85 HARRINGTON STREET, THE ROCKS ABORIGINAL AND HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT 11 NOVEMBER 2019 SA7415 PREPARED FOR TIME & PLACE URBIS STAFF RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS REPORT WERE: Associate Director Balazs Hansel Senior Consultant Holly Maclean | Edward Green Consultant Jessica Boman Project Code SA7415 Report Number 1 – 27.09.2019 2 – 11.11.2019 © Urbis Pty Ltd ABN 50 105 256 228 All Rights Reserved. No material may be reproduced without prior permission. You must read the important disclaimer appearing within the body of this report. urbis.com.au CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................................. i 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Background ........................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2. Site Location ......................................................................................................................................... 1 1.3. Heritage Listings ................................................................................................................................... 2 1.4. Author Identification .............................................................................................................................. 2 1.5. Methodology ......................................................................................................................................... 2 1.5.1. Aboriginal Consultation ......................................................................................................................... 2 1.6. The Proposal ......................................................................................................................................... 2 2. Statutory Controls ................................................................................................................................. 4 2.1. Heritage Listing ..................................................................................................................................... 4 2.2. Commonwealth legislation .................................................................................................................... 5 2.3. State Legislation ................................................................................................................................... 5 2.3.1. NSW Heritage Act 1977 ........................................................................................................................ 5 2.4. National Parks & Wildlife Act 1974 (Amended 2010) ........................................................................... 7 3. Site Description ..................................................................................................................................... 8 4. Historical Overview ............................................................................................................................. 14 4.1. Aboriginal occupation.......................................................................................................................... 14 4.2. Site History .......................................................................................................................................... 15 5. Aboriginal Archaeological Assessment ............................................................................................... 24 5.1. Environmental Context........................................................................................................................ 24 5.1.1. Geology and Soils ............................................................................................................................... 24 5.1.2. Hydrology and Topography ................................................................................................................ 24 5.1.3. Flora and Fauna .................................................................................................................................. 24 5.2. Archaeological Context ....................................................................................................................... 25 5.3. Previous Archaeological Investigations .............................................................................................. 26 5.4. Aboriginal Archaeological Assessment ............................................................................................... 27 6. Historical Archaeological Assessment ................................................................................................ 29 6.1. Previous Archaeological Investigations .............................................................................................. 29 6.2. Archaeological Potential ..................................................................................................................... 29 6.3. Archaeological Significance ................................................................................................................ 30 6.4. Archaeological Impact......................................................................................................................... 31 7. Conclusion and Recommendations .................................................................................................... 32 8. Bibliography and References .............................................................................................................. 33 8.1. Bibliography ........................................................................................................................................ 33 8.2. References .......................................................................................................................................... 33 Disclaimer ........................................................................................................................................................ 35 URBIS SA7415-85 HARRINGTON STREET THE ROCKS-AA.PDF EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The following Aboriginal and Historical Archaeological Assessment was prepared to assess the heritage impacts of proposed works at 75-85 Harrington Street, The Rocks (Lot 1 DP777033), and two minor lots to the south of and associated with 85 Harrington Street (1 DP 812782 and 2 DP235317), located between the Cahill Expressway and 75-85 Harrington Street. The three lots incorporate the ‘subject site’ for the purposes of this report. This report updates a previous archaeological assessment submitted for State Significant Development (SSD) 7037, and expands on it through the inclusion of the two minor lots. It is further noted that Lot 1 DP777033 incorporates several properties: Harrington Court, 85 Harrington Street and the buildings that make up Bakers Terrace at 66-68 and 70-72 Gloucester Street. It is noted that the historical information contained in this document includes all three Lots, in order to provide adequate context for understanding of archaeological potential and potential impacts. The subject site is included in several heritage listings, including: • The State Heritage Register; o 66-68 Gloucester Street (item 1530) (Baker’s Terrace); and o 70-72 Gloucester Street (item 1531 (Bakers Terrace). • The Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority S170 Register; and o 66-68 Gloucester Street (4500100) (Bakers Terrace); and o 70-72 Gloucester Street (4500101) (Bakers Terrace). • The Rocks and Millers Point Archaeological Zoning Plan. o Site 85; and o Site 93. The proposal, as part of a proposed modification to the approved SSD (7037), includes: • Erection of a pedestrian ramp linking Gloucester Street and the Cahill Expressway, at Lot 2 DP235317; and • Associated landscape and infrastructure works, at Lot 1 DP812782. The ramp will include a steel palisade fence with vertical bars turned 45 degrees together on the northern and eastern sides, and southern side of the ramp comprising of a steel handrail. The ramp structure will include sculptured stainless-steel cable mesh for climbing plants to grow, and act as a security barrier. New flat bar fences will be installed on both Harrington Street (above the existing retaining wall) and Gloucester Street. Sandstone boulders and sleeper walls are proposed to mitigate level changes beneath the proposed ramp, with a path included to access the nearby existing Sydney Trains. Overall, no significant impacts are anticipated to any archaeological deposits or relics as a result of the proposed installation of the ramp. The two vacant lots adjacent to the 75-85 Harrington Street building are considered to have low potential for intact, in-situ archaeological material or relics, on account of the disturbance that would have occurred during installation of electrical cabling and a sewer line. The early buildings on Gloucester, Cambridge and Harrington Streets, were constructed on the steep topography of The Rocks by cutting into and levelling the rocky terrain. Bakers Terraces were constructed with basements opening to Cambridge Street. The streets were also formed by excavation into the bedrock. In 1988, further large-scale modification of the study area included excavation around the terraces, to construct the Harrington Court building and its underground parking. As part of the redevelopment of the study area, almost the entire