|
 |
| |
| |
Our Heritage At Risk is a national program intended to raise awareness of heritage issues in Australia. It is managed by the National Trusts of Australia in partnership with:
 |
Engineers Australia (Historic Section) |
|
Museums Australia |
|
Royal Australian Institute of Architects |
The program has been developed from the previous Endangered Places Program but differs in that moveable heritage, objects and collections, as well as places can be nominated as at risk. The program remains holistic and includes built, natural and indigenous cultural heritage places and objects.
Nominations containing information about the risk and the heritage significance of places and objects in South Australia were received up until the middle of February this year. A panel of cultural and natural heritage experts assessed the nominations and short-listed them to South Australia’s top ten places or objects at risk.
The launch of the South Australian Top Ten, the 18th of April 2007, is World Heritage Day. It is hoped that the launch will focus community and media interest on the kinds of threats facing heritage places, in order to achieve policy changes to address the issues raised by those threats, and to marshal community action and government attention to address the identified threats, so that more heritage can be saved for future generations
A launch of the National Top Ten is planned for July this year.
| At Risk |
|
 Place: Currency Creek Road Bridge
State: South Australia
Threat: Destruction – complete loss of heritage value
Significance of Place: The Currency Creek Bridge, constructed in 1872, represents the first ever use of a vertical laminated timber arch construction, a method that is not known to have been used anywhere else in the world.
Description of Threat: The Bridge is in a fragile state and is fenced off. Railings are collapsing and the decking is unsafe. The only reason the bridge has not yet collapsed is due to the non-original steel beams added c.1950.
Action Required: Restoration and Interpretation as an example of a now rare type of bridge construction.
|
|
 At Risk
Place: Port MacDonnell Cemetery
State: South Australia
Threat: Destruction – complete loss of heritage value
Significance of Place: The area is regarded as a significant remnant of pre-European vegetation for the Hundred of MacDonnell which retains an estimated 4.1 percent of its original vegetation. The area is also considered to be high in species diversity and is also noted to be of high amenity value as it is located between the foreshore and the main road.
Description of Threat: The District Council of Grant has applied to extend the Port MacDonnell town cemetery located adjacent to coastal shrubland at Port MacDonnell. The proposed extension would require the removal of .576 hectares of intact coastal shrubland, which provides wildlife habitat for various bird species with conservation significance, including the Endangered orange-bellied parrot and rare beautiful firetail, while also providing habitat for regionally rated plant species like the uncommon drooping velvet-bush. Due to proposed changes to the SA Native Vegetation Act 1991 the Council may be able to clear this vegetation without approval from the Native Vegetation Council.
Action Required: The desired outcome would be that no native vegetation be cleared from the area. The Nature Conservation Society of South Australia would encourage the District Council of Grant to consider other options for a possible extension of the graveyard. This would include utilising the large car park area or areas of degraded vegetation for an extension of the graveyard rather than removing ecologically important vegetation communities. The proposed changes to the Native Vegetation Act 1991 should not proceed.
|
|
 At Risk
Place: Cullyamurra Waterhole
State: South Australia
Threat: Destruction – complete loss of heritage value
Significance of Place: The Cullyamurra Waterhole is a region of unsurpassable natural beauty that provides sanctuary for many of the unique flora and fauna species of South Australia's arid lands. This area has played a significant part in both the Aboriginal and European history of Australia. It is home to many endangered and protected species and amazing examples of the Yandruwandha/Yawarrawarrka peoples rock art, burial sites and artefacts. This area also featured in the fateful expedition of Burke and Wills making it a significant part of Australia's European history.
Description of Threat: Cullyamurra Waterhole is currently at risk of being completely destroyed by a distinct lack of funding and management by the SA Department for Environment and Heritage. The area and its fragile ecosystems and heritage are currently being heavily impacted on by tourists, large populations of feral animals and poor management. This poor management combined with visitor impacts has already caused the decimation of many areas, with erosion levels putting the whole area at risk.
Action Required: The area needs to be managed and protected. Feral proof fences need to be rebuilt and maintained to keep cattle and feral animals out of the exclusion zone. Erosion control will also need to be undertaken to save the vegetation and soil profile around the waterhole. Management techniques and plans will also need to be improved and interpretation should be considered to educate visitors about the area and the principles of low impact camping.
|
|
 At Risk
Place: Port of Adelaide Maritime Heritage
State: South Australia
Threat: Destruction
Significance of Place: The Port of Adelaide was one of South Australia’s earliest settlements and is historically the major entry point for immigrants and supplies due to the State’s relative isolation with the first 100 years representing a period where almost everything that entered and left South Australia passed through the Port of Adelaide. The various stages of development as a working port through the mid to late 1800s up to the present day are reflected in buildings, boats and objects that have no formal protection under the existing State Heritage Area, namely:
· Searles’ boatyard and slips in an area that has built wooden boats since the 1840s.
