WALLAN SOUTH PRECINCT STRUCTURE PLAN Sponsored by Victorian Planning Authority 8th June 2021 Prepared by Heritage Advisors Emma McNeil & Andrew Morris PO Box 776 Beaconseld, VIC 3807 www.aatardis.com.au © 22019019 GGoogleoogle ASSESSMENT HERITAGE CULTURAL HISTORIC Wallan South Precinct Structure Plan Historic Cultural Heritage Assessment Activity Precinct Structure Plan Assessment Type Historic Cultural Heritage Assessment Victorian Planning Authority Sponsor (ABN 58 651 383 439) Emma McNeil & Andrew Morris Heritage Advisors Archaeology At Tardis Pty Ltd Authors Emma McNeil & Andrew Morris Completed 8th June 2021 The intellectual property within this report and the primary research material therein are the property of Archaeology At Tardis Pty Ltd and may NOT be used, reproduced or distributed in any way without prior written consent of Archaeology At Tardis. Ethnographic information that has been provided by Aboriginal people and included in this report is the property of the Aboriginal community to which the informant/s is/are representing at the time the information was given. Such information may NOT be reproduced or distributed in any way without prior written permission from that community. Any advice and/or opinions offered within this report by Archaeology At Tardis does not constitute legal advice or represent those of any third party. The report remains the property of the Sponsor. It may NOT be used, reproduced or distributed in any way without the written consent from the Sponsor. i DOCUMENT HISTORY Version No. Reviewed By Edits Made By Date Edited A A Murphy E McNeil 14.02.2020 A Victorian Planning Authority E McNeil 15.06.2020 Victorian Planning Authority B E McNeil 18.09.2020 Mitchell Shire Council Victorian Planning Authority C E McNeil 25.02.2021 Mitchell Shire Council C Andrea Murphy E McNeil 26.02.2021 D Andrea Murphy G Lee 04.03.2021 E Victorian Planning Authority E McNeil 06.05.2021 E McNeil F Tom Rymer 03.06.2021 S Ellis (Admin) F L.Cook (Admin) E. McNeil 07.06.2021 DISTRIBUTION OF COPIES Version No. Distributed To Reason Date Issued A Victorian Planning Authority Draft 18.02.2020 B Victorian Planning Authority Draft 20.08.2020 C Victorian Planning Authority Final 18.09.2020 Amended draft D Victorian Planning Authority 02.03.2021 review E Victorian Planning Authority Final 10.03.2021 F Victorian Planning Authority Amended Final 08.06.2021 Authors: Emma McNeil & Andrew Morris Project Archaeologist: Emma McNeil Name of Organisation: Archaeology At Tardis Pty Ltd Name of Project: Wallan South Precinct Structure Plan Wallan South Precinct Structure Plan Historical Heritage Name of Document: Assessment Ver. F AAT Project Number: 4150.000 ii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report presents the results of an investigation into the historical cultural heritage values and statutory obligations of the Wallan South Precinct Structure Plan area (activity area) (Map 1). This Historic Cultural Heritage Assessment (HCHA) has been prepared in order to develop a boarder understanding of the activity area and the historic heritage that is present within it. If historic heritage is present within the activity area, management strategies have been developed to inform the Sponsor of their statutory obligations. The activity area is bound by Old Sydney Road to the west, the Hume Freeway to the east and Wallan Township to the north/north-east. The activity area is located approximately 41.5 kilometres north of Melbourne (Map 1). The area is bound by residential land to the north/north-east but is surrounded mainly by open pastoral or agricultural land. Taylors Creek and Strathaird Creek dissect the activity area. The activity comprises the subdivision of 806 hectares of land for residential facilities. These residential facilities will be supported by town centres, schools, community centres, parks and the relevant utilities that are needed to support such infrastructure. There are no Victorian Heritage Register or Mitchell Shire Council Heritage Overlay sites within the activity area, however, there is one Victorian Heritage Inventory site, The Inverlochy Castle Hotel (H7823-0045; Appendix 3). The Inverlochy Castle Hotel is protected under Section 123 of the Heritage Act 2017. A survey of the activity area was undertaken on Wednesday 4th December 2019 and Thursday 3rd September 2020 as part of this assessment. A vehicular survey was conducted on the 4th of December 2019, with areas of known or identified historic significance pedestrian surveyed. A further pedestrian survey of areas of historic potential and significance was conducted on the 3rd of September 2020. Due to the size of the activity area, the entire area was not pedestrian surveyed, instead, areas of known or identified historic significance or potential were targeted, with the understanding that further historic assessment will be done within the activity area prior to development. BACKGROUND INFORMATION – DESKTOP ASSESSMENT (SECTION 2) The activity area has been largely subject to agricultural activity, with the exception of the