Foreword

The past few months have been an eventful time for Australian heritage as you will see from many of the articles published in this edition.

Prof. Carmen Lawrence, Chair, Australian Heritage Council

In May this year, the Australian Government announced funding to support over 200 community heritage projects under the Your Community Heritage program.

Your Community Heritage projects will assist communities around Australia to share and celebrate their heritage, protect historic sites, commemorate the graves and monuments of eminent people and restore heritage places damaged by natural disasters.

This edition of Living Heritage features some of these exciting projects and I am looking forward to seeing the results in the years to come.

Recently the Australian Heritage Council invited Australians to put forward their views on a possible national heritage listing for Canberra. Further information on Council's progress in assessing Canberra as a planned capital is included in this edition of Living Heritage.

Australian Heritage Week was held in April this year, and it was encouraging to see even more communities across Australia celebrating the diversity of our heritage.

In June, the Australian Heritage Week website won an Outstanding Achievement Award in the 'Government' category of an international Interactive Media Award competitition.

In 2013, Australian Heritage Week will be held from Saturday 13 April to Sunday 21 April and I encourage you to consider hosting an event next year. The Australian Heritage Week website www.heritage-week.govspace.gov.au is open for registrations.

Together let's celebrate our national heritage!

Professor Carmen Lawrence

Australian Heritage Council Chair

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Canberra's National Heritage Assessment

The Australian Heritage Council is currently undertaking a national heritage assessment to determine if Canberra's unique place in our nation's history and heritage should be given Australia's highest heritage honour, a national heritage listing. The values being considered in this assessment focus on the city of Canberra's inception and planning, and how this embodies the development and evolution of Australia's unique cultural and democratic landscape. It is noteworthy that the centenary for Canberra will be celebrated in 2013.

Born of the utopian ideals of the founders of Australian Federation and grounded in the visionary town plan of Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin, the city of Canberra was conceived as an ideal city, a nation's capital worthy of the ideas, passion, values and patriotism of the Federation movement.

Today, Canberra has grown to be recognised as one of the world's great twentieth century cities and is recognised internationally as a remarkable example of town planning.

View along the Griffins' Land Axis from Mt Ainslie towards Parliament House at the apex of the Parliamentary Triangle and distant Mt Bimberi.
Photo: Andrew Tatnell

Canberra is one of very few cities in the world designed through an international competition aimed to create an ideal city.

The Griffin's 1912 winning plan for Canberra expressed their utopian vision for a 'bush capital', based on 'city beautiful' and 'garden city' design principles. Unlike the other competition entries, the Griffins responded sensitively to the topography and natural beauty of the landscape setting of Canberra. Their design and careful placement of buildings imbued the landscape with symbolism resonant with democratic values.

While only part of their street layout, central lake and grand vistas including the land and water axes survived later bureaucratic changes to the Griffin Plan, the foundation provided by this outstanding underlying pattern remains clearly legible today and underpins the aesthetic appreciation of Canberra's central historic and parliamentary area.

Until self-government was granted to the Australian Capital Territory in 1988, Canberra was consistently subject to federal planning controls. During the second half of the twentieth century the expanding city again became the centre for experimentation in the latest town planning concepts. The British 'new towns' idea was expressed in Woden and its satellite (Weston Creek) , Belconnen, Tuggeranong and Gunghalin. Between the 1960s and 1980s the then National Capital Development Commission developed a decentralised Y-shaped plan to manage urban growth. Each town in the 'Y-Plan' was located in a valley with its own town centre, connected to each other with American-inspired arterial transport corridors, while endemic vegetation was preserved on the inner hills. This careful planning minimised the impact of growth on the central historic area and avoided the suburban sprawl of most Australian state capitals.

As the seat of Australia's national demoncracy Canberra is associated with landmark decisions and events in the nation's story . The city provides a vital space both for national commemorations and public dialogue between the community and parliamentary representatives.

In June this year the Australian Heritage Council released an information paper, Celebrating Canberra, a nation's cultural and democratic landscape, which explores the city's history and significance as the planned national capital. Formal consultation with owners, occupiers and Indigenous people with rights or interests, was also undertaken during June.

