BRUCE’S CREEK PASTORAL OUTSTATION
Location
HARVEY ROAD BANNOCKBURN, GOLDEN PLAINS SHIRE
Level
Heritage Inventory Site
|
|
Statement of Significance
The earliest record of the site (Bruce’s Creek Pastoral Outstation, Harvey Road, Bannockburn) comes from an 1853 historic plan showing the location of an ‘out station’, including an outstation ‘hut’ and several fenced paddocks, located on the banks of Bruce’s Creek (see Figure 1, Attachment 1; SGO, 1853). The precise construction date, period(s) of use, and demolition date of the outstation is not known; however, primary and secondary sources suggest a relatively short period of use, dating broadly to the pastoral occupation of the land by James Bruce (c. 1840-1849), George Russel (on behalf of the Clyde Company) (c. 1853-1858) and others during the mid-nineteenth century.
In general terms, pastoral settlers of the 1830s and 1840s constructed home stations and/or outstations and fencing for the purposes of temporarily holding stock, or as horse paddocks, often with building materials sourced from locally available natural resources, such as stone and timber (Dingle 1984, pp. 28-29; Pickard, 2007, p. 145). Basalt is a ubiquitous feature of the landscape, and the nineteenth century practice of using stone for the construction of dwellings in areas where it could be sourced with minimal quarrying (Connah 1993