TALLAROOK TO MANSFIELD/ALEXANDRA RAILWAY ARCHAEOLOGY AND HERITAGE GUIDELINES Final Report February 2012 Prepared for Murrindindi Shire Council ii ARCHAEOLOGY AND HERITAGE GUIDELINES The front cover shows Molesworth Station, c.1910.  Context Pty Ltd Project Team: Natica Schmeder, Senior Consultant Ian Travers, Senior Consultant David Helms, Senior Consultant Nigel Lewis, Conservation Architect Report Register This report register documents the development and issue of the report entitled Tallarook to Mansfield/Alexandra Railway Archaeology and Heritage Guidelines undertaken by Context Pty Ltd in accordance with our internal quality management system. Project Issue Notes/description Issue date Issued to No. No. 1151 1 Tallarook-Mansfield/Alexandra 03.12.08 Melissa Crane, Railway Heritage Guidelines Karen Girvan @ Murrindindi Shire Council 1484 1a Draft Tallarook- 22.11.11 Melissa Crane Mansfield/Alexandra Railway Archaeology and Heritage Guidelines (addition of archaeological survey) 1484 2 Final guidelines Feb 2012 Melissa Crane Context Pty Ltd 22 Merri Street, Brunswick 3056 Phone 03 9380 6933 Facsimile 03 9380 4066 Email [email protected] Web www.contextpl.com.au i TALLAROOK-MANSFIELD/ALEXANDRA RAILWAY II ARCHAEOLOGY AND HERITAGE GUIDELINES CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION 1 Recent additional work and revised report 1 The Goulburn River High Country Rail Trail 1 Study area 1 2 METHODOLOGY 2 Preparation of the original 2008 Heritage Guidelines 2 Recent additional work 2 Heritage Impact Report (Nigel Lewis Pty. Ltd. Feb. 2011) 2 Recent archaeological survey 3 Scope and limitations 4 Features covered by this report 4 Assessment of other values 4 Undertaking further work 4 3 HISTORY 5 Tallarook to Yea (1882-84) 5 Yea to Mansfield (1887-91) 5 Alexandra Township Railway Extension (1908-09) 6 Sources 6 4 ASSESSMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE 7 What is significant? 7 How is it significant? 7 Why is it significant? 7 Existing heritage listings 8 Local planning scheme 8 Victorian Heritage Register & Victorian Heritage Inventory 8 Other relevant heritage lists 8 5 CONTRIBUTORY FEATURES 10 Station grounds 10 Bridges 10 Culverts 10 Embankments, cuttings and tunnels 10 Turntables 10 Level crossings 11 Concrete mileposts 11 Plantings 11 Signalling and safe working 11 Artefacts 11 Modern features for the Goulburn River High Country Rail Trail 11 iii TALLAROOK-MANSFIELD/ALEXANDRA RAILWAY Archaeological Potential of the rail reserve 11 6 POLICY 12 Policy 1 - Built heritage 12 1.1 Conservation of built heritage 12 1.2 Demolition and relocation 13 1.3 Re-use of bridges 13 1.4 Construction of new buildings 14 1.5 Rail trail safety 14 Policy 2 - Archaeology 14 2.1 Intrusive works 14 2.2 Inclusion of the rail reserve on the Heritage Overlay 15 2.3 Further archaeological works 15 Policy 3 - Trees 15 3.1 Conservation and maintenance 16 3.2 Removal and replacement 16 3.3 Decision guidelines 17 Policy 4 - Interpretation 17 Policy 5 - Use 18 Policy 6 - Management plan 19 Policy 7 - Permit exemptions 19 APPENDIX A - CONTRIBUTORY FEATURES 20 Tallarook and Yea Line - Municipal boundary to Yea 20 Yea and Mansfield Line - Yea to Cathkin 37 Yea and Mansfield Line - Cathkin to Municipal boundary 45 Cathkin to Alexandra 47 APPENDIX B - STATION SITE MAPS 49 APPENDIX C – HERITAGE LEGISLATION 59 State Legislation 59 National Legislation 61 Heritage Bodies 61 APPENDIX D – NIGEL LEWIS PTY. LTD. HERITAGE IMPACT REPORT 62 APPENDIX E - TOPOGRAPHICAL MAPS (1:30,000) 63 APPENDIX F – VICTORIAN RAILWAYS HISTORIC PLANS 64 a) Murrindindi Shire boundary to Yea 64 b) Yea to Alexandra 65 c) Cathkin to Murrindindi Shire boundary 66 IV ARCHAEOLOGY AND HERITAGE GUIDELINES Cheviot Station weighbridge Source: Context, 2008 - Cheviot tunnel Source: Context, 2008 Cathkin turntable Source: Context, 2008 Koriella Station site Source: Context, 2008 v ARCHAEOLOGY AND HERITAGE GUIDELINES 1 INTRODUCTION The heritage values of the former Tallarook-Mansfield Railway line and branch line to Alexandra were assessed as part of Stage 2 of the Murrindindi Shire Heritage Study. As part of the study, a series of heritage guidelines were prepared in anticipation of works to the former railway adapting it for incorporation into the Goulburn River High Country Rail Trail. These are intended to guide the conservation of the heritage fabric associated with the railway and set out recommendations for the management of its built heritage, archaeology and trees, with regard to issues such as interpretation, use and the preparation of management plans. An intention was that the guideline could be adapted in the future to form an incorporated plan suitable for inclusion in the Murrindindi Planning Scheme. Recent additional work and revised report A Heritage Impact Report was produced by Nigel Lewis Pty Ltd in February 2011 to inform the development of the Goulburn River High Country Rail Trail between Yea and Cheviot Tunnel, including the section of rail reserve running south east from Oliver Street to south of Meadow Road which