Comments on this information paper closed on 30 June and the Australian Heritage Council is now working on a formal assessment report to submit to the federal environment minister.

A draft boundary map has also been published. The proposed national heritage values do not include private residences or commercial properties. Potential national heritage values have been identified on public land only.

Further information on the Canberra assessment is available at: http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/ahc/national-assessments/canberra

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Australia Protects US Warships lost in the Battle of the Coral Sea

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea in 1942.

Minister Tony Burke, Mr Gordon Johnson and US Ambassador to Australia, Jeff Bleich.
Photo: Andrew Tatnell

On 7 May 2012, at a moving ceremony at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke declared the shipwrecks of the USS Lexington, USS Sims and USS Neosho, sunk during the battle, as protected under the Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976. United States Ambassador Mr Jeffrey Bleich responded on behalf of the US Government, thanking the Minister for the declaration. Veterans' Affairs Minister, Warren Snowdon and Defence Minister, Stephen Smith also attended. As a result of this declaration any actions that may result in the damage, interference, removal or destruction of these shipwrecks or their relics are now illegal.

USS Lexington on fire and sinking.
US Navy photograph. Courtesty: National Archives

The stars of the ceremony were the four Coral Sea veterans. Two Australian veterans from the battle, Mr Derek Holyoake and Mr Gordon Johnson both served on the HMAS Hobart. Mr Johnson told of his experiences as a young radio operator on the Hobart and gave an interesting historical perspective of the battle.

Two United States veterans, Mr J Harry Frey and Mr Cecil Wiswell, who both served on the Lexington, also attended. Mr Frey delighted the audience by telling how he had the presence of mind to liberate the ships' consignment of pineapple sorbet as everyone was ordered to abandon ship, carrying in his helmet and sharing it with his shipmates as they waited to be rescued.

USS Sims
US Navy photograph. Courtesty: National Archives

The shipwrecks of the Battle of the Coral Sea are a permanent and tangible reminder of one the most dramatic engagements of WWII in the Pacific. They also enable us to explore and reflect on the wartime experiences of Australians and celebrate the ongoing legacy of the battle as the first joint military action between Australian and United States armed forces.

The Battle of the Coral Sea is seen as the genesis of an alliance between our two countries that has grown over the last 70 years into a firm friendship.

The successful declaration of the Battle of the Coral Sea shipwrecks is the result of cooperation between the governments of Australia and the United States on the protection of our shared maritime heritage. The shipwreck positions were identified as a result of archival research led by the department's Heritage Reform and Shipwrecks Section and its equivalent agency in the United States, the Office of Marine Sanctuaries of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

USS Neosho
US Navy photograph. Courtesty: National Archives

This work is part of the department's ongoing cooperation with NOAA that was formalised in 2010 with the signing of a memorandum of understanding on maritime and underwater cultural heritage. The Heritage Reform and Shipwrecks Section also gave a presentation on Australian/US shared maritime heritage at the NOAA headquarters in Washington DC to coincide with the announcement of the declarations.

To mark the declaration of shipwrecks of the USS Lexington, USS Sims and USS Neosho the department has published a book on war in the Pacific and the Battle of the Coral Sea. To find out more, visit Historic shipwrecks news

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Monitoring mission to the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area

Representatives from the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and IUCN, travelled to Australia in March this year to consider the state of conservation of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. This was one of the longest and most extensive monitoring missions ever planned for a world heritage area.

Great Barrier Reef
Image courtesy: Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority

Head of the World Heritage Program at IUCN, Tim Badman and Coordinator of the Marine Program at the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Fanny Douvere headed up the delegation.

Over nine days the mission team maintained a very busy schedule, holding meetings in Gladstone, Mackay, Townsville, and Cairns, as well as visiting Shoalwater Bay and Heron and Lizard Islands.

The mission's objective was to assess the state of conservation of the Great Barrier Reef and to consider the range of factors that are impacting on the Reef and how they are being managed. To meet this objective the mission spoke with many people who were interested in or had expertise in the Great Barrier Reef. This included traditional owner groups, scientific experts, community groups, environmental organisations, industry representatives, farmers, fishers, tourism operators and people from all levels of government.

