAHR 8522-0245 (W. Anderson 26 August 2014)
Photograph 16: Silcrete flake at VAHR 8522-0245 (W. Anderson 26 August 2014)
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Photograph 17: Silcrete flake at VAHR 8522-0245 (W. Anderson 26 August 2014)
Photograph 18: Silcrete flake at VAHR 8522-0245 (W. Anderson 26 August 2014)
Historical (non-Aboriginal) cultural heritage.
Traces of the European settlement and use of the area were identified during the ground inspection;
however, there is little potential for intact archaeological contexts to be present.
Mr Whadcoat pointed out a depression in the north-east corner of the paddock near Gully Road, and
identified it as the site of a dam from which water was pumped to the Albert Park Guest House,
shown in Figure 14 below (see also Appendix 2). Near the fence line to the east, a piece of rusty pipe,
most probably associated with the dam, was located. No other historical artefacts were found in this
vicinity. The guest house has since been demolished and a residential subdivision now covers the
site.
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Figure 14: Albert Park Guest House, Rose Postcard (State Library of Victoria)
Photograph 19: Depression at the site of the former dam used for pumping water to the Albert Park Guest House (M. Filihia 26 August 2014).
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Approximately 100 m south of Bulmer’s Point, on the eastern side of the promontory, is the site of a
tourist launch that operated early in the twentieth century (see Appendix 2). The ground inspection
found a scatter of historic artefacts including glass, metal and ceramic fragments, together with
deposits of shells. The shell species included pipis (a bivalve commonly eaten but also used as bait by
anglers) and mud whelks. Although these shells are commonly found in Aboriginal shell middens,
which are a site type found in the Lake Tyers area, these deposits are not Aboriginal middens. Based
on the size and location of the deposits, they are likely to be waste discarded by anglers. A broken
bottle with a square base and a blob top was located; these are most likely from a condiment bottle
although the glass was discoloured. A fragment of a moulded ceramic vessel with green and white
glaze was also noted, as were small, unidentified metal pieces.
No evidence of the jetty was visible at the time of the site visit and the historic artefact scatter was
small and limited in its size and range of materials. Although the site is of local significance, there is
low potential for further archaeological deposits to be present.
Photograph 20: Location of historic tourist landing on east shore of promontory, facing north (W. Anderson 26 August 2014).
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Photograph 21: Shell deposit near historic landing site (W. Anderson 26 August 2014).
On the basis of the brief ground investigation, it is considered highly likely that there are further
buried deposits of Aboriginal cultural material within the study area. Great care should therefore be
taken in the design and implementation of the proposed walking trail.
The recommendations of this report outline further actions and matters for consideration resulting
from the desktop assessment and ground inspection.
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Conclusions to the Due Diligence Assessment
This assessment has taken into consideration whether a cultural heritage management plan is
required for this activity and whether the activity is likely to cause harm to Aboriginal or historic
cultural heritage.
Aboriginal Cultural Heritage
In Victoria, Aboriginal cultural heritage is protected by the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 and the