SPRINGBROOK CABLEWAY Preliminary Cultural Heritage Assessment Prepared for CITY OF GOLD COAST 27 August 2020 URBIS STAFF RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS REPORT WERE: Director Matthew Schneider Associate Director Tina King Project Code P0022215 Report Number Final All information supplied to Urbis in order to conduct this research has been treated in the strictest confidence. It shall only be used in this context and shall not be made available to third parties without client authorisation. Confidential information has been stored securely and data provided by respondents, as well as their identity, has been treated in the strictest confidence and all assurance given to respondents have been and shall be fulfilled. © Urbis Pty Ltd 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 1. Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Background .......................................................................................................................... 1 1.2. Methodology ........................................................................................................................ 2 1.3. Limitations ............................................................................................................................ 2 2. Description of Historical Use ........................................................................................................... 3 2.1. European Settlement ........................................................................................................... 3 2.2. Construction of Springbrook Road ....................................................................................... 4 2.3. Post War Years .................................................................................................................... 6 3. Identification of Cultural Heritage Values ....................................................................................... 9 3.1. Indigenous Cultural Heritage Values ................................................................................... 9 3.2. Non-Indigenous Cultural Heritage Values .........................................................................13 4. Identification of Sustainable Cultural Heritage Options .............................................................17 5. Recommendations ..........................................................................................................................19 References ......................................................................................................................................................20 Disclaimer ........................................................................................................................................................21 Appendix A DATSIP Results FIGURES Figure 1 Local Catchment Boundary ................................................................................................................. 1 Figure 2 Early Settlers in Springbrook Region, 1906 ........................................................................................ 3 Figure 3 Tourists at Rainbow Falls c1930s ....................................................................................................... 4 Figure 4 Bushwalkers on Twin Falls track 1938 ................................................................................................ 4 Figure 5 Tourism operator on the original 1914 track from Mudgeeraba to Springbrook c1920s..................... 5 Figure 6 Early Springbrook Road Sign .............................................................................................................. 6 Figure 7 Tulip Farm Café and Restaurant c1950s ............................................................................................ 6 Figure 8 Sunnybrooke Guesthouse c1940s ...................................................................................................... 6 Figure 9 Little Nerang Dam, 1960s .................................................................................................................... 7 Figure 10 Hinze Dam c1970s ............................................................................................................................ 7 Figure 11 Interpretive Signage at QPWS Office ................................................................................................ 9 Figure 12 Interpretive Signage within Springbrook National Park ..................................................................... 9 Figure 13 Location of Wangerriburra (shaded) and surrounding groups ....................................................... 10 Figure 14 Aboriginal Parties in Springbrook Region ....................................................................................... 11 Figure 15 Registered Aboriginal Sites in the Springbrook Region .................................................................. 12 Figure 16 Location of QHR places .................................................................................................................. 14 Figure 17 Location of QHR places in Springbrook Region .............................................................................. 16 URBIS SPRINGBROOK CABLEWAY PRELIMINARY CH ASSESSMENT 27082020.DOCX 1. INTRODUCTION This technical study provides a preliminary Cultural Heritage Assessment associated with any future proposal for a cableway to be established within the Springbrook area of the Gold Coast hinterland. The report forms part of a suite of technical papers being prepared for the City of Gold Coast Council (CoGC) as part of an independent pre-feasibility assessment led by Urbis. In accordance with the CoGC Springbrook Cableway Pre-Feasibility Assessment Scope of Services this CHA provides the following: 1. Description of historical use 2. Identification of cultural heritage values 3. Identification of sustainable cultural heritage options 1.1. BACKGROUND It is assumed that the cableway would commence from a location within the vicinity of Neranwood and continue along a route towards Springbrook. It is unconfirmed where passengers would embark and disembark, including whether there would be a station at Springbrook. It is presumed that some amenities would be provided at the stations, which (based on other similar developments) could include a visitor information centre, servicing infrastructure, public amenities, café, seating, security and waste management facilities. It is also anticipated that carparking would be required at the embarkation point, which would require a large footprint. The local catchment area is shown in Figure 1 below. Figure 1 Local Catchment Boundary Neranwood Springbrook Source: Urbis 2020 URBIS SPRINGBROOK CABLEWAY PRELIMINARY CH ASSESSMENT 27082020.DOCX INTRODUCTION 1 There have been previous proposals to develop a cableway to Springbrook, the most notable being the 1998 proposal which involved an 11.6km cableway from Mudgeeraba through Springbrook National Park to Springbrook. The proposal was declared a ‘significant project’ and an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) drafted to accompany the proposal. This EIS would have included an assessment of heritage impact, however it is noted that heritage legislation has changed since this time, and new heritage places have been identified in the region. 1.2. METHODOLOGY In Australia, the conservation of heritage places is guided by the Australia International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), Burra Charter (Marquis Kyle and Walker 2004). The Burra Charter has been widely adopted as the standard for heritage conservation practice in Australia, providing a guiding philosophy for the care of places of cultural heritage significance. A review of existing publicly available information was undertaken to provide a description of historical use of the area. To gain an idea of existing cultural heritage values of the region, searches of the following databases were undertaken: . World Heritage List . National Heritage List . Commonwealth Heritage List . Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships (DATSIP) Cultural Heritage Database and Register . National Native Title Register . Queensland Heritage Register . Gold Coast Local Heritage Register The key findings of the review and searches were then used to identify potential sustainable cultural heritage options which could be undertaken in association with a potential future cableway. 1.3. LIMITATIONS This assessment takes into account cultural heritage values only. It is acknowledged that there are significant natural heritage values in the region as reflected by the World Heritage status of National Park areas and natural heritage values form part of the ecological assessment. All assessment has been desktop based, and no site inspections or consultation outside of City of Gold Coast has been undertaken. No review of previous cultural heritage assessment undertaken as part of previous cableway proposals has been undertaken. URBIS 2 INTRODUCTION SPRINGBROOK CABLEWAY PRELIMINARY CH ASSESSMENT 27082020.DOCX 2. DESCRIPTION OF HISTORICAL USE This section provides a description of the historical (i.e. non-Indigenous) use of the region. It is noted that prior to European settlement, the Springbrook region was inhabited for thousands of