The mission was invited by the Australian Government in response to concerns expressed at the World Heritage Committee meeting in June 2011 about the approval of liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities on Curtis Island, located within the Port of Gladstone in Queensland.

In welcoming the mission team, Environment Minister Tony Burke said the Great Barrier Reef is one of the world's greatest treasures.

"It is also one of Australia's most significant environmental places and has been recognised as one of the healthiest coral reef ecosystems, and best managed marine areas in the world. The visit from these delegates will allow us to demonstrate our commitment to sustainable development that ensures the outstanding Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area is protected," he said.

The World Heritage Committee is meeting from 24 June 2012 - 6 July 2012 where the state of conservation report of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area will be considered. The World Heritage Centre publishes final decisions on its website within a month after the close of its meeting - http://whc.unesco.org/en/

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef ecosystem on earth and extends for more than 2300 km along the Queensland coast. It covers an area of around 344,400 square km that is larger than the state of Victoria.

In 1981 the Great Barrier Reef was listed as a world heritage property for its outstanding universal value, and is the only coral reef ecosystem that has qualified for World Heritage Listing under all four natural criteria.

Further information about the protection of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area is available at http://environment.gov.au/heritage/places/world/great-barrier-reef/whc-concerns.html

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Funding for communities to protect and showcase their heritage

On 22 May 2012 the Federal Environment Minister, Tony Burke announced more than $9.8 million in funding to support over 230 heritage projects around Australia under the Your Community Heritage initiative. The funding will help communities preserve and celebrate their important places and stories.

Your Community Heritage projects will foster pride in communities across Australia by helping them record, protect and showcase their important heritage. Your Community Heritage is a new and practical approach to heritage conservation that recognises our history is not just about 'big' places on the World and National Heritage Lists.

Over 550 applications for funding were submitted and cover a diverse range of heritage projects. The high number of applications demonstrates the importance of local heritage to communities across Australia. Their unique heritage is central to our national identity and community pride, and informs us of where we have come from and who we are. Together these projects will explore a rich mix of culture, human experience and historical connections.

Funding will be provided to:

• 153 innovative Sharing Community Heritage Stories projects that have strong community support
• 39 projects for Celebrating Community Heritage
• six projects to Commemorate Eminent Australians by assisting in the conservation of the graves and monuments of eminent Australians
• six projects to help communities restore heritage places damaged by natural disasters through Recovering from Natural Disasters
• 33 projects for Protecting National Historic Sites including sites on the National Heritage List.

Funding of up to $25,000 is available for Sharing Community Heritage Stories and Celebrating Community Heritage. Funding of up to $500,000 is available for Protecting National Historic Sites, up to $150,000 for Recovering from Natural Disasters and $10,000 for Commemorating Eminent Australians.

Some example projects are included below:

Sharing Community Heritage Stories

Language, the Key to Survival explores connection with place and heritage for Chinese Australians, by telling the story of an original Cantonese-English Phrase Book used during the Victorian gold rushes. This project will explore the day to day experiences and struggles of these early Chinese immigrants in their own words.

Growing Stories: Keilor's Market Gardening aims to preserve the history and heritage of the Keilor Market Garden area for future generations. The project will produce a booklet and DVD on the inspirational stories of the landowners and their descendents.

A Chat with Old Friends aims to publish oral histories of interesting characters in the rural Victorian community of Boort and preserve their ways of life and language for future generations. The book will feature brief histories of Chinese market gardens, the history of aviation in the district and highlights from 125 years of Boort Agricultural and Pastoral Society shows which are of significant importance to the cultural history of rural Victoria.

The Translating Martu-Stories of the Canning Stock Route project will translate stories about Martu history of the Canning Stock Route to be published in a book. The project will also incorporate this history into story boards to be placed in the Kunawarritji Community which services many of the tourists who travel the Canning Stock Route. The stories will be entered into a database which is accessible to Martu so that family members of the story tellers can listen to the stories of their relatives.

