Heritage of the Birdsville and Strzelecki Tracks
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Department for Environment and Heritage Heritage of the Birdsville and Strzelecki Tracks Part of the Far North & Far West Region (Region 13) Historical Research Pty Ltd Adelaide in association with Austral Archaeology Pty Ltd Lyn Leader-Elliott Iris Iwanicki December 2002 Frontispiece Woolshed, Cordillo Downs Station (SHP:009) The Birdsville & Strzelecki Tracks Heritage Survey was financed by the South Australian Government (through the State Heritage Fund) and the Commonwealth of Australia (through the Australian Heritage Commission). It was carried out by heritage consultants Historical Research Pty Ltd, in association with Austral Archaeology Pty Ltd, Lyn Leader-Elliott and Iris Iwanicki between April 2001 and December 2002. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the South Australian Government or the Commonwealth of Australia and they do not accept responsibility for any advice or information in relation to this material. All recommendations are the opinions of the heritage consultants Historical Research Pty Ltd (or their subconsultants) and may not necessarily be acted upon by the State Heritage Authority or the Australian Heritage Commission. Information presented in this document may be copied for non-commercial purposes including for personal or educational uses. Reproduction for purposes other than those given above requires written permission from the South Australian Government or the Commonwealth of Australia. Requests and enquiries should be addressed to either the Manager, Heritage Branch, Department for Environment and Heritage, GPO Box 1047, Adelaide, SA, 5001, or email [email protected], or the Manager, Copyright Services, Info Access, GPO Box 1920, Canberra, ACT, 2601, or email [email protected]. © Department for Environment and Heritage and Commonwealth of Australia Heritage of the Birdsville and Strzelecki Tracks CONTENTS PAGE 1.0 Introduction 1 1.1 Project 1 1.2 Objectives 1 1.3 Study Area 3 1.4 Survey Methodology 3 1.5 Recommendations 9 1.6 Consultation 10 1.7 Note on Placenames 10 1.8 Acknowledgments 12 2.0 Historical Background 15 2.1 Overview History 15 2.2 Chronology of Events 88 3.0 Inventory Recommendations 93 3.1 National Heritage Places 93 3.2 State Heritage Places (South Australia) 94 3.3 State Heritage Places (Queensland) 95 3.4 State Heritage Areas (South Australia) 96 3.5 Local Heritage Places (South Australia) 97 3.6 Local Heritage Places (Queensland) 99 3.7 Locality Maps of Heritage Places 100 4.0 Methodology for Assessing National Heritage Places 129 5.0 Heritage Assessment Reports: National Heritage Places 145 6.0 Places Already Entered in the State Heritage Register (SA) 189 7.0 Places Already Entered in the Queensland Heritage Register 253 8.0 Heritage Assessment Reports: State Heritage Places (SA) 261 9.0 Heritage Assessment Reports: State Heritage Places (Qld) 314 10.0 Heritage Assessment Reports: State Heritage Areas (SA) 326 11.0 Heritage Assessment Reports: Local Heritage Places (SA) 346 12.0 Heritage Assessment Reports: Local Heritage Places (Qld) 421 13.0 Heritage Assessment Reports: Historic Conservation Zones (SA) 443 Heritage of the Birdsville and Strzelecki Tracks CONTENTS (Cont.) PAGE 14.0 Tourism Management Recommendations 445 15.0 Summary of Heritage Places Identified 495 16.0 Summary of Places Visited 499 17.0 Bibliography 503 18.0 Survey Photographic Records 519 19.0 Survey Brief 525 20.0 Index 537 Birdsville and Strzelecki Tracks Heritage Survey 1.0 Introduction 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Project The Birdsville and Strzelecki Tracks Heritage Survey was undertaken by Historical Research Pty Ltd in association with Austral Archaeology Pty Ltd, Lyn Leader-Elliott of Flinders University and Iris Iwanicki in 2001-2002 for Heritage South Australia of the South Australian Department for Environment and Heritage. The project brief is appended to this report. The project was managed by a steering committee which included, besides Heritage South Australia and the Australian Heritage Commission, the SA Tourism Commission and State Aboriginal Affairs. This project differs from all earlier surveys in the South Australian regional survey program in three respects. First, because its project area extends over the state border into Queensland in two places, by agreement with the Queensland Environmental Protection Agency, second in making recommendations for Places of National Heritage Significance, and pioneering a methodology for assessment of these places, and third in making tourism management recommendations for places of cultural heritage value within the region. As 2002 is the Australian Year of the Outback, this aspect of the project is particularly apposite. 