Port Arthur Historic Sites Statutory Management Plan 2008 Author Identification: This draft management plan has been prepared by a multi-disciplinary team assembled specifically for this project. The work has been undertaken by Godden Mackay Logan Pty Ltd in association with Greg Middleton and Port Arthur Historic Site Management staff. PAHSMA staff members Greg Jackman, Richard Tuffin and Julia Clark substantially contributed to sections 2 and 3. The review of material relating to social values was undertaken by Context Pty Ltd. Acknowledgements: This draft management plan incorporates contributions from a wide range of people including current and former Authority staff, Board members and community stakeholders. All of these contributions are gratefully acknowledged. The considerable contribution of Jane Harrington, the Authority’s Director of Conservation and Infrastructure, and of Trish Hamilton, Executive Projects Coordinator is particularly acknowledged. Management plans for other historic sites and land managed by Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service provided a benchmark for the structure and content of this management plan. Some relevant policies and actions from these management plans have been incorporated into this management plan. Contents Section One: Introduction page 1 1.1. About this management plan ... 2 1.2. Areas of Land Subject to this Management Plan ... 3 1.3. Management Plan Objectives ... 4 1.4. Development of this Management Plan ... 8 1.5. Contents of this Management Plan ... 10 1.6. Secondary and Tertiary Plans ... 11 Section Two: Understanding the Place page 17 2.1. Introduction ... 18 2.2. Historical Context ... 19 2.3. Physical Description ... 31 2.4. Social Context ... 39 2.5. Endnotes ... 41 Section Three: Heritage Values page 43 3.1. Introduction ... 44 3.2. Assessment of Heritage Values ... 44 3.3. Summary Statements of Heritage Value ... 63 3.4. Condition of Heritage Values ... 70 3.5. Endnotes ... 71 Section Four: How the Sites Are Managed page 73 4.1. Introduction ... 74 4.2. Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority ... 74 4.3. Statutory Controls and Policies ... 77 4.4. Conservation of Heritage Values ... 79 4.5. Tourism Strategy ... 80 4.6. Recreational and Community Use ... 81 4.7. Commercial Use ... 82 4.8. Funding ... 83 4.9. Economic Contribution ... 85 4.10. Community, Stakeholders and Associated People ... 86 4.11. Community Consultation ... 91 4.12. Other Issues ... 92 Section Five: Policies and Management Actions page 93 5.1. Introduction ... 94 5.2. General Management Policies ... 97 5.3. Identification, Protection and Conservation of Heritage Values ...120 5.4. Tourism, Visitor Services and Facilities ...144 5.5. Infrastructure and Utilities ...155 5.6. Adminstration and other Matters ...164 5.7. External Area Management ...173 Contents Section Six: Implementation Strategies page 179 6.1. Introduction ... 180 6.2. Strategy One: Best Practice Heritage Management ... 181 6.3. Strategy Two: Conserve and Manage Heritage values ... 182 6.4. Strategy Three: Visitor Experience ... 183 6.5. Strategy Four: Engagement with Community & Stakeholders ... 184 6.6. Strategy Five: Settings, View Sheds and other Sites ... 185 6.7. Strategy Six: Resources for Management ... 186 Section Seven: Glossary of Terms page 187 Section Eight: Appendices page 205 Appendix A: Statutory Listings ... 206 Appendix B: World Heritage Management Principles ... 212 Appendix C: Ministerial Charter ... 214 Figures: Fig. 1.1 Location and Context of Port Arthur Historic Site ... 12 Fig. 1.2. The Port Arthur Historic Site and Adjacent Areas ... 13 Fig 1.3. The Coal Mines Historic Site ... 14 Fig. 1.4. The Mason Cove portion of the Port Arthur Historic Site ... 15 Fig. 1.5. The Coal Mines Historic Sites features ... 16 Illustrations: All illustrations are held in the Curatorial Collection at the Port Arthur Historic Site, apart from the following: 1. Chaplain’s Quarters by Henry Laing. Archives Office of Tasmania. CON87/21. … 9 2. Lady Franklin (ship). Archives Office of Tasmania. NS1013/1680 … 23 3. South-East view of the settlement. Allport Library and Museum of Fine Arts, State Library of Tasmania. AUTAS001124066036. … 27 4. Sketch of Port Arthur by N. Rémond. Archives Office of Tasmania. PHO30/1/375. … 49 5. Coal Mines and Saltwater River. Tasman’s Peninsular [sic]. Archives Office of Tasmania. NS1200/5. … 67 Section One: Introduction Port Arthur Historic Sites Management Plan 2008 1 1.0. Introduction 1.1. About this Management Plan The purpose of this management plan is to provide a framework for the effective use, development and management of the Port Arthur Historic Sites, particularly in relation to their heritage values. This management plan has been prepared by the Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority (the Authority) to meet its statutory obligations under the Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority Act 1987 (PAHSMA Act), the National Parks and Reserves Management Act 2002 (NPRM Act) and the Nature Conservation Act 2002 (NC Act). It is the intention that this management plan comply with the relevant provisions of, and regulations under, the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) in order that it may be accredited by the Commonwealth Minister under Section 33 of the EPBC Act. Once accredited by the Commonwealth Minister this management plan would also form the basis for a bilateral agreement with the Commonwealth. This management plan replaces the Port Arthur Historic Site Management Plan 1985 (as amended by the Port Arthur Historic Site Management Plan 1996) and the Coal Mines Historic Site Management Plan 1997. It also replaces the Port Arthur Historic Site Conservation Plan 2000 and the Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority Tourism Strategy 2006. ‘An overarching policy document… for effective conservation, tourism operations and visitor management.’ This management plan acts as an overarching policy document under which operate a number of secondary and tertiary plans, and various management documents and policy guidelines. It is therefore not intended to provide a comprehensive history or physical analysis of the Port Arthur Historic Sites. This information may be found by reference to the more detailed studies undertaken as part of the secondary and tertiary plans and other plans. Instead, this management plan sets out a summary of the Historic Sites’ heritage values, examines current management issues and provides strategies for effective conservation, tourism operations and visitor management. 2 Port Arthur Historic Sites Management Plan 2008 The approach adopted in preparing this management plan was to: • incorporate, as appropriate, existing relevant policies, procedures and other Authority documents; • incorporate existing information, particularly from the Port Arthur Historic Site Conservation Plan 2000, the Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority Tourism Strategy 2006 and the Coal Mines Historic Site Management Plan 1997; • comply with the requirements of Part 3 of the NPRM Act in relation to the formulation, content and approval of management plans; • comply with the requirements of Regulation 2B.01 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Regulations 2000 in order that it may be accredited under the EPBC Act; and • incorporate information and assessments provided in both the National Heritage List (NHL) and proposed World Heritage List (WHL) nominations for the Port Arthur and Coal Mines Historic Sites. This management plan has statutory compliance with relevant Tasmanian legislation and is proposed to be accredited under the EPBC Act. It provides operational guidance for all Authority staff and consultants. 1.2. Areas of Land Subject to this Management Plan The areas of land subject to this management plan include the following land under the ‘care, control and management’ of the Authority. • Port Arthur Historic Site—135.5 hectares on Carnarvon Bay, comprising 98.1 hectares around Mason Cove and 37.4 hectares at Point Puer, the foreshore land connecting Point Puer to the Mason Cove portion, and the Isle of the Dead. • Adjacent Area at Garden Point—a 70.1 hectare portion of the Stewarts Bay State Reserve. • Adjacent Area on the Nubeena Road—5510 m2 that contains the Port Arthur Historic Site water supply dams. • Coal Mines Historic Site—comprising 214 hectares on the northern side of the Tasman Peninsula. Port Arthur Historic Sites Management Plan 2008 3 ‘An overarching policy document.’ The location, context and configuration of the areas of land subject to this management plan are shown in Figures 1.1 to 1.5 (pp. 13–18). For the purposes of this management plan all land under the care, control and management of the Authority will collectively be known as the ‘Port Arthur Historic Sites’ or the ‘Historic Sites’. The individual areas of land that make up the Port Arthur Historic Sites will be referred to as set out above. Further definition of the meanings and abbreviations used within this management plan are set out in the Glossary provided in Section 7.0. The Port Arthur and Coal Mines Historic Sites are classed as ‘historic sites’ under the NC Act. The values and purpose of reservation for different classes of reserved land are set out in Schedule 1 of the NC Act. For historic sites, which are valued as areas of significance for their historic cultural heritage, the purpose of reservation is the conservation of the historic features of the area of land and the presentation of those