· The ‘Radio Shack,’ the only example of this type of building in Port Adelaide
· The ‘Nelcebee’ that was for many years the oldest seagoing ship in Australia
· The ‘Falie’ that is the last remaining ketch in the water in South Australia
· The ‘Double Hook Level Luffing Electric Wharf Cranes 1 and 2 that are the last remaining examples of their type in Australia.
Description of Threat: The Port of Adelaide’s Maritime Heritage is at risk of losing essential physical elements of its history as a working port. A residential redevelopment of 51 hectares of the former working waterfront in the Inner Harbour plans to save only three heritage (listed) structures, and with the majority of evidence that the Port was once a working port already destroyed or earmarked for destruction the remaining heritage values are at risk. The recent re-aligning of heritage precinct boundaries and ongoing neglect exacerbates the effects of the redevelopment. Of particular concern are important heritage sites such as the traditional boatyards and ‘Radio Shack,’ historic maritime vessels the Falie and Nelcebee, and equipment used by waterside workers such as the Double Hook Level Luffing Electric Wharf Cranes.
Action Required: It is hoped that Searles’ boatyard and slips, the Radio Shack and the vessels the Falie and Nelcebee, and Cranes No. 1 and 2 be kept and conserved as visible reminders of the Port’s maritime heritage as a working port. The State Government needs to embrace the social and historical reality of life in the port by offering these places, vessels and equipment formal heritage protection and a commitment of resources.
|
|
 At Risk
Place: Pioneer Cottages, 84-86 Walkerville Terrace, Walkerville
State: South Australia
Threat: Deterioration – heritage value compromised due to neglect
Significance of Place: These cottages date from the earliest phase of European settlement in South Australia. In form and construction they are typical, though now rare, settlers' houses. They were first occupied and owned by Amelia Allen, daughter of the horticulturalist Thomas Allen. The site has rare archaeological potential being undisturbed for 165 years.
Description of Threat: The Walkerville Council recently sold the cottages to a developer (August 2006). There has been much damage by squatters and attempts to limit further entry have resulted in damage to doors and windows including the original 1840s casement windows. The front row of rooms is afforded heritage listing by the Walkerville Council however the back row is not listed and there is concern that these rooms may be subject to inappropriate renovation.
Action Required: The rear rooms of the cottage should be afforded the same heritage protection by the Walkerville Council ensuring that the rear rooms are not subject to inappropriate renovation. Ideally the cottage will be restored (not renovated) and subsequently used as any of the following: residential (including for holiday accommodation), children's library, heritage/colonial education centre, colonial wine shanty or bullocky stop-over, community centre, art gallery, coffee shop, book shop, gift shop.
|
|
 At Risk
Place: Mulberry Tree, Kangaroo Island
State: South Australia
Threat: Destruction by vandals and deterioration due to neglect, drought and age
Significance of Place: The Old Mulberry Tree is South Australia's first and oldest living European tree. It is situated at historic Reeves Point, Kingscote, Kangaroo Island, where the State's first Colonists stepped ashore on 27 July 1836. The Mulberry Tree was planted soon after and survives and bears fruit at 170 years of age..
Description of Threat: The Old Mulberry Tree, at 170 years of age, has become fragile with limbs held together by large chains and a prop. There is uncertainty by experts about the level of intervention needed to best protect the tree from destruction by vandals and deterioration due to drought, lack of shelter and its old age.
Action Required: A scientific study is required to determine ways to prevent further deterioration of the tree from dying limbs and to promote new growth. The area also needs to be more visitor friendly to prevent trampling and soil disturbance. Shelter could be provided to protect the tree from salty winds. Better promotion and interpretation of the trees historic significance is desired and further propagation from cuttings could be used to create a grove of mulberry trees in the lead up to the 175th anniversary of the tree in July 2011.
|
|
A t Risk
Place: Peterborough Railway Buildings
State: South Australia
Threat: Deterioration and destruction - due to neglect and demolition
Significance of Place: The buildings in the Peterborough Railway area are of substantial cultural and industrial significance. This town hosted the biggest State rail centre outside of Adelaide and retains its social and spiritual importance to many. The buildings at risk are unique examples of State and National significance of an industrial era in a rural setting from 1880s to 1996. The machine shop is attached to the National Heritage listed Roundhouse Register.
Description of Threat: There is a high degree of neglect and deliberate demolition of buildings outside current preservation zones. At risk are the Machine Shop, Works Foreman's Workshop, Boilerhouse and Store, Goods Shed, Signal and Telegraph Communication Building, and Semi-detached Stone Cottages. There are plans to demolish and salvage these buildings to raise money. Other buildings have already been demolished due to perceived public risk issues and other buildings not under threat of demolition have suffered from neglect and vandalism.
