I I MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS I MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN I AND APPLICATION SYDNEY HARBOUR NATIONAL PARK I August 1999 I I I I I I I I I I I I +BBP+ I ABne Bickford Helen Brayshaw and I Helen Proadfoot I I I I I I MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS I MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION

I SYDNEY HARBOUR NATIONAL PARK I Prepared for the Cultural Heritage Services Division I NSW National Parks 8[ Wildlife Service I August 1999 I I I I

I tBBPt

I ANNE BICKFORD HELEN BRAYSHAW AND I HELEN PROUDFOOT 51 THOMPSON STREET, DRUMMOYNE 2047 PHONE 02 98197962 FAX 02 97198007 I EMAlL [email protected]@mpx.com.au I I I 11 I'- I I I I I

© I

NSW NATIONAL PARKS & WILDUFE SERVICE 27 AUGUST 1999 I I I 1 I I I I I I I· I I I ------

WELCOME TO MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS SYDNEY HARBOUR NATIONAL PARK

BUNGAREE'S FARM Bungaree was a well known person in early colonial Sydney. He sailed in a small boat with Matthew Flinders to north of Brisbane in 1799, and two years later when about 19 years of age circumnavigated Australia with Flinders in the Investigator. Fifteen years later he sailed with PPKing and Allan Cunningham to Timor and back via Cape Leuwin in Western Australia. Bungaree was from Broken Bay and belonged to the Guringai speaking group of Aborigines whose land extended south from Broken Bay to Botany Bay and included Middle and Georges Heads. In 1815 Governor Macquarie 'gave' Bungaree an area of land here at Middle Head and engaged a convict to establish a farm with huts, implements, a boat and stock, encouraging Bungaree and a group of 15 families to take up agriculture. However Bungaree and his people did not want to settle down like the British but continued to come and go, hunting and fishing and visiting Sydney. After a long illness Bungaree died in 1830 and was buried at Rose Bay. A few years later the government sold the land to a white settler. The location of the farm is shown on this map of 1828. I MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99) I CONTENTS - I 1 INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 BACKGROUND ...... •.••••••.•••••••...... •..••••...... •..••••••••••••..••...•..••.•....•.•••••••••••••.••••...•.••.•..•.•..•..•• 1 I 1.2 THE STUDYAREA - MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS.•.••••••••••.••.••....••••••••••••••••...•.•.....•.••••.•••.•.•..•• 1 1.3 PURPOSE •••••.••..•...... ••••.•...•••.•••..•••••••..••....•.•...•••••.•••••••••••••••••••.••••••••••••••••••••••.••..•.••••.•••••.••... 1 1.4 AUTHORSHIP ••.••••.•..••••••.•...•••••••••••..•.••.•..••...... •.•..•••..••...... •..•••....•••••..••..•.••••.••••.••..••...•••.•••.••• 1 I 1.5 LIAISON •••..••.....••...•••••••••••.••••.•••...... •...... •••.••...•....••.••••••••••.••.••••••..•••••••.••..•...... •••.•.•...•...• 2 1.6 SCOPE OF THE PROJECT••••.•••...... ••..•...••..•••.••...... ••...•••••..••..••.••••..••••••••....•....•..•••..••..•.•.••• 2 1.7 STRUCTURE OF THIS REPORT••••••••••••••••••..•••..•.....•.••..••••.••••....•.•....••.•...••••••••••••.•.•...••••..••...•...• 2 I 2 MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN 3 2.1 DEFINING - RATIONALE AND OBJECTiVES•••.••••••••••...... ••.•••••••••••...••••.•..•.••.•••••.••.....•.••.•..••...•...• 3 2.1.1 Rationale 4 I 2.1.2 Objectives 6 2.2 DEVELOPING .•.••••••••••••••.....••..•...••...••••••••••••••.•••...... •...... •••.••..•••.•...... ••..•...••..•••••.•••.....••.... 7 2.2.1 The Information Base 7 2.2.2 Establishing Objectives 8 I 2.2.3 Market Analysis 9 2.2.4 Product Refinement. 9 2.2.5 Site Risk Assessment. 9 I 2.3 DELIVERING....••.••...... ••.•..•...••..•.....•..•...... ••••••.••••••••••••••.••••••••.••••••••.••....••••••.••...... •..••.... 9 2.3.1 Control and Focus 9 2.3.2 Aboriginal Heritage 10 2.3.3 Media Selection 10 I 2.3.4 Management ofImpacts 11 2.3.5 Off-Site Presentation 11 2.3.6 Checklist for Delivery ControL 12 I 2.4 EVALUATING..•.••.•••...•••.•••••...•..•••.•••...•••.•...••.....•..•.•.••.•••.••••••.•••••••.••••...••••...•..•.•...••••.•..•••.•.••. 13 2.5 SUPPORT....•.•••..•••..••••...•.•..•...••••••.••..•.••••..•...•••..•••••..•••.••.•••.•••••••.••••••.••••••••....••..•••.....•••.•..•. 14 3 APPLYING THE PLAN TO MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS 17

I 3.1 DEFINING ...... •••.••••••••••...... ••.••..•••.••.••••••••••••.••.•...... •...... •••.....•.•••.•••••.•...•.••.....•••...... ••• 17 3.1.1 Rationale 17 3.1.2 Objectives 20 I 3.2 DEVELOPING .•.••••••....•••....•...... •..••••..••••..•••••...... •.••.•.•••••..•.•.••....•••••••...•.•.•.....•...••••••.•••...... 20 3.2.1 The Information Base 20 3.2.2 Establishing Objectives 21 3.2.3 Market Analysis 21 I 3.2.4 Product Refinement 22 3.3.5 Off-Site Presentation 22 3.2.6 Site Risk Assessment ~ 22 I 3.3 DELIVERING •.••.•..•••••••••••••.••••••..•••.•••.•.••••••••••••.....••••..•.••••...... •....••••••.•.•••..••••.•••••••••.•••.•••• 23 3.3.1 Control and Focus 23 3.3.2 Aboriginal Heritage 23 3.3.3 Media Selection 23 I 3.3.4 Management ofImpacts 24 3.3.5 Off-Site Presentation 24 3.4 EVALUATING AND SUPPORT•••••••.•.•...•••.••••••••••..•...•.••••••••••••••••.•••••••••••••..•••••.•..••••••••••.••.••.•..... 24 I 4 MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS - OUTLINE CHRONOLOGY 1788 -1980 25 I 5 MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS - STATE HISTORICAL THEMES 28 5.1 STATE HERITAGE THEMES LISTED IN GOJAK 1999 28 5.2 SUGGESTED ADDITIONS TO LOCAL THEMES LISTED IN GOJAK 1999 29 5.3 SUGGESTED ADDITIONS TO STATE THEMES FOR THIS REPORT •••••••••••...... ••...•.••••••••••...... •.... 29 I 5.3.1 Aboriginal TIme 29 5.3.2 Geological Time 29 5.4 GAP FILLING RESEARCH••••.•••••.•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••..•••••••...••.•••••.•..•.•••••.••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 30 I .BBP. I I (27.08.99) MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION 5.5 STATE HISTORICAL THEMES NOT WARRANTING INTERPRETATION ..•...... •..•••...... ••.•...... 30 I 5.6 USING STATE AND LOCAL HISTORICAL THEMES ..•..•.•••...... ••...... ••.....•...•.•...... •.•.•.••...... 30 6 MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS - GEOLOGICAL PAST TO PRESENT 31

6.1 NATURAL SETTING ...... •.••...... •...... ••....•...... 31 I 6.2 ABORIGINAL TIME ...... ••.•...... •...... •...... ••...... •..•32 6.3 ABORIGINES AND EUROPEANS ...... •••••...... •...... •....•...... •.•...... ••...... •...... •35 6.3.1 Military Space 36 I 6.3.3 Building the Farm 38 6.3.4 An Aboriginal Economy 38 6.3.5 Bungaree and Arbitration 38 6.3.6 The Political Terrain 39 I 6.3.7 English Accounts ofAborigines 39 6.3.8 Aborigines Lose the Farm 40 6.3.9 European Individuals atMiddle and Georges Heads .41 I 6.3.10 Return ofthe Landto the Military .43 6.4 MILITARY USES ...... •.•...•...... •..•..•.•...... ••..•....••.••...... 43 6.4.1 Fortifications After 1850 43 6.4.2 World War 11 44 I 6.5 PROSPECTS .•...... •...... •...... •...... •.•....•..•45 6.5.1 Arrivals 46 6.5.2 Harbour Sports 47 I 6.5.3 Harbour Visitors 48 6.5.4 Local Disasters and Hazards 48 6.6 CONCLUSION ..••...... •...... •••...... •••.....••...... 50 I 7 MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS -INTERPRETATION 51

7.1 INTRODUCTION...••...... •...... •...... :...... •.....•.....•••...... 51 7.2 INFRASTRUCTURE REQUIRED PRIOR TO INTERPRETATION...... •...... •...... •...•....•..52 I 7.3 VISITORS CENTRE PRECINCT 1 ...... •...... •..•...... •.....•..••••...... •...... •..•.•••...... 55 7.3.1 Description 55 7.3.2 Interpretation 55 I 7.4 MIDDLE HEAD BUILDINGS PRECINCT 2 55 7.4.1 Description 55 7.4.2 Interpretation 55 7.5 COBBLERS BEACH PRECINCT 3 58 I 7.5.1 Description 58 7.5.2 Interpretation 58 7.6 INNER MIDDLE HEAD PRECINCT 4 ....••....•.•...•...•.••...... •...... •...... ••.....•....••••.••...... ••.•...... •..58 7.6.1 Description 58 I 7.6.2 Interpretation 58 7.7 OUTER MIDDLE HEAD PRECINCT 5 58 7.7.1 Description : 58 I 7.7.2 Interpretation 58 7.8 OBELlSKPRECINCT6....•.••..••.....••..•...••...... •...... •...... ••...•...... •...... 61 7.8.1 Description 61 7.8.2 Interpretation 61 I 7.9 GEORGES HEAD PRECINCT 7 ...•..••••.•....•...... •....••...... •...... ••..••...... ••...... •..•...... ••••64 7.9.1 Description 64 7.9.2 Interpretation 64 I 7.10 CONCLUSION ...... •...... •...... ••...... ••••.•.•...... •....••.66 8 BIBLIOGRAPHY 69 I 8.1 REQUIRED READING FOR INTERPRETERS OF MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS ..•..•...... •...... 69 8.2 REFERENCES RELATING TO LAND TENURE AND BUNGAREE'S FARM 69 8.3 GENERAL BIBLIOGRAPHy 70 I I

+BBP+ I I I MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99)

I TABLES

7.1 Summary of Precinct Features, Access and Interpretation 65 I 7.2 Interpretation Strategy at Middle and Georges Heads 68

I MAPS

Cover: Extract from aerial photograph NSW4452 (M2136) Run 1029-09-98169-183 original I scale 1:25,000 approx. 1 Location of Middle and Georges Heads opposite the entrance to Port Jackson 16 2 Port Jackson in the vicinity of Middle and Georges Heads. Base Map - Sydney Harbour Waterways and District 1:25,000, CMA. 18 i 3 Middle and Georges Heads Interpretation Precincts 53 4 Interpretation Layout Precinct 1 Visitors Centre 54 5 Interpretation Layout Precinct 2 Middle Head Buildings 56 6 Interpretation Layout Precinct 3 Cobblers Beach 57 I 7 Interpretation Layout Precinct 4 Inner Middle Head 59 8 Interpretation Layout Precinct 5 Outer Middle Head 60 9 Interpretation Layout Precinct 6 Obelisk 62 I 10 Interpretation Layout Precinct 7 Georges Head 63 11 Sample Precinct Orientation Sign Layout 67 I FIGURES

1. Layout of Welcome Sign to be located near park entrance, beside a park orientation sign. I Frontespiece

2. Artist's impression ofthe view east from Middle Head dUring the ice age when the sea level was much lower than today and streams flowed across the tree covered flood plain, now the harbour I floor. M Deness. Afterpage 78

3. Recordings ofAboriginal rock engravings at Middle Head. I From: Angas G. F. 1847 Savage life and scenes in Australia and New Zealand. 4. Aboriginal rock engravings above Obelisk Beach, NPWS Site #45-6-2092.

I 5. Recordings of Aboriginal rock engravings at Middle Head, on the north side of Obelisk Bay, on the edge ofthe flat portion. From: Campbell WOO. 1899 Aboriginal CaNings ofPort Jackson and Broken Bay.

I 6. Recording ofAboriginal rock engravings above Obelisk Beach. From: Bray J.S. 1896 Manuscript. Papers and Miscellaneous Sketches. vol 1: Sketches and Illustrations ofAboriginal Life. I Location: Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW. 7. DetailTrigonometrical Survey of Port Jackson and Trace of the Intervening Heights to Middle I Harbour. By J. Florence, 1828. Location: Archives Office of NSW, AONSW Map No 4752. 8. Sketch showing proposed roads between the North Shore and Middle Harbour, by Surveyor Larmer 1834. From: Surveyor General's Sketch Books, Vols1 & 2. I Location: Archives Office of NSW, AONSW Reel No 2778. 9. Sketch shOWing position ofthe Military and Naval Encampment at Middle Head. 1854. From: Surveyor General's Sketch Books, Vols 1 &2. I Location: Archives Office of NSW, AONSW Reel No 2780.

10. Map showing location ofthe two Obelisks as markers for rounding South Head (after 1857). I Location: Archives Office of NSW.

I +BBP+ I r------~--~---- I (27.08.99) MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION I 11. View in Port Jackson from the South Head leading up to Sydney, Supply sailing... in 1788. From: A Voyage to New South Wales - The joumal of Ueutenant William Bradley of HMS Sirius. Location: Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW. I 12. Aborigines of Port Jackson hunting, fishing and dwelling in rock shelters. Engraving after drawing by Chartes Leseur, 1802, entitled Grottes, chasse et peche des sauvages du Port Jackson. I From: McBryde I. 1989 Guests ofthe Govemor: Aboriginal Residents ofthe First Govemment House. Location: Peron & Freycinet Voyages de desGOuvertes aux teffes Australes, Atlas, Edition 2, Paris 1824, Plate 31. National Library ofAustralia. I

13. Port Jackson, New South Wales, by Augustus Earte c 1825. From: Smith K. 1992 King Bungaree A Sydney Aborigine meets the great South Pacific I Explorers, 1799-1830. Location: National Library ofAustralia.

14. Bungaree A Native ofNew South Wales, by Augustus Earte c.1826. I From: Smith K. 1992 King Bungaree A Sydney Aborigine meets the great South Pacific Explorers, 1799-1830. Location: National Library of Australia. I Comment: Part of the text to the plate reads 'One of the first people generally seen after landing is BUNGAREE, a Native Chief. He is generally aware of the arrival of strangers, and stations himself in as conspicuous a situation as possible, and welcomes them to his Country...The accompanying likeness represents him in the act of taking off his hat and I bowing to the strangers landing.' (Hackforth-Jones 1980). 15. Old Queen Gooseberry. Widow ofBungaree. Sydney. By George French Angas,1845. I From: Treganza J. 1980 George French Angas - Artist, Traveller and Naturalist 1822-1886. Location: South Australian Museum. Comment: Angas has painted Gooseberry standing in front of her land at Middle Head and North Head. I 16. A view ofthe Cove andpart ofSydney, New South -Wales, taken from Dawe's Battery. 1820? From: McCormick, T. 1987 First Views ofSydney 1788-1826 -A History ofEarly Sydney. Comment: The guns at the 1801 Georges Head battery would have been similar to these. I

17. Entree de la baie de Sidney. Entrance to Sydney Harbour. Engraving by Leon Benett. From: Smith K. 1992 King Bungaree A Sydney Aborigine meets the great South Pacific I Explorers, 1799-1830.

18. Pilofs House and Watson's Bay. By Alexander Huey c1810. From: McCormick, T. 1987 First Views ofSydney 1788-1826 - A History ofEarly Sydney. I Location: Public Record Office ofNorthern Ireland, Belfast. 19. Looking easttowards Watsons Bay and Sydney Heads. By Conrad Martens c.1850. I From: Artin Australia Journal. Location: Private Collection.

20. The wreck of the 'Edward Lombe' on Middle Head, Sydney, NSvv, on 25 August 1834. By I Oswald Briertey. From: Bateson C. 1972 Australian Shipwrecks Volume 11622-1850. Location: Mitchell Library, State Library of NSW. I

21. The wreck ofthe 'Edward Lombe'. Watercolour by Conrad Martens, 1834. From: Bateson C. 1972 Australian Shipwrecks Volume 11622-1850. Location: Dixson Library, State Library of NSW. I

22. Entrance to Port Jackson, looking seawards - the fortifications, Middle Head. From: Gibb, Shallard & Co's 1882 Illustrated Guide to Sydney and Its Suburbs and to I Favourite Places ofResort. Angus & Robertson, Sydney, Facsimile Edition, 1981. +BBP+ I I I I MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99) 23. Elizabeth Bay, Sydney, with the bark Huts for the Natives. Attributed to Edward Mason, c 1850, presumed to be after an original of c1822. From: Smith K. 1992 King Bungaree A Sydney Aborigine meets the great South Pacific I Explorers, 1799-1830.

24. Examples of logos to be used as indicators of themes on orientation signs, along walking tracks I and on leaflets.

REPRODUCTION OF FIGURES I Photocopied reproductions used in this report are made available by the Mitchell and Dixson Libraries and the Archives Office of NSW for research purposes only. For use in publications and on signs, the original documents should be photographed by' a professional photographer, and I permission to reproduce the originals must be sought in writing from the institutions which hold them.

APPENDICES I 1. Considerations in Planning for Interpretation and Education. L. Webber, NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service, HUrsiville, 1999. I 2. Middle and Georges Heads...at Eye Level. M Dennes, Visual Artist, Balmain, July 1999. I 3. The Brief. I I I I I I I I I I

I tBBPt I I (27.08.99) MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

.BBP. I I I MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99) 1

I 1 INTRODUCTION

I 1.1 Background

This is a report concerning and coveling the Middle and Georges Heads section of I Sydney Harbour National Park, Sydney. This report forms Stage Two of the Best Practice Helitage Interpretation Project established by the National Parks and Wildlife Service NSW (NPWS). Stage One, carned out by Natural and Cultural Helitage I Management PIL, involved a literature search concerning helitage interpretation, the compilation of an annotated bibliography from the literature search, and a discussion of current NPWS practices in helitage interpretation, and models for best practice in this I field. This Stage Two report uses the Stage One report and other research undertaken by the BBP team to develop and recommend a best practice helitage interpretation model, I and to apply that model to Middle and Georges Heads to concept stage. A posited stage Three will investigate the practicalities, media options and costs of interpretation.

I 1.2 TheStudy Area· Middle and Georges Heads

The Middle and Georges Heads area of Sydney Harbour National Park is a sinuous I narrow stlip of land forming part of the eastern coastal edge of the North Shore suburb of Mosman (Map 1). The Middle Head section is surrounded by water on three sides (Map 2). This is connected to·a north-south oliented stlip of land with a rocky coastline on its eastern side, terminating at Georges Head. Two sandy beaches are in the area ­ I Obelisk Beach facing east and Cobbler's Beach facing north-west. The stUdy area is reached by one of the main roads in Mosman - Middle Head Road. Chowder Bay Road, the other plimary road in the area, follows the coastline from Obelisk Bay to I Georges Head. Bordeling Middle and Georges Heads on the south-west is Commonwealth Army land. Two other institutional areas border the study area on its north west - the naval base of HMAS Penguin, and the Australian International I Development Bureau [AusAID]. The most obvious cultural features of the area are the military gun emplacements irregularly dotting the coastal edge. The area is dramatically endowed with the natural I, elements of bushland sloping down to the rocky shoreline, and the sandy secluded beaches. The view from any part of the eastern edge of the study area across Port Jackson and through The Heads is spectacular in all weathers and serves to make Middle and Georges Heads one ofthe most significant sections of Sydney's magnificent I harbour setting. I 1.3 Purpose The aim ofthis report is to intensively research the study area and from this information base to elucidate how it can be interpreted to visitors using best practice interpretation ,I theory and methodology. 1A Authorship

I This report was researched and prepared by Anne Bickford, Dr Helen Brayshaw, and Dr Helen Proudfoot (BBP). In addition, specialist input was provided by the histolian Dr Paula Byme and visual artist Malilyn Dennes. Helen Brayshaw project managed the I team and the production of the report, compiled the maps and wrote sections 2,3,6.1­ 6.2 and 7, Anne Bickford wrote sections 1 and 5 and contlibuted to sections 2,4 and 7, Helen Proudfoot wrote sections 4, 6.4, 6.5, 6.6, and much of 7.10, and Paula Byme wrote section 6.3. Visual artist Malilyn Dennes assisted with visual aspects of I interpretation, including Figures 2 and 24, and Appendix 2. I tBBPt I I 2 (27.08.99) MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION 1.5 Liaison I

The Project Supervisor was Susan Mclntyre, Manager Cultural Heritage Service Division, NPWS. A Steering Committee comprising Rob Newton and Steven Thompson from the NPWS Sydney District; Lynn Webber, Manager Community I Programs, NPWS; Susan Mclntyre, Denis Gojak Historical Archaeologist and Aphonse Duque-Portugal, Acting Historical Archaeologist, Cultural Heritage Service Division, NPWS; Allan Madden of the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council; and Peter I Tranter from the North Shore Historical Society, met with the consultants three times.

1.6 Scope ofthe Project I

In response to the briefthe team has: • Reviewed all relevant literature on Middle and Georges Heads supplied by NPWS. I We have also consulted Gavin Souter's histOlY of Mosman, and carried out independent research on historic maps and plans of the area in the Archives Office of NSW, on the 1801 fort, Bungaree's farm, the Aboriginal pre-contact histOlY, and I the geological history ofthe site. • Reviewed Stage I of the Interpretation Project and consulted many of its recommended literature sources. We have also carried out extensive research of I our own on interpretation of historic sites and museums in the University of Sydney Fisher Library, University of Sydney Architecture Library, and a large number of books from our own libraries. I • Liaised with staff in the Sydney District and made several detailed inspections ofthe site. Bickford and Brayshaw were taken on a guided tour of the site by Denis Gojak the NPWS CHSD historical archaeologist, and they also joined one ofthe scheduled I guided tours ofthe site for the public. • Liaised with members of community stakeholder groups such as the Metropolitan Aboriginal Land Council, the North Shore Historical Society, and the Army's Heritage I Officer at Victoria Barracks, Paddington. • Prepared a Best Practice Model Interpretation Plan able to be used at any site. • Applied the Model Interpretation Plan to the stUdy area, canvassing design concepts I specific to the stUdy area itself. • Identified relevant State Heritage themes and sub-themes, and carried out original I research to augment various aspects of the history of the study area. The issue of State Heritage Themes and gap filling research of themes described as tasks in the brief requires further discussion, and this appears in section 5 below. I 1.7 Structure ofthis Report

The Model Interpretation Plan is developed in section 2 of the report. In section 3 I application of aspects of the model plan to Middle and Georges Heads is discussed. Section 4 provides an outline chronology of the Middle and Georges Heads area. Section 5 discusses the state themes which have been incorporated into the I interpretation and those which have not. Section 6 provides a history of Middle and Georges Heads from the geological past to the present. Section 7 provides suggestions for interpretation of Middle and Georges Heads based on the research data, with reference to particular areas and specialist tours. Section 8 contains the bibliography. I Appendix 1 is a list of considerations in planning for interpretation and education developed by Or Lynn Webber, Manager Community Services, NPWS. Appendix 2 consists of thoughts on the visual interpretation of Middle and Georges Heads by I Marilyn Dennes. Appendix 3 is the brief for this project. I +BBP+ I I I MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99) 3 I 2 MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN - I

Every generation has an obligation to the next generation to hand on a system of I ecologically sustainable landscape management which conserves nature and cultural heritage and which has as its centrepiece a public reserve system that protects significant natural and cultural values and is managed in trust for the I people of NSW, Australia and the world. This is the Declaration of Principle for the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service I made in the Visions for the New Millennium report (MFE 1998:24). This Model Interpretation Plan is one reqUirement of the contract awarded to the Bickford Brayshaw Proudfoot (BBP) team by the NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service in March 1999. The two-stage project on the interpretation of cultural heritage I sites is funded from the research allocation of the Cultural and Heritage Service Division. Stage one (O'Brien 1998) provided a Procite based interpretation bibliography. The brief for this project, stage two, includes two stated objectives. Objective No 1 is to I develop a 'model interpretation plan for Middle and Georges Heads.. .incorporating best practice principles'. Objective No 2 is 'to demonstrate in a practical application the value of sound research and the effectiveness of addressing multiple values in interpretation'. I This draft report addresses these objectives. We have used as a basis for this plan the report prepared for the ANZECC Working Group Best Practice in Park Interpretation and Education by the Earthlines Consortium I in February 1999 (DNREV 1999). The ANZECC report identified five key stages: Defining, Developing, Delivering, Evaluation and Support. From this we have developed an interpretation model which can be used for the interpretation of any site. We have applied this model to the Middle and Georges Heads area of the Sydney I Harbour National Park. The ANZECC report extends to many areas not covered by our brief which managers should refer to. I From our background research and from discussions with District staff and Service interpretation personnel, for example Dr Lynn Webber (see Appendix 1), five basic questions have been developed which should be addressed when formulating an interpretation program. I • Why the interpretation should be carried out. What is it for and who benefits? • Who will be involved in defining the program and to whom will it be directed? • What is to be interpreted? I • How is the interpretation to be delivered? • Howwell does the interpretation work?

