Botany Bay 132kV Electricity Cable Project Cultural Heritage Assessment November 2006 Navin Officer heritage consultants Pty Ltd acn: 092 901 605 Number 4 Kingston Warehouse 71 Leichhardt St. Kingston ACT 2604 ph 02 6282 9415 fx 02 6282 9416 A Report to Molino Stewart Pty Ltd EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Project During the next decade EnergyAustralia must replace ageing infrastructure in the Sydney CBD and the inner metropolitan area. It has been identified that replacement of two existing high voltage feeders which currently connect EnergyAustralia’s Bunnerong subtransmission substation (“STS”) at Matraville with its Canterbury STS at Earlwood, must be achieved by late 2008. The preferred replacement for the feeders, known as Feeders 908 and 909, however, is a new connection between Bunnerong and Kurnell across Botany Bay. It is proposed that the new feeders would take the following route: • from Bunnerong STS, following the road alignments to La Perouse (3.2km); • under the National Park at La Perouse by way of horizontal directional drilling (0.5km); • across Botany Bay by way of submarine cable to a section of Silver Beach situated outside (but next to) the National Park at Kurnell (2.2km); and • from Silver Beach to Kurnell STS, following the road alignments (1.5km). At Bunnerong STS, little work is proposed other than the laying of the cables within the site and connecting them to new terminations and existing equipment/apparatus. The new connections would provide an opportunity to upgrade Kurnell STS so that supplies to the Kurnell Peninsula are more secure, as well as facilitating the additional power into the CBD and inner metropolitan area. The proposed works at the Kurnell STS comprise: • Replacement of the ageing outdoor high voltage switch gear with a building to house the Gas Insulated Switchgear and Control and Protection equipment to which the new cables would be connected. • Three new transformers in new transformer bays. • An underground retention system which would capture any oil spilled in the unlikely event of rupture of a transformer. The Project will be known as the ‘Botany Bay Cable Project’. This project will be assessed under Part 3A of the Environment Planning and Assessment Act 1979 and this study will form part of the Environmental Assessment of the project. Previously recordings One previously recorded Aboriginal site is located within the Kurnell section of the study area; this site was not able to be located during the current study and appears that it may have been destroyed or covered during the construction of the Kurnell STS. Thirteen previously recorded Aboriginal sites and one potential archaeological deposit (PAD 1 on the eastern side of Little Bay Road) are located in the general vicinity of the La Perouse section of the study area. The sites include art sites and middens. Aboriginal burials have also been recorded in the vicinity of both the Kurnell and La Perouse sections of the study area. None of these recorded sites or the PAD will be directly impacted by the 132kV cable project. There are 23 recorded European heritage items in the vicinity of the study area. Two of these sites, Prince Charles Parade and Captain Cook Drive, will be directly impacted by the installation of the new electricity cable as the cable will be installed in the road reserves of these roads. The impact on the heritage significance of these items is considered to be minor. The Nationally Heritage Listed Kurnell Peninsula will not be affected by the current proposal. Recordings resulting from this study One Aboriginal PAD, K PAD 1 at Kurnell, was identified during the field survey of the study area. This area will be impacted by the project. Two European historic sites, LaPH1 (‘First Fleet Marine’ Restaurant and Boatshed Building, La Perouse) and KH1 (St John Fisher Catholic Church, Kurnell), were identified during the field survey of the study area. Both are assessed as having low local significance, and neither will be directly impacted by the project. Recommendations It is recommended that: Under the current proposal K PAD 1 will be impacted by the project. Archaeological subsurface investigation of the area should be undertaken to determine the nature, extent and integrity of any potential archaeological deposit. Mechanical excavation with an auger is the preferred investigation method. • If subsurface testing is required before approval of the project under Part 3A then a section 87 permit is required from the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC). If a planning focus meeting for this project was not held before 1st January 2005 then the Interim guidelines for Aboriginal Community Consultation need to be followed. This process requires a preparatory time of at least seven weeks prior to commencement of fieldwork; and • If subsurface testing is required after the approval of the project under Part 3A then the testing regime should form part of the statement of commitments for the project. Under the current proposal, the previously recorded PAD (PAD 1 on the eastern side of Little Bay Road) will not be affected by the project. However, if the current route is varied so that the cable is required to be laid on the eastern side of Little Bay Road then this PAD will be impacted. If this occurs then the (above) recommendations for K PAD 1 should be followed for PAD 1. The entire study area is located within landscapes that are considered to be sensitive in terms of their potential to contain Aboriginal sites. To mitigate potential impacts in these sensitive areas, monitoring of cable excavations should be conducted for the whole cable route. Monitoring should be undertaken by a qualified archaeologist and a representative from the La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council. • This proposed action should form part of the statement of commitments for the project and should follow the protocols for the location of new Aboriginal sites (Appendix 3). The protocols should also be included in the statement of commitments for the project. Based on a detailed aquatic ecology survey of the seabed along the proposed route corridor on either side of the main shipping route and numerous Hydrographic surveys it is concluded that there is no need for a detailed maritime survey of the proposed pipeline route. Two European historic sites, Prince Charles Parade and Captain Cook Drive, Kurnell, will be impacted in a minor way as part of this project by the installation of cable in the road reserve of these roads which are both listed on the Kurnell REP. It is considered that the heritage significance of the sites will not be significantly affected by the proposed 132kV electricity cable. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 REPORT OUTLINE........................................................................................................................... 1 2. ABORIGINAL PARTICIPATION ...................................................................................................... 4 3. STUDY METHODOLOGY................................................................................................................. 4 3.1 LITERATURE AND DATABASE REVIEW .............................................................................................. 4 3.2 FIELDWORK.................................................................................................................................... 4 3.3 PROJECT PERSONNEL .................................................................................................................... 5 3.4 RECORDING PARAMETERS.............................................................................................................. 5 3.4.1 Aboriginal Sites ..................................................................................................................... 5 3.4.2 Historical Sites ...................................................................................................................... 6 4. ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT......................................................................................................... 8 4.1 BOTANY BAY.................................................................................................................................. 8 4.2 KURNELL ....................................................................................................................................... 9 4.3 LA PEROUSE................................................................................................................................ 11 5. ABORIGINAL CONTEXT ............................................................................................................... 12 5.1 TRIBAL AND LINGUISTIC BOUNDARIES............................................................................................ 12 5.2 ETHNOHISTORICAL OBSERVATIONS ............................................................................................... 12 5.3 POST CONTACT ABORIGINAL HISTORY .......................................................................................... 14 5.4 ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS............................................................................................... 15 5.4.1 Kurnell ................................................................................................................................. 15 5.4.2 La Perouse.........................................................................................................................