Landscapes of production and punishment: LiDAR and the process of feature identification and analysis at a Tasmanian convict station

Abstract

The use of LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) in archaeological prospection is not a new phenomenon; its capacity to enhance fieldwork processes is well proven. Use of the technology makes it possible to identify potential archaeological features and sites across large swathes of the landscape quickly and accurately. In addition, the data captured by LiDAR open up landscapes to differing forms of analysis, improving understandings of how people interacted with each other and the landscape. Despite this, few Australian historical archaeologists are publishing on the application of this technology in their research. This paper presents the results of a research project where LiDAR has been incorporated from the beginning. Part of an ARC project examining nineteenth century landscapes of convict labour and punishment on the Tasman Peninsula, Tasmania, this research employed LiDAR to identify, classify and analyse the extended landscapes formed by and for convict labour. Results of an archaeological survey of the Cascades probation station (1842–1855) are presented and the efficacy of LiDAR in an Australian bush setting is discussed. The paper also reviews different forms of analyses that have been undertaken of the convict landscape, using LiDAR to repopulate this landscape with people and labour processes.