I 2.1 Defining. Rationale and Objectives

A rationale for interpretation of a site or area needs to be clearly established to answer I the question Why interpret? Once this has been determined, consideration can be given to the question ofWho will define the program. I Agency or corporate objectives need to be clearly defined and understood at all levels, since the model constantly refers back to the corporate objectives, and evaluation is based on these objectives.

I Agency or corporate objectives are linked to legislative requirements and the organisation's mission statement. There are also considerations of benefits to the public, to the resource, and to NPWS, and as well, to what is lost if interpretation is not I provided. It is also useful to consider broader goals and objectiVes. I tBBPt I r------I 4 (27.08.99) MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION 2.1.1 Rationale I a) Legislative Obligations and Administrative Compliance Requirements I The legislative obligations of NPWS are based in the National Parks & Wildlife Act, 1974. Interpretive requirements and policy were spelt out in the Field Management Policies Manual (NPWS 1989:7.4), and are affirmed in the mission statement and other sections of Visions forthe New Millennium (MFE 1998:24,30). I National Parks & Wildlife Act, 1974, No 80 I Part 2 Division 1 Section 8 of the Act states that the Director-General shall, in the case of every national park, historic site, state recreation area, nature reserve, etc, promote such educational activities as the Director-General considers necessary in respect thereof (Clause (3) (a». I

Part V requires the Director-General to prepare a Plan of Management for all national parks, reserves, historic sites and some other areas. The Plan of Management is to I contain a written scheme ofthe proposed operation ofthe park, area or site. Objectives to be considered in the preparation of the Plan of Management include the preservation of the park, area or site, and its special features, and the preservation of historic sites or structures and ofAboriginal relics and sites. I

Critically, in the context of this report, is objective 4(e) - the encouragement and regUlation of the appropriate use, understanding and enjoyment of each national park, I historic site and state recreation area by the public. The encouragement of understanding conveys an obligation to educate about (or interpret) the park, area or site. The full context of the Act suggests that this education should have a minimum of I three strands - natural, or scientific, Aboriginal cultural and historic cultural.

FieldManagement Policies Manual (NPWS 1989) I

The NPWS Field Manual (NPWS 1989:7.4) notes the Service's obligation under the Act to provide an enjoyable and meaningful experience for visitors to the areas that it I administers. The Field Manual states that an integral part ofthe Service's mandate is to provide imaginative and effective interpretive programs, and that these should be designed not only to promote awareness and understanding of an area's significance but also to broaden the visitor's total environmental and cultural perception. In stating I that 'Such programs are a key element in building public support' the Field Manual makes a connection between the benefit to the visitor and the benefit to the Service. I The Field Manual elucidates an interpretation policy (7.4.6-7.4.15), stating that the provision of an effective interpretive program is an essential component of park and site management. The objective of the interpretive programs is to promote an understanding of the national and intemational significance of the natural and cultural I features of an area. Inform~tion on which interpretive programs are based will be thoroughly researched to present the most up to date and accurate knowledge available, and it will include Aboriginal as well as historic sites. Interpretation I effectiveness is to be monitored. Visions forthe NewMillennium (MFE 1998) I The NPWS mission statement is to be found in the Visions for the New Millennium document (MFE 1998:24,30): 'the mission ofthe National'Parks and Wildlife Service is to work in partnership with people throughout NSW to protect, restore and enhance I nature and the cultural heritage of NSW.' NPWS is encouraged to excel, as it has in the past, 'in the educative and interpretive fields if the community is to fully appreciate how our landscapes have evolved and how the govemment and community can work I. cooperatively to better understand and conserve the natural and cultural values of their .BBP. I I I

MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99) 5 I landscapes. Central to this educative and interpretive work is the communication of the strong interrelationship between the natural and cultural values of landscapes which give a sense of being Australian'.

I The Visions document also makes particular reference to Aboriginal cultural heritage and its interpretation. Recommendations related to interpretation of Aboriginal heritage include 6.13, that 'Aboriginal people be given the opportunity to promote their heritage I through cultural tourism on reserves, consistent with the conservation of natural and cultural values'; 6.15 that the 'interpretation of historic sites or natural areas should also explain the history of Aboriginal people or the importance of Aboriginal cultural heritage with respect to those places'; and 6.16, that 'Aboriginal people be the detenninants of I what Aboriginal cultural heritage is appropriate for public access and interpretation and also the content of interpretive material'. i Other Documents In relation to specific parks or sites to be interpreted there will be other documents which should be consulted in the fonnulation of the interpretation rationale. These documents I will also provide infonnation relating to theme content and later stages in the process, such as delivery. I' Such documents include park or site Plans of Management, as required under the Act, Conservation Management Plans, Precinct Plans, etc.

I b) Benefrts to the Public, the Resource and the Agency

The ANZECC report (1999:23) quotes a survey by McArthur and Hall (1996) of I Australian and New Zealand heritage managers. They note that heritage managers used interpretation to achieve a number of objectives such as: I • enriching visitor experience • assisting visitors to develop a keener awareness, appreciation and understanding of the heritage site being visited I • accomplishing management objectives through encouraging thoughtful use of the resource by visitors, including reducing the need for regulation and enforcement, and carefully distributing visitor pressure to minimize impacts to fragile sites I • promoting public understanding of heritage managers and related programs. McArthur and Hall contend that these objectives are listed in priority order from the visitor's perspective of importance, but that many heritage managers practise them in I the opposite order. A way of clarifying the rationale for interpretation and education services is to conduct a risk assessment to identify what the agency would lose if it did not offer interpretation I and education services.

If there were no interpretation the public would interpret the site anyway from their I existing viewpoint, and lose an opportunity to access new elements and aspects of their heritage. The resource is more likely to be damaged by visitors unaware of its heritage values. The agency would lose an opportunity to achieve a stronger identity in the I minds ofthe public and also support for its role. I c) Assessment of Potential Impacts All heritage place interpretation should be preceded by an assessment of its potential I impacts on the place and its significance. Mitigative procedures should be planned on I tBBPt I ------~---_._--- I 6 (27.08.99) MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION the basis of this assessment, and ongoing monitoring of visitor impact should be I measured against the prior condition ofthe place.

2.1.2 Objectives I

The interpretation and education objectives are founded in the legislative requirements, mission statement and other agency documents. They are usually defined in terms of I one or more ofthe following (DNREV 1999:viii):

• increasing visitor awareness and understanding ofthe values under management I • increasing visitor enjoyment • informing the community about the purpose and nature of parks • increasing community support for the organization's programs • minimizing visitor/neighbour impacts. I

The question Who should be involved in defining interpretation objectives arises with reference to particular parks, reserves or sites. I

a) In-House or Outsource I The Plan of Management and other documents such as a Conservation Management Plan, or a Nature Conservation Plan, will give information regarding the natural and cultural heritage features of a particular reserve or site. I

The task will then be to match the interpretation of what is special about the reserve or site with the people who come to visit. I The Visions document (MFE 1998:57-8) states the need for research to underpin conservation planning, management, use and interpretation of cultural sites and places managed by the Service. According to the document, the Service's activities in nature I conservation must be based on the best available scientific understanding and data. The Visions document does not say so, but by extension the conservation and interpretation of natural and cultural heritage should also be based on best available I information. The information about the place should be fully researched and analyzed. To achieve this the in-house management and interpretation capacity may at times need to be complemented by outsourcing. I Factors such as the complexity of the site, the quality of the information relating to it, and the availability of staff expertise/time may influence the decision to outsource this aspect. I

b) Community Involvement I The Australia ICOMOS Cultural Heritage Places Policy (1998:15) states that community participation is essential to, and a growing component of, all aspects of heritage conservation activity. It also states that to date there has been insufficient recognition I that community and specialist advocacy groups are important mechanisms for managing heritage conservation and ensuring community participation. The diversity of present community heritage values should be integrated in conservation processes and I in business ventures, in particular, community-based cultural tourism.

The NPWS Visions document (MFE 1998:55-6) recommends that the Service work with the community to 'selectively present examples ofthe history of reserved lands and I to link those histories with wider regional stories, using themes relevant to history, the natural environment and contemporary society'. It is also recommended (1998:30) that in carrying out its interpretive role the Service should 'seek to reflect to a greater extent I than at present, the more recent history of NSW and the present cultural diversity ofthe community'. +BBP+ I I I 7 I MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99) There is therefore an agency obligation to consult the community. Such consultation gives to the community greater ownership of the heritage place and involvement in conservation activities. In a best practice example cited by the ANZECC report I (DNREV 1999:23), based upon a project by Melbourne Water, other advantages in involving the community at this early stage include • increased quality of decisions - by providing further sources of expertise and I information and identifying different perceptions • improved credibility • focus the planning on issues of community concern • increased ease of implementation - through higher levels of commitment to a I decision by interest groups with a stake in the decision • increased awareness and understanding of the agency's business. I Recommendations in the Visions document (MFE 1998) with regard to Aboriginal heritage make it clear that Aboriginal people are the determinants of what Aboriginal cultural heritage is appropriate for public access and interpretation and also the content of interpretive material (section 2.1.1). The Aboriginal community should therefore be I involved from the outset.

I 2.2 Developing

This component relates to the scope and nature of planning required for establishing interpretation and education programs. Factors to be addressed include the objectives I which have been defined in consultation with the community, analysis of the customer base, formulating and refining messages, setting performance standards and indicators and determining the levels of service to be provided in a budget context (DNREV I 1999:25). I 2.2.1 The Infonnation Base A basic consideration at this stage of developing the interpretation is What information is to be interpreted.

I Legislative requirements outlined in section 2.1.1 above indicate that all interpretation should have at least three strands - scientific, Aboriginal and historic. Interpretation is also to include landscape contexts and the strong interrelationship between the natural I and cultural values of landscapes.

The landscape itself should be interpreted. The Visions document (MFE 1998:24) states that the mission ofthe National Parks and Wildlife Service is to 'work in partnership with I people throughout NSW to protect, restore and enhance nature and the cultural heritage of NSW. Nature is defined as 'Siodiversity, landforms, geology, aquatic features and atmosphere together with the dynamic interactions between these components' (MFE I 1998:72). If nature is to be restored, the question arise.s restored to what state - to before a nearby road or housing estate influenced the drainage and encouraged weed contamination, to before it was farmed or managed as a forest, to its pre-European state, or to its pre-Aboriginal state? In this sense most of the environment we see as I natural is in fact cultural, in the sense of having been modified by humans.

Not only for this reason should it be recognized that 'nature' is cultural heritage. The I Visions document refers five times to natural and cultural landscapes which 'give a sense of being Australian' or 'increase understanding of our identity, history and future as Australians' (MFE 1998:5, 10, 28, 30). Landscapes, or 'nature', which we have chosen to preserve in national parks are clearly an expression of cultural values. I Physical nature thereby becomes an expression of the kind of character which we I perceive to be natural for a native ofthe nation (Olwig 1989:137). I tBBPt I I 8 (27.08.99) MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION The interpretation of a landscape should address its cultural components, those I culturally conditioneq and those culturally valued, for a full understanding of its current ecological status. The Burra Charter of Australia ICOMOS (Intemational Council on Monuments and I Sites) is a document which guides cultural heritage practice in Australia. Article 5 ofthe Burra Charter states that conservation of a place should take into consideration all aspects of its cultural significance without unwarranted emphasis on anyone aspect at the expense of others (Marquis-Kyle and Walker 1992, Pearson and Sullivan I 1995:321). In the words of Pearson and Sullivan (1995:296), 'Good interpretive practice dictates that all significant elements are available and perceptible to visitors'. I One way of ensuring that the significance, richness and depth of meaning associated with a place is conveyed is to ensure that the place is interpreted in its regional historic context and that it is related to other similar sites or places. Pearson and Sullivan (1995:293) suggest that this will usually require the services of a professional historian I or archaeologist (see section 2.2.1 above on outsourcing). Interpretation by means of identified national, state, regional or local themes can be helpful in providing a coherent story, ensuring that all significant areas are covered and I minimising unbalanced focus. However too strict adherence to themes can stultify local input and creatiVity, and ideological bias can be present in the selection of themes. Bickford (1981:) drew attention to this - 'in NSW you could call the same historic process you wanted to outline in the period 1788 to 1850 "The Spread of Settlement" or I "Guerrilla War on the Frontier".' The use of oral history as a research tool is an excellent vehicle both for the I conveyance of local values and for community involvement. It is clear that quality of information is an essential component of best practice interpretation. Freeman Tilden's influential work Interpreting our Heritage (1957) I includes the statement Information, as such, is not interpretation. Interpretation is revelation based upon information. These are entirely different things. However, all I interpretation includes information. In our survey of interpretation documents we have identified a problem. There is a danger that interpretation has come to focus on the means of revelation and to discount I the information upon which it is based. Even the ANZECC document, entitled Best Practice in Park Interpretation and Education (DNREV 1999), is guilty. It suggests that, to achieve best practice, the agency at this stage should 'ensure datalinformation/knowledge education systems are in place', but pays no attention to I data quality standards. If the objectives of interpretation are to enrich visitor experience and develop an understanding and awareness ofthe heritage values of a site, the quality of information I upon which the interpretation is based is of crucial importance. The obligation to do this is encapsulated in the Field Management Policies Manual (NPWS 1989:7.4-9) where it states that information on which interpretive programs are based will be thoroughly I researched to present the most up to date and accurate knowledge available. 2.2.2 Establishing Objectives I The interpretation objectives previously defined (section 2.1.2) should be clarified and strategies for achieving these determined. A best practice example cited by the ANZECC document (DNREV 1999:27) suggests that these objectives should be I SMART, ie Specific Measurable I A ction oriented Realistic Time focussed. I tBBPt I I I MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99) 9 I Perfonnance standards should be set, and well defined key perfonnance indicators detennined at this stage to enable ongoing evaluation of project outcomes. Monitoring may include, for example, •% of visitors completing a questionnaire at the end ofan interpretive display I •% of participants rating the interpretive activity highly enjoyable •% of participants who felt they had learnt something about the site and its context •% who appreciate the role of the agency in conserving and presenting natural and I historic heritage sites in their context • decreased physical impact of visitors on the site eg state of tracks, amount of litter, as an indicator of increased understanding ofthe heritage values ofthe site.

I It may be useful to establish basic parameters of success, which if not met, would necessitate a major reappraisal ofthe project.

i 2.2.3 Market Analysis

Mapping and analysis ofthe actual and potential customer base should be carried out to I ensure that their needs can be met, but it should not dominate the best practice process.

Heritage managers surveyed for the ANZECC project (DNREV 1999:28) ranked their °1 most important audiences as 1 First Time Visitors 2 Schools 3 Repeat Visitors. I The basis of importance, ie frequency of visitation or some other factor, was not made clear. Another categOly to be considered, in tenns of particular needs, would be Special ,I Interest Visitors. Existing visitor research systems run by tourism agencies, or the Australian Bureau of Statistics could be utilised in addition to infonnation which may already be available within the agency. Some agencies are also using market research companies (eg I Quantum-Harris, Roy Morgan) to better understand different audience interests and requirements (DNREV 1999:28).

I 2.2.4 Product Refinement

This involves the fonnulation of specific messages to be communicated to the identified audiences. Interpretation should be provided at hierarchical levels to reflect the interests I and comprehension abilities ofdifferent visitor groups. I 2.2.5 Site Risk Assessment Prior to delivery it is necessary to consider park asset and visitor health and safety risk I management issues involved. ,I 2.3 Delivering The How or practical application of an interpretation requires management of delivery I and of impacts. 2.3.1 Control and Focus I The day to day delivery of interpretation and education services is achieved by controlling delivery at the organisational management level, and by field professionals, to ensure that services are in accordance with environmental, heritage and customer I target objectives, delivery timelines, budget and preset service design features. I tBBPt I I

10 (27.08.99) MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION The delivery should be clearly directed by the plans and standards from the previous I stage ifthe focus is to remain on corporate goals.

Interpretation should be focussed towards defined objectives to be achieved with the target audience. I

Regular monitoring and reporting of effectiveness and efficiency of delivery needs to be carried out concurrently even though evaluation of outcomes is undertaken in a I following stage. To enable later evaluation it is important that key performance indicators are determined by the delivery stage.

Interpretation and education objectives need to be communicated throughout the I agency. This can be achieved by clearly defining roles and responsibilities for all stages of interpretation and education services across the organization and capturing these in staff performance plans. Communication needs to be two way - both the right hand and I the head need to know what the left hand is doing.

Consideration could be given to the question of outsourcing delivery of interpretation. The ANZECC report (DNREV 1999:34-5) indicates that most organizations prefer to I carry out interpretation in-house. However the report emphasizes that this is an area where, regardless of corporate philosophy or legislative requirements, best practice depends on good process. Whether interpreting is done in-house or outsourced, the I same control of delivery, including monitoring and provision of support, should be exercised by the manager (Pearson and Sullivan 1995:300).

2.3.2 Aboriginal Heritage I

Recommendations in the Visions document (see section 2.1.1 above) encapSUlate best practice principles for interpretation of indigenous heritage. It is clear that, consistent I with these principles, interpretation of Aboriginal cultural heritage should be carried out where possible by Aboriginal people. The Visions document sees this as the right ofthe Aboriginal owners. In a metropolitan setting, where there may be no 'owners' with demonstrable or claimed title, the role could be filled by custodians. I 2.3.3 Media Selection I A variety of media are available for use in interpretation and education. They include signage, brochures, audiovisual presentation, self guided tours, guided tours and events. Factors influencing the choice of media might include the character of the site I to be interpreted, visitor interests and expectations, plus facilities and budget available for delivery.

Personal communication is one of the most effective and well-liked means of I interpretation (Sinks et al 1988:37, Risk 1994:320). This style of presentation can include formal guided tours, specially programmed demonstrations, costumed gUides, and on site role play and drama events. Guided tours provide the maximum flexibility I for tailoring delivery to the level of audience interest. For example specialist guides could provide for children's tours and also particular interest groups. Audio-visual media can be expensive, but are particularly effective at getting and retaining the attention of casual visitors (Binks et at 1988:60). Non-personal interpretation media include posters, I signs, orientation brochures, self-guided tours for adults and children, specialist publications, souvenir booklets, school kits and websites. I For the first stage of this project on cultural heritage interpretation O'Brien (1998) produced a Procite based bibliography which includes a component relating to interpretive techniques. While not exhaustive; the titles listed cover most aspects of interpretive delivery. Another useful work is Harrison (1994). The British journal I Interpretation has a number of recent issues relating to particular features, eg multimedia presentations, multiculturalism, interpretation for the disabled, and interpretation ofwildlife. I

+BBP+ I I I MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99) 11 I Whatever methods are chosen, consideration needs to be given to the relationship between the mix of techniques employed, the function of each in reaching the different target visitors, and the degree to which the selected techniques complement each other I (Webber 1999:3). 2.3A Management of Impacts

I The aim of visitor management is to enable visitors to maximize their appreciation and enjoyment of the heritage place, while minimizing the risk of damage to the place by attrition, direct or indirect damage, or diminution ofthe experience of the place for other I visitors (Pearson and Sullivan 1995:277). Impacts to be considered include physical impacts to the site, cultural impacts and social impacts.

Reduction of physical impacts on reserves or sites from visitor use and misuse can be I achieved through careful management. Gale's study of this aspect of visitor management, although based on Aboriginal sites in the Northern TerritOlY, has wider I application and gives many useful pointers (Gale 1995). Care should be taken to observe cultural sensitivities. Cultural enrichment can be transmitted for example through interpretation of the cultural heritage of minority groups, and the delivery of interpretation by members ofthose groups. This has positive I spin-off to the recipients of the interpretation. Upitis (1989:156) quotes Vince Coulthard, an Aboriginal ranger from South Australia, I It's good that the man's heart is in the right place, by wanting to promote Aboriginal culture, but it's a pity he can't put feeling into his interpretive work. The feelings are the feelings the public get when the talk is given by an I Aboriginal person (Coulthard and Johnson 1986). Social impacts may relate to the number of people it is appropriate to have in a place and still retain the intrinsic ambience of the place. For example too many people in a I cell which was used for solitary confinement may be more likely to give a sense of the black hole of Calcutta. I 2.3.5 Off-5ite Presentation a) The Internet

I Quality intemet exposure is a crucial component of site interpretation. A survey conducted as part of the ANZECC project (DNREV 1999:33) found that eight of 27 respondent organizations rated an intemet site as a pre-visit high priority, and five ofthe I eight respondents saw it as a post-visit high priority. An example of best practice interpretation is offered by the NPWS Canadian counterpart, with particular reference to fortifications, and doubtless other types of I heritage sites. Their web site offers detailed interpretation of fortification sites, linked with other similar sites, with an educative component, varying levels of information and a feed-back capacity. One such site is I http://parkscanada.pch.gc.calparks/newfoundlandlcastle-hill/englishlleame.htm.

By contrast the information about Sydney Harbour National Park available via the web site http:www.npws.nsw.gov.aulparks/metrolindex.htmlis very superficial and up to two I years old.

Website interpretation presents an opportunity to cater for various types of interest, eg I schools, special interest groups, individual tourists and tour operators. It should be hot­ linked to other similar sites in the region, the rest ofthe country and the wond. I I tBBPt I I 12 (27.08.99) MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION b) Educational and Other Services I Delivery of interpretation, especially personal interpretation, need not be confined to the site (Feick 1989). An outreach program delivered to schools, service clubs and senior citizens associations, would extend the range ofthe interpretation and its objectives and I give access to the values of the site to people who may not be able to visit it. This is particularly applicable in the local area. A good example of this is the extension program carried out in the La Perouse area (Duque-Portugal 1992). I 2.3.6 Checklist for Delivery Control I A checklist for the control of delivery should ensure that attention is given to the physical elements of the presentation as well as to the information and its interpretation. "I a} Physical Elements ofthe Presentation I 1. Local access and parking. Are toilets and drinking fountains or kiosks required? 2. Entrance point to the park orsite. Is there a Sense of Arrival? I 3. Is there a simple plan of the site with key points indicated?

4. Is there some explanation given about key themes presented in the park? I

5. How do the various points of interest of the park relate to one another? Is the signage clear and consistent throughout? I 6. How does the visitor get from one point to another? Are pathways around the site linked? Do they allow for a sense of progression? I 7. Various view-points could be defined. How can natural growth of vegetation be sensitively modified to allow satisfactory viewing? I 8. Is there consideration given to handicapped people or children in the way the elements of the park are arranged? For example handrailing on both sides of steps, signage and safety measures for visually impaired, wheelchair access to a selection of all park features? I

9. How can the elements presented in this park be linked with (and introduce) those intrinsic to other parks, sites and reserves? I 1O.ls the condition ofthe site being monitored? I 11.ls the site secure - is it open after hours? Are there security and safety risks?

b) Presentation and Content I 1. Is there sufficient information about the main themes? Is this carefully researched? Are there available references which could be consulted? I 2. Is there some distillation ofthemes that can be handed out in a pamphlet?

3. Is there provision of a central point or office where interpretation can be I mounted/pointed out? 9rtalks given or audiovisual technology mounted? 4. Are the selected media appropriate to the site? I tBBPt I I I MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99) 13 I 5. Has interpretation provided a hierarchy of information to cater for different levels of interest? Are the media chosen appropriate to each? Has special attention been given to interpretation for children?

I 6. Could a kit for schools be prepared covering both the overall themes and certain selected themes? I 7. The learning by looking principle (ie looking at images rather than reading text): maps, illustrations of main themes or incidents, people connected with the site. I 8. Could a story-line or several stories be developed about the site? 9. Could a chronology of main phases of development through time be illustrated? i 10. Could participation by local people in the area be encouraged? Historical society guides for special occasions? Other special interest groups, eg army, navy? I 11. Is there a particular time of year when the park could be used to celebrate a particular event? Could a special effort be made at this time to involve locals?

12.ls there a special way of mounting a commemorative occasion which could involve I these groups and other groups drawn from the wider community? Are there any other promotional opportunities?

I 13.What techniques would be useful in assessing visitor impressions? How can this add to the managing agency's understanding of the site and their own input? I 14. Does the security status of the site influence the type of media to be used? I 2A Evaluating The Field Management Policies Manual (NPWS 1989) states that effectiveness of interpretation services is to be monitored (section 2.1.1 above). For the question How I Well Does it Work? to be adequately answered preparation must be made in the developing and delivery stage of the program.

Performance analysis can only be carried out if key performance standards and I indicators have been determined. Monitoring is then to be carried out during the delivery stage. There also needs to be a mechanism whereby auditing of results can be fed back I into the design and execution of the program. Key performance indicators do not need to be set for every actiVity but every interpretation activity that is to be evaluated should have identified and measurable I objectives to measure (DNREV 1999:38). Indicators to be measured might include

I • visitor number counts for tours • cost per person • quality effectiveness, including the variety of interpretation strands which were I absorbed. Best practice examples of auditing include the US Parks assessment program (Watson 1989), and a number cited in the ANZECC report (DNREV 1999:37-40), such as the I Museum of Australia evaluation policy and guidelines, the Parks Victoria visitor research program and the British Columbia Provincial Parks interpretive program evaluation tool. The ANZECC report states that few of the surveyed organisations had I an effective evaluation program in place for their interpretation and education services, I +BBP+ I I 14 (27.08.99) MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION and that the publication of results from the few evaluation programs which do exist is I rare.

2.5 Support I

Organizations have to provide support to their interpretation and education services. They must provide staff training, maintain adequate materials supplies and ensure that I procedures and reporting systems are in place.

The ANZECC report (DNREV 1999:41) cites four components of best practice in support I

• having documented procedures to follow • identifying, training and maintaining key staff capabilities/core skills for the defined I service levels and opportunities • communicating corporate and interpretation policies to staff and outsourced suppliers I • monitoring skills so that the organization maintains a consistent and cohesive skills base in all the required areas.

