Cataract Gorge Chairlift Project, Launceston Historic Heritage Assessment Report AUTHOR: Stuart Huys and Zoe Smith 27 Apsley St, South Hobart TAS 7004 CLIENT: Pitt and Sherry 25.6.2018 Cataract Gorge Chair Lift Project, Launceston Historic Heritage Assessment Report CHMA 2018 Table of Contents Page Executive Summary 1 1.0 Project Background 9 1.1 Project Description 9 1.2 Aims of the Investigation 9 1.3 Project Methodology 10 1.4 Project Limitations 11 2.0 Environmental Context 17 2.1 Landscape Setting and Hydrology 17 2.2 Geology and Soils 18 2.3 Vegetation and Past Landscape Use 19 2.4 Climate 22 3.0 Historic Background 23 3.1 Launceston – Discovery to 1899 23 3.2 Post 1900 Launceston 29 3.3 Cataract Gorge Historical Background 30 4.0 Heritage Database Searches 34 4.1 Heritage Databases, Registers and Lists 34 4.2 Results of the Search of the Heritage Registers 36 4.3 RNE Listing of the Trevallyn State Reserve and Adjacent Area Reatta Road 39 4.4 The THR Listing of the Cataract Gorge Reserve 42 5.0 Survey Coverage of the Study Area 45 6.0 Survey Results and Discussion 50 7.0 Site Significance Assessments 51 7.1 Assessment Guidelines 51 7.2 The Burra Charter 51 7.3 Tasmanian Heritage Assessment Criteria 52 7.4 Summary Significance Ratings for the Study Area 53 8.0 Statutory Controls and Legislative Requirements 54 8.1 National Conventions 54 8.2 Commonwealth Legislation 55 8.3 State Legislation 56 8.4 Local Planning Schemes 59 Cataract Gorge Chair Lift Project, Launceston Historic Heritage Assessment Report CHMA 2018 Table of Contents Page 9.0 Statement of Heritage Impacts and Heritage Management Plan 62 9.1 Statement of Heritage Effects 62 9.2 Management Recommendations 63 10.0 Unanticipated Discovery Plan 65 References Cited 67 Appendix 1 69 List of Figures Figure i: The location of heritage feature listed on the THR, in relation to the proposed infrastructure footprint of the Cataract Gorge Chairlift Project 4 Figure 1: Topographic map showing the general location of the proposed Cataract Gorge Chair Lift Project 12 Figure 2: Topographic map showing the proposed footprint locations of the Chairlift station and two pylons 13 Figure 3: Aerial image showing the proposed footprint locations of the Chairlift station and two pylons 14 Figure 4: Schematic diagram showing the proposed design for the chairlift and tower pylons 15 Figure 5: Schematic diagram showing the proposed design for the chairlift station 16 Figure 6: Geology underlying the study area. Image modified from The LIST (Geological Polygons 1:25K) accessed 11 April 2018 19 Figure 7: Vegetation across study area. Image modified from The LIST (TASVEG 3.0) accessed 11 April 2018 20 Figure 8: The location of heritage feature listed on the THR, in relation to the proposed infrastructure footprint of the Cataract Gorge Chairlift Project 38 Figure 9: Topographic map showing the boundaries for the THR listing of the Cataract Gorge Reserve (THR ID 3955), in relation to the proposed infrastructure locations for the proposed chair Lift Project 43 Figure 10: Aerial image showing the boundaries for the THR listing of the Cataract Gorge Reserve (THR ID 3955), in relation to the proposed infrastructure locations for the proposed chair Lift Project 44 Figure 11: Guidelines for the estimation of surface visibility 45 Figure 12: Aerial image showing the alignment of the survey transects walked within, and the surrounds of the Chair Lift Project infrastructure areas 49 Cataract Gorge Chair Lift Project, Launceston Historic Heritage Assessment Report CHMA 2018 Table of Contents Page List of Tables Table i: Summary details for heritage listed places in the immediate vicinity of the Cataract Gorge Chair Lift Project study area 3 Table 1: Summary details for heritage listed places in the immediate vicinity of the Cataract Gorge Chair Lift Project study area 37 Table 2: Effective Survey Coverage achieved within the Chair Lift Project infrastructure areas and surrounds 46 List of Plates Plate 1: View south-east across First Basin, within the South Esk River Gorge, where the proposed Chair Lift Facility will be located 18 Plate 2: View west across the southern proposed pylon location footprint, showing the existing vegetation structure 21 Plate 3: View north-west across the northern proposed pylon location footprint, showing the existing vegetation structure 21 Plate 4: View east across the proposed chair lift station site, showing the landscaped area 22 Plate 5: Cornwall Hotel, Launceston (image c1880). 