is included on the Victorian Heritage Inventory (VHI H7923-0051). More recently, some additional archaeological survey work has been undertaken in the completion of the Heritage Study. This report represents an updated version of the original guidelines produced in 2008, incorporating the results of both of these pieces of additional work - mostly as supplements to Appendix A: contributory features. It is hoped that this additional information can be used to better inform management of the railway heritage, and to generate interpretation material for the rail trail (see below). The Goulburn River High Country Rail Trail On 29 April 2009, the Federal Government announced that it would contribute $13.2 million from its community infrastructure program towards the completion of the Goulburn River High Country Rail Trail as an economic stimulus to the area, and as part of the recovery effort in the wake of the 2009 Victorian bushfires. The trail follows the route of the former railway from Tallarook to Mansfield, running through Yea, where the Station buildings are now occupied by the local tourist information centre, and a branch line from Cathkin to Alexandra. When completed, it will stretch for 134 km (83 mi) and traverse Mitchell, Murrindindi and Mansfield Shires. The work has involved the repair and construction of bridges, road crossings, car parking, rest stops and amenities, together with the resurfacing of much of the rail embankment in gravel or asphalt. These works have been guided by the existing Railway Heritage Guidelines produced in 2008, and it is considered that they have been undertaken with due respect to heritage fabric. At the time of writing (November 2011), much of the main construction works within Murrindindi had been completed, but resurfacing was still underway. It is anticipated that this will be completed by the end of 2011. Study area These guidelines cover all of the Tallarook to Mansfield Railway reserve, including the branch from Cathkin to Alexandra, that lies within the Shire of Murrindindi. 1 TALLAROOK-MANSFIELD/ALEXANDRA RAILWAY 2 METHODOLOGY The guidelines have been prepared in accordance with the Burra Charter: The Australia ICOMOS Charter for Places of Cultural Significance. The following is a summary of the methodology employed in the assessment of the railway. Preparation of the original 2008 Heritage Guidelines The following methodology was employed in the preparation of the 2008 heritage guidelines: History A brief history of the railway was prepared, which was drawn from secondary sources (see section 3). Original plans of the railway were known to exist (see below), but these were not available for examination at the time. Fieldwork All of the former station sites were visited, as well as other features visible or accessible from the road. An inventory of the contributory features viewed or inspected was prepared, and this was summarised into a list of feature types to inform the preparation of the guidelines. Difficulty of access or inadequate location information prevented a comprehensive survey of all of the features, and a number of bridges, embankments, cutting, crossings and other features were not seen during this fieldwork. Assessment of heritage values Following field survey and preparation of the brief history, the railway line was assessed for its heritage values and a statement of significance prepared. This determined that the railway line is of local heritage significance and should be protected by a Heritage Overlay. The full precinct citation is found in Volume 2 - Heritage Place & Precinct Citations of the Heritage Study. The citation, and in particular the statement of significance (see section 4), provided the basis for the preparation of this policy. In the absence of an archaeological assessment of the railway, the approach adopted in the preparation of the original 2008 guidelines was to identify places with archaeological potential or sensitivity which should be the subject of more detailed investigation if major works were proposed. Recent additional work The recent additional works employed the following methodologies: Heritage Impact Report (Nigel Lewis Pty. Ltd., Feb. 2011) This work, which was undertaken with reference to the 2008 Heritage Guidelines, sought to assess the impact of the works associated with the rail trail on the heritage values recorded on the existing VHI Site Card for VHI ref. H7922-0051 Yea-Mansfield Railway and other observed features of heritage significance. The assessment was informed by a walkover survey of the section of the rail reserve covered by the VHI listing (which is less than one kilometre in length) and a further c. 3.5km of the reserve extending across Yea River as far east as Limestone Road. A short report was produced which described the heritage fabric of this section of the rail reserve and made recommendations for its management during the ensuing rail trail development works. This report is included as Appendix D and its findings have been included in Appendix A: Contributory features. 2