A Journey of Discovery: the lives of 1960s surfing legends on the Gold Coast will research, record and preserve the stories of six figures from the 1960's surf scene. The stories will be exhibited at Surf World Gold Coast, and will also be available as a resource through the museum's website. The project intends to share the cultural and historic influence surfing has had on the Gold Coast.

Celebrating Community Heritage

Bonegilla Migrant Park
Image courtesy: Australian Heritage Council

A night of music and dance will be hosted at the Bonegilla Migrant Experience Heritage Park as a result of the Viva Bonegilla project. The Bonegilla Migrant Centre was the largest operating migrant reception centre in Australia post WWII. The project will also develop story boards and displays to allow for an understanding and appreciation of Bonegilla stories.

The Celebrating the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area in NSW project will result in four diverse community events being held at separate locations along the north coast of NSW. Events include two guided bushwalks, a public photographic competition and exhibition, and an informative presentation on 70 years of research in the Gondwana Rainforests on potential climate change impact on the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area. These events will provide opportunities to experience learn and foster connections with the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area.

Protecting National Historic Sites

The Conservation Plan for the Old Government House and Domain project in Parramatta will help protect one of 11 historic places that together form the Australian Convict Sites World Heritage property. The parkland setting of the Parramatta Government Domain is of outstanding national significance for its association with the foundation of British colonial administration, and as an important centre of the convict system in Australia.

Parramatta Government Domain
Image courtesy: Dragi Markovic

The Saving Torres Strait Pearls and the restoration of pearling lugger ANTONIA A99 project will help restore a boat closely connected to the final period of pearling operations in the Torres Strait area. The ANTONIA A99 represents the end of the evolution of the Thursday Island pearling lugger as a sail-rigged working craft. It is a good example of the typical construction and layout of a pearling lugger and working craft of that period. The priority to restore the hull is urgent to allow the boat be returned to salt water.

The Den Fenella Heritage Walking Track Conservation Project in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales will revitalise the track, conserving exceptional examples of original 19th century track fabric and allow for increased future use.

Commemorating Eminent Australians

Funding will be provided for the restoration of the grave of pioneering infant care medical practitioner Vera Scantlebury Brown.

Recovering from Natural Disasters

The Musk to Bullarto-Restoration of heritage rail link in Victoria project will fix the substantial damage suffered to the heritage railway infrastructure between Musk and Bullarto since its closure as a result of being isolated after the 23 February 2009 Musk Vale bushfire.

The next funding round for 2012-13 will open in the coming months. Further information about the Your Community Heritage program is available online at www.environment.gov.au/heritage/programs/ych

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Introducing your Heritage Council: Howard Tanner

Professor Howard Tanner

Howard Tanner, a Sydney architect, was appointed to the Australian Heritage Council as a historic expert in May 2007.

His architectural career, through Tanner Architects, has been acknowledged by numerous awards, and covers a broad spectrum of architectural commissions including the conservation and upgrading of the Sydney Town Hall; the Brisbane City Hall, Admiralty House, Kirribilli, and the New Zealand Parliament Buildings in Wellington, New Zealand. Key appointments have included chairing the NSW Heritage Council 1993-6, and as National President of the Australian Institute of Architects in 2008-9.

Howard has written extensively on Australian architecture, housing and gardens, he has curated several major exhibitions on related topics and he is currently a Professorial Fellow in architecture and design at the University of Canberra.

Given his wide professional experience, including heritage advocacy, conservation and adaptive re-use, Howard has made an important contribution to the work of the Council. He would like to see government policies that ensure that all sound, architecturally worthy buildings are retained, and given viable roles into the future.

Howard is currently leading the Council's initiative to encourage tertiary institutions around Australia to include heritage conservation and adaptive reuse in their architectural curriculums, allied to sustainable practice.

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Australian Heritage Strategy

The Australian Government is developing a national strategy for the recognition, protection, commemoration and celebration of heritage over the next decade.

The Australian Heritage Strategy will highlight the importance of heritage to all Australians and provide a common direction for heritage across Australia over the next decade.