1.2 Objectives The primary objective of the Birdsville and Strzelecki Tracks Historic Heritage Survey is assessment of cultural heritage resources associated with the Birdsville and Strzelecki Tracks to test assessment methodologies and recommend places for listing in National, State and local heritage registers, and as an input to developing a regional heritage tourism strategy for the Lake Eyre Basin. Specifically, the Birdsville and Strzelecki Tracks Historic Heritage Survey will: (a) make recommendations about potential nationally significant places within the Survey Area; (b) test appropriate methodologies for identifying and assessing nationally significant places; (c) make recommendations for the entry of places in the State Heritage Register; (d) make recommendations for the declaration of State Heritage Areas; (e) identify places of local heritage value within the Survey Area, for inclusion in the Out of Hundreds Development Plan; (f) Identify areas within the Survey Area which could be declared Historic (Conservation) Zones/Policy Areas and included in the Out of Hundreds Development Plan, and (g) make recommendations about the potential and suitability of heritage places within the Survey Area for use in heritage tourism itineraries. Historical Research Pty Ltd / Austral Archaeology / Lyn Leader-Elliott / Iris Iwanicki 1 1.0 Introduction Birdsville and Strzelecki Tracks Heritage Survey Figure 1: Study Area Birdsville and Strzelecki Tracks Region 2 Historical Research Pty Ltd / Austral Archaeology / Lyn Leader-Elliott / Iris Iwanicki Birdsville and Strzelecki Tracks Heritage Survey 1.0 Introduction 1.3 Study Area The survey area, which lies chiefly in Region 13 (Far North & Far West) of South Australia, includes the Birdsville and Strzelecki Tracks and a corridor fifty kilometres wide on either side of each. The Birdsville Track commences at Marree and terminates at Birdsville. The Strzelecki Track commences at Lyndhurst and terminates at Innamincka, although for the purpose of this survey the road continuing north of Innamincka to the Queensland border near Betoota has been included. The 50km corridor extends into Queensland in the Birdsville and Nappa Merrie areas. The southern part of the project area overlaps with that of an earlier heritage survey of the Flinders Ranges (Region 11). See Figure 1. 1.4 Survey Methodology The methodology adopted for the Birdsville and Strzelecki Tracks heritage survey followed broadly that recommended by Susan Marsden in Historical Guidelines (1980) and adopted by Heritage South Australia and its predecessor agencies for 20 years since - with evolving modifications - as the basis for heritage surveys. This consisted essentially of the following stages: (1) carrying out historical research on the region, (2) identifying historical themes and likely places for investigation, (3) obtaining local information and advice, (4) undertaking field work to visit and record all known likely significant places, (5) assessing the significance of the places recorded, (6) formulating recommendations and (7) compiling a report setting out all this information. While the surveys have become more demanding over the years, and the reports larger, the brief for this survey broke new ground in several directions simultaneously, adding a number of new tasks to the formula outlined above. Briefly, the new elements of the survey were: • joint State and Commonwealth task formulation and reporting, • greater oversight of the project by the Australian Heritage Commission, • use of the Australian Historic Themes as a historical tool, • extension of the project area into Queensland, • recommendations for National Heritage Places, • pioneering new methodology for assessing national significance, and • making recommendations for tourism management of heritage places. Heritage surveys commissioned by Heritage South Australia are concerned only with the built historic environment, that is the landscape created since European settlement of South Australia in the nineteenth century. The natural environment, and places of significance in Aboriginal culture, are managed by other State government agencies, and fall outside the brief for this survey. In practice however, in an arid landscape the three areas cannot be treated in isolation, as all human activity is determined by the landscape and the climate. Many places of significance to European culture were also places of Aboriginal cultural value. The first stage of the survey - historical research - established very quickly that the north- east of South Australia has a rich history. A century ago there were many more people in the region, and many more industries than there are today. Although it did not have the Historical Research Pty Ltd / Austral Archaeology / Lyn Leader-Elliott / Iris Iwanicki 3 1.0 Introduction