Inverlochy Castle Hotel. The desktop assessment has identified that the site of the Inverlochy Castle Hotel and the immediate surrounding area (<50m) has potential for surface and subsurface archaeological features and occupation deposits associated with the residential, agricultural and pastoral activities in Wallan from the 1850s. The site represents one of the earliest settlements in the Wallan area, and due to this, the site has both local and historic value. Additional areas of interest have been included in Maps 4 and 5, where brick/stone huts, weatherboard homes, orchards, stockyards, shops, bridges and non-descript ‘huts’ were identified on a 1913 survey map of the activity area (Figure 23). FIELDWORK – HISTORIC SITE SURVEY (SECTION 4) The survey of the activity area identified that the Inverlochy Castle Hotel site was of high archaeological and scientific significance. Two sites were identified during the site survey that had not previously been identified by historic or archaeological survey in the region, both places (the quarry and bluestone drain) were determined to be of low scientific and archaeological potential. Sites of historic potential originally identified during a 1913 survey iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY were reinvestigated and none were identified as having archaeological potential, except site six, a brick hut. The small brick hut was identified in the south-west of the activity area and may be associated with or contemporary to the Inverlochy Castle Hotel. This site is of moderate scientific and archaeological potential. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION (SECTION 6) Wallan was quickly occupied by European settlers in the early 19th century; first with expansive squatter runs, before being alienated from the Crown and sold in the 1850’s as private land holdings (Appendix 6). The early settlement of Wallan is evident through the remains of the Inverlochy Castel Hotel and the brick hut identified in the south of the activity area (Map 4; Appendix 6). The Inverlochy Castle Hotel (H7823-0045) is a registered Victorian Heritage Inventory site, and includes bluestone walls, a bluestone chimney, iron shearing shed, bluestone remains that could be indicative of a cellar for the Hotel, a bluestone well and introduced trees that are most likely associated with the hotel. The area surrounding (<50m) the hotel has significant potential for further bluestone and redbrick building remains and foundations, along with portable historic artefacts. The well itself, most likely has historic artefacts and debris at its base, and it is highly likely that artefacts will be recovered from the well. The building itself is in a poor state of preservation and it is not currently safe to enter the structure. The area has a high potential for surface and subsurface artefacts. The building has local significance to the Wallan area as a major stopping point on the Sydney to Melbourne Road and the roads to the goldfields. The Inverlochy Castel Hotel was owned and operated by the Laffan family, who were instrumental in the settlement and development of the Inverlochy estate and the township of Wallan (Appendix 6). The site represents the early rural development and occupation of the Wallan region and has the potential to uncover significant historic remains. Site six contains the remains of a brick hut, first identified during a 2005 vehicular survey by Andrea Murphy and Lucy Amorosi (Murphy & Amorosi 2005). The building is in a state of disrepair and little of the structure remains. Portions of the floor and what may be a chimney breast are evident on the ground surface. The site may be contemporary with the Inverlochy Castle Hotel and the Laffan family’s occupation of the area surrounding the hotel, or William MacLeod’s occupation of Lot 80 (Appendix 6). The site is considered to be of moderate historic potential. Since the early to mid 20th century Wallan has undergone significant development as a result of Melbourne’s metropolitan expansion, and its location on the Eastern Railway. Two sites associated with this later development and expansion of Wallan were identified during the vehicular survey. The quarry located on the top of Green Hill was most likely used by the Wallan township to supply building materials. The quarry displayed evidence of mid-20th century mining techniques but there are no associated structures or remains evident near the quarry. It is possible that archaeological remains are associated with the site. The bluestone drain located to the west of Wallan Egg Farm was in a poor state of preservation, with grass and weeds overgrowing in the area. The drain does not seem to be in working order. These sites are considered to be of low archaeological potential. No other historic features or areas of historic potential or significance were identified within the Wallan South activity area. The locations of previously identified areas of potential, iv EXECUTIVE SUMMARY historic archaeological sites and areas identified during the survey are presented in Map 4.