Final Report Cape Otway Road, Australia (CORA), Cape Otway Road, Modewarre, Victoria: Desktop Cultural Heritage Assessment Client COESR Pty Ltd 14 May 2018 Ecology and Heritage Partners Pty Ltd Authors Rick Bullers and Joshua Flynn MELBOURNE: 292 Mt Alexander Road, Ascot Vale VIC 3032 GEELONG: 230 Latrobe Terrace, Geelong West VIC 3218 BRISBANE: Level 22, 127 Creek Street, Brisbane QLD 4000 ADELAIDE: 22 Greenhill Road, Wayville SA 5034 CANBERRA: PO Box 6067, O’Connor ACT 2602 SYDNEY: Level 5, 616 Harris Street, Ultimo, NSW, 2007 www.ehpartners.com.au | (03) 9377 0100 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We thank the following organisations for their contribution to the project: • Tract Consultants and COESR Pty Ltd for project and site information. • Aboriginal Victoria for information regarding Aboriginal Places. • Heritage Victoria for information regarding historical heritage places. Cover Photo: Edge of permanent waterbody (Photo by Ecology and Heritage Partners Pty Ltd) Proposed Elite Sports Retreat, Modewarre, Victoria: PCHS, March, 2018 ii DOCUMENT CONTROL Activity Cape Otway Road, Australia (CORA) Address Cape Otway Road and Connies Lane, Modewarre Project number 9109 Project manager Rick Bullers Report author(s) Rick Bullers and Joshua Flynn Report reviewer Oona Nicolson Other EHP staff Emlyn Collins and Austen Graham Mapping Monique Elsley / Robyn Giles File name 9109_1300CapeOtwayRdModewarre_PCHS_Finalv5_JF_14052018 Client COESR Pty Ltd RAP Wathaurung Aboriginal Corporation Bioregion Otway Plain CMA Corangamite Council Surf Coast Shire Report versions Comments Comments updated by Date submitted Draft v1 Draft for QA Review - 20.09.2017 Draft v2 Draft to Client for Comment - 20.09.2017 Final v1 Final Report Rick Bullers 27.09.2017 Final v2 Final Report - With Updates Emlyn Collins 01.02.2018 Final v3 Final Report - With Updates Austen Graham 07.03.2018 Final v4 Final Report - With Updates Joshua Flynn 27.04.2018 Final v5 Final Report - With Updates Joshua Flynn 14.05.2018 Protocols for Handling Sensitive Information Some of the information contained within this Cultural Heritage Assessment(CHA) is culturally sensitive. Before releasing the contents of this CHA to the public, permission should be sought from the relevant authorities and communities. Copyright © Ecology and Heritage Partners Pty Ltd This document is subject to copyright and may only be used for the purposes for which it was commissioned. The use or copying of this document in whole or part without the permission of Ecology and Heritage Partners Pty Ltd is an infringement of copyright. Disclaimer Although Ecology and Heritage Partners Pty Ltd have taken all the necessary steps to ensure that an accurate document has been prepared, the company accepts no liability for any damages or loss incurred as a result of reliance placed upon the report and its contents. Proposed Elite Sports Retreat, Modewarre, Victoria: PCHS, March, 2018 iii ABBREVIATIONS Acronym Description Act, the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 AV Aboriginal Victoria CHA Cultural Heritage Assessment CHL Commonwealth Heritage List CHMP Cultural Heritage Management Plan CHP Cultural Heritage Permit CMA Catchment Management Authority CORA Cape Otway Road, Australia DELWP Department of Environment Land Water and Planning (Victoria) DoEE Department of the Environment and Energy (Commonwealth) DPC Department of the Premier and Cabinet (Victoria) EES Environment Effects Statement EPBC Act Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 EVC Ecological Vegetation Class HA Heritage Advisor HHA Historical Heritage Assessment HO Heritage Overlay HV Heritage Victoria LDAD Low Density Artefact Distribution NES National Environmental Significance NHL National Heritage List NNTT National Native Title Tribunal PMST Protected Matters Search Tool RAP Registered Aboriginal Party RNE Register of the National Estate Regulations, the Aboriginal Heritage Regulations 2007 SGD Significant Ground Disturbance SLV State Library of Victoria T/O Traditional Owner/s VAHC Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council VAHR Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Register VGF Victorian Geomorphological Framework VHI Victorian Heritage Inventory VHR Victorian Heritage Register Proposed Elite Sports Retreat, Modewarre, Victoria: PCHS, March, 2018 iv Acronym Description VWHI Victorian War Heritage Inventory WAC Wathaurung Aboriginal Corporation WHL World Heritage List Proposed Elite Sports Retreat, Modewarre, Victoria: PCHS, March, 2018 v EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Introduction Ecology and Heritage Partners Pty Ltd was commissioned by Tract Consulting Pty Ltd on behalf of COESR Pty Ltd to prepare a desktop Cultural Heritage Assessment (CHA) for Cape Otway Road, Australia (CORA) in Modewarre, Victoria (Surf Coast Shire) (Map 1). The Activity COESR Pty Ltd is proposing to rezone the land in the study to construct a multi-purpose development, known as ‘CORA’ (Map 3), including: • Retail Village (design studio, art gallery, microbrewery, shop, food and drink); • Hotel; • Wellness Centre; • Media Centre; • Elite Sports Facility, Sports Science Hub, Wave Pool and Gymnasium; • Managers Residence, Rural Residential Quarters (49 No.), Surf Eco Lodges (15 No.), Woodland Eco Lodges (22 No.), Staff Accommodation, Staff Apartments (28 No., Caretakers Dwellings (6 No.) and Artists in Residence; • Organic Farming; • Sculpture Garden; and • Road Infrastructure. The Study Area The study area is located at Cape Otway Road and Connies Lane, Modewarre, Victoria (Map 2). Methods The assessments undertaken as part of this desktop CHA were a desktop assessment only. The desktop assessment consisted of reviews of relevant heritage registers and databases, previous archaeological publications and unpublished reports, and a review of the environmental context of the study area, culminating in a predictive statement regarding the likelihood of Aboriginal cultural heritage occurring in the study area. A field survey or inspection did not form part of the scope of works for this assessment. Results The desktop assessment indicated that there have been 57 Aboriginal places previously recorded within a 12-km radius of the study area and four historical heritage places within 2 km of the study area (Map 8). No Proposed Elite Sports Retreat, Modewarre, Victoria: PCHS, March, 2018 vi previously registered Aboriginal or historical places are located in the study area. The desktop assessment concluded that artefact scatters and low-density artefact distributions are the types of Aboriginal places and domestic sites, farming sites and tree plantings are the types of historical heritage places most likely to occur within the study area. Most of the study area comprises ephemeral wetland, albeit rarely and has been subject to regular agricultural modification since the mid-19th century. The slightly elevated lands to the east, south east and south west are the areas considered most likely to have Aboriginal and historical archaeological potential. Two areas of cultural heritage sensitivity (under the Aboriginal Heritage Regulations 2007) are located in the study area. Conclusions The following conclusions are made regarding the likely presence of Aboriginal and/or historical heritage within the study area: • There are no registered Aboriginal places recorded within the study area or within 50 m of the study area. • The study area is located within a mapped area of cultural heritage sensitivity, being land within 200 m of a waterway; • The study area also contains large areas of wetland, including two permanent waterbodies and land subject to inundation). Although these areas are not considered to meet the definition of a waterway under r.4 of the Aboriginal Heritage Regulations 2007, the margins are considered likely to contain cultural deposits and are considered to be ‘Areas of Aboriginal Archaeological Likelihood’; • Formal visual assessment of whether the areas of sensitivity have been subject to SGD did not form part of the scope of works for this assessment. However, it is considered that on the balance of probability part or all of the areas of sensitivity have not been subject to SGD. • Several sections of the study area have potential to retain archaeological deposits due to their positions in the landscape in landforms that may be culturally sensitive. These are on elevated lands on the margins of the waterways (Map 10). • There are no registered historical places within the study area. • The desktop assessment identified two areas where historical heritage and/or archaeological sites may be present: 1320 and 1340 Cape Otway Road, Modewarre. Recommendations Recommendation 1: Mandatory CHMP Required As there are two areas of cultural heritage sensitivity located in the study area and the activity is considered to be a high impact activity, a mandatory CHMP under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 is required. Although the entire study area will need to be assessed as part of the CHMP, survey (and subsurface testing effort Proposed Elite Sports Retreat, Modewarre, Victoria: PCHS, March, 2018 vii should concentrate on the areas of higher ground on the margins of the permanent and ephemeral wetlands. Recommendation 2: Requirement for Further Historical Archaeological Investigation As a mandatory CHMP is required for the activity, a formal archaeological survey and HHA report under s.131 of the Heritage Act 1995 will be required. Although historic heritage may occur anywhere in the study area, the survey should focus on the farm complexes, and surrounding land, located at 1320 and 1340 Cape