A basic requirement is to have at all times staff available who know what they are I doing. A best practice example is the training policy of the Hockeyroos which has earned them two Olympic gold medals and is leading others to emulate their procedures. All players train in every position thereby maximising their flexibility in the I event of extraordinary challenges or player down time through injury. I I I I I I I I I I

+BBP+ I I I MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99) 15 I INTERPRETATION FLOW CHART I DEFINING Rationale - Legislative and other Requirements / I Objectives - Increase Awareness of of Heritage Values I - Manage Visitor Impact I DEVELOPING Information Base about Site I / Objectives and Performance / Indicators Market Analysis followed by Product Refinement I Assessment ofSite Risk I

DELIVERING I Control and Focus In-House or Out-5ource / Selection ofAppropriate Media / I Management of Impacts " Off-5ite presentation - eg Internet and Educational I Check Listfor Delivery Control I EVALUATION Against Key Performance I Indicators / Refer Results back to Defining / I Developing and Delivering I SUPPORT Documented Procedures Maintenance ofStaffSkills and I Capabilities Communication ofAgency and Interpretation I Policies to Staffand Outsourced Suppliers I I +BBP+ I I 16 (27.08.99) MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION I I I I. I I Tasma/7 I

Sea I I I I I I

Bandl Jun:t,()t1 I I I Map 1: Location of Middle and Georges Head overlooking the entrance to Port Jackson I I

+BBP+ I I I I MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99) 17 3 APPLYING THE PLAN TO MIDDLE AND GEORGES -HEADS - I ------~ This project has developed a model interpretation plan, as outlined in section 2 above, and researched the information which will provide the substance of the interpretation. At the initial briefing meeting at NPWS on 26th March 1999, the aim and scope of this I project was defined as to cany out gap filling research and produce historical themes for interpretation, to provide interpretive concepts for these themes, and to indicate areas of the site to which the interpretation might be addressed. While the next stage of the I Best Practice Heritage Interpretation Project (see section 1.1 above) will investigate the practicalities, media options and costs of interpretation, this report provides themes and i guidelines for interpreting the many values associated 'vvith Middle and GeOiges Heads. 3.1 Defining

I In the case of Middle and Georges Heads the instigation of this project is the outcome of considerations outlined in section 2.1 ofthe model plan which focuses on defining the rationale and objectives of interpretation ofthe area.

I 3.1.1 Rationale I a) Legislative and Other Requirements In addition to the documents referred to in the model plan, there are several with specific bearing on Middle and Georges Heads. These documents, listed below, have I been drawn on extensively here and should be consulted by those developing and designing the interpretation ofthe area.

DraftPlan ofManagement Sydney HarbourNational Park 1996 I Specific objectives for Sydney Harbour National Park, in addition to overall objectives for NSW National Parks, include: • management ofthe park as part of a system of lands which protect the natural and I cultural heritage and scenic amenity of Sydney Harbour; • restoration and interpretation ofthe significant natural values ofthe park; • conservation and interpretation of a range of historic places which illustrate important aspects ofAustralia's history, including: I - the defence ofSydney and New South Wales; - immigration and quarantine; and - the history of public recreation on the harbour and its foreshores; I • provision of outdoor recreation opportunities which are compatible with the protection of the natural and cultural values of-the park and complement those available elsewhere in the centre ofSydney; and • promotion of the park as an important, readily accessible recreational and I educational resource for metropolitan Sydney.

In addition to the requirement for at least three strands of interpretation, natural, I Aboriginal and historic, which applies to national parks throughout the state, three additional themes are required by the Sydney Harbour National Park Draft Plan of Management. Two of these are relevant to Middle and Georges Heads, the defence of Sydney and New South Wales, and the history of public recreation on the harbour and I its foreshores, and have been addressed in this report.

Sydney Harbour National Park Middle and Georges Heads Draft Conservation I Management Plan (Gojak 1999) Examines the former defence land at Middle and Georges Heads, with emphasis on the eXisting military structures, of which it provides itemised descriptions and significance assessments. It includes historical background, discussion of state I Heritage themes and sub-themes, and management recommendations. I .BBP. I 18 (27.08.99) MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION

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Map 2: Port Jackson in the vicinity of Middle and Georges Heads

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i ! 1km WooUchro \ ~.~~ ", 0 ~:; \ / P.~ / +BBP+ I I MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99) 19 Draft Nature Conservation Plan forMiddle Head and Georges Head (Boume 1999) Focuses on the environment, species distribution, significance and management I issues. Historical and legislative context is provided, as well as conservation policies. Sydney Harbour National Park Middle and Georges Heads Draft Precinct Plan (Root Projects Australia 1999) I Documents specific strategies for conservation management of the site. Also summarises the historical, architectural and social significance of the site, conselVation I priorities and interpretation opportunities. b) Benefits to the Public the Resource and the Agency i Because of the many heritage values associated with Middle and Georges Heads interpretation of the area offers an excellent opportunity to enrich visitor experience by exposing visitors to values additional to those which brought them to the site. This I process can be enhanced by interpreting themes in a wide context, such as the explanation of defence emplacements in terms of world events and perceived threats, and early developments associated with Aboriginal land ownership and tenure still with I effect today. The Visions document (MFE 1998:24,30) points to the importance of communicating the strong interrelationship between the natural and cultural values of landscapes which I give a sense of being Australian. Many of the values at Middle and Georges Heads combine to give that sense of national identity.

The environment is of deep importance in the psyche of many Australians, particularly I but not only indigenous Australians. The cliffs and outcrops which characterise the Hawkesbury sandstone country of the Sydney basin are distinctive and unique. The vegetation which grows upon it is also distinctive, but many of its component species, I grass trees, banksias, wattles, eucalypts, to name but a few, recur in different associations as far afield as Queensland, Tasmania and Western Australia. I The presence of at least eight Aboriginal sites in rock shelters, on outcrops of sandstone, and in a pocket of rainforest, in the midst of its largest and longest occupied city, is testimony to the long and continued contribution of Aboriginal culture to the physical and mental landscape of Australia. The story of Bungaree's farm resonates in I the context ofterra nullius and the Mabo native title decision. With Bungaree welcoming visitors to what was his farm, such a small part of what had been his land, Middle Head is re-established in the mind of the visitor as Aboriginal land. This enables NPWS to I powerfully endorse Reconciliation.

Australians can identify with the isolation and distance which induced governments to build the fortifications which characterise Middle and Georges Heads, although I increasingly this isolation, as it is overcome by communications, is valued rather than perceived as a potential threat.

I The prospects from Middle and Georges Heads are all of the sea, and the sea is important to Australians who cluster around the coastal fringe of the country, and so I much ofwhose leisure time is spent in, on or at least near water. c) Assessment of Potential Impacts

I The condition of the site needs to be assessed in terms of its ability to withstand additional visitation which interpretation will bring. The status of the environment and most of the military relics have been covered by the three plans listed above which I apply specifically to Middle and Georges Heads. A Conservation Plan for the 1801 battery is yet to be completed. I tSBPt I I 20 (27.08.99) MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION apply specifically to Middle and Georges Heads. A Conservation Plan for the 1801 I battery is yet to be completed.

All three plans also refer to Aboriginal heritage and its management, however the full status of Aboriginal heritage in the area is unknown. Records of a number of sites are I held in the NPWS site register, and some of these sites were inspected by Dallas (1995) and others (see section 6.2). Nevertheless, no comprehensive survey has been commissioned, and most ofthe Middle and Georges Heads component of the Sydney I Harbour National Park has not been looked at by the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council or an archaeologist.

A full assessment of the Aboriginal heritage of the area is a prerequisite to any I development or interpretation within the Middle and Georges Heads area (see section 2.1.1 above). Involvement of the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council in the assessment and interpretation of their heritage is also essential, as is consultation with I them over management and interpretation of other aspects of the area which might have a bearing on the conservation ofAboriginal heritage values.

_, 3.1.2 Objectives I

The objectives of interpreting Middle and Georges Heads include increasing visitor enjoyment and awareness and understanding of the values under management, I increasing community support for NPWS programs, and minimizing visitor impacts.

Interpretation of Middle and Georges Heads is seen as vital to providing a remedial effect on a degraded environment. At present there is graffiti on a number of the I fortifications, there are numerous foot tracks and flattened areas of vegetation, and plastic bags, bottles and other items have been left scattered throughout the bush. This state of affairs reflects badly on NPWS. People who come to the place now make their I own interpretation of it and the value that the park managers place upon it.

In considering the objective of interpretation the question can be asked, what impressions do you want the visitor to take away? The answer is obviously not that of I an unkempt and undervalued site which detracts from the enjoyment derived from Visiting. Enjoyment will come from visiting a beautiful cared for place and enrichment will come from the new infonnation and new perspectives, philosophical as well as I physical, that interpretation should provide.

Many visitors are local, and community involvement in interpretation and management of the place is very important. Community involvement at this stage in the interpretation I of Middle and Georges Head is reflected by the membership of the project steering committee, which includes a representative of the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council and the North Shore Historical Society. The draft report was provided to these I bodies and their comments sought. I 3.2 Developing 3.2.1 The Information Base I A basic consideration in developing the interpretation is researching the infonnation base which is to be interpreted. Sections 4 - 6 of this report provide the infonnation researched in relation to Middle and Georges Heads. In accordance with the Field I Management Policies Manual (NPWS 1989:7.4-9), every effort has been made to ensure that the infonnation on which the interpretive program is to be based is thoroughly researched, current, and as accurate as possible. I

There is a legislative requirement that at least three strands - scientific, Aboriginal and historic - are to be addressed by interpretation. The infonnation provided here covers I' these three strands. Scientific infonnation has been summarized from the nature conservation plan (Boume 1999) and the studies on which it is based, Aboriginal +BBP+ I I I

MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99) 21 I Harbour National Park Draft Plan ofManagement (1996), aspects ofthe history of public recreation on the harbour and its foreshores have been addressed. I 3.2.2 Establishing Objectives Objectives, perfonnance standards and key perfonnance indicators should be established in the eany stages of interpretation development. It is desirable that all three I strands of interpretation, natural, Aboriginal and historic, are interpreted from the outset. Thus ifto start with only one sign is to be installed, it should address all three. This is in response to the legal obligation, and also to an important objective of the interpretation, I which is to raise visitor awareness of values additional to those which they brought to the site.

Monitoring could be achieved by a questionnaire on a weekend. Questions should be in i line with those outlined in section 2.2.2 above. Such monitoring should commence now, ie before any additional interpretation is developed, to provide a standard for comparison. One mark of success would be decreased physical impact of visitors on I the site eg state oftracks, amount of litter, as an indicator of increased understanding of the heritage values of the site. In this context it is appropriate to restate the need for a survey for Aboriginal sites, so that a baseline condition of the Aboriginal heritage can be I established for monitoring purposes. 3.2.3 Market Analysis

I Best practice interpretation is driven by the component heritage features of a place and its infonnational context. Market analysis is necessary to gain an understanding of different audience interests and reqUirements. At present the only detailed infonnation I about the customer base comes from the figures for the Tours de Fort, which are held on the second and fourth Sunday of a month, and which cater for between 5 and 25 people per tour. The bulk of visitors are from the greater Sydney catchment.

I The visitor survey carried out in relation to nearby Bradleys Head (Jehne 1997) could provide further clues. There, one weekend, 8% of visitors were from overseas, 25% were from interstate and the remainder were from greater Sydney. All were able to I speak English and for 80% it was a first language. Other first languages included Korean, Japanese and Gennan. For 25% it was their first visit, for the remainder it was a repeat visit (up to 6 times). The qualities of Bradleys Head which were most valued I (and which may differ proportionately for Middle and Georges Heads) included quiet and relaxing, and good views. Eight percent were there to see the fortifications and 17% to watch a yacht race. Ofthose surveyed 62% said they would be interested in joining a guided tour, 37% with an Aboriginal guide, 49% would be interested in an historic I display or re-enactment, and 50% in a ranger led tour of flora and fauna.

Interpretation and provision of website infonnation will increase visitation and change I the balance of visitor interest. For this reason surveys of present visitors will be of limited use in detennining visitor potential, and it may be necessary to look at comparable sites elsewhere which have been interpreted. While there a number of themes applicable to Middle and Georges Heads, the fortifications and military usage I from 1801 to the very recent past constitute the most distinguishing aspect of the site. With good website infonnation and linkages, there is a large potential for special interest I visitors from around the wond. There are many visitors who come to Middle and Georges Heads for special events, and the chance to expose these people to the values of the site should be seized. A I prime example are the 10,000 who congregate annually to watch a major event like the start of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race (Boume 1999:9) or those predicted to come to I watch the Olympic yachting. I +BBP+ I I 22 (27.08.99) MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION Linkages with other areas of Sydney Harbour National Park, of which Bradleys Head is I an obvious example, should be pursued with a view to maximal use of resources and visitor experience enrichment.

3.2.4 Product Refinement I

Visitors to Middle and Georges Heads will include local and repeat visitors, schools, tourists and those with a special interest in the fortifications. A base level of locational I and thematic information should be provided for casual Visitors and other groups. Schools and special interest groups will need more complex thematic information. Information should also be available in languages other than English. I 3.3.5 Off-5ite Presentation

Quality intemet exposure is a crucial component of site interpretation. At Middle and I Georges Heads the fortifications are an obvious feature which should be dealt with in detail. Website information should refer to other fortifications in the Sydney area and elsewhere in Australia, including for example guns located on Thursday Island. Liaison I with NPWS counterparts whose park assets include fortifications of a similar type, such as in Canada and the US, would facilitate worldwide linkages. I Apart from its value to special interest groups, website interpretation is also essential to cater for schools, and not just those in the local area.

Off-site interpretation can also include personal interpretation, audiovisual media and I drama or role-play. This type of presentation, to schools, service clubs and senior citizens associations, would be focussed·in the local area. I 3.2.6 Site Risk Assessment

As indicated in section 3.2.2 above the condition of the park will need to be fully assessed, and account taken of features which may be at risk if visitation is increased I through interpretation. The fish engraVing site #45-6-2092 (see section 6.2 below), which is located in a pocket of rainforest, is an instance where risk to the asset will have to be taken into consideration. I The Middle and Georges Heads area, like much of Sydney Harbour National Park, contains a number of steep rocky slopes and cliffs which present a risk to visitor safety. Discreet signs have been placed at some locations to alert visitors to the danger. I

We have suggested (section 7 below) that a walking track parallel to but separate from Chowder Bay Road be constructed between Middle Head Road and Georges Head. I Our primary consideration was to link the areas and to enable interpretation of plants, etc along the track. While vehicular traffic along the road at present is mostly light, with increased visitation this would change. In any case visitor risk would be greatly reduced by provision ofsuch a track. I

The legal aspects of visitor risk need to be explored. By proViding interpretation and thereby encouraging more visitors to the site, would NPWS be increasing its legal I vulnerability above what it is at present? Would the provision of interpretation counteract the actual risk to visitors, by encouraging responsible use ofthe park? Would defined paths and walkways alleviate both aspects? Parallels in parks where there are similar degrees of risk, such as elsewhere around Sydney, in the Blue Mountains, and at I Kings Canyon and Uluru in the Northem Territory, could provide information on the management of risk. I I tBBPt I I I

MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99) 23

I 3.3 Delivering

Section 7 ofthe report discusses the interpretation of Middle and Georges Heads on the I basis of the infonnation researched in sections 4-6. This interpretation should be delivered according to the guidelines for delivery discussed below. I 3.3.1 Control and Focus An important aspect of the delivery of interpretation is control - control of quality, timetables, budgets and focus of interpretation. Monitoring of effectiveness and I efficiency is also required.

As quality of research and base infonnation is essential to best practice interpretation, i so the quality of infonnation delivered by interpretive means has to be ensured. In the case of Middle and Georges Heads it may be carried out by NPWS District staff, or it may be partly or totally out-sourced. In either case content quality needs to be I maintained at a consistently high level. With a view to maintaining quality control it was agreed at a steering committee meeting (31 st May 1999) that priorto delivery all interpretive material should be signed I off by the Managers of Cultural Heritage Services and Community Services (NPWS) and also by the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council in the case of interpretation relating to Aboriginal heritage. This would cover all signage, audiovisual displays, tour I guide spiels, books, pamphlets and off-site presentations such as website and outreach programs. I 3.3.2 Aboriginal Heritage Best practice dictates that where possible interpretation of Aboriginal cultural heritage should be carried out by Aboriginal people. At Middle and Georges Heads this I interpretation would ideally be carried out by a representative of the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council, or an Aboriginal person acceptable to the Land Council. Interpretation of Aboriginal cultural heritage by non-Aboriginals is not desirable or I consistent with the Visions document (MFE 1998), as indicated in section 2.1.1 above. 3.3.3 Media Selection

I The challenge of matching the media to the audience is an aspect of interpretation to be considered in the third stage of the Best Practice Heritage Interpretation project. We have indicated on a broad level the types of media which would be appropriate to I Middle and Georges Heads.

Base level of locational and thematic infonnation should be provided for casual visitors I and other groups on precinct orientation signs and other signs on site (see section 7.1 below). Schools and special interest groups will need more complex thematic infonnation. This would appropriately be delivered by means of guided tours. In addition to fonnal guided tours this type of interpretation at Middle and Georges Head could I include specially programmed demonstrations, costumed guides, role play, period re­ enactments and drama events on site. Posters, promotional leaflets, site guides, I souvenir booklets and teachers kits could also be provided. Audio-visual delivery would be appropriate to all kinds of visitors, and according to Binks et aJ (1988:60) is very effective at getting and retaining the attention of casual visitors. Audio-visual presentation would most appropriately be held in the visitors I centre, and also in the annoured casemate.

A series of precinct orientation signage around the park could be supplemented by I leaflets to enable self guided thematic or general interest tours. These leaflets should contain infonnation and maps appropriate to adults, children and to non-English I tBBPt I I 24 (27.08.99) MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION speaking visitors. Self-guided audio tours such as at the Botanical Gardens would allow I maximum flexibility of focus and time spent on self-guided tours. This type of media requires features to be identified on the ground and an accompanying map. I 3.3.4 Management of Impacts

Restricting tour groups to 30 people or less would minimise impacts of visitation at Middle and Georges Heads. This would also increase visitor enjoyment and the quality I of experience, particularly at underground sites. If tours are to take any more than an hour, toilet facilities will have to be provided. I Construction of defined trails and wooden walkways or boardwalks over sensitive areas would also minimise impact upon the environment. The unsullied condition of the features at Outer Middle Head suggests that opening up the area, by clearing vegetation away from some sites and making obvious public walkways would diminish I graffiti and litter in areas where this is a problem.

3.3.5 Off-5ite Presentation I

-'. The features and values of Middle and Georges Heads should be featured on a website, and the fortifications in particular should be linked with similar sites around the I world. Website material would also be used for educational purposes and by tourists. I 3A Evaluating and Support

These elements of interpretation would be best developed in principle by the National Parks and Wildlife Service for application in the context of Sydney Harbour National I Park as well as parks elsewhere in the state. I I I I 'I I I I I tBBPt I I I

MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99) 25

I 4 MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS· OUTLINE CHRONOLOGY 1788 ·1980 I

1788 22 January Three longboats sent north from Botany Bay to examine Port Jackson. Philip and Hunter and crews rowinQ. I 28 January Exploration by Hunter, making a detailed survey ofthe harbour. 30 January Hunter and surveying party landed at a beach adjacent to Middle Head. Could have been Cobblers Beach. He danced with natives. I 1788 Earliest view of Middle Head in watercolour by William Bradley_ Many Aboriginal canoes around South Head and outside the Heads. This picture is included as FiQure 11 in this report. 1789 April Reports of the Aboriginal population about Sydney being decimated by i smallpox 1795 Mrs Parker's account of Sydney Harbour. Picnics with Mrs. King around the foreshores. Whale fishery advocated. 1801 A defensive battery was built on Middle Head to command the entrance I to the harbour. 1802 French exploring expedition camped at Sydney Cove. I 1815 Bungaree given land by Govemor Macquarie at Georges Head. 1816 Macquarie and party visited and 16 adult Aboriginal males, their wives and families were IivinQ there. 1820 11 April The Russian ship Vostok under Captain Bellinghausen, entered the I harbour. 1822 11 February Macquarie visited BunQaree's camp on Middle Head. 1820-30s American whalers visiting Sydney anchored at Chowder Bay, alongside I Georges Head. 1827 26 January First official Regatta organised by Royal Navy Officers, starting a long tradition. I 1834 Route along Mosman Heights reserved for a road to Middle Head. 1834 25 August The barque Edward Lombe was wrecked at Middle Head with 12 lives lost. I 1839 November US Commodore Charles Wilkes arrived unannounced, and anchored in Sydney Cove in men-of-war USS Vincennes and USS Peacock. Entered the harbour at night unobserved. 1840- A battery installed on Bradleys Head. I 46 1842 Ben Boyd's yacht Wanderer enters Sydney Heads with enthusiastic crowds as spectators. 1840s Conrad Martens sketching and painting Middle Head and surroundings. I to 1850s 1853 The Crimean War against Russia was looming. Defence plan of inner and outer defences, Middle, Georges, and South Head. I 1854 Gun emplacements at Middle Head. Eight gun emplacements built and three 32-pounders installed. 1857 20 August Wreck of the Dunbar, a vessel of 1321 tons, with one survivor and the I loss of 121 passengers and crew just south of The Gap outside the Heads. The wreckage and bodies were washed through the Heads into the harbour, much of it onto the beaches and rocks around Middle Head. 1857 Paddle-steamer Black Swan was chartered by the Water Police, and I Middle Harbour and Middle Head area was scoured for bodies and remains ofthe Dunbarwreck I I I +BBP+

------I I 26 (27.08.99) MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION I

1858 Two white stone Obelisks were erected after the Dunbar disaster to act as navigation markers near Georges Beach, which now became known as Obelisk Beach. I 1858 The govemment announced a new road from St Leonards to Balgowlah following the route reserved in 1834. 1861 Middle and Georges and Bradlevs Heads notified as militarv reserves. I 1862 Military Road route cleared and opened. 1870s Military Road named (after the road to the militarv sites). 1860s- The Pleasure Gardens established on the North Shore, with ferries 1890s bringing sightseers, picnicers, and pavilion dancers. All classes of people I were involved. Camps for recreation were established at Balmoral and Chowder Bav. 1870 Departure of British troops from Australia, sailing down the westem channel in the Sea Eaale. NSW now had to arrange its own defences. I: 1871 The first unit of the NSW Artillery Regiment, 'N Battery, was raised. Consisting of 100 men, it was modelled on the British Regiments. 1871- Guns were rolled along Military Road on wooden skids by teams of 35 1875 men hauling on heavY ropes and were installed at Middle Head. I 1873 English author and intemational traveller Anthony Trollope's Visit. He was impressed bv the fortifications and the view. 1875 Eight guns in place at Middle Head; two to Georges Heights. Their range I was two miles. 1876- Military personnel at barracks at Middle Head behind a walled moat. 80 Practice targets for the guns were floating white-painted casks. 1882 Agitation in Sydney when Germany suddenly annexed German New I Guinea. 1885 The Artillery Regiment provided a field battery of 190 men and 192 horses for the continaent to fiaht in the Sudan war. 1886 School of Gunnery established. Lieutenant William Bridges, who later I became Chief of the Australian General Staff, trained there. Bridges became founding commandant ofthe Royal Military College, and led his division onto Gallipoli. 1880s James Bamet, Govemment Architect, had the still-existing officers' I quarters with moat and wall built at Middle Head. The buildings have since been altered. The other two wooden buildings are thought to date from the 1890s and have also since been altered. I 1880s- Artists' camps were established at Balmoral Beach. Ended about 1912. 1890s Recreation was wedded to insoiration. 1880- Every Easter there were military manoeuvres, with conical tents pitched 1910 at Middle Head, and hundreds taking part. Manoeuvres included mock I landings, submarine mining demonstrations, and artillery practice. Volunteers and reaular armv men involved. 1890s Mines were laid in the westem channel and Middle Harbour. 1891 Easter Camp Disaster. When the newly formed Submarine Corps were I demonstrating the laying of a minefield off Cobblers Beach, some mines exploded and four crew were lost. 1893 Mosman Council constituted as an entity separate from St Leonards INorth Sydney. Population 1700. The Council seal featured a whale I against a rising sun, with a ship and two cannons. Motto Titus in Undis - 'Safe Amid the Billows'. 1894 Disaster with a Bridges family picnic party at Chowder Bay off Submarine I Miners Wharf. The boat was rammed bv a tUg and 2 children drowned. 1902 First sailina club in the area formed, Middle Harbour. 1914- First World War. Army trainees trained at Middle Head entered the 1918 Australian Armed Forces to fiaht overseas. I I I

+BBP+ I I I I MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99) 1938 Munich crisis. Port defences were put into a state of readiness for war. 1939 Outbreak ofWorld War 11. 1940 Sixty acres of land adjacent to Middle and Georges Heads reserves was I resumed by the Commonwealth Govemment from Mosman Golf Club. 1940 Army extended its artillery and signals components and built structures to house several hundred personnel. I 1942 14 July Australian Navy established HMAS Penguin at Middle Head. Built a permanent depot. still active and in use in 1999. 1942 31 May Surprise attack by Japanese Submarines, with three midget subs penetrating the Harbour and from outside the Heads larger submarines I shelling Bondi and Rose Bay. 1945 Japanese surrender. 1958 Women's Royal Australian Army Corps School established at Georges Heights. I 1950s Guns and supporting Army infrastructure start to be dismantled. Naval depot HMAS Penguin remains. 1960s Controversy about use of foreshore land at Georges Heights. Mosman Council opposed to Army housing. I 1967 Sydney Harbour Foreshore study by state Planning Authoritv. 1968 National Trust report Sydney 2000 urging the urgent reservation of foreshore lands and waters under the name of Sydney Harbour National I Park. 1970 Agreement by Commonwealth to transfer land to NSW government to be managed by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.

