Archaeology Down Under: Management and Outcomes in the First State in Australia

Abstract

The Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) was the location of the first British Colony on the continent in 1788. The NSW Heritage Act, passed in 1977, established the Heritage Council of NSW. It protects the State’s natural and cultural heritage and also contains measures to protect historical archaeological relics. Whilst individual cities do not have city archaeology programmes, the NSW Heritage Council has worked with various local government authorities on collaborative day-to-day management of development proposals within key towns and cities where these may encounter significant historical archaeological sites. In 1991, an Archaeological Zoning Plan was prepared for Parramatta in western Sydney to identify the most significant sites within the central business district (CBD). This was extended in 2001. These types of studies are used to predict where significant archaeology may exist and ensure that professional excavations record archaeological remains before they are destroyed. Within the last decade, interpretation of several archaeological ‘digs’ in Parramatta has occurred as an outcome of archaeology permits, and it is now possible to walk around the Parramatta CBD and view a range of different information about sites along key streets from the early town within recently constructed new buildings. These have been delivered by government and by private developers. Examples of management, challenges and outcomes in key areas will be discussed.