Action Required: These buildings should be included in the existing Peterborough Council Historic Conservation Zone. They should be stabilised to prevent further deterioration followed by efforts to preserve and promote the buildings as a special place in South Australia's History, the States largest regional railway centre outside Adelaide.
|
|
 At Risk
Place: Adelaide Park Lands, Victoria Park
State: South Australia
Threat: Deterioration – due to the threat of development
Significance of Place: The City of Adelaide Park Lands are the most distinctive and unique asset of Adelaide's cultural landscape. The Park Lands are of unique and potent character, natural beauty, solitude and passive recreation, a definitive icon and invaluable asset of the City, essential to the City's cultural identity and growth of the State's tourism enterprises. The Old Grandstand within Victoria Park is the oldest remaining grandstand at the racecourse, a site used for horseracing since 1840. It is a good example of a grandstand constructed in the 1880s and its style and design are typical of grandstands in that era. The structure is important for its aesthetic characteristics as a dominant feature of the Park Lands.
Description of Threat: The Government of South Australia is proposing the construction of, within Victoria Park, a multipurpose grandstand (over 200 metres long and three stories high), administrative and function facility building for motor sport and horse racing. The proposal involves realigning the existing horse racing track away from the historic grandstand and demolishing all the existing structures relating to the Victoria Park Racetrack, with the exception of the Old Grandstand.
The proposal will reduce the open character of Victoria Park, exacerbate the existing and inappropriate interference with the primary purpose of the Park Lands (open space and passive recreation), and is contrary to its desired character. Increasingly, commercial developments such as this have been permitted in the Park Lands, such as the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Adelaide Convention Centre and Wine Centre. The Adelaide City Council recently approved the amended proposal.
Action Required: The vision for the Park Lands is that it be protected and enhanced as a place of unique and potent character, natural beauty, solitude and passive recreational endeavours. To do this the Park Lands should be recognised as one of South Australia's most valuable assets and essential to its cultural identity by its entry on the State Heritage Register. A conservation and management plan is required in order to develop soundly based policies for the use and management of the area with legislation to back-up those policies. A thorough assessment of the heritage values of the present racecourse complex is required and opportunities for reinstating some of the context of the heritage stand should be explored.
|
|
At Risk
Place: Lower Lakes and Coorong
State: South Australia
Threat: Deterioration – due to neglect and excessive water extraction
Significance of Place: The Lower Lakes and Coorong contain a high diversity of ecological systems and species including many of particular conservation significance (at National, State and Regional level). The Coorong is recognised as one of the top six water bird sites in Australia and is listed as a wetland of international significance under the Convention of Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran 1971). The Lower Lakes and Coorong region is also of high cultural value to the Ngarrindjeri people who maintain a strong connection to the land, fish, birds and other living things. The area is also popular for social and recreational activities such as fishing, swimming, bird watching and camping.
Description of Threat: Current regulatory structures and excessive water extraction have for many years placed stress on the natural systems of the Lower Lakes and Coorong by changing the volume of water and seasonal pattern of remaining flows, exacerbated by the current drought. The ecology of the Lower Lakes and Coorong has changed under that stress with changed habitat for aquatic plants, migratory and sedentary birds and fish species. Studies have shown there has been an ongoing decline in biodiversity and population abundance for various plants and animals.
All sections of Government and community agree that to improve the health of the Lower Lakes and Coorong, an increase in the volume of water available to the river, Lower Lakes and Coorong is needed. Despite that recognition no allocated water has been returned to the River system under the current management strategy and policy, such as the 'Living Murray Initiative.' The security of water for Adelaide and Murray communities is also at risk due to the current drought. A temporary weir is proposed by the Government of South Australia to reduce water flow into the Lower Lakes, thereby reducing water loss through evaporation. This proposal does not address the ecological decline for the Lower Lakes and Coorong and may significantly exacerbate the current decline.
Action Required: Our vision is that the biodiversity of the Lower Lakes and Coorong be maintained and enhanced. This can only be achieved by reducing water extraction up-stream and thereby increasing the volume of water reaching the Lower Lakes and enabling seasonal patterns to exist with remaining flows into the Coorong. The proposal for a temporary weir warrants the highest level of impact assessment and evaluation against existing agreed strategies and water policy.
|
|
 At Risk
Place: La Eurana Convent, Naracoorte
State: South Australia
Threat: Destruction – complete loss of heritage value due to demolition
Significance of Place: The building dates from 1900. It is a handsome two storey structure, of random stone, with dressed stone quoins, lintels and window sills. It makes an important contribution to the streetscape of Naracoorte.
Description of Threat: The building is of local heritage significance but is unprotected because the Naracoorte Lucindale Council have not completed a Heritage PAR. This means that this building, and other local heritage items in Naracoorte, have no planning protection. The former convent has been purchased by the owner of a neighbouring supermarket and shopping complex who has indicated his intention to demolish it for a carpark. It is understood that Naracoorte Council have approved an application to demolish the building.
Action Required: The building is in reasonable order and should be retained and adapted for commercial tenancies.
|
|
|
|
|