I 1975 Sydney Harbour National Park was established on redundant defence land, which included Middle and Georges Heads, Bradleys Head, Ashton Park, South Head, North Head, Grotto Point to Dobroyd Head, Nielsen Park, Shark Island, and Clark Island. Thirteen hectares of Army land at I Georges Heights in 1979 and 38 hectares at Middle Head in 1980 were transferred to NPWS. 1980 2 May Land at Middle Head was gazetted as NSW National Park. NPWS I ownership of 43.627 hectares at Middle and Georges Heads. (Many ofthe above entries are taken from Souter 1994) I I I I I I I I I +BBP+ I I 28 (27.08.99) MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION

5 MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS· STATE HISTORICAL THEMES I

Section 5 ofthe briefforthis project requested that the consultants I Identify relevant State heritage themes and develop appropriate sub­ themes, and carry out gap-filling research to augment knowledge of themes. I In his Draft CanseNatian Management Plan far Middle and Gearges Heads of March, 1999, Denis Gojak, historical archaeologist of NPWS Cultural Heritage Service Division, dealt exhaustively with the State Heritage Themes and developed local I themes from them (See 4.3.1 Historical Themes, and Appendix 4 Detailed Significance Assessments, 1.3 NSW State Heritage Historical Themes).). We list Gojak's themes here: I 5.1 State Heritage Themes Listed in Gojak 1999

State Themes Local themes 1. Aboriginal contact I 2. Convict 6. Land tenure • defence lands • resumption of private property I 7. Mining • QuarrvinQ for topsoil 8. Fishing • post-contact Aboriginal • fishing for barter e I 9. Environment rise of urban environmental activism • denial of cultural heritage in landscape • the response to natural beauty 13. Transport • road construction I • military roads • Harbour navigation and shipping 14. Communication • defence sii:lnals 19. Technology • defence technology I • technological transfer local innovation and technology selection • marketinQ to wealthy colonies 21. Government and • 'scares' I administration • colonial - British relations • British foreiQn relations 23. Defence • colonial defence • design of military establishments I • Army history • unit histories • role ofwomen in the Army I • School of Artillery • transfer oftradition and corps doctrine • military training 24. Housing defence • defence housing I housing • domestic life • volunteers and militia • Mosman local history I 26. Cultural sites • film and television • landscape painting 27. Leisure • swimming • golf I • fishing • nude sunbathing 32. Education • military training I • School ofArtillery 34. Events 35. Persons I tBBPt I I I MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99) 29 I As well as Gojak's Draft Plan referred to above, for this report we have also consulted the State Historical Themes as expressed in the History and Heritage document of the NSW Heritage Office's Heritage Manual 1996. Having reviewed this we have no major changes to suggest to Gojak's work, but would like to add a few further additions to his I list of Local Themes. Most of these additions are related to our new detailed research on Bungaree and his farm, which was not available to Gojak at the time of writing his I Draft Plan. 5.2 Suggested Additions to Local Themes Usted in Gojak 1999

I State Theme Additional Local Themes 1. AboriQinal contact Bunqaree's farm 2. Convict building 1801 Fort and other defences up to 1840 6. Land Tenure allocating of Bungaree's farm by Macquarie i Europeans and land aCQuisition 33. Death shipwrecks 34. Events armyEa&erg~hering 35. Persons Bungaree I Cora Gooseberry

I 5.3 Suggested Additions to State Themes forthis report We are aware that the Heritage Office's State Themes are referring to the historical period only. That is, the time which is generally taken to be that period which covers the I history of NSW after the beginning of permanent white settlement in NSW in 1788. There is debate in Archaeology and other disciplines as to what the historic period should be taken to cover. Some feel that Australian history should start with the coming I of the Aborigines to the continent. If the state Themes covered this period then the themes we have suggested would be on the Heritage Office's list. It seems that their absence is due to the list being organized for ease of bureaucratic management, and it would be assumed that the NPWS whose legislative responsibilities cover Aboriginal I prehistoric sites, would deal with Aboriginal prehistory; what we have called in this report 'Aboriginal Time'. We have found in this project that because the State Historical Themes begin with 'Aboriginal contact' there is a basic problem in using the Themes as I a template for including all aspects of the history of Middle and Georges Heads. Therefore we have introduced two more themes: Aboriginal Time and Geological Time. These have been used in Chapter 7 Interpretive Suggestions in the column state Themes. We use Aboriginal Time in the Outer Middle Head, Cobblers Beach, Obelisk, I and Georges Head precincts, and Geological Time at Outer Middle Head. I 5.3.1 Aboriginal Time One field of information we consider important is the period before white settlement which we have called Aboriginal Time. (This is usually referred to as Prehistory, but we I prefer not to use this term as it is distasteful to some Aboriginal people). There is no theme for this in the NSW Heritage Office's state Historical Themes. Aborigines first appear here in the theme Aboriginal Contact, which refers to the period from the I beginning ofwhite settlement. 5.3.2 Geological Time

I In considering the interpretation of Outer Middle Head (our Precinct 5) we have included a theme called Geological Time. This theme too does not appear in the NSW Heritage Office's state Historical Themes. In the Heritage Office's categories Geological Time would be subsumed in the state Theme Environment under the term natural. From I Outer Middle Head the Sydney Heads and large stretches of Port Jackson can be viewed. Because we want to interpret the formation of Port Jackson as a drowned river valley over a period of many millennia, we feel the need for a separate category which I indicates that we are referring to the ancient history of the development of the landscape. I tBBPt I I 30 (27.08.99) MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION I SA Gap Filling Research I The brief required that we carry out gap-filling research to augment knowledge of the themes relevant to the area. Detailed research on Middle and Georges Heads has already been carried out and written up by Gojak on defence (1999), and Boume in relation to the environment (1999). We have used these documents extensively. New I research by the authors of this report and Dr. Paula Byme has been carried out in relation to our two new themes which we consider fit into the category State Themes ­ geological time and Aboriginal time, and the existing State Themes - environment, I Aboriginal contact, convict, land tenure, persons, leisure, and death.

5.5 State Historical Themes NotWarranting Interpretation I

The NSW Heritage Office has developed 35 categories to cover the State Historical Themes. All categories have been considered for Middle and Georges Heads, but not I all play a significant enough role in the history and development of the area to be included. Those themes not included are I 3. Exploration 15. utilities 25. Social institutions 4. Pastoralism 16. Industry 28. Sport 5. Agriculture 17. Labour 29. Health 10. Townships 18. Commerce 30. Welfare I 11. Migration 20. Science 31. Religion 12. Ethnic influences 22. Law and order I 5.6 Using State and Local Historical Themes

The requirement to consider themes for this report was simplified for us because Gojak I had already done most of the work in his Draft Conservation Management Plan for the area. In reviewing this work and the NSW Heritage Office documents discussing themes we have developed and refined our thinking about the general and more particular significant aspects about the place. In rejecting some state themes we have I also had to consider what role these themes might have played in the study area. However, despite their value for us in these ways, we have not written a thematic history of Middle and Georges Heads. Our history writing has developed as a I chronological picture, with a theme, Prospects, at the end. The history has clustered into ·four main periods - the natural and geological setting; Aboriginal occupation of the site then European occupation of the site, with little military presence; followed by intensive military uses. These issues are all about the site itself, yet the central significance ofthe I site is its superb outlook. In the final section of Chapter 6, Prospects, we look out at the sea in its landscape and at key moments in its European history. I I I I I

+BBP+ I I I MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99) 31

I 6 MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS· GEOLOGICAL PAST TO PRESENT I 6.1 Natural Setting I State Historical Theme 9: The Environment The Middle and Georges Heads component of the Sydney Harbour National Park is located prominently at the entrance to Port Jackson. It is approximately five kilometres I distant from the heart of the city at Circular Quay, and less than two kilometres from North Head and South Head. The geology of the area is Hawkesbury sandstone, formed in the middle Triassic. The site is therefore characterised by steep slopes, i extensive sandstone outcrops and rocky coastal cliffs. The area comprises two headlands, Middle Head, which at 40 metres above sea level directly overlooks the entrance to Port Jackson between the North and South Head, and I Georges Head, which is oriented towards the south east, overlooking the once treacherous shallows of the Sow and Pigs and the navigable channels which now pass by it. There are two sandy beaches, Cobblers Beach on the northern shoreline and Obelisk Beach on the south east. Vertical cliffs averaging 20 metres high surround the I headlands, and apart from the beaches there are few places where access to the water is easy.

I Middle Head Road leads east onto the plateau at Middle Head, and Chowder Bay Road runs south above Obelisk Beach to Georges Head and thence into Department of Defence land overlooking Chowder Bay. west of Chowder Bay Road the land slopes steeply upward to more than 60 metres above sea level, and is covered by dense I vegetation with pockets of temperate rainforest, for example along a creeklines draining down to Obelisk Beach. Military fortifications are located east and down slope of Chowder Bay Road at Georges Head. At Middle Head they occupy a significant part of I the inner and outer headland, the plateau and the slopes below.

Port Jackson has been shaped over millions of years by natural forces, over many millennia by Australian Aborigines, and for just over two hundred years by an urban I population of increasingly varied background (Haglund 1996:132).

During the Permian period, when Australia was still part of Gondwanaland, Sydney lay I at the mouth of a broad swampy river basin covered with a lush plant life or ferns and primitive conifers (Benson & Howell 1990:7-9). About 230 million years ago, at the beginning ofthe Triassic Period, enormous quantities of sand silt and clay were brought to the coast by rivers eroding inland mountains. Successive layers of sediment filled the I Sydney Basin, burying the swamps and turning their organic matter into coal. The sandy sediments, hundreds of metres thick, became compressed into sandstone. I SUbsequently deep seated pressures under Sydney caused the Blue Mountains to rise and the Cumberland Plain to be lowered. During the Tertiary Period rivers cut deep gorges through the erosion resistant sandstone, which remained as higher plateaus near the coast. The Sydney Basin sediments, deposited over millions of years, now form a I broad, slightly lopsided saucer, cut off on the eastern side by the Pacific Ocean. At its edges is the coarse textured Hawkesbury sandstone which characterises much of I Sydney's landscape and in places rises over 200 metres. Hawkesbury sandstone is the rock that fringes Port Jackson and forms the shape and substance of Middle and Georges Heads. Later this rock was carved and shaped as the sea receded and rose with the onset and passage of ice ages. During the peak of the I last glaciation, about 18,000 years ago, the climate was colder and dryer (Bowler et al 1976, Costin 1972). After a period of considerable aridity about 15,000 years ago conditions are thought to have gradually improved, with peak rainfall and temperature I conditions about 8-5,000 years ago. This was followed by a gradual contraction such I tBBPt I I

32 (27.08.99) MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION that between 3,000 and 1,000 years ago it was slightly colder and drier than it is today I (McDonald 1994:28).

Sea level changes associated with these climatic fluctuations meant that around 18,000 years ago, during the coldest part ofthe last ice age, the sea was about 120-140 metres I below what it is today. The coast was some 15 kilometres further east of the Heads, and Port Jackson was a complex of steep-sided valleys incised by freshwater streams. As the glaciation waned, water released from dwindling ice-sheets flowed into the sea I which rose, spilling overthe coast and into the valleys. River mouths became estuaries, brackish water and tidal influences moved upstream and into tributaries. By 6,000 ­ 7,000 years ago Port Jackson had been formed to approximately its present size and shape. The sea has since stayed at much the same level, although it may be rising I again now as a result ofglobal warming. On the sandstone ridges and the more sandy soils extending down to the harbourside I slopes were eucalypt woodland with trees of Eucalyptus bofryoides, the Bangalay, Sydney Peppermint, Eucalyptus piperata and the smooth-barked Angophora costata. Shallow sandy soils supported woodland with trees of Eucalyptus haemastoma; Red Bloodwood, Eucalyptus gummifera; and Banksia seffata (Benson & Howell 1990:119­ I 21). The large scrubby heath characteristic of exposed headlands, and which can be . seen in the Bradley Bushland Reserve adjacent to Military Road, includes Banksia ericifolia, Kunzea ambigua, Allocasuarina distyla and the low growing Rulingea I hermanniifolia.

East facing slopes contain a denser understorey with salt adapted plant species while on west facing slopes are less closely spaced and not necessarily adapted to salt (Boume I 1999:10). Along a wet gully draining into Obelisk Bay is a small pocket of rainforest, which is uncommon in the Sydney region. I Much of this vegetation has been cleared at Middle Head and around the fortifications at Georges Head. Except for the area around the outer Middle Head fortifications, the bush looks much as it would have when the First Fleet arrived in 1788. The Sydney Peppermint and Angophora canopies have regrown, and a variety of Acacia, Banksia, I Leptospermum, Pittosporum and other shrub species can be seen. However changes in drainage and fire frequency have fostered weed species such as Lantana and Privet. I Brushtail possums are the most common mammal found in the area; ringtail possums may also be present, and several bat species inhabit or visit. Over 160 bird species have been recorded within the Sydney Harbour National Park, and most of these would at various times present at Middle and Georges Heads. Approximately 20 species of I reptiles (14 lizards and 6 snakes) are known to be present in bushland on or adjacent to Middle and Georges Heads. None ofthese is rare, and the most common is the Eastern Water Dragon (Boume 1999:12). I

6.2 Aboriginal Time I

Teffa nullius was the legally endorsed premise of the British establishment of the colony of New South Wales in 1788. Formulated by the British Privy Council in a case on land ownership in 1889, teffa nullius was interpreted as meaning that the land was I 'practically unoccupied, without settled inhabitants and settled law' at the time the colony was founded. In effect it meant the Aborigines had no property rights because they had not laboured to 'subdue'the land by agricultural cultivation (GoodaIl1996:106). Not until I the Mabo judgment by the Australian High Court in 1992 that native title existed on traditional lands where it had not been extinguished, was teffa nullius overthrown (GoodaIl1995:13). I

Aboriginal people have been living in the Sydney Region for at least 20,000 years and probably longer (Stockton & Holland 1974). Artefacts found in gravels of the Nepean River, 50 kilometres west of Sydney, though not in an archaeological context, suggest I the possibility of occupation over 40,000 years ago (Nanson et a/1987). Archaeological +BBP. I I I MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99) 33 I sites excavated on the west bank of the Nepean River which were occupied 13,000 years ago, and on the south coast at Burrill Lake, occupied 20,000 years ago provide the earliest finn evidence for occupation.

I At that time Aboriginal people would have lived along the valleys and streams which were eventually flooded by rising sea levels. Places where they camped then, along the sea shore, would now be under many fathoms of ocean. They would also have camped I beside the streams, and these camping places would be under the waters of the harbour.

With the rise in sea level the woodland/forest food resource catchment of Middle and I Georges Heads would have expanded to include marine species including fish, rock and estuarine shellfish, and very occasionally beached whales as observed on Manly Cove by Watkin Tench on 7th September 1790 (Flannery 1996:135). In addition to sea­ based resources, the mix of vegetation, including heath, woodland, rainforest species, i and shelter the rock overhangs on the slopes and close to the beaches, would have offered both food (fruits, roots, etc) and raw material resources. Rock surfaces suitable I for drawings and engravings occur in open situations and in shelters. In the past Aboriginal people moved across the landscape carrying out the myriad of activities which constitute family and community life, such as fishing, hunting, meeting with friends and family, playing with children and 9bserving rituals. Only some of these I activities leave behind a pennanent physical record.

Today around the harbour shores there are many midden sites and rock overhangs I where the Aboriginal people camped or took shelter. Excavation of a number of these has provided a series of dates, all of which are less than 4,000 years (Attenbrow 1994). These sites were occupied after the sea reached its present level. The food remains found at these sites seem to suggest that people based their diet very heavily on I shellfish once estuarine habitats had fonned in Port Jackson.

Of the many Aboriginal occupation sites occurring on the beaches and in rock shelters I around the harbour, a number have now been excavated. One of these sites is near the southern end of Balmoral Beach, only 650 metres east of Obelisk Bay (Attenbrow 1992, 1994). A rock overhang provided shelter for people camping at the site. Remains of fish, shellfish, animals and plants were found. Fresh water was available from a swamp I which was filled to make Balmoral Oval. Occupation at the site was dated to 3,650 years ago. I Aborigines are shown living in rock shelters, hunting and fishing, in Leseur's drawing of 1802 (Figure 12).

The Middle and Georges Heads area has not been thoroughly surveyed for Aboriginal I sites (Dallas 1995:15) but the National Parks & Wildlife Service contains records of eight sites. Several of these are occupation or camping sites, others are rock I engravings and one is a painted art site. Site #45-6-1699 is a rock overhang in a south facing outcrop east of Obelisk Beach. The dark grey deposit contains fragments of cockles, turbans, tritons, periwinkles and limpets. There are lightly engraved markings on the rear wall which appear to be recent I and not of Aboriginal origin. The deposit of this site may be archaeologically significant. It is very accessible, since a walking track from the beach to the eastern obelisk goes I right through the shelter. The sites #45-6-1757 and #45-6-1698 are two adjacent rock overhangs with midden material including small fragments of rock oyster, cockle, limpet, turban, triton and other types of shellfish in the earth floor. located on the eastern slope near Georges Head, I these overhangs are beside the only track in the area giving access to the intertidal rock platforms below. I Site #45-6-1907 consists of rock engravings at Middle Head, located near MH3, the location of the 1871 Outer Middle Head Battery. Part of a large engraved figure is I tBBPt I I 34 (27.08.99) MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION exposed at the edge of the existing structure, and extends under earth. This figure has I been truncated by construction ofthe fortification. There is also an engraved fish, which may be unfinished or not Aboriginal.

It has been suggested that the engravings at this site were originally recorded by Angas I (1847) but this has not been conclusively demonstrated. Sir Charles Nicholson (1880) noted that Colonel Vigors, who had been engaged to superintend the construction of a battery at Middle Head, made precise recordings of the engravings before they were I destroyed. The whereabouts of Colonel Vigors' drawings, if they still exist, are not known. However Nicholson's descriptions of the drawings do not match the Angas recordings (Figure 3). I 'On clearing away the superticial brushwood preparatory to the levelling of the rock the carvings were brought to light. Exact measurements of the various objects were then made and carefully reduced according to a given scale' (Nicholson 1880:32). Nicholson I includes in his article a short memorandum written by Colonel Vigors:

The sandstone rock is formed into large horizontal tables and on these the outlines were cut. They were covered with several inches of vegetable mOUld. No. I 1 is the only specimen of the human form I could discover. I look on No. 8. as interesting, as it shows the manner in which the natives began the work. Small holes were drilled or made in the rock at intervals of a few inches and were subsequently joined into one continuous line as shown in the other figures. No. 17 I is upwards of 30 feet in length, and no doubt was meant to represent a whale. No. 19 is the next longest. What fish No. 21 is intended to represent it would be very difficult to determine. The kangaroo (jumping), figure 24 as well as 27, where he is at bay, are among the most interesting. I

A search should be made for these drawings,. since they and the engravings they record are integral to the multiple values of Middle Head. Lieutenant-Colonel P.D. Vigors was I in the British Army's 19th Regiment of Foot, retiring in 1881 Onformation courtesy of Colonel Thompson, Military Museum, Victoria Barracks, Paddington). The drawings, if they still exist, may be with the Nicholson papers, in the Mitchell Library, or in England. I Site #45-6-2092 consists of rock engravings less than 50 metres below Chowder Bay Road, by a small creek which drains near the eastern end of Obelisk Beach (Figure 4). Located in a remnant rainforest environment, five fish have been engraved on a sloping rock over which water would run when water flow was high. The fish are aligned as if I swimming upstream. This site is very accessible. The challenge, if visitation is to be increased, would be to ensure preservation ofthe site and its immediate environment. I Site #45-6-2217 is a shelter within a 50 metre long section of cliff line below Chowder Bay Road. The shelter faces towards the south east and the shoreline is about 30 metres further downslope. There are some charcoal marks which mayor may not be Aboriginal in origin, though some are obviously graffiti. One area of red ochre outlined I in charcoal has been interpreted as a macropod of Aboriginal origin. This motif has been partly truncated by exfoliation of part ofthe rock surface. I The site is slightly hazardous to get to and might be at risk from further destruction if visitation were encouraged.

Site #45-6-2307 was an open midden located at the eastern end of Cobblers Beach on I a tidal rock platform. The midden had been destroyed by naval use of amphibious vehicles and perhaps also removal oftopsoil by Mosman Council (Gojak 1999:9'.1), but shellfish remnants of cockles, rock oysters, nerita and cartrut were recorded in an I exposed section of fill.

Site #45-6-2308 is a small shelter in a northern slope east of Cobblers Beach. Spenglers triton, hairy mussel and rock oyster were recorded there. Now only a small I unidentifiable fragment of shell is visible, the deposit is yellow sand and the site is assessed as being of low significance and interest. I In addition to the sites in the NPWS register are engravings located on a flat expanse of sandstone located above the 1801 fortification and over which a track down to the tBIPt I I I MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99) 35 I eastern obelisk passes. Faded and partly destroyed the engravings appear to include several very large figures. It is quite possible that they are figures drawn by Campbell (1899), which he describes at being 'at Middle Head, on the north side of Obelisk Bay, on the edge of the flat portion'. He described them as two figures, one 'a hump-backed I whale twenty-nine feet long' and the other also a large whale (Figure 5). Campbell wondered whether the hump-back was one of the figures Nicholson described 'upwards I of 30 feet in length, and no doubt. .. meant to represent a whale' (Nicholson 1880:32). This location is very accessible. Search of the area under light at night would help to establish what figures are present. Interpretation covering early recordings and conjecture about what engravings still exist and what has been destroyed could be I located at this site.

Another recording of engraVings was made by Bray (1896) of figures including a whale, I fish and a shield. Described as being at Georges Head, his map dated 3.5.96, shows them as being between the 'road to fortification' and 'Georges Beach', now known as I Obelisk Beach (Figure 6). These figures have not been relocated. 6.3 Aborigines and Europeans

I State Historical Theme 1: Aboriginal Contact

At the time of the arrival of the first fleet at Port Jackson, Aborigines occupying the coastal area north beyond Broken Bay and south to Botany Bay were a large tribal I grouping identified as Guringai speakers. Within this were smaller bands or groups of families who generally hunted and foraged within local areas. According to Hunter (1793:412) and Phillip (1738-1814:309) the group occupying the northern shore of Port I Jackson, east from around Milsons Point as far as Manly Beach, and therefore including Middle and Georges Heads, were the Camaraigal.

Many sightings of Aborigines on and around the beaches of North Head, visible from I Middle Head, were recorded in the early years ofthe colony. Collins Cove (also known as Spring Cove) is reputed to be the site of Governor Phillip's landing and subsequent spearing in 1788. A whale feast attended by 'at least two hundred Indians' was recorded I at Collins Cove by Watkin Tench in 1790. It was also from this area that the Aborigines Arabanoo, and later Bennelong and Coleby, were captured in 1789 to act as interpreters (Smith 1992:21, 27).

I Aboriginal sites around Port Jackson were commented upon soon after settlement by Governor Phillip (1789:58), Tench (1789:79) and others (McDonald 1994:57-8). The first recorded reference to Aboriginal sites on North Head dates to July 1845. I Gooseberry, wife of the then deceased Aboriginal King Bungaree, in return for flour and tobacco, conducted George Angas and Inspector WA Miles of the Water Police on a tour of Aboriginal rock carvings at North Head and told them 'all that she knew and all that she had heard her father say about these places sacred to the koradgees, men I potent in casting spells' (Angas 18472:202,272-3; Smith 1992:146).

In April and May of 1789 half of the Aboriginal population between Broken Bay and I Botany Bay died of smallpox. At the time Watkin Tench wondered at the origin of the disease, since none of the Europeans had it (in Flannery 1996:103). There has been conjecture that the disease was deliberately released amongst the Aboriginal population from 'variolous matter in bottles' which the ships' surgeons had brought with them I (Butlin 1982:23). I I I tBBPt I I 36 (27.08.99) MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION 6.3.1 Military Space I

state Historical Theme 2: Convict State Historical Theme 23: Defence I The natural sandstone ramparts of Middle and Georges Heads were recognised as a pivotal place to defend the entrance to Sydney Harbour. Fortifications at Middle Head started very early after the First Fleet established a British colony, with the building of a I battery at Middle Head in 1801 to command the harbour entrance. At this time there was no other settlement on the north side of the Harbour, which would have been occupied by Aboriginal people still living a semblance of normal life. I Governor King, writing in 1802, explained the importance of the fort or battery to the colony of New South Wales. They were to allow cannon to prevent any ship entering Sydney Harbour. When he arrived in the colony King had found the batteries in a I dilapidated state. There were batteries at Dawes Point (Figure 16), Bennelong Point, Windmill Hill and Garden Island. King had these reconstructed and a new battery built on Georges Head in 1801. This battery was opposite the ~ntrance to the harbour and would 'completely prevent any attack from without' (Bigge, Extracts from letters from I Governor King, BT60,154-9). King's view of Sydney Harbour as needing to be ringed by forts reminds us that for military and naval men ofthe early nineteenth century the world was a small and dangerous place. The United Irish prisoners had recently arrived in the I colony, it was feared they might make contact with French naval forces. Organising the control and refurbishment of batteries needed an 'intelligent man' and King had appointed Captain Abbott ofthe New South Wales Carp, assuring London the expense was necessary and all of the labour would be done by convicts (King to the Duke of I Portland, Historical letters of NSW 1801-3, IVp.330-1). The 1801 description ofthe battery reads: I Situated on a commanding height near the entrance of the harbour and appears to be well calculated to prevent any ships coming up the harbour. It is formed en barbet and made at present to contain only two guns, but there is sufficient room I to extend the battery for a greater number. The magazine nearby was described as I an excellent stone building, 24ft by 18ft divided into two apartments - a powder room and a filling one. The walls of the building are 3 ft thick It is nearly finished (King to the Duke of Portland, HRNSW,IV,496-7). I In 1800 there were 40 brick and stone layers, plasterers and building labourers in the colony. They worked on public and private buildings (Returns of Labour, HRANSW, IV, 282-3). These men would have been involved in the building ofthe battery. The convict department which employed them was as elaborate as the military department which I required their work. Though not paid for labour they received rations of flour, pork, maize and sugar, all was carefully accounted for. Some of their rations would have been kept and some traded. This thriving economy in excess stores would also have I included Aboriginal people (Byme1992: 10).