The Strategy will be a high level strategic framework that brings together the depth and diversity of Australian heritage and covers what we refer to as the three domains of heritage-natural, Indigenous and historic.

The Strategy will also respond to key heritage findings of the 2011 State of the Environment Report. This report identified that while our diverse natural and cultural heritage generally remains in good condition, it is being threatened by natural and human processes that do not reflect the true value of heritage to the Australian community.

A public consultation paper for the Strategy was released in April this year outlining some of the current challenges and opportunities in the heritage sector. The period for public comment closed on the 15 June, however, the consultation paper and commissioned essays remain available for the information of stakeholders and individuals. Ninety-three submissions were received from all levels of government, professional organisations, community groups and individuals. These will be published on the Australian Heritage Strategy website in early July. For more information, visit the Australian Heritage Strategy

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Another successful Australian Heritage Week

Communities across Australia joined in the celebrations for Australian Heritage Week 2012, held from Saturday 14 April - Sunday 22 April. This year 387 events were registered on the department's Australian Heritage Week website, representing all states and territories and including some events held as part of the state National Trusts annual heritage festivals.

Exhibitions, open days, film screenings, information sessions, history walks, and bus and bicycle tours reflected the types of events registered, with walking tours and open days being the most popular.

Volunteers again played a key role in the organisation and running of many events and this year saw an increase in the numbers of events being held in regional Australia.

A number of groups hosting Australian Heritage Week events let us know that registering their event on the website increased the numbers of visitors to their event. Overall, an average of 82 people visited each event held during the week.

It is never too early to think about hosting an event during AHW 2013. Events may be registered at any time on http://heritage-week.govspace.gov.au/

Read more about Australian Heritage Week events in this edition of Living Heritage.

A walk down memory lane

Governor Phillip Walk, Parramatta, Sydney

Walking tours were a popular event during Australian Heritage Week 2012. Communities across Australia participated in 62 walks and showed their heritage to visitors from the local area as well as those visiting from further away. Following are some highlights.

In Sydney, people dressed in period costume for a guided walk tracing the steps of Governor Arthur Philip's explorations on 24 April 1788, which ultimately led to the settlement of Parramatta in November 1788. During this walk people retraced Governor Philip's steps as he came across fertile land near fresh water at a place called 'Burramatta' by the local Aboriginal people. This led to the creation of the settlement we now know as Parramatta.

Cape Otway lightstation, Victoria

A self guided walking tour was held at the Cape Otway Lightstation in Victoria. In 1848 this lighthouse perched on the towering sea cliffs where Bass Strait and the Southern Ocean collide was for thousands of immigrants, after many months at sea, their first sight of land after leaving Europe. The lightstation was decommissioned in January 1994 after being the longest continuous operating light on the Australian mainland. It has been replaced by a low powered solar light in front of the original tower whose focal plane is at 73 meters above sea level.

The Story bridge, Brisbane

In Brisbane, volunteers from Engineering Heritage Australia (Qld) escorted visitors around a number of historic engineering projects in inner Brisbane delighting them with stories of innovation and invention. The tour was designed to enrich the understanding and enjoyment of Brisbane's engineering heritage for residents and tourists, students and researchers alike.

Walking with the good, the bad and the....

A self guided heritage walk of Coburg Cemetery in Melbourne was launched by the Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust during Australian Heritage Week 2012.

Funeral director Allison Monkhouse's old horse drawn hearse

The walk features the interesting life stories of thirty individuals buried in the cemetery and includes politicians and trade union leaders William Spence, Joseph Hannan, Laurence Cohen and Archibald Stewart; Eureka Stockade rebel, Isaac Mattson; Collingwood Football Club players Jock McHale and Dick Lee; ANZAC and author William Cull; a murdered policeman David McGrath and 'Underbelly villain' John Snowy Cutmore who killed Squizzy Taylor.

Main signpost for heritage walks in the visitor's rotunda.

This project was launched on Saturday 21 April and attracted a crowd of just under two hundred people. Visitors enjoyed the old horse-drawn hearse from days gone by, jazz music, and 'show and tell' stories by volunteer group Friends of Coburg Cemetery.

The Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust confirmed its commitment to preserving this historic place by making significant infrastructure upgrades since 2010 and by developing the signposted walk for visitors to the cemetery.

The cemetery was established in 1856, in part because of the growing village around HM Prison Pentridge. Early records which were maintained by each denomination group are presumed lost. Existing burial records starting from 1875 are held at Fawkner Memorial Park and show around 52,000 interments until 1971 when the cemetery reached capacity and management was transferred to the Fawkner Memorial Park Trust.

The heritage walk project, which was managed by Wendy Todd, Community Engagement Manager for the GMCT, has taken one year to complete.

Community groups assisted with research and development of material including the Friends of Coburg Cemetery, Coburg Historical Society, Museum of Chinese Australian History, John Curtin Ministerial Library, Victorian Police Museum, Moreland Libraries and descendants of loved ones buried here.

The Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust wish to thank Australian Heritage Week for the promotional support for this event, which has been the Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust's biggest highlight since its 2010 amalgamation.

Rottnest Island's past

Rottnest Island got into the swing of Australian Heritage Week this year with a diverse range of events including walking tours, photographic exhibitions, traditional indigenous tool making, historical information sessions and the wonderful craft of storytelling through sand wizardry.

Rottnest Island is located 18 kilometres off the Western Australian coast, near Fremantle. The Noongar people call it Wadjemup, meaning 'place across the water'. The name Rottnest originated from the Dutch word 'Rotte nest' (meaning "rat nest" in the Dutch language) and was named by Dutch captain Willem de Vlamingh who spent six days exploring the island from 29 December 1696, mistaking the quokkas for giant rats.

The island's main settlement is located at Thomson Bay where some of the Australian Heritage Week events took place. Some events included:

Collecting Memories

Oral history group.

Visitors were able to speak with volunteers involved with the Rottnest Island Archives and Oral History Groups and to listen to recorded oral histories to find out how memories associated with the Island are collected.

Sand craft

Sand Wizard Craft Workshop

This workshop taught participants the skill of creating a unique sand card which they were able to take home. There were eight Aboriginal designs inspired by the natural environment to choose from, including the quokka and dolphin.

Photographic Exhibition - 'Some Things Never Change'

Exhibition photo

For over one hundred years Rottnest has been a place of family holidays, a home for workers as well as a destination for study and wonder. This exhibition of photographs displayed selected historic images featuring people, places and pastimes on Rottnest Island.

The exhibition explored the theme of memory and change and was held in the old Salt Store - a nineteenth century limestone building that is a tangible reminder of the salt industry and Aboriginal prison history of Rottnest Island before it became Western Australia's premier holiday destination. Historic photographs in the exhibition showed aspects of what Rottnest was like and they were positioned with contemporary versions of similar scenes.

Rottnest Island lighthouse

Reefs, Wrecks and Daring Sailors Walking Tour

On this tour participants learned about the treacherous reefs and shipwrecks around Thomson Bay. They explored the historic pilot boathouse, saw a replica of a 19th century pilot boat and heard fascinating stories about the numerous shipwrecks around Rottnest Island, including the famous City of York wreck. The tour also took in the 19th century streetscape and the Coxswain's Cottage.

Traditional Aboriginal Activities

At this workshop visitors learned about the art and techniques of traditional Aboriginal toolmaking and learned to make a taap (bush knife) by using resin from the Balga bush (grass tree) and other ingredients from the bush. Aboriginal artefacts on the island have been dated from 6,500 to more than 30,000 years ago. Visitors also gained an understanding of the uses of traditional materials used by the Noongar people including the traditional making of a yonga skin koota (bag) and heard about the six Aboriginal seasons.

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DISCLAIMER - The material in this e-newsletter may include the views or recommendations of third parties, which do not necessarily reflect the views of the Commonwealth, the Department or the Minister for Environment, or indicate any commitment to a particular course of action. Readers should also refer to the general Departmental disclaimer contained in the footer of the Department's website.