24 Plate 6: Postcard of Victoria Bridge (previously Tamar Street Bridge), Launceston 25 Plate 7: Town Hall, Launceston 27 Plate 8: Kings Bridge, Launceston 28 Plate 9: The Launceston Post Office 29 Plate 10: View south-east across the proposed footprint for the chair lift station showing grass cover restricting visibility, and discrete erosion scalds in the foreground providing locales of improved visibility 46 Plate 11: View west across the proposed footprint for the southern pylon location, showing typical conditions of surface visibility, limited to around 30% 47 Plate 12: View north-west across the proposed footprint for the northern pylon location, showing typical conditions of surface visibility, limited to around 30%, and bike track providing improved visibility 47 Plate 13: View east across the surrounds of the northern pylon site showing typical conditions of surface visibility, limited to around 30% 48 Cataract Gorge Chair Lift Project, Launceston Historic Heritage Assessment Report CHMA 2018 Executive Summary Project Background Pitt and Sherry are preparing planning approvals for a proposed chair lift facility in the Cataract Gorge at Launceston, in the Northern Region of Tasmania (see Figure 1). The proposal is for a new gondola style chair lift which will start at a site near the existing chairlift and span across to the southern point then to the northern point then back, on a continuous suspended cable stretching between two pylons. The proposed location for the new chair lift station is on a grassed area which is situated between the Basin Road car park facility and the existing chairlift station. The proposed development footprint measures approximately 300 m². The chairlift will be suspended between two pylons. Each pylon will be approximately 8m high, and the disturbance footprint at each pylon site is approximately 245m². Access to the southern pylon will be from the existing track to the west with access to the northern one from the car park road (most likely at this stage). Figures 2 and 3 shows the proposed locations for the proposed chairlift station and the proposed pylon sites. CHMA has been engaged by Pitt and Sherry to undertake an Historic heritage assessment for the Cataract Gorge Chair Lift Project. This report presents the findings of this assessment. Heritage Databases, Registers and Lists As part of Stage 1 of the present assessment a search was carried out of A search was carried out of a number of historic registers and databases in order to determine the extent of historic sites and features in the vicinity of the study area. Agency databases searched included: Australian National Heritage List (NHL) Australian Commonwealth Heritage List (CHL) The Australian Heritage Database (AHD) Tasmanian Heritage Register (THR) The Register of the National Estate (RNE) Australian Heritage Places Inventory (AHPI) The National Trust (NT) Launceston Interim Planning Scheme (2015) (LIPS) The search of the various historic heritage registers listed above shows that there are a number of heritage listed features that are situated in close proximity to the Cataract Gorge Chair Lift Project study area. Table 1 provides a summary of these historic places. Figure 8 shows the location and the registered boundaries of these features in relation to the study area. Page | 1 Cataract Gorge Chair Lift Project, Launceston Historic Heritage Assessment Report CHMA 2018 Of the historic places listings summarized in Table 1, the two most pertinent listings to this project area the listing of the Trevallyn Reserve and adjacent areas (including the Cataract Gorge) on the Register of the National Estate (Place ID12394), and the listing of the Cataract Gorge on the Tasmanian Heritage Register (THR ID 3955) The Trevallyn State Reserve and Adjacent Area is listed on the Register of the National Estate (RNE). The boundary extent for the listing is not clearly defined. However, based on the nomination description, the listing appears to include the area around First Basin in the Cataract Gorge, where the study area is located A section of the Cataract Gorge Reserve is permanently registered on the Tasmanian Heritage Register (THR ID 3955). The listing applies to a narrow strip of land on the northern margins of the South Esk River, extending from Kings Bridge, through to the eastern edge of first Basin. Figure i shows the boundaries for the listing in relation to the proposed study area infrastructure locations. It should be noted that that Caretakers Cottage adjacent to Kings Bridge is separately listed on the THR (THR ID 3873). A more detailed discussion for these two listings is provided in Section 4 of this report. Page | 2 Cataract Gorge Chair Lift Project, Launceston Historic Heritage Assessment Report CHMA 2018 Table i: Summary details for heritage listed places in the immediate vicinity of the Cataract Gorge Chair Lift Project study area Place Place Place File No Photo Register Legal Status ID Trevallyn State Register of Reserve and the Adjacent 12394 Indicative Place 6/03/050/0019