A stone magazine was built with a powder room and a second room. Six guns were installed. The fort was established without reference to the land it was on. In 1802 a I subaltern was required to take the post at the battery, as early as a barrack could be erected for him (King to the Duke of Portland, HRNSW IV,330-331). No mention is made in any documents of accommodation for troops or convicts, and in the absence of I any archaeological remains it has to be assumed that they were billeted under canvas (Gojak 1999:App 2 section 3). There is no reference to any person living nearby. I I

+BBP+ I I I I MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99) 37 6.3.2 Bungaree's Farm I State Historical Theme 6: Land Tenure State Historical Theme 35: Persons

Bungaree was a well known person in earty colonial Sydney. He sailed in a small boat I with Matthew Flinders to north of Brisbane in 1799, and two years later when about 19 years of age circumnavigated Australia with Flinders in the Investigator. Fifteen years later he sailed with Philip Parker King and Allan Cunningham to Timor and back via I Cape Leuwin in Western Australia. Part of the text accompanying a portrait of Bungaree by Augustus Earle (Figure 14), displayed in Sydney in 1826, read 'One ofthe first people generally seen after landing is i BUNGAREE, a Native Chief. He is generally aware of the arrival of strangers, and stations himself in as conspicuous a situation as possible, and welcomes them to his Country...The accompanying likeness represents him in the act oftaking off his hat and I bowing to the strangers landing.' (Hackforth-Jones 1980). In 1815 Governor Macquarie 'gave' Bungaree an area of land at Middle Head and engaged a convict to establish a fann with huts, implements, a boat and stock, I encouraging Bungaree and a group of families to take up agriculture.

In that year Macquarie reported to London that he had 'succeeded in getting' sixteen natives and their families to settle on a small fann on the north shore of the harbour I (Macquarie to Bathurst, 24 March 1815, Historical Records of Australia, 1,V1I,467). For Macquarie small fanns were the solution to all ills in the colony, he sought to create a colony of sturdy yeoman fanners and he wished to 'civilise the natives', by encouraging I them in agricultural pursuits. The small fann was not referred to as a land grant. Edward Smith Hall explained why in relation to his discussion of a similar fann at Elizabeth Bay, 'Aboriginal people viewed Europeans sitting down in the midst of their possessions with cheerful indifference..'. He continued, 'Possession by promise either verbal or written, in I Macquarie's day was considered..as good as parchment and the seal of the colony..' (E.S.Hall to George Murray, enclosure HRA, I,XV,596). I Hall presents a coexistence of land possession. On either Aboriginal or European tenns it was unnecessary to be exact about title. This may explain why Bungaree was not recorded as being 'granted' land, it was impossible to grant land to those who already I possessed it. The 'fann' is described by the Sydney Gazette as being on the peninsula of Georges Head, being nearty surrounded on all sides by the sea. A trigometrical survey of the I area in 1828 (Figure 7) locates 'Bungaree's fann' at Middle Head yet does not locate a boundary (Trigometrical Survey, AO map 4752). A boundary mark is referred to by Thomas Rice in his application for a ticket of occupation in 1822, indicating somefonnal marker of the extent of the fann (Rice to Colonial Secretary, 15 October 1824 Colonial I Secretary Memorials Fiche 3071). In 1834 a Government reserve is named in the surveyor Lanner's map (Figure 8) showing a proposed road, there is no indication ofthe fann of six years before (Surveyors Sketch Books, 62, vol 2, Reel 2778). In his I accompanying report Lanner makes no mention ofthe land given to Bungaree or of any Aboriginal presence (Lannerto Surveyor General 1 September 1824, Reports, 2/1549).

In 1801 the fort was built at George's Head and this is present day Middle Head. I 'George's Head' was also the tenn given to the fann area by Macquarie. In 1828 the Map shows the fann at 'Middle Head'. ~ From 1815 to 1824 the tenns used in relation to the area change. These are • 'an establishment' (Sydney Gazette 4 Feb 1815). • 'a settlement' (Sydney Gazette 4 Feb 1815). • 'the Black Native's Settlement' (Goulbum to Thomas Rice, 5 November 1824 I Colonial Secretary Letters 4/1760,p 104-5). I tBBPt 1/ I 38 (27.08.99) MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION • 'George's Town in the Cove of Sydney' (Bemard Keams 3 June 1824. Colonial I Secretary Letters 4/1760). This lack of clarity in terminology reflects the area's legal status, which is never clearly set out. The early 1830s saw sale of Government land on the North shore and at this time the area becomes a small government reserve (see map 1834). I 6.3.3 Building the Farm I The farm at George's Head consisted of sixteen families for whom Macquarie had huts built. These huts were paid for by the Police fund (Macquarie to Bathurst, 24 March 1815, Historical Records ofAustralia, 1,VII,467). In November 1821 Macquarie reported I settling Bungaree and his tribe 'for a second time' at George's Head'. Bamey Williams had 'put the farm in very neat order for them with good huts for their residence and made a most excellent and Romantic Road from the landing place to the village' - the tribe consisted of 15 men and women (L.Macquarie, Diary, 11 February 1822, ML CY I 301). Bamard Williams was Government Coxswain and he also built the huts at Elizabeth Bay (Drennan to Colonial Secretary 2 August 1822, Colonial Secretary Letters 4/1748). A picture of the latter shows two rows of bark huts (Figure 23). The farm at I Middle Head would have looked much the same. 6.3.4 An Aboriginal Economy I That there was a second settlement indicates both that Macquarie wished to secure the future of the settlement with the new Governor and that the 'farm' was used by Bungaree in a different manner than expected. Accounts of Bungaree during I Macquarie's rule indicate that Bungaree spent a great deal of his time away from George's Head. This was implied by Bemard Keams who wrote to the Colonial Secretary in 1822 that he wished to become overseer to the Aborigines residing there. He wanted to I

Instruct them in the various branches of agriculture as well as during their occasional absence to protect the huts erected there...Your memorialist being well known to the Aborigines is sensible that by the method he would pursue with I them that he would be enabled to make them cultivate the land, thereby affording them nourishment and protection when the inclemency of the weather would impede them sallying out to their accustomed pursuits (Bemard Kearns 3 June I 1824. Colonial Secretary Letters 4/1760).

Bemard Keams was made an overseer. His letter, however, recognizes the existence of an Aboriginal economy at George Town, involving fishing and hunting which continued I alongside the European economy. The coexistence of the two economies is well represented by contemporary European drawings and paintings of Sydney Harbour.

The settlement had its uses for the fifteen people there and they did not coincide with I the concerns of Macquarie for civilisation. This is not to say that Bungaree had no interest in the trading life of the Sydney streets. When Augustus Earle painted his portrait Bungaree (Figure 14) charged entry for viewing the picture and Aboriginal I people were active traders in clothes and fish in the streets of Sydney (Byme1992: 10). Macquarie gave farming implements and a boat to Bungaree on the first visit in 1815. A boat is a very important gift because in Sydney ownership of boats was restricted and required Government permission. Cowper claims the boat was 'lost' when the farm was I abandoned.

6.3.5 Bungaree and Arbitration I

While contemporary accounts show an obsession with the character of individual Aborigines which are recounted as 'tales', it is possible to see the status the English ~ administration gave Bungaree. Macquarie gave a King plate to Bungaree at the establishment ofthe farm (Sydney Gazette, 4 February, 1815). This was symbolic and it is now ecognized by historians that these King plates were understood differently by the recipients. Macquarie also reported giving a military uniform to Bungaree in 1821, I Macquarie describes it as an old suit of a General's Uniform in his diary (Macquarie Diary ML CY 301). We have to remember that, in the nineteenth century, military tBBPt I I ----_.. __ ._--_.~------_ ... _-- ._-- I MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99) 39 I uniform is never easily given away by military men. Uniforms were worried over, carefully scrutinized and carefully looked after. They implied rank and were only worn by persons of that specific rank. To give this uniform is a recognition of Bungaree's status and we see this also in the Augustus Earle painting, where Bungaree is portrayed I in uniform. This status may be explored by examining accounts of Bungaree's role as conciliator and arbiter. I Bungaree's name became legendary, his actions are described as legend by Threlkeld, a missionary writing in 1828. He explained how an Aboriginal woman was murdered near the bathing house on the Sydney Domain. Her husband took her, in the black's boat to Broken Bay where she expired. She was buried in Pittwater. Bungarrie, chief of I the Sydney tribe ordered him to collect all the Blacks he could and come and punish the man (Threlkeld to London Missionary Society, 9 October 1828, BT 53, 1790). This position of power was given to Bungaree in English accounts. In 1810 he would have I been among those Sydney Aborigines who joined Parramatta Aborigines to wait in the grounds of the JUdge Advocate's house for a judgement against Edward Luttrell for shooting Tidbury, a Parramatta Aborigine. When the case against Luttrell failed they speared a settler at Parramatta. For his part the Judge Advocate held the case at his I house, to show respect (Ellis Bent to Mother 27 April 1810, ANL MS 195). In 1826 Bungaree was called to the Police Court and told to warn his people and the chiefs of other tribes that rioting and drunkeness in the street at night would be met with punishment on the treadmill (Sydney Gazette 25 March 1826). Bungaree is seen as I representative of his people. I 6.3.6 The Political Terrain While Macquarie was establishing the farm at Georges Head he was at war with the Parramatta tribes. The landowner Jonathan Hassall claimed that from 1816 settlers felt I they could 'kill the natives' without fearing the law (Sydney Gazette 12 August 1824). There was no period of amiable relations which deteriorated in New South Wales. Rather there was constant underlying violence. In 1819 Bungaree travelled to Wallis plains to be there when Macquarie toured (Macquarie Journal of a Voyage 21 I November 1821, ML CY301).

We have surviVing only records of Bungaree's actions, not his words. He was a frequent I visitor to the houses of the colonial elite and he most certainly acted as arbiter and conciliator. We do not, and cannot, know what Bungaree thought and said. English fantasy involving comic accounts has unfortunately influenced current historiography I and there is sometimes an infantilising tone to this work on Bungaree. 6.3.7 English Accounts ofAborigines

i The return of Aboriginal natives was worried over by magistrates in rural areas. They were concerned as to whether they should write down the English name of the person as well as the Aboriginal name. If people said they were from elsewhere should they include them? By contrast Sydney returns were disorganized scraps of information( I Papers relating to Aborigines AONSW, 4/2045). The returns from 1829 are accompanied by. a loose slip of paper from Sydney reading I Bungarie wife daughter and sister Chughi NuryTom Tarbywife I Yama Six rugs 26 August I I I tBBPt I r------~~--.------~ I 40 (27.08.99) MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION The formal 1829 return is more detailed. It reads I Men Women Children Total Broken Bay Mullens Sydney Bungaree I Sydney Tamara (Botany Bay) 4 3 1 8 BolQoborouQh 3 2 1 6 Bulleye 4 3 2 7 I

This table gives information contrary to the Breastplate given by Macquarie in 1815 at Georges Head which read 'Bungame of the Broken Bay Tribe'. Bungaree is identified I here as the Sydney Tribe.

Though the English administration identifies tribes in the area of Port Jackson their information is often contradictory. These tables are far more useful to show the English I administration's political recognition of different clan and family groups.

The returns of 1836 are brief, little notice is taken of the column requiring 'Designation of tribe' and the 'place or district of usual resort' is listed in the last column. In the first I four lines there is listed Botany, Bulli, Broken Bay, Sydney. The second page does not give location and the names are listed under 'native name', though some are clearly European. I

W.Punch Dina Mrs Croples Mrs Punch Mr Bungarie MrsNelly MrMullen Yama Billy Potter I Mrs Goosebeny Broge MrTobin Miss Maria Kangaroo Jack Mrs Cranny I The last line reads 'Superintended by Beerabahr or Macgill Chief ofthe Lake Macquarie Tribe'.

The English administration wished to locate tribes, certain that they occupied discrete I areas of territory, so they could be at war with the tribes at Windsor and not with those at Sydney. However, as we can see Bungaree travelled widely among all of the different groups in the County of Cumberland. His political terrain was not that of the I English administration. 6.3.8 Aborigines Lose the Farm I The 'farm' remains at least until 1824 (Rice to Colonial Secretary, 15 October 1824 Colonial Secretary Memorials Fiche 3071), and it is marked on a map in 1828. Why it should appear at all on this map is intriguing, just as it is absent from land grants in the I detailed maps of 1824 (Col Sec Land Register AONSW 5/2450). The first major encroachment seems to have been after the Land Regulations of 1831 when the Administration decides to sell rather than grant colonial land (Fletcher 1984:196-7). The surveyor employed to meas!Jre land to be sold in 1834, Larmer, did not mention any I Aboriginal habitation and his measurement of the reserve is in response to the requirements of a prospective buyer, J Davies, who wants to include both beaches at Middle Head on his grant. This made 52 acres and was larger than expected. Davies I did not buy the 52 acres. Larmer's map of 1834 shows a small area of reserve on Middle Head where the farm used to be and in 1837 all ofthe surrounding land is sold in separate lots to the recent immigrant Charles Beilby (A.O. Map 5987). I It was in 1836 that the administration decided Aboriginal people should not be able to alienate or convey land title (Glenelg to Bourke, 13 April 1836, HRA, XVIII). This is a point of dispossession at Port Jackson where earlier Aborigines were viewed as I coexisting landholders. The name 'Bungaree' obtained significance in Bungaree's lifetime. A boxer who went to I England used it. The Herald thought boxing a shameful pursuit and said he used Bungaree to hide his real name (Sydney Morning Herald 17 May 1842). The boxer's tBBPt I I/~ I MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99) 41 I own reasons are not stated. More significantly, in 1842 a Mr Stubbs advertised sales of villas at St Leonards using the name of Bungaree (Sydney Morning Herald 26 December 1842). The advertisement includes the following:

I OF THE BUNGAREE FAMILY This truly romantic spot is full of deep associations and moral reflections. It will be I handed down to posterity as the lasting record of the antiquity, the power, and the birthright of the royal BUNGAREE FAMILY, safe under British Rule.

I There in an advertisement is the history of Bungaree as presented by historians of the late twentieth century also. It is a story of decline with no reference or consultation of indigenous people themselves. In the advertisement, however, is also a recognition that I the Bungaree family owned the whole of the land, not simply the 'farm' which would have been a single spot in their understanding of the country.

The full irony about the farm is not manifest until the 1889 terra nullius decision by the I British Privy Council that Aborigines had no property rights because they had not laboured to 'subdue' the land by agricultural cultivation (Gooda1l1996:1 06).

I 6.3.9 European Individuals at Middle and Georges Heads

State Historical Theme 6: Land Tenure

I 1. The first group of people on Middle and Georges Heads would have been Captain Abbot and. his convict builders (see section 6.3.1 above).

I 2. Bamey Williams. In February 1821 Bamey Williams rebuilt the village and 'a romantic road' to it at 'George's Head'. He was the government coxswain and overseer of boats. He built the huts at Elizabeth Bay for an Aboriginal farm in the same year and for payment received two cows (Col Sec Returns, X285). Bamard Williams was married I to Ann Williams, a Sydney publican. His wife draws us into the vigorous trading world of the streets of Sydney, of which Bungaree was also a part. Bamard Williams is recorded as 'superintending' construction, meaning he had people working for him. Bamard I Williams died in 1822.

3. Bamard Keams. In June 1822 Bamard Keams sought work from Governor Brisbane (Bamard Keams 3 June 1824 Colonial Secretary Letters 411760). He had been in the I colony 23 years and came on the ship Friendship with Captain Reid. He did not mention that he was a Sydney constable who had been dismissed from duty (Col Sec Returns 411764, 25). His entire letter uses language carefully and it is language calculated to I impress. Keams wished to be appointed overseer to 'George Town' because of his 'knowledge of the blacks' and by the 'desire of Bungaree', a Native Chief. He wished to be 'placed over' the Natives. He had a 'method'. In this sense he couches his letter in terms similar to a missionary. Threlkeld in 1828 also proposes a method. Keams is I clear that he has been asked to take the position by Bungaree. The Governor thought much of this point and placed an 'X' beside it. He gave the position to Keams. In New South Wales a landowner would normally employ an overseer himself, the separate I status of the settlement is again stressed and Bamard Keams draws it into the philanthropic world of the missionary in his letter. Bamard Keams was desperate for work because he said his wife was on crutches and he had an infant child. This inability of his wife to work stresses the place of European women as joint workers in the I marriages of the early nineteenth century.

Bamard Keams his wife on crutches and his infant child are the third group of whites we I can locate at Middle Head. He is also recorded as receiving a convict servant who would have lived with him.

An 1834 map by the surveyor Larmer shows 'Bamey Keams ferry' leaving from· the I beach at Middle Head on Hunter's Bay now Balmoral Beach). A proposed road is to be I tBBPt I I 42 (27.08.99) MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION made from a Whaling station on the point of Careening Cove to Keam's Feny. By 1834 I Bamard Keams had died. The Surveyor's report accompanying the map states that his widow lives in a hut near the feny (Larmer to Surveyor General 1 September 1824, Reports, 2/1549). I 4. Thomas Rice. In 1823 Thomas Rice who described himself as a free person of No. 68 Phillip Street, requested a ticket of occupation for land to depasture his cattle (Col Sec Petitions Fiche 3071). He had 58 head of cattle and for eight years had supplied I the General Hospital with milk. He was married and achieved his present position 'through care and industry'. The letter was marked by the Colonial Secretary 'Mr Oxley knows him not' illustrating the importance of patronage in obtaining any indulgence from the Governor. This letter is couched in careful language also. On October 21 1823 the I Governor replied that Rice could have the land 'but the spot you select must be at a distance from any land likely to be holden by grant'. He wrote in October 1824 that he would like to have 600 acres north from Bradley's Head to the black native's boundary I mark at George's Heads - for the past four years his cattle had depastured there. On the 5th November he was granted six hundred acres 'in a circle' around the stockyard...between the boundaries of Mr Barton's farm and Bradley's Head at the Black native's settlement at George's Head. In charge was to be Alexander Roberts ­ I the ticket was given provided 'it is now depastured by no previous occupant and the cattle be branded TR. The land was given 'until such time as the Government may choose'. In 1854 Rice is recorded as having bought land on Hunter's Bay (Balmoral Beach) in 1831. I

Thomas Rice, his dairy cows and his convict servant Alexander Roberts are the fourth group in the landscape. I

5. Nearby landholders. Thomas O'Neil was recorded as owning 40 acres of land on the Hunter's (Balmoral) Beach near Middle Head. He was resident at Middle Harbour in 1820 and had convict mechanics and tradesmen assigned to him. He sold his land to I Char1es Beilby.

Thomas Graham was recorded as owning 15 acres of land at George's Head in 1834. I Larmer explains that his survey was conducted in order to design a road and to clear1y measure allotments for proposed buyers. These buyers did not necessarily buy the acreages surveyed for them. Hence the 35 acres left without a name on the map. Larmer also refers to 'whaling reserves' where land will be set aside specifically for I whalers. The 1831 Post Office Directory explains that small grants were given to whalers from Neutral Harbour to Careening Cove. In 1837 Char1es Beilby was the only landowner in possession ofthe area from Georges Head to Middle Head. I

6. Char1es Beilby. On 20 December 1834 Charles Beilby bought 52 acres of land at Middle Head for ten pounds an acre (Col Sec Letters 2/7798). The deed was executed in January 1835 and despatched in February 1836. The land was sold by the I Government under the Ripon Regulations where the English government was influenced by the theories of Edward Gibbon Wakefield. The key to colonisation and a successful morally upright colony was the sale of land to immigrants (Fletcher I 1984:196-7). Thomas Brown wished to obtain land by grant at Middle Head in 1834, but the land had already been sold to Beilby.

Char1es Beilby was a merchant, he traded in stationary and ironmongery (Sydney I Morning Herald 3 Jan 1834, 29 March 1836, 18 May 1838). He rapidly acquired all of the land from Georges to Middle Head and sought to mortgage it in 1840 when he was charged with defrauding his creditors (Sydney Morning Herald 22 August 1840). He, 'I however, remained owner and is noted in the map of 1854.

In 1854 the military and the navy were camped on his land. A small circle of tents for both is shown on the map of 1854 (Figure 9). I I

+BBP+ I I I

MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99) 43 I 6.3.10 Return ofthe Land to the Military

Just as the history of Middle and Georges Heads began with anxiety over the need for proper defences so did its civil history end. During the Macquarie period there had been I requests for money from England for defence. This had been denied. In 1839 Governor Gipps wrote to England concerning the colonial anxiety for defence. Major Bamey wished to obtain three hundred pounds from England for the preparation of Bradley's I Head against imminent attack. He received this money with a specific warning that no more should be spent. Like King, Bamey had to explain how he would save money by employing convict labour (Major Bamey to George Gipps 20 October 1840,HRA I XXI.53). i 6A Military Uses State Historical Theme 23: Defence

I 6.4.1 Fortifications After 1850

The following is a summary of military use of Middle and Georges Heads. Gojak [1999] I should be consulted for detailed discussion ofthe military sites and their significance. A Defence Plan was created when the Crimean War was looming in the 1850s. An outer line of harbour defenses were planned for Middle, Georges and South Heads. I Gun emplacements were excavated to provide space for eight guns at Middle Head. By June 1854 three 32-pounders had been installed. Agitation in the press alarmed the city, but by 1855 the defence emphasis was shifted to Pinchgut (Fort Denison) and Dawes I Point, nearer to Sydney Cove. In 1861 Middle and Bradleys Heads were set aside as Military Reserves. Parliamentary Committees made defense recommendations, and in 1867 an Imperial Fortifications I Committee reported to the Colonial Government of NSW foreshadowing the withdrawal of British Troops. Thereafter the colony had to provide its own military defence, though a Naval presence continued.

I In 1870 the British Troops departed, sailing down the western channel in the Sea Eagle. The Military Road along the spine of Mosman was planned to give access to Middle Head, with 250 men employed widening the existing road. The road was stumped and I levelled, and the surface dressed with reddish ironstone gravel. Work proceeded with civilian labour on new pits and trenches cut into the sandstone at Middle Head. A regular Army Artillery Regiment was raised in August 1871, 'A' Battery of 100 men, which emulated the British Royal Regiment in dress, discipline, and practice (Souter I 1994:76-77).

Guns were rolled along Military Road on wooden skids by teams of men hauling on I heavy ropes. By 1875 eight guns were in place in the Middle Head area, two at Georges Head, four at Inner Middle Head, and two 18 ton guns at Outer Middle Head. The lower Casemate at Georges Head was completed (Souter 1994:78). Its range was 2 miles, I then 3, then 4-5 miles. Military personnel were housed at a Barracks at Middle Head behind a walled moat. I Floating white-painted casks were used as practice targets. In 1885 the Regiment provided a field battery of 190 men for the Sudan Contingent.

Every Easter during this period there were Army manoeuvres centred on Middle Head, I with rows of conical tents pitched and hundreds of volunteers taking part. They had mock attacks from Balmoral Beach and Rosherville (Chinamans) Beach, with men scaling the high ground via tracks up from Cobblers Beach, Obelisk Bay and Chowder I Bay (Souter 1994:79-80). I tBBPt I I

44 (27.08.99) MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION .4 In 1913, on 4 October, the first naval vessels of the newly fonned Royal Australian I· Navy steamed into Sydney Harbour line astem, to the delight ofthe crowds assembled at Middle Head. They had been purchased from Great Britain, and the flagship HMAS Australia headed the procession, with the four-funnelled cruisers Sydney, Melboume and Encounter, and the destroyers Parramatta, Warrego and Yarra (Souter 1994:155). I There was a great flush of patriotism amongst the watchers. In the Great War of 1914-1918 many soldiers trained at Middle Head and Georges I Head were sent in Australia's Expeditionary Forces to Gennan New Guinea, the Dardenelles, the Middle East and France.

6.4.2 World War I1 I

After 1939, the Second World War came very close to Sydney Harbour when the Japanese declared war. After the Munich crisis of 1938 the Commonwealth I Govemment had put the port defenses into a state of readiness. The strength of the militia was doubled, and between 1942 and 1944, there was a state of alert on Middle Head and Georges Head (Souter 1994:281). I The first indication of this was the decision in June 1940 to resume the sixty acres on Middle Head leased to the Mosman Golf Club. The Anny wanted to extend its artillery and build temporary structures, some ofthem in timber, some in canvas. They occupied I the Club House, a building that is still standing, though altered. Several hundred signals and artillery personnel were installed, and a block was built to house the Women's Anny Service. The Signals Regiment moved in to the club house and the area became an integral part of the Anny communications system. Middle Head became known as I 'Mead' by the Anny personnel (Souter 1994:281). On the northem side ofthe headland the Navy occupied 40 acres and built a pennanent I depot with accommodation for 700 men, a hospital, messes, and administrative offices. Green tiles were used for the roofs to blend in hannoniously with the surrounding bush (Souter 1994:21). I The Navy established HMAS Penguin, named after a fonner depot ship at Garden Island, in 14 July 1942, as a major seamanship training school. I The heaviest ordnance at Middle and Georges Heads were two 6-inch Mark 7 guns crewed by 20 officers and men ofthe 1st Heavy Brigade Royal Australian Artillery. After the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbour two 3-pounders were added, and two more in front of the annoured casemate at Georges Heads. Four anti-aircraft guns were I mounted on Georges Head, and three search-lights in the area. There was extensive camouflage netting covering the two headlands, and aerial masts were erected for the Signals, controlled by Victoria Barracks. I The remains ofthe Department of Communications Surveillance and Monitoring station was originally part of the old Middle Head component of 'Sydney Fortress'. This connected Middle Head with North and South Heads, controlled from Victoria Barracks I at Paddington via a telephone submarine cable. The old Guardhouse of the Middle Head complex, Building E in the Middle Head Buildings Precinct (section 7.4.2 below), which still contains its original two cells, was used as the Department Department of I Communications Surveillance and Monitoring station during World War 11. Here it monitored clandestine radio transmitters and intercepted Gennan press material. After Japan entered the war, material from the Japanese Morse code messages was intercepted and decoded. The radio traffic from the Japanese midget submarines which I entered the harbour in May 1942 was intercepted here, and the alann given. This radio station played a significant role in the defence of Australia during World War 11 and is perhaps the sole remaining example of such an installation, certainly in the Sydney I area.

Overthis period, it is estimated that more than 2000 men and women were stationed at Middle Head and HMAS PengUin, and a similar number at Georges Heights. I tBBPt I I I MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99) 45 I Absorbing details of the Japanese submarine attacks on Sydney Harbour on 31 May 1942 are to be found in accounts by Andrews (1986), Jenkins (1992), Carruthers (1982), Gill (1985) and the Sydney Fortress War Diary (Aust War Memorial AWM 54, 4/19/4).

I Three midget submarines, only 24 metres long and each carrying two torpedoes and two men, entered the harbour right under the eyes ofthose manning the installations on Middle and Georges Heads. The first was trapped in the antisubmarine boom net slung I between Georges Head and Laing Point at Camp Cove, and was blown up by its crew when they knew they would be detected. The second entered tucked in behind the Manly ferry when the boom net was opened to let it through. Its main target was the US warship Chicago, but a torpedo sunk instead the old ferry Kuttabul, which was being I used as sleeping quarters for naval ratings at Garden Island. Nineteen sailors living aboard were killed. Remains of two of the midgets were recovered, and the third is thought to have sunk offshore. The midget submarines were launched from three larger submarines which approached the coast between six and eight miles off Sydney Heads I (Andrews 1986:161; Souter 1997:221-33).

In this way, history becomes palpable, it can be seen and touched; and the site itself I becomes identified with 'Fortress Sydney', as it was from 1801, renewed in the 1870s to 90s and dUring the 19405. The establishment of guns at North Head with a range beyond the horizon made those at Middle and Georges Heads obsolete. With the increasing sophistication of communications and the hardware of war, defences have I shifted further and further from Sydney Harbour, with most military bases now in the northem part of the continent, in Queensland, the northem Territory and to a lesser I extent Westem Australia. A more recent conflict, the Vietnam War, has also found expression at Middle Head, in the shape of the 'tiger cages' used for training men to withstand enemy torture, still I located in the search light engine room. I 6.5 Prospects Middle Head is the central, most easterly point of the Mosman peninsula. From here you look straight out through the Heads. You are quite unprotected, there is no land out there for hundreds of miles. Below, in the middle distance, the water is milky, it spreads I out, deceitfully mild, heaving gently, like breathing in sleep. A Manly ferry slides past on its way from the Quay. In its outward ferry-lane it seems far too close to the shore I slithering by almost at your feet (Phelan 1993:66). Further back, over Balmoral, a temple-ampitheatre was built in 1923 by Theosophists to look out at the same view through the Heads, where they could see the sun rising above the rim of the watery horizon contained by North and South Head. They were waiting for I Jesus to walk through the Heads. There is something sacred about this prospect, something magical, which has been hinted at repeatedly in the literature of this place. I This prospect, with the sun rising between the two headlands that contain Sydney Harbour, IS similar to ones revered by the ancient Egyptian astronomers. The east is the direction of the dawn of a new day, and symbolic of rebirth. From Middle Head, the prospect eastward, viewed to advantage at the equinox, is linked directly to the sunrise, I and is especially powerful as a symbol of arrival. As the sun rises over the rim of the sea, large and brilliant, it is a promise of the future. The 'rising sun' symbol of swords and bayonets, still wom by all members of the Australian Army, was the badge on the I slouch hats of diggers in the Australian Imperial Force of World War I. For the arrivals at Sydney Harbour from the time of the First Fleet to the present day, their entrance to the Harbour has always been a time of great expectation. From the I ships, the new arrivals were entranced by the noble and capacious harbour, and relieved that the hard, long voyage was at last over and that their destination was a safe, embracing harbour of calm water, away from the roar of the stormy seas. The I welcome it offers voyagers is allegorically benevolent. I tBBPt I I 46 (27.08.99) MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION Forthe people who were looking out, however, from their vantage point at Middle Head, I they viewed the unknown. The Aboriginal world was to be changed from this time forever, as the strange-looking ships with billowing sails proceeded cautiously into the harbour. I. 6.5.1 Arrivals I The entrance to Sydney Harbour has been one ofthe most important national sites, with great emotional significance for many Australians. For many years it was the traditional way for migrants to arrive to this country, to enter the Heads by ship. The heads formed the gateway to the land-locked harbour, the portals ofthe city of Sydney. The high cliffs I formed its defensive walls. Coming in between the Heads, the new arrivals were entering into Australian life in a place far removed from Europe or from their previous homelands. I

The Heads are about 1.6 kilometres wide, at longitude 151'112" east, latitude 33'52" south. Port Jackson is 26 kilometres long. It has two main arms, the main harbour Sydney Harbour, and Middle Harbour, with Middle Head standing sentinel between the I two. There are a myriad of smaller bays along the foreshores, and at Middle and Georges Heads the rocky foreshores echo as a smaller scale those of the larger cliffs of North and South Head. The vegetation is still antipodean bush. Captain Cook, sailing I north from Botany Bay, missed it.

In the colonial years the incoming ships were welcomed as the life-blood of the settlement. The ships brought much needed food before agriculture was established, I and best of all, news from the world the migrants had left. Sydney became established as a depot port for the Southern Pacific waters, and trade grew over the decades. As more settlers arrived after the 1830s when the colony was starting to prosper, many I more ships came. For many, it was a long hazardous journey, fraught with alarms and possible shipwrecks. Surrounded by great oceans, tossed by fierce Antarctic winds, the sea-passage was dangerous and uncertain. In the 19th century, the Australian coast was littered with wrecks. I

Over at North Head, in sight of Middle Head, the Quarantine Station was set up in the late 19th century to intercept migrants and make sure they wore not sick or infected with I transmittable diseases before they reached the city. Their stay was mostly brief, but for some it was tragic.

Returning soldiers were cheered and welcomed home after the traumatic experiences I of war, as they sailed through the Heads in their troop ships. During World War I the largest liner in the world at the time, the Queen Mary, caused a stir when she entered the Heads to act as a troop-carrier forthe Australian Expeditionary Force. I After World War 11, the visit of the young Queen Elizabeth in 1954, the first by a reigning British monarch, was a festive occasion on the water. Migrant ships became a common sight as they steamed up the harbour, piloted in along the shipping channels. I Another remarkable day for many Australians was the 200th anniversary of the First Fleet arrival, when in 1988 a bevy of Tall Ships re-enacted that first arrival, accompanied by a mammoth flotilla of many thousands of small craft. It seemed the I whole of Sydney watched from the foreshores, although Aboriginal people and their supporters at Mrs Macquaries' Point held a noisy protest.

In the 20th century the city of Sydney, which was centred on Sydney Cove on the I southern shore of the harbour, started to spread, firstly along the more accessible Parramatta Road to the south-west, and after 1930, along the northern shores of the harbour and up to the northern beaches. Balmoral, adjacent to Middle Head, became a I highly prized residential location. Now, the harbour is surrounded by an increasingly built-up area, and the open space along the foreshores is doubly important.

The major prospect from Middle Head is to the east, straight through the Heads to the I far horizon. Sunrise during the equinoctial months of September-October and March- tBBPt I I I MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99) I April is spectacular. But there are other prospects, too, that have resonances with the life of Sydney people. These include harbour sports such as yachting and bathing. Also, Middle Head can provide an essential starting point for the identification and exploration of other foreshore areas ofthe Harbour which have become part of the Sydney Harbour I National Park. It is central to North Head, South Head, Nielsen Park, Grotto Point and Dobroyd Point, Laing Point, Bradleys Head etc. It can thus direct visitors in their I exploration ofthe Harbour and made the total harbour experience more meaningful. I 6.5.2 Harbour Sports State Historical Theme 27: Leisure i Yachting The period after World War " is of interest for its site specific attributes, including I yachting and the spectator sport ofwatching yacht races. Sydney Harbour has been from 1827 the backdrop of yacht races, both those conducted in the harbour and those which set offfor distant ports.

I In 1827 the personnel of the Royal Navy, which considered Sydney Harbour one of the chief ports in the Far East and Pacific Region, instituted an official regatta on 26 January. All the local worthies and their families were invited to view the races from Dawes Point and surrounding headlands in a kind of gigantic picnic. The Sydney I professional water-men had their own race as well from Pinchgut to Dawes Point; with ferrymen, punts and rowers competing (Morris 1992:150). This event was the first I regatta, and started a long tradition. . Of course, the transports, store ships, and gun-boats of the First Fleet were the forerunners of the yachts of today. They were followed by the immigrant ships and then the whaling ships from Europe and America which made Sydney a port of call in their I voyages to the whaling seas of the Antarctic, and gave the name 'Chowder Bay' to the little beach adjacent to Georges Head. I Although Archibald Mosman, after whom the suburb was named, established a whaling station at Sirius Cove in the 1830s, the most flamboyant figure to engage in whaling was Benjamin Boyd who arrived in his famous yacht, the Wanderer, in 1842, to establish the Twofold Bay whaling indUstry at Boydtown on the South Coast. His I beautiful yacht was greeted in Sydney Harbour with enthusiastic crowds which watched its entry into the Harbour in that year. These crowds were the forerunners of the crowds that now wave off the yachts in the Sydney to Hobart Race, which has become a I traditional sight ofthe Christmas season in Sydney. This is a tradition linked particularly to these harbour headlands where crowds come every year to throng the foreshores and take advantage of the commanding height of I Middle and Georges Heads to view the prospect over the harbour in all its excitement and colour and movement. I This yearly event should be considered as one of the intrinsic themes linked with this area, and plans should be made to contain and cater for this interest.

I Bathing

By the turn ofthe century, sea-bathing had become popular, and it was the bathers that I displaced the old holiday camps at the beach below Middle Head. It was a clean, sheltered, north-facing beach, calletl 'an earthly paradise' by a local reporter waxing lyrical (Mosman Mai/1903). It became a magnet for beach-goers, particularly when the tram lines were built from Military Road. From Balmoral, walkers could climb up Middle I Head and enjoy the prospects: looking beyond the Heads, watching the boat races. I +BBP+ I ------._-- I 48 (27.08.99) MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION I Obelisk Beach, once a prized local secluded picnic beach, and to a lesser extent Cobblers Beach, are today used for nude bathing and social encounters. I 6.5.3 HarbourVisitors

state Historical Theme 35: Persons I

• The Russian explorers under Captain Bellinghausen appearing in the Vostok in 1820. They sailed into the Harbour via the western channel between the Sow and Pigs reef. 'An enchanting view,' he wrote. They were visited by Bungaree, his wife I Matora, and friends. • The Americans under Commodore Charles Wilkes, 30th November, 1839. He I entered the Harbour at night unobserved, in the USS Vincennes and Peacock and anchored at Sydney Cove, astonishing the population, and pointing to the lack of any surveillance. He remarked, 'we might after firing the shipping and reducing a great part of the town to ashes, have effected a retreat before daylight'. A battery I was installed at Bradley's Head the following year.

• The Japanese submarines, 31 May 1942. Three midget submarines from three larger submarines which had approached the coast about six miles off Sydney I Heads in May 1942, entered the harbour and slipped through the boom gate in the wake of a Manly ferry right under the noses of men manning the installations at Middle and Georges Heads. The boom gate was a steel anti-submarine net I supported by pylons between Georges Head and Green Point at Camp Cove on the other side ofthe harbour. Amongst their main targets was the US warship Chicago, but a torpedo sunk instead the HMAS Kuttabul, used as a floating dormitory for naval ratings at Garden Island. Nineteen sailors were killed. The larger submarines I outside the Heads also fired missiles that landed at Bondi and Rose Bay (Souter 1994: 223-4). I 6.5A Local Disasters and Hazards State Historical Theme 33: Death I Shipwreck ofthe Edward Lombe in 1834 The Edward Lombe was wrecked right here on the rocks of Middle Head, and twelve I people perished. A graphic account is given by Charles Bateson (1972:107-8). Evidence can be found in newspaper reports (Sydney Herald 1,4/9/1834 and 1019/1835), and paintings by Oswald Brierly (Figure 20), and Conrad Martens (Figure 21), which are reproduced by Bateson. 'I

The Edward Lombe was a barque of 347 tons built at Whitby, England, and was bound from Hobart to Mauritius, chartered by a Tasmanian merchant to pick up a cargo of I sugar. She sailed to Sydney on the first leg of her journey to land the balance of her English cargo on the way. She had been lying becalmed for three days, but when she approached Sydney, a fierce storm blew her towards land with a strong south-east gale but prevented her entering the Harbour. Captain Stroyan was clawing his way off the I land when he saw the South Head light, but her foretopmast staysail and foretopmast back stay were carried away. Their only chance was to find shelter inside the Harbour, but it was the captain's first journey to Sydney, and he was not familiar with the I halZards of naVigation inside the Harbour.

Passing through the Heads at last at about 9.30 pm they tried to anchor, but the cable parted, and the boat was driven onto Middle Head. Firmly wedged on the rocks, it was I battered by huge seas. Cutting away the rowboats, the captain and three others were swept overboard. The vessel began to break up. The passengers were still on the stem at daybreak and were sighted by a sloop Venus. Alarm was raised at Watsons Bay, but the captain and crew of the sloop made a desperate attempt at rescuing the I +BBP+ I I I

MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99) 49 I survivors by landing in a nearby bay and, hauling them to the shore one by one. Seventeen were saved, and 12 were lost (Bateson 1972:107-8).

I The Sow and Pigs Reef

The Sow and Pigs is shallow water over rocks and shoals between Camp Cove and Georges Head. Ships' channels pass either side of it. The western channel passes I close to Georges Head.

Directly below Georges Head, there is an iron tripod beacon 8.24 metres high which I marks the Sow and Pigs hazard, with a conical Iight-and-bell further down. Buoys and lights mark the edges ofthe channels.

After the wreck of the Edward Lombe, the first marker, a manned light vessel, was I anchored off the Sow and Pigs Reef in 1834 to mark the rOGks and the shoalwater there. She was an old schooner, The Rose. I The Sow and Pigs has been one ofthe principal sea-marks in the Harbour. Apart from being a navigational hazard, it serves now as a rounding point for boat-crews, the first time being in 1827 when crews of two British warships, HMS Success, and Rainbow raced their yachts from Sydney Cove and back. In 1924 a sailing ship, the Phoenix, I struck the reef, but did not sink. The first light vessel was replaced in 1856, by a naval hulk, the Bramble, which lasted until 1877, when she was replaced by Bramble 11 until 1912, when an unmanned I acetylene-gas light bUoy was installed (Stephenson 1966: 30-2).

I Shipwreck ofthe Dunbarin 1857 The Dunbar met its fate outside the harbour, near The Gap. Victims were washed ashore at Middle and Georges Head and in Middle Harbour. The Dunbar, a vessel of I 1321 tons mistook the entrance into the harbour in a violent storm, and was wrecked on the rocks at The Gap. All of its complement of 122 passengers and crew except one were drowned. The wreckage, cargo, and bodies were washed into the harbour, much I of it on the beaches and rocks of Mosman between Chowder Bay and the Spit. A 4­ year old boy's body was on Georges Beach (now called Obelisk Beach), a red cow, partly devoured by sharks in the water. Candles, gloves, clothes, trunks, hats and bonnets, boots and bags were scattered everywhere. The Water Police chartered the I. paddle steamer Black Swan, and the area was scoured for bodies and remains of the wreck (Souter 1994:59-60).

This wreck was the most frightful shipping disaster of its day. Sydney society was I shocked with the scale ofthe wreckage and the death of all passengers save one. The remains were gathered up and interred with ceremony in the cemetery at St Stephen's I Church, Camperdown. The two white stone Obelisks still mark this event. They were erected the year following the wreck of the Dunbar, near Georges Beach, to act as navigation markers (Figure I 10). Lining up the two Obelisks gave a safe direction to ships entering the Heads. I Easter Camp Disaster of 1891 The newly-formed Submarine Corps demonstrating mine-laying was blown out of the water off Cobbler's Beach by accident, killing four sailors. The event was witnessed by I a large crowd of horrified people, including the Governor. Every Easter hundreds of militia and permanent troops assembled at Middle Head. They pitched tents, white cones lined up regularly, and carried out manoeuvres I (Souter 1994:79). I tBBPt ~ /1 I

50 (27.08.99) MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION Bridges Family Picnic Disaster I At Chowder Bay, off Submarine Miners Wharf, on the return journey from a picnic, the army guard boat canying the 20 children and their mothers was rammed amidships by a tug travelling at full speed. Two children were drowned including one of 7-year old I twins whose father, Lieutenant William Bridges, later led Australian forces at Gallipoli (Souter 1994:80). I 6.6 Conclusion

Middle and Georges Heads are a pivotal location within the Sydney Harbour National I Park. It bears very special messages which resonate deeply within the history of the harbour, embracing ancient and contemporary time zones. The beauty of the site is striking, overlooking as it does the entrance to Port Jackson and the wide sea between I North and South Heads. The famous travel writer and author Anthony Trollope was moved to write

in viewing these fortifications, I was most especially struck by the loveliness ofthe I sites chosen. One would almost wish to be a gunner for the sake of being at one ofthose forts (Dow 1966).

The headlands provide several important vantage points from its cliffs, over the harbour I that has been the focus of our national life from the beginning of European settlement. It still resonates also with indigenous Australians whose ancestors have dwelt here for the last twenty thousand years. I Two Aboriginal names have been linked especially with Middle Head: Bungaree and Cora Goosebeny. They are memorable figures who lend their presence still to this place. The natural environment which complements their memory and that of the little I 'farm' established on this part of the harbour. Apart from the land cleared around the fortifications, the bushland foreshores look much as they did in 1788 when the First Fleet arrived. I There are overlapping themes that are linked and focussed here. With the European settlement these headlands were seen as the logical site to mount defensive gun emplacements to keep the harbour secure from foreign attack. The first perceived I threat came from the French, and it was as early as 1801 that the first fortifications were established here, just above the water line at Obelisk Bay. The carved sandstone redoubt can still be seen. Again, in the 1850s with the Russian scare, gun ,I emplacements were built and three guns installed higher up on Middle Head; and with the departure of British troops from Australia in 1870, the beginning of a local artillery force was formed, ;:md its functions organised at Middle Head. I In World War 11 Middle and Georges Heads became important defence installations, as important gun emplacements, training bases for men and women army personnel, for radio surveillance, and for direct local participation in defense when the Japanese I, submarines attacked the heart of Sydney on May 31 st 1942.

The presence of the sea and the dangers ofthe'days of sailing ships are to be seen at the site ofthe shipwreck ofthe Edward Lombe in 1834 at the rocky cliffs of Middle Head I near Obelisk Bay. The two white obelisks were erected to aid navigation after the Dunbar disaster of 1857. This is a complex history in a small area, a history of the site itself and the features of I the harbour which it overlooks. A successful interpretation of Middle and Georges Heads must take into account the palimpsest of past activities and mindsets which have created the current values ofthis spectacular part ofthe Sydney Harbour National Park. I I

+BBP+ I ______--:;;Ij I I MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99) 51 7 MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS - INTERPRETATION I 7.1 Introduction

I Middle and Georges Heads is a complex site to interpret, physically in the disjunct relationship between the two headlandss, and thematically in the layers of cultural value attached to the place. Also, the interpretation must take into account the prime location I of the area opposite the entrance to Port Jackson, flanked by North and South Heads, and the spectacular views it offers.

We have designated seven precinct areas as foci for interpretation (Map 3). These I include the Visitors Centre, which we have sited outside but adjoining the present boundary of the park on Middle Head Road, Middle Head Buildings, Cobblers Beach, Inner Middle Head, outer Middle Head, Obelisk and Georges Head. Details of I interpretation for each precinct are discussed below and mapped in Maps 4-10 (the base map, a military map drawn in 1960 and updated in 1973, is the most detailed available). The main features within each precinct and its associated interpretation are I summarised in Table 7.1. To address the physical problem we have suggested a number of walking tracks to link all precincts, and a series of precinct orientation signs which detail the features within each precinct but also show the location of that precinct in relation to the rest of the I Middle and Georges Heads area. These tracks and signs provide and reinforce a sense of cohesion. A sample precinct orientation sign layout is shown in Map 11.

To address the thematic complexity we have suggested that while each precinct is a I focus of interpretation it should also be possible to overlay guided or self-guided tours which focus on themes such as Geological Time, Aboriginal Time, Flora and Fauna, Defence, Navigation, People and Events such as artists or regattas. It is envisaged that 'I logos would be used to indicate these themes, for example on precinct orientation signs, walking tracks and leaflets (Figure 23). We have not specified interpretation of flora and fauna, but anticipate small low signs detailing the species present and details such as heath or other associations, bush food, or weeds and why they are there. The NPWS I District Officers would be best qualified to nominate what is of interest and what to present. I We have a theme entitled 'Prospects' relating to places or events which could be seen from Middle and Georges Heads. Signage is not appropriate to this, rather a guide or a pamphlet, since it could cover a very broad scope - Camp Cove, the spearing of Governor Phillip and Aborigines eating a beached whale at Manly Cove, whales in the I harbour in August 1999, Cora Gooseberry at North Head, lighthouses and their architects, the visual arts, Japanese submarines, to mention but a few.

It is important that interpretive signs do not detract from the spectacular views or indeed I any other features that attract people to the site, such as bushland. To this end we suggest that signs be set low to the ground, ie a metre high or less, and at an angle of about 45% (see Binks et a/1988:127). This type of construction would increase solidity, I reduce obtrusive impact and also make them accessible to people in wheelchairs and to children.

Seating, in the form of wooden benches with backs, should be provided at good viewing I points. These include Outer Middle Head, where they should be set back rather than obstruct the view, overlooking Obelisk Bay at one of the new parking bays along Chowder Bay Road, and at Georges Head where there are several grassy areas with a I good outlook. In the Visitors Centre precinct, before visitors reach the entrance to the Middle Head Buildings precinct we have designed the format for a sign to welcome visitors (see I section 7.3.2 below). It is suggested that this sign, incorporating an image of Bungaree, 'I tBBPt I I

52 (27.08.99) MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION be made of coloured cast concrete in low relief, based on the 1826 painting by Augustus I Earle. It would be anchored in the soil, along with accompanying text, opposite the carpark.

Where appropriate, signs should incorporate historical images in colour. Audiovisual I and other media should also contain historical images and cornmental)' wherever possible. Tour gUides could wear replicas of historic army uniforms on some occasions. Existing special days or periods which focus on the themes should be utilized, for I example, Heritage Week - Aboriginal and Historic themes, Naidoc Week - Aboriginal Theme, Army Week (Easter) - Milital)' Theme.

Our interpretation is focussed to the east of Chowder Bay Road, where nearly all of the I identified heritage features are located. One exception is the second obelisk, to which the public'S attention could be directed. Natural features could be interpreted along a walking track, and there may also be Aboriginal sites present which could be I interpreted. 7.2 Infrastructure Required Priorto Interpretation I Any proposals that will attract visitors, such as the interpretation of the area, have to be accompanied by provision of infrastructure to support these visitors. At present there are no facilities, not even a toilet. There is a small unformed carpark at the corner of I Chowder Bay Road, which belongs to Mosman Council, and there are a number of parking bays along Chowder Bay Road which the NPWS District has recently had constructed. I There is no direct vehicular or even foot access to Middle Head via Middle Head Road. During a site inspection by two members 'of our team, a NPWS field officer made it clear that members of the public were not to walk through the entrance gate along I Middle Head Road to the council carpark. The only public access is by foot from the carpark to the south of all the buildings fringing Middle Head Road along an unformed boggy track. This was the access used by Tours de Fort, although return to the carpark I was via Middle Head Road.

It is clear that something radical needs to be done in this area before the interpretation is developed and installed. Within 50 metres of the entrance gate, on the southern side I of Middle Head Road, is a large bitumen hardstanding area that would be ideal for parking, including buses. Nearby there are several brick buildings that could be easily converted into a visitor centre, shop and toilets. Adjoining along Middle Head Road are other buildings which could be considered for a field studies centre, a milital)' museum, I resources centre and office and workshop space for the District staff working in that area. There are also other buildings and a carpark area on the northern side of Middle Head Road. I

The existence of these buildings and the hard standing so close provide NPWS with a wonderful opportunity to provide these essential facilities. NPWS-should put evel)' effort into acqUiring them. Without adequate access, parking and facilities the site cannot I accommodate significantly more people. Interpretation of the area without the accompanying facilities would be putting the cart before the horse. To use any of the buildings within the park at Middle Head as a visitors centre in an attempt to save on I costs is not desirable from the point of view of the integrity of the display and sense of arrival, and it would not be viable without parking.

Further, acquisition of the buildings and land area would provide an opportunity to I consolidate the site for management purposes. It would also assist in the integration of the Middle Head and Georges Head areas ofthe park, which are presently disjunct. I I tBBPt I I I

MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99) 53 I @ I I I

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I 7.3 VISitors Centre Precinct 1 I 7.3.1 Description This area is west of the present entrance gates to Middle Head at the end of Middle Head Road. It includes a hardstanding area and buildings on the southern side of the I road. On the northern side ofthe road are other buildings and a car parking area. 7.3.2 Interpretation

I Assuming that some of the bUildings, the hardstanding area and land immediately in front of the entrance gates is acquired, extensive interpretation can be provided before visitors enter this section of the park. The preferred course (option 1) would be to be I able to utilise a number of buildings for such purposes as a visitors centre big enough to provide audio-visual and other displays, staff facilities, a resource centre, a gallery and a restaurant. A lesser option (option 2) would be to utilise only two smaller buildings adjacent to the parking area, one as a basic visitors centre, the other for facilities and I staff purposes. Both ofthese buildings would require considerable upgrading.

The Visitors Centre will provide a short introduction to all themes in the park. The military section will feature historic documentary or newsreel film covering military I exercises and activities during World War 11.

Bungaree's Farm Before they reach the entrance gates the park should be established I to the visitor as incorporating the former location of Bungaree's farm. We see the 1826 image by Augustus Earle of Bungaree doffing his hat in welcoming visitors to Sydney Cove (Figure 14) as being highly appropriate for the purpose of an overall welcoming sign. The precise location of the farm has not been identified, but the 1828 map (Figure I 7) indicates that it covered this entrance area. Using Bungaree to welcome the visitors is a way of restoring the land to the Aboriginal people, not only as occupants of the farm, but as original owners ofthe whole area. Our design ofthe sign is the frontespiece I to this report. I 7A Middle Head Buildings Precinct 2 7.4.1 Description

I This is an area east of the moat at the entrance gates where there are four weatherboard military buildings. South of Old Fort Road is a stone building, a former I guardhouse, used as a radio monitoring station during World War 11. 7.4.2 Interpretation

1. Entrance gateway and military fortification moat. The moat, which is presently filled I with soil, should be dug out to expose it on either side of the gateway. A sign indicating the extent and purpose ofthe moat should be placed here.

I 2. Weatherboard buildings. Building A should be furnished and equipped to the military period and open for inspection. Building B is suitable for special purpose use, such as an artist in residence making art works related to the park. Building C, the 'fortified house', should be interpreted with signage to explain its construction. Building D is I presently occupied by a NPWS family and should continue to be used forthis purpose.

3. Stone building. Building E should be indicated as originally a guardhouse for the I military, but reconstructed to its military use in World War 11 as a radio communications centre and interpreted using sound and signage. The aerials outside the building should I be retained, restored and integrated into the interpretation. I tSBPt I I 56 (27.08.99) MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION I I I I I I I I I I I ~_._---_.~ I --- ~"" I . 7"- ~-(~~ .~ . ..:f'.....,.~ ~-~..;~.t~ I. ," \ :;."f '" . ------..._...... ---!-:.':.--- I

Map 5: Interpretation Layout Precinct 2 Middle Head Buildings I I I

tRBPt I I MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99) 57

Map 6: Interpretation Layout Precinct 3 Cobblers Beach

tSBPt I 58 (27.08.99) MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION 7.5 Cobblers Beach Precinct 3 I 7.5.1 Description I The Cobblers Beach Precinct is to the north of the Middle Head Buildings precinct and west of Middle Head. The land slopes steeply to the sandy beach. Within the area were located an Aboriginal midden and a wharf. The road to the beach was established in 1870. Four sailors were blown up during a demonstration of mine laying in 1891. I 7.5.2 Interpretation I One sign at the beach, incorporating historic images, should cover all elements relating to Aboriginal time, military usage and events. I 7.6 Inner Middle Head Precinct 4 I 7.6.1 Description

Sloping towards the north east, this area incorporates the disappearing gun, World War 11 concrete blockhouses, part ofthe moat and remnants of a gravel road. I 7.6.2 Interpretation I The disappearing gun emplacement should be interpreted with a sign showing what the gun looked like and its movement when operating. Film of such a gun in use should be obtained and shown in the Visitors Centre. Reference to this film should be made on the sign at the site. Part of the moat should be cleared out and visitors encouraged to enter I it and to get a sense of the effort that has gone into its construction. The blockhouses and gravel road should be interpreted with signage explaining their purpose. I An interpretation sign showing the whole park and location of the Inner Middle Head Precinct should be sited at the gravel road near the disappearing gun. I 7.7 Outer Middle Head Precinct 5 I 7.7.1 Description

A cleared promontory with spectacular views of the Heads and Port Jackson, this Precinct contains a complex of many phases of military fortification structures, both I above ground and under ground. Remnants of Aboriginal engravings point to the earliest layer of occupation. At the western edge of the area is the moat, which is now completely obscured by vegetation. I 7.7.2 Interpretation I The site is physically complex and with its layers of construction, difficult to understand and therefore difficult to explain. There have also been uses of the area of which there are no physical remains but which nevertheless require interpretation. I Comparison of an image of the entrance to Port Jackson during the ice age when sea levels were low, such as that in Figure 2, with the present situation would provide a sense of Geological Time. This image would be best displayed where the harbour I entrance can be seen. A computer generated image based on topographical data, including harbour depth soundings, could be easily created and visually effective. I

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MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99) 61 I Aboriginal Time and a link with military themes could be interpreted by a sign placed near the Aboriginal rock engravings which were mostly destroyed during construction of a battery, with Colonel Vigors' description of them as recounted by Nicholson in 1880 I (this report, section 6.2). Military themes are complex and could require several signs on site in addition to guided tours and media available in the visitors centre. Where the present sign I advertising Tours de Fort is located a sign should be placed showing a plan of the complex of fortifications in the area, including those underground, and coloured to period. The interpretation should include an analysis of the developments in technology I that caused the physical changes to be made to the site, and its final obsolescence. The moat should be cleared of vegetation so that it is visible. North of the bitumen road and east of the moat, overlooking the cleared space, there should be a sign about past I use of the area, including the 1854 map showing circles of army tents, and historical photographs of the Australian Women's Armed Services and Volunteer Defence Corps personnel at the site dUring the later stages of World War 11. The text should describe I the buildings and the work ofthe AWAS and the VDC. I 7.8 Obelisk Precinct 6 7.8.1 Description I This area is located south of Middle Head, extending from the flat ridge down the south facing slope, and west to Chowder Bay Road. Features include rainforest in the creek below Chowder Bay Road, and also here are Aboriginal rock engravings of fish. Other engravings are on flat rock expanses on the ridge. There are also the 1801 battery, the I Obelisk and World War 11 concrete structures, and below, an Aboriginal midden and the beach. I 7.8.2 Interpretation

Orientation signs indicating the features in this area should be placed on Chowder Bay Road at the entrance to the track which will lead visitors to them, and also at the current I wooden sign to the obelisk at the top of the ridge. This sign would then be superfluous. A few metres in through the bush from the sign to the obelisk there should be I- interpretation of the rock engravings. These figures are very vague, but there is Campbell's 1890 drawing (Figure 5). Other recordings of engravings, eg Bray's of 1896 (Figure 6) should also be included. I The track down to the obelisk needs to be created or upgraded and extended around a circuit to include the 1801 battery.

At the 1801 battery there should be a sign about its function and isolation from Sydney I Cove, pointing out that at the time the north side ofthe Harbour was still Aboriginal land, with no other European occupants. The site should be sensitively cleared out under the supervision of an archaeologist. The associated magazine should be located and I cleared.

At the obelisk a sign should be placed to explain the role of the two obelisks as markers I for rounding South Head (Figure 10) installed after the wreck of the Dunbar at the Gap in 1857. The location of the second obelisk should be indicated. Reference could also be made here to the wreck of the Edward Lombe in 1834, and an image of the wreck included on the sign. The function of the World War 11 structures should also be I explained.

An unofficial walking track from the obelisk to the beach should be diverted away I from the Aboriginal midden in the rock overhang below (#45 - 6 -1699). There are I tBBPt I :: 6 o r­ m ~ o G) om ~ ~ :I: ~ en :: o o m r- Z -l m ;u "U ;u m ~ -lo Z "U ~ Z » z o ~ or- ~ oz

Map 9: Interpretation Layout Precinct 6 Obelisk

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Map 10: Interpretation Layout Precinct 7 Georges Head ------I 64 (27.08.99) MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION management issues relating to the interpretation ofthis midden located in an area which I receives high visitation.

The Aboriginal engravings of fish (#45-6-2092) are situated within rainforest about 20 metres east of the track which has been constructed down to Obelisk Beach from I Chowder Bay Road. Both the engravings and the rainforest are sensitive to visitation, so a raised walkway or boardwalk through the area (ie not a cul-de-sac) would best protect them from vandalism. A track could be made to extend from the walkway to link up with I the obelisk precinct track. Otherwise it may be preferable to leave this area unmarked and reserve visitation for guided tours. I 7.9 Georges Head Precinct 7

7.9.1 Description I

At Georges Head the land slopes steeply towards the east from Georges Heights down to the water. The features at Georges Head are all east of Chowder Bay Road. They I include World War 11 structures, the armoured casemate, the beehive rock casemate, rock engravings by military personnel, gun and searchlight emplacements, and the submarine miners firing station. There are also two rock shelters which have been recorded as Aboriginal occupation sites (#45-6-1757 and #45-6-1698). I 7.9.2 Interpretation I Opposite the existing parking bays there should be an orientation sign showing the walking track and identifying the features of.the area. A walking track should be created or upgraded and placed to pass all features, including World War 11 structures, engravings by military personnel, two Aboriginal occupation shelters, etc. I

A track should be created separate from the road, extending north to link Georges Head with the Obelisk and Middle Head Precincts, and in the future perhaps, extending south I west to Bradleys Head. Interpretation of flora and fauna along this and other tracks could be established with discreet and appropriately placed signage. A sign incorporating Conrad Martens' painting of 1850 (Figure 19) could be placed as close as I it is possible to determine where it was painted, to provide a sense of place and identity with an earlier time.

In the armoured casemate could be installed an audiovisual display showing the I communication procedures upon which its operation was dependent. This will involve linking Georges Head with military sites such as those on North Head and elsewhere ,,·and allow interpretation of the system of fortifications within Port Jackson and Botany I Bay protecting Sydney. The interpretation of operations within the target room would provide an opportunity for role play for 'kids without calculators'. I The armoured casemate could be made wheelchair accessible. Consideration should be given to the installation oftoilet facilities in this area.

Interpretation of the submarine miners firing station should include discussion and I illustration ofthe antisubmarine net, and the Japanese attack.

The Aboriginal occupation shelters could be included in a special interest guided tour. I Another rock shelter with a painted figure (#45-6-2217) is located in the south facing cliff face. This is not recommended for inclusion or interpretation because of its rarity in the area, already fragile condition, and difficulty of access. I I

tBBPt I I I I MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99) 65 I Table 7.1: Summary of Precinct Features, Access and Interpretation Precincts state Themes Features Access Interpretation/use Media 1 Visitors Aboriginal Parking, facilities, Buses, 1. Visitor centre, shop, 1. Tour guides, Centre contact joumey to arrival cars cafe, toilets, resource Audio-visual, hand I Land tenure centre, gallery sound units, pamphlets Persons 2. Bungaree's Farm etc Fishina 2. Welcome SiQn 2 Middle Contact History 1.Entrance - Foot, Sense of arrival, gates, 1. Signage I Head Defence gateway & moat wheelchair expose moat Buildings Communication 2. Wooden houses 2. Fumish & equip to 2. Look in windows & Housing military period, special doors Transport 3. Stone building & uses 3. Reconstruct to military aerials 3. Interpret radio use with sound I 4. Fortified house communications 4. Interpret 4. Signage &for gUided 5. other buildinQ 5. NPWS residence tour 3 Cobblers Aboriginal Time 1Aboriginal midden Foot only Interpret all aspects One sign for all themes I Beach Defence 2.1870 road Transport 3.1891 mine Events disaster 4. Wharf 5. Amphibious I access 4 Inner Middle Defence 1. Disappearing gun Foot only 1. Gun in action 1. Audiovisual here or in Head Technology but could visitor centre, or sign 2 Moat be wheel 2. Dig out for viewing & 2. Sign I chair walking in 3. Sign -1 sign for all 3. WWlllookout accessible 3. Observe or visit on items 4. Gravel road Quidedtour 4. Interpret 5 Outer Middle Geological Time 1. Ice age scenario Promenad 1-3. Describe and 1. Tour guide & I Head Environment 2. Heath, exotics e-current explain audiovisual Aboriginal Time 3. Birds - magpies carparkto 2 & 3. Part ofguided tour Defence Wolves of Mosman entrance Technology (Currawong inflUX) Foot and 4. Sign low to ground I Events 4. Aboriginal wheelchair Leisure engravings to some 4. Engravings of whales 5. Historic pictures Sport etc destroyed by unobtrusively sited 15. 854, 18705, construction of battery i WWI&II 18705 I fortifications 5. Phases of technology 6. Army Easter 6. Army Gala Week wit Camp & tents and guns Manoeuvres 7. Local Service Club 8. Guided tours & I 7. Regatta, Yacht sausage sizzle audiovisual. Anniversary Races & Picnics 8. Guide in an army night tour (May 31) 8. Japanese subs uniform 9. Guided tour, discreet 9. Vietnam War 9. Training for guerrilla sign well away from I mQerCaQes) warfare caQes 6 Obelisk Environment 1. Rainforest Mostly 1and 2. Unked Guided tour of Obelisk Aboriginal Time 2. Aboriginal steep, foot (Gooseberry has fish on area Convict engravings x 2 only both her gorgets) 2. Guided tour, sign at Defence New track 3. Surrounded by top of track I Transport 3. 1801 Battery linking all Aborigines. 3. Sign on back wall Events 4. Navigation features Communicating with 4. Sign Leisure . Markers Sydney Cove 5. Obelisk Beach 4. Shipwrecks, WWII 5. No interpretation I features 7 Georges Environment 1. Aboriginal Foot and 1. Occupation shelters 1. Guided tour Head Aboriginal Time shelters wheelchair with access to intertidal 2. Audiovisual, Defence 2. Armoured to part shellfish Target room role play for I Communication casemate 2. Military kids without calculators Technology 3. other defence communication & 3 & 4. Guided tour 4. Garden and technology (bored tour guide in army engravings by uniform) I militarv I I tBBPt I .------~------_._--~------I

66 (27.08.99) MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION 7.10 Conclusion I

Interpretation of the landscape at Middle and Georges Heads is part of the henneneutics of appraisal, that is, interpretation in the context of current and social I political thinking (perez-Gomez 1999, Gadamer 1977), and as such, its interpretation is closely linked with policies of the National Parks & Wildlife SelVice. It is built up not only by its past history as it can be retold, with selected evidence from themes nominated, with images gleaned from various phases of its history, but also from the I topographical landscaping and traces of past uses. This site, Middle and Georges Heads, is one that is capable of orientating the visitors' I perceptions. It can contribute to an understanding of the hypotheses underlying the recorded history. The pace of change physically apparent on the site requires a series of explanations. The silent artefacts still there, and the ones that can be envisioned, build up a strong sense of place. In a world of shifting values and debated history they I can contribute to stability and pennanence.

The interpretation we have developed is directly related to the site itself, its topography, its vegetation, its physical presence, as well as to the layers of cultural and historical I actiVity which have been carried out within it and on its surface. As well, its prime position in Sydney Harbour, opposite the Heads, makes it a very important site in the context ofthe biggest city in Australia, and its commanding views over the harbour and I the Heads are acclaimed as very special.

Recognising its complex history, and sorting it out into explainable stories, has been interesting, but it must be admitted that the complexity of the site has made a I straightforward interpretation difficult. As a pilot site for a model interpretation plan, its cultural representation of intersecting themes has resulted in a many-layered landscape, and the very diverse and disjointed nature of the site poses additional I problems.

To cope with this, the site has been sub-divided into seven precincts, linked by Chowder Bay Road - five precincts in the northern part near Middle Head, the Georges I Head precinct to the south, and in between Obelisk Beach. To interpret the whole area, however, is to enhance the understanding of each precinct. I This is truly a place where the sum can be more than its parts and the understanding of a geographical point or area can embody something absolute. As such, it deselVes special attention. I As an embracing strategy should be linked with step-by-step expenditure, Table 7.2 below sets out the tasks that could be taken, consisting in the first instance ofthe most simple sign-posting embodying interpretive material at key points indicated I above, and a sUlVey of sites of Aboriginal prehistory and the further clearing and investigation of the earliest military gun emplacement made in 1801 to guard the harbour entrance. I This early recognition of a defence installation at this spot facing The Heads 'of Sydney Harbour, set the scene for the historical development of the whole site as a military complex, and can be seen as the crux of later development ofthis place, in the 18505, I 1870s and 18905; its major use since that time, and its crucial role in the years ofWorld War 11.

Developing alongside this major cultural use, were the themes pinpointing the dangers I ofthe era of colonial shipping, when two shipwrecks have impinged directly on Middle Head: the wreck ofthe Edward Lombe in 1834 on the rocks directly below the headland, I I

tBBPt I I I I MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99) 67 I Inner I Middle I ~~.. Head Cobblers I Beach,

I Outer Middle I Head Middle Head~~~ I Road I

I Detailed Map of Obelisk Precinct I showing tracks & features with themes I indicatedby logos eg banksia gun I obelisk magpie rock engraving I and other Precincts I I

I Map 11: Sample Precinct Orientation Sign Layout I I +BBP+ I I 68 (27.08.99) MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION I Table 7.2 Interpretation Strategy at Middle and Georges Heads I $$$ • Acquisition of hardstanding carpark • Visitors Centre I Audiovisual, etc $$$ • Interpretive material, leaflets, etc • Toilets I • Artist in Residence $$ • Welcome Sign • Precinct Orientation I Signs, other signs • Seats • Construct Tracks & Walkwavs I $ o Orientation Signs near existing carpark Chowder BaylMiddle Head Rd corner and I • At entrance to Middle Head BuildinQs First of • Survey for Aboriginal all Sites • 1801 Fort Conservation I Plan and Magazine Survey • Market Research I

which can be envisaged to this day using the images painted at the time, and the tales of mopping up the debris and bodies from Sydney's most disastrous wreck, that of the I Dunbar in 1857. This last wreck resulted in the erection of two white obelisks, which have given the name to Obelisk Beach, and remain as pointers to this disaster.

Overlaid by the natural topography and bushland still, and facing spectacular views out I over the harbour, the Middle and Georges Head Park deserves to be interpreted in a' way that gains strength and richness as each successive strategy outlined above is undertaken. When the interpretive signs are in place, the seats placed at strategic points, the linking walkways and tracks constructed, other longer-terms options can be I considered. These include the provision of more visitor facilities, especially by the acquisition of the car-park area to serve the site. An added visitor's interpretive centre could be a longer-term goal. I

Bearing in mind that the Olympic year for Sydney is almost upon us, it is recommended that the signage and the walking tracks receive attention as soon as possible. This site I could be a key introduction to the city and its harbour for overseas visitors. I I I I

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I Department of Natural Resources and Environment Victoria (DNREV) 1999 Best Practice in Park Interpretation and Education. Report for the ANZECC Working Group on Best Practice for National Parks and Protected Area Management by I Earthlines Consortium Victoria, April 1999.

Gojak D. 1999 Sydney Harbour National Park Middle Head & Georges Head I ConselVation Management Plan. National Parks & Wildlife SelVice. Draft March 1999.

Root Projects Australia 1999 Sydney Harbour National Park Middle and Georges I Heads Precinct Plan. Draft January 1999. I 8.2 References Relating to Land Tenure and Bungaree's Fann

I Government Records Colonial Secretary: Correspondence Fiche 3071,4/3512,4/1760,4/1748,411764,4/3512 I Returns, X287, 417028b Papers Relating to Aborigines 4/2045. All held At Archives Office of NSW.

I Surveyor General Maps 4752,5987. Sketch Book, 62, 2, X765 Folio 113 I Letters and Reports 2/1549. Archives Office of NSW. Map M3 811.121889, ZM 4811.12 1881.Mitchell Library.

I Papers (held at the Mitchell Library) Macquarie Diary ML CY 301 Parkes Correspondence ML CY A919. I Bonwick Transcripts BT 60, BT 53. Published Sources Historical Records ofAustralia. I Historical Records of New South Wales.

Secondary Sources I Byme, P.J. Social Space in a Port Town. Push From the Bush, 1992. Byme, P.J. Criminal Law and Colonial SUbject. Cambridge, 1993. I Fletcher, B. Ralph Darling A Governor Maligned. Sydney, 1984. I

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Tray J. 1993 King Plates A history ofAboriginal Gorgets. For the National Museum of Australia. Aboriginal Studies Press. Canberra. I Upitis A. 1989 Interpreting cross-cultural sites. In Uzzell D.L. (ed) Heritage Interpretation, Volume 2 The Visitor Experience. Bellhaven Press, London Volume 11:153-160. I

Uzzell D.L. (ed) 1989a Heritage Interpretation Volume 1 The Natural and Built Environment, Volume 2 The Visitor Experience. Bellhaven Press, London. I Uzzell D.L. 1989b The hot interpretation of war and conflict. In Uzzell D.L. (ed) Heritage Interpretation Volume 1 The Natural and Built Environment. Bellhaven Press, London. I

Uzzell D.L. 1994 Heritage interpretation in Britain four decades after Tilden. In. Harrison R. (ed) 1994 Manual of Heritage Management. Butterworth Heinemann, I Oxford. Wallace M. 1987 Industrial museums and the history of deindustrialisation. The Public I Historian, Vol9 (1):9-19.

+BBP+ I I I MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99) 77 I Walsh K. 1992 The representation of the past. Museums and heritage in the post­ modem world. Routledge, London and New York.

Watson MoO. 1989 An interpretive challenge: the US National Park Service approach I to meeting visitor needs. In Uzzell D.L. (ed) 1989 Heritage Interpretation Volume 2 The Visitor Experience. Bellhaven Press, London:78-83. I Wilson G.C. 1983 Sydney Harbour Fortifications. Archival Study, NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service. I WinikoffT. (ed) 1995 Places not Spaces: Placemaking Australia. Sydney. Young L. 1999 Wandertust: Journeys through the Macleay Museum. Exhibition I Review, Australian Historical Studies 30, 112:178-79. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I +BBP+ I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I tBBPt I I I I I I I I

I FIGURES 2-24 I I I I I I i I I I I I

I tBBPt I 1 1 I 1 1 1 1 1 I 1 I· 1 I I I 1 1 I 1 tBBPt 1 I· ------

r ,~.. , Figure 2: Artist's impression of the view east from Middle Head during the ice age when the sea level was much lower than today and streams flowed across the tree covered flood plain, now the harbour floor. M Dennes, July 1999. I I

I -\80RIGl NAL CA.1WINGS. 1'1"10:2. Al'1'£NDIX. 275

Figs. 3, 'I, nnd 5.-A grouJl carved Ul10n l\ fint rock OIl Cnml' I Cove. Length oC lnrge figuu, 5 feet Ginches. Coryberi. or invocation, or IlCrhnps botl. ? So in other rcpu;entndons or. the hunJnn figure- ., DU1,llcel l,atm" ftd .idera t.UdftD.... I Qn~~hllignr~(No. 5) is n !,..ut-shapcd object. Fi G-A similar outline of the human form in the usual aUilu c, al Middle Hend. (~;:g- ~-FIYing squirrel, at.l'oint Piper. Length, 18 inch. I I -Afish'l'robably 11 shnrk, at MieMle Hend. Length. 18 tee!. Fig. g.-A whale nt Poinl Piper. Length, Zl feel. The shield and small fish 'nre carved upon it in the aUitud"" represented in the Plate. I Fig. IO.-llIuck 5\\·an. Two feel ill lensth. Abo at point Piper. Fig. II.-A knngaruo. Nenrly!l feel in length. At poinl Pipcr. }o'ig. 12.-I'rohn),J)' n J~~rrnl. One lil{lt. I I Fig. 13.-lIenrt.~hnl'rll Iillnrc. nut nnlike thc ""ckl~ .j,: forms Imrt.or the roo,1 of Ihe Imth·c~. l.rnl!th of Ihc lnrer.' I on., 10 inches• I .I Plate II. I Fig. I.-At Point Piper. Six feet'in length. Fig. 2.-A fISh at Point Piper. Lenglh, 61 ferl. Fig. 3.-An animal, G teel2 inches ill length. AI South Reef Promonlory. I lFIi3J-A fish, 12 fect long. At Midtllc Heae!. Fig. 6,-The Mogo or stone axe. South Reer l'romontor)·' Fig G'-'l1le IHelemtm or shield. Precisel)· similar to tbnt in use al Ihe prescrtt l1."\y amonl,"sl the people about I'ort Slepben,llnc1 mllny places. !llong the coasl. I Fin. i-Another shiehl. At WOo

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I .. .- " .... : I '. I I I Figure 9· Sketch showing position of the Military and Naval Encampment at Middle Head. 1854. I From: Surveyor General's Sketch Books, Vo/s 1&2. Location: Archives Office of NSW, AONSW Reel No 2780. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Figure 10 I Map showing location of the two Obelisks as markers for rounding South Head (after 1857). Location: Archives Office of NSW. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

I Figure 11 View in Port Jackson from the South Head leading up to Sydney, Supply sailing.. in 1788. From: A Voyage to New South Wales - The journal ofUeutenant William Bradley of HMS Sinus. I Location: Mitchell Library, State Ubrary of NSW. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

Figure 12 I Aborigines of Port Jackson hunting, fishing and dwelling in rock shelters. Engraving after drawing by Charles Leseur, 1802, entitled Grottes, chasse et peche des sauvages du Port Jackson. I From: McBryde I. 1989 Guests of the Governor: Aboriginal Residents of the First Government House. Location: Peron & Freycinet Voyages de descouvertes aux terres Australes, Atlas, I Edition 2, Paris 1824, Plate 31. National Library of Australia. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

I Figure 13 Port Jackson, New South Wales, watercolour by Augustus Earle c 1825. From: Smith K. 1992 King Bungaree A Sydney Aborigine meets the great South I Pacific Explorers, 1799-1830. Location: National Library of Australia. I I I I I ~I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Figure 14: Bungaree A Native of New South Wales, by Augustus Earle c.1826. I From: Smith K. 1992 King Bungaree A Sydney Aborigines meets the great South Pacific Explorers, 1799-1830. Location: National Library of Australia. I Comment: Part of the text to the plate reads 'One of the first people generally seen after landing is BUNGAREE, a Native Chief. He is generally aware of the arrival of strangers, and stations himself in as conspicuous a I situation as possible, and welcomes them to his Country...The accompanying likeness represents him in the act of taking off his hat and I bowing to the strangers landing.' (Hackforth-Jones 1980). I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Figure 15: Old Queen Gooseberry. Widow of Bungaree. Sydney. By George French Angas,1845. I From: Treganza J. 1980 George French Angas - Artist, Traveller and Naturalist 1822-1886. Location: South Australian Museum. I Comment: Angas has painted Gooseberry standing in front of I her land at Middle and North Head. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

I Figure 16 A view of the Cove and part of Sydney, New South Wales, taken from Dawe's Battery. 18207 I From: McCormick, I 1987 First Views of Sydney 1788-1826-A History of Early Sydney. Comment: The guns at the 1801 Head would have been to these I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Figure 17 Entree de la baie de Sidney. Entrance to Sydney Harbour. I Engraving by Leon Benett. From: Smith K. 1992 King Bungaree A Sydney Aborigine meets the Great I South Pacific Explorers, 1799-1830. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

Figure 18 Pilot's House and Watson's Bay. By Alexander Huey c1810. I Fram: McCormick, T. 1987 First Views ofSydney 1788-1826 - A History of Early Sydney. I Location: Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, Belfast. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

I Figure 19: Looking east towards Watsons Bay and Sydney Heads. By Conrad Martens c.1850. From: Art in Australia Journal. I Location: Private Collection. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

I Figure 20 The wreck of the "Edward Lombe" on Middle Head, Sydney, NSW, on 25 August 1834. By Oswald Bnerley. I From: Bateson C. 1972 Australian Shipwrecks Volume 1 1622-1850. I Location: Mitche// Library, State Library of NSW I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Figure 21 The wreck of the 'Edward Lombe'. Watercolour by Conrad Martens, 1834. I From: Bateson C. 1972 Australian Shipwrecks Volume 1 1622-1850. Location: Dixson Library, State Library of NSW. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

Figure 22 I Entrance to Port Jackson, looking seawards - the fortifications, Middle Head. From: Gibb, Shallard & Co's 1882 Illustrated Guide to Sydney and Its Suburbs and to Favourite Places of Resort. I Angus & Robertson, Sydney, Facsimile Edition, 1981. I I I I -- _ .... _ .. _------I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I Figure 23 Elizabeth Bay, Sydney, with the bark Huts for the Natives. Attributed to Edward Mason, c 1850, presumed to be after an original of c1822. I From: Smith K. 1992 King Bungaree A Sydney Aborigine meets the great I South Pacific Explorers, 1799-1830. I I I I I I I I Banksia ­ Natural History Theme ObBlisk ­ I Communications Theme I I I

I Outline and Compass ­ Geological Time Theme Engraving ­ I Aboriginal Time Theme I I I

Magpie - Gun ­ I Visitors and Events Themes Military Theme I I

Figure 24 I Examples of logos to be used as indicators of themes I on orientation signs, along walking tracks and on leaflets. I I I I I I I APPENDIX 1 I

I Considerations in Planning for Interpretation and Education I L. Webber, NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service, Hurstville, 1999. I I I I I I I I I I I

I tBBPt I r------~~ I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

tBBPt I I I I CONSIDERATIONS IN PLANNING FOR INTERPRETATION AND EDUCATION

I Lynn Webber Manager Community Programs I Education and Community Programs Directorate Definition of Interpretation I Interpretation is a process which facilitates appreciation and understanding through physical, rational and emotional experience with nature and culture. Interpretation involves using a variety of techniques which convey meaning and are designed to be evocative, provocative, and motivating. Education refers to the desired outcomes of I the process, which reflect enhanced awareness, values and attitudes, commitment to action, and change in behaviour. I Rationale for Interpretation and Education NPW Act 1974, Wilderness Act 1987, Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995. This legislation provides a basis for interpretation and education which fosters I appreciation and understanding for the conservation of nature, Aboriginal cultural heIitage and historic heIitage in New South Wales; and the conservation of wilderness; and the protection and recovery of threatened species, populations and communities I and threatening processes to their survival: Direct benefits to the community:

I provide learning opportunities enrich visitor experiences reinforce cultural values of being Australian facilitate enjoyment of a public asset which embodies our natural and cultural I heritage contributes to our quality of life provides an opportunity to gain insight into different cultural perspectives I represents a legacy which is secured by past and current generations for future generations sharing of stories across generations I improved visitor safety. Benefits to the heIitage place and managers of heIitage places (ANZECC 1999): I protection of fragile resources minimise physical, cultural and social impacts increased community understanding and support for management decisions increase visitor awareness of appropriate behaviour I greater community ownership and responsibility for conservation increased funding for interpretation where some payment for activities exist I more sympathetic management of neighbouring properties. Benefits for NPWS and the wider community:

a community which supports the conservation of natural and cultural heIitage I a community which views the conservation of natural and cultural heIitage as an integral part of a quality life in a quality environment. I I I I I I KEY QUESTIONS IN PLANNING INTERPRETATION AND EDUCATION 1. WHY? I What are the objectives in having an interpretation and education program for a District or place of natural and cultural heritage significance? I Provide leaming opportunities through enriching natural and cultural heritage experiences Reinforce cultural values of being Australian and having a quality life in a quality I environment Facilitate enjoyment of a public asset which embodies our natural and cultural heritage Encourage community support, ownership and responsibility for conservation I Build relationships with the community through participation in developing the plan, partnerships in implementation, valuing and sharing stories from different perspectives: scientific, Aboriginal cultural, local community history, historic heritage I Recognise social justice and reconciliation issues Improve visitor safety Protect fragile natural and cultural resources Minimise physical, cultural and social impacts I Increase community understanding and support for management decisions Increase visitor awareness of appropriate behaviour Encourage sympathetic management of neighbouring properties. I 2. WHO?

What are the possible matches between what the area has to offer and different I audiences - some of these may already be visitors, whilst others may be potential markets. For example, is there a local community market, a schools market and a special interest market, overseas market, retirees market? What do we know about these different markets - what do they want/need from their I experience, when do they come and for how long, how do they get here, what can they afford? How do we promote and market these opportunities to these key markets, they will I not participate unless they know about the opportunities and can access them? 3. WHAT? I NPWS legislative responsibilities for education in nature and cultural heritage. Plan of Management and Conservation Plans: values of the areas and objectives for management. I What are the key themes across the state, region and local area? What are the key concepts to be interpreted for this particular place? What are the different levels of interpretation: landscape context, patterns across landscape, relationships with other places, linkages to other experiences, the I significance of the place itself. Interpreting from key perspectives: scientific perspective, Aboriginal perspective, local community perspective, historical perspective. I What is possible for interpretation/education to be offered as an outreach opportunity in the local community and broader audiences?

4. WHEN? I

• What time during the year will different opportunities be scheduled? What time ofthe day will different opportunities be scheduled to suit target market? I When is it cost-effective to schedule opportunities? When will the place be open/closed and how does this match with markets? What timeframe is considered desirable for an experience for each different I market? I ·1 I

I 5. HOW? The factors to consider when deciding the delivery techniques to use in interpretation:

I Audience needs and wants (including expectations on site presentation) Key messages - corporate, regional, local, and place specific for audiences Visitor facilities (picnic areas, toilets, drinking water, shelters, cafe, information I centre, etc) Management of physical, cultural, and social impacts Benefrt/cost of options I Public safety - access for children, seniors, people with disabilities, open/close times, degree of difficulty, etc. Site security - protection of fragile sites, open/close times, vandalism risks, I neighbourwatch, oii-site keeper, etc. Aesthetics - detraction from views from signage, unsympathetic siting of facilities Atmosphere - techniques which evoke meaning such as ghost stories at night, etc Conditioii of site - community expectations on presentation of site, work in progress, I opportunities for volunteer participation in conservation projects. Mix of interpretive products and services available. I Once different approaches are selected, a number of considerations should be given to the synergistc effects of using different techniques:

• What is the relationship between a mix such as signage, guided tours, self-guided I tours, display, events, orientation brochures, website information, specialist publications? How does each approach function in meeting the needs of the different target markets? I How does each approach complement each of the other techniques used?

There should be some consideration given to how people may be encouraged to seek I enhanced experiences:

Is there an opportunity to attract people from outreach initiatives to visit places of natural and cultural heritage significance? I Is there an opportunity for signage to include promotion of an enhanced experience of the place through a guided tour for example? Is there an opportunity to promote the linkages between this place and another I related place or which offer a different experience which may appeal to the target audience? I 6. MEASURING SUCCESS Measurement of success against the objectives set in the plan should address three levels: I • Numerical indicators of numbers of participants • Efficiency indicators of inputs compared with outputs. I • Effectiveness and quality through customer survey and market analysis. I I I I I ------._---. - I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

+BBP+ I I I I I I 1I I I I APPENDIX 2 I Middle and Georges Heads ... at Eye Level I M. Dennes, Balmain, July 1999. I I I I I I I I I

I +BBP I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

+BBP+ I I I I MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99) 1 MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS ... AT EYE LEVEL

I Marilyn Dennes July 1999. I Marilyn Dennes is a visual artist with a BSc and a Masters of Applied Science in environmental ecology. Marilyn was briefed by the BBP team and requested to experience the site in its fullness and respond to it. It is interesting to note that this approach of using visual artists 'to tackle contemporary perceptions' has independently I been applied by Gillian Binks, interpretation expert, of the UK Centre for Environmental Interpretation Associates, and one of the authors of Visitors Welcome (1988), the outstanding gUide to the interpretation of archaeological sites.

I Marilyn responded to our assignments, a portfolio of photographs and artworks, and some suggestions for icons as precinct symbols. An edited version of her text is included here, and her full portfolio is available should the Sydney District officers of the Sydney I Harbour National Park wish to make use of it.

The suggestions included here look at the main visual features of the location - both I extant and remembered, ways of making visual access to the site, and possible icons, plaques and signage.

Extant Visual Features I Sandstone Banksias (and other dominant flora such as wattle and eucalypts) Fauna - birds, insects, reptiles I Fortifcations - batteries and gun emplacements Cement Military buildings Communication towers I The outlook, particularly North and South Heads Water - beaches, harbour, Sow and Pigs Watercraft - yachts, ferries, ships, canoes Obelisks, lighthouses, seamarks I The sky, clouds, horizon Engravings Middens I Military Road

Referred or remembered visual features I Tents Bungaree, Cora Goosebeny et al Picnics, Viewing sites, gatherings Rock engraVings I Fauna - eg whales Militaria - regattas, guns, uniforms Longboats I Canoes Ships - First and Second Fleets, Vostock, Dunbar, Edward Lombe, Wanderer... Artists - Bradley, Earle, Angas, Martens, Balmoral Artists Camp Sea levels - changes over geological time I Farming Fishing I The 'magical prospect - the Heads as portals, entrance/exit, sunrise, known/unknown. I I tBBPt I I 2 (27.08.99) MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION I Visual Access The entrance - at the gates in the stone wall, image of Bungaree welcomes visitors. I It is suggested that this be made of coloured cast concrete in low relief, based on the image painted by Augustus Earle. It would be anchored in the soil, along with accompanying text. Ifthe car park is on the right side, facing east, the welcoming figure would be on the left hand side. I Guides - Aboriginal, military, NPWS. I Field Studies Centre - dealing with extant and remembered flora and fauna, geology, geography and ecology.

Gallery Space - an ongoing exhibition of borrowed images of the site. Past and new I images, paintings, photos and sculpture, housed in one of the existing buildings and curated in conjunction with other galleries. This could include reciprocating with collections at the Art Gallery of NSW, the Maritime Museum, La Perouse and the I National Trust.

Artist in Residence - as well as a short or long term residency, an artist in residence I- could be involved in classes, workshops and school excursions. The site lends itself to a diversity of approaches in terms of the visual arts, including 1 • Drawing and painting • Sculpture - the natural sandstoneand the built concrete structures are an exciting stimulus both in form and as raw material. The site would be suitable for longer I term placement ofsculpted work, and events such as a sculpture symposium. • Photography and film making • Performance I • Sound and light display - the sounds of the wind, dripping water, the harbour, the birds, the city, construction, planes...all are very evident.

Images with text - possibly glass covered and at ground level to prevent visual intrusion I into the existing shape of the site. Included could be maps, geological history, images of rock engravings, reconstructed dwellings, ships, barracks... I Boardwalks - over sensitive areas to access both ground level features such as rock carvings, trenches and flora, as well as outlooks.

Video production - appropriate for visitors centre, including re-enactments, scientific I information, military history, maritime history, Aboriginal heritage, features of the landscape, including access trails. I Website. Wildlife - information and access via a field studies centre similar to the one at I Bicentennial Park, and signposting such as in Centennial Park, particularly at Lachlan Swamp. I I I

+BBP+ I I ------I MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99) 3 I Icons I These could be used as indicators along tracks forthemed walks, for example, • the banksia as an icon for the natural history walk; • the gun for the military walk; • the obelisk for the communications walk; I • the outline shape of the peninsula with a compass symbol as an icon for the geographical/geological walk; • the rock engraving (from Bray's 1896 recording, Figure 6) for the Aboriginal I heritage walk; • the gregarious magpie to represent visitors and events (Figure 24).

Possible plaques or signage I Main plant species - both native and introduced, for example Banksia and Monbretia. Seamarks Changing sea levels (Figure 2) I Middle Head and its relationship to the Harbour entrance Gun emplacements Tunnels and other earthworks The history ofthe built environment - inclUding possible farm buildings, tents, I fortifications, military buildings Beaches, picnics, recreation Wildlife I Erosion and weathering Artefacts as indicators of human presence.

I Some "eye level" thoughts on a visual approach to interpreting Middle Head

During the process of interpretation of Middle and Georges Heads, two strong elements I have surfaced to provide stimulus for creative input. Firstly there is the idea of a magical prospect, or perhaps a natural magic which has settled on the area. Secondly, the concept of position and the constant re-making of the maps of Middle Head. These I two elements are not unconnected. Until the end of the Middle Ages science and art (in the European cultures) were relatively integrated into the prevailing cosmos such that all elements of the universe I were connected and that there was a system of natural knowledge. The classical science orthodoxy, which arose in the seventeenth century, began to separate from the ways of natural magic.

I 'The basic tenets of natural magic were that the universe is an organism, fUlly active and alive. It was permeated with influences, forces and correspondences that linked everything in nature to everything else, forming a multi-dimensional network that was I not only material but also mystical and spiritual' (pepper 1984). Thus there was no distinction between humans and nature.

However both Cartesian dualism and the power of science displaced this unity over I nature as asserted by Bacon.

After the Middle Ages there is a visioning of the world through the natural sciences and I philosophy which provided a different intellectual impulse. There was a secular curiosity, a flourishing of technology, and a new humanism which led 'to an appreciation of the individual which was foreign to the Middle Ages. Artists themselves began to be aware I that art was an expression of personality' (Roskill1976). Thus a curiosity began to lead into specialised diversity and away from the natural I magic. I tBBPt I

4 (27.08.99) MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION What an interpretation ofthe Middle and Georges Heads site, which is sensitive to both I the arts and the sciences, can do is - a) Not stifle this curiosity, and at the same time, b) Re-vision the multi-dimensional network that Pepper refers to. That is, attempt to retain the magic ofthe prospect. I

As Graziano and Raulin (1989) write, both scientists and artists 'indulge their own curiosity; they explore their worlds with sceptical questioning and sharp observations; I and they attempt to answer their own questions and to represent parts of the world through their own particular medium - whether it is colour, shape, sound, language, the plasticity of clay or the solidity ofstone'. I The second element which has helped to inform a visual interpretation of the Middle Head peninsula is the series of maps and positional documents which are available.

How do these two elements - magic and mapping - help to interpret Middle and I Georges Heads for the visiting audience of our time?

The site has an intrinsic complexity that may well be served and acknowledged by variety in style of audience access. I

For example, the approach to Middle Head by water, while not necessarily experienced by visitors directly, is a powerfUl and contextualising scenario. I What was it like in a canoe, a sailing ship, a war ship, on a stormy and uncharted night? What is it like in a fishing boat, a yacht, a ferry? I Evocative narrative could accompany the land bound visitor to help them imagine the other perspective.

The variety of ways of accessing the peninsula by choosing theme specific tracks (and I maps) allows the visitor to have a more personalised interpretation.

It is important however that the complexity of the place leads to curiosity, questioning and observation, rather than confusion. Part of the complexity is that while joined and I related, Middle Head and Georges Head are different sites. The proposed tracks help to integrate them, and it is hoped that the visitors centre I would reinforce the links from one to the other.

It seems that there is a vast amount of raw material which can be utilised in the interpretation ofthe area. However one ofthe keys to facilitating the interpretation (apart I from physical access) is personnel.

This ranges from initial specialist input into the different facets of Middle Head, to onsite personnel who will help to work with visitors in accessing technology, guiding tours, I facilitating creative experiences, as well as operating food and merchandising outlets. '. As a visual artist I have to say that the potential for the National Park at Middle Head as I a source of creative expression and appreciation is enormous. While it may not be seen as the normal task of NPWS to provide gallery, symposium and residency facilities for the arts it would be an inspired way to allow for interpretation on the broadest of fronts. I REFERENCES GrazianoA.M. Raulin M.L. 1989 Research Methods - A Process of Enquiry. Harper and Row. Pepper D. 1984 The Roots ofModem Environmentalism. Routledge. I Roskill M. 1976 What is ArtHistory? Thames and Hudson. I I tBBPt I - L -----~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-----, I I MIDDLE AND GEORGES HEADS MODEL INTERPRETATION PLAN AND APPLICATION (27.08.99) 1 I I I I APPENDiX 3 I I The Brief I I I I I I I I I I I I tBBPt I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I

+BBP+ I _L I I I CONSULTANTS BRIEF 1. PROJECT TITLE I Stage 2- Best Practice Heritage Interpretation Project 2. BACKGROUND

I In 1998 the NPWS commissioned a benchmarking project relating to heritage interpretation. The project was carried out by Natural and Cultural Heritage Management PIL and involved: I •A literature search • Compilation ofa annotated bibliography relating to heritage interpretation on Procite. • An evaluation ofcurrent NPWS practice in Heritage interpretation and I • Preparation ofa best practice model for heritage interpretation.

Stage 2 ofthe project involves the use ofthe outcomes ofStage 1 in developing a I best practice heritage interpretation model for Middle and Georges Head. This project provides an opportunity to develop an interpretation plan for the Georges and Middle Head area which is based on sound research and a philosophy ofintegrated I managment ofmultiple values. I 3. PROJECT LOCATION The study area is the Middle and Georges Head section ofSydney Harbour National I Park Sydney. 4. OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT

I 1. To develop a model interpretation plan for Middle and Georges Head up to and including the preliminary design work stage incorporating best practice principles. 2. To demonstrate in a practical application the value ofsound research and the I effectiveness ofaddressing multiple values in interpretation. 5. SCOPE OF THE PROJECT I The project will cover the Middle and Georges Head section ofthe Sydney Harbour National Park.

The project will utilise the outcomes of Stage 1 ofthe Best Practice Heritage I Interpretation Project. The project will also utilize other relevant documents such as the Sydney Harbour Plan ofm?Ilagement and the Conservation Management Plan for I Middle and Georges Heads Precinct Plan. The project will involve the following tasks: • Review all relevant literature on Middle and Georges Head • Review stage 1 ofthe Interpretation project I • Identify relevant State Heritage themes and develop appropriate sub-themes. • Carry out gap filling research to augment knowledge ofthemes • Liaise with tours and interpretation staffin the Sydney District and from other I relevant organisations • Liaise with community stakeholder groups identified by District e.g Metropolitan LALC I • Organise information into an interpretation plan • Prepare report and design concepts relevant to the interpretation ofthis area.

I Heritage Interpretation Project Stage 2 23/03/99

--'----,------I I 6. PROJECT METHODOLOGY I The successful tender will include a detailed methodolgy which will successfully integrate the natural and cultural values ofMiddle and Georges Head in an interpretation plan. I The Methodology should demonstrate that the interpretation plan will be completed to a stage where it can be implemented by the District. This it should include all concept design work. I

The Steering committee will be available to provide feedback throughout the project and should be utilized by the consultant team to best advantage. I

7. PROJECT TIMING I The .project will commence on 24th March 1999 and must be completed by the 30th June 1999. A draft report must be completed for distribution to the steering committee by no later than the first week in June 1999. I

8. REPORTING & DOCUMENTATION I 3 weekly meetings with the steering committee to report on progress and receive feedback. Draft report to be received no later than end ofthe first week in June I The final report will include design work which effectively illustrates the proposed interpretation plan. The final report to be received by June 30th 1999. I Final report to be in format suitable for inclusion on NPWS Website.

9. CONSULTANT TEAM SELECTION CRITERIA I

The consultant! consultant team will be selected and evaluated on the following selection criteria: I Possession of relevant qualifications and experience in the team including heritage and design expertise . Demonstrated ability to work within tight deadlines and as part ofa team. I An demonstrated understanding ofthe use ofa thematic approach to history. Capacity to undertake heritage assessment, field and archival research. Capacity to effectively interpret complex heritage values to enhance visitor education and enjoyment. I Outline ofa sound project methodology providing value for money. I 10. PROJECT SUPERVISION

Susan McIntyre NPWS Cultural Heritage Service Division Manager is the Contract I Supervisor and Project Supervisor.

The project will be overseen by a steering committee comprising a representative of I Sydney District, The local community (nominated by Sydney District) The Metropolitan Aboriginal Land Council I A NPWS natural heritage specialist and NPWS Historical Archaeologist I Heritage Interpretation Project Stage 2 23/03/99 _L I I 11. RESOURCES PROVIDED TO CONSULTANT I The following resources will be provided by the NPWS to the consultant(s): • Outcomes ofthe Stage 1 Project • Access to members ofthe steering committee for advice and direction •A guided inspection ofthe Middle and Georges Head fortifications I • The Conservation Management Plan and other documentation relevant to the area • Access to NPWS Historic Places Register, the Aboriginal Sites Register and the Wildlife Atlas. I • GIS support ifrequired.

I 13. PERIOD OF CONTRACT The period ofcontract will be from Wednesday 24th March 99 to the 30th June 99, a I period of 14 weeks. 14. PAYMENTS This is a fixed price project - maximum $40,000 I The successful tender will be selected on the basis ofthe selection criteria in Section 9 and a consideration ofthe proposed methodology and its capacity to deliver the project outcomes.. Subject to compliance with the NPWS Conditions ofContract, payment for the I project will be made as follows - . 1) An initial payment of30% ofthe contract price, upon signing ofthe contract; 2) A progress payment of40% ofthe contract price upon completion ofdraft I report; 3) Final payment ofthe balance remaining (30%) upon successful completion of I project and report finalisation. 15. TENDER SUBMISSION Tenders should be sent (Posted, Delivered or Faxed) to: I The Tender Box [level 1] NPWS PO Box 1967 Hurstville Fax: (02)9585 6325 I Attn Susan McIntyre Closing date for Tenders is 5pm Monday 22nd March 1999. Tender submissions must contain the following information: • Stated ability to fulfill all requirements outlined in Section 9 ofthis brief- I Consultant Team Selection. • CV's ofproposed Consultant Team Members detailing relevant experience. • Demonstrated understanding ofthe project and associated issues. I • Proposed outline ofwork to be undertaken and timeframe. • Demonstrated ability to complete projects in a timely manner and meet deadlines. I • Demonstrated ability to work as part ofa team and with other related teams. 16. PROJECT AND CONTRACT SUPERVISION Contract Supervisor I Susan McIntyre Manager CHSD NPWS Head Office PO Box 1967 I Hurstville NSW 2220 (02) 9585 6465 0417298975 I email: [email protected]

I Heritage Interpretation Project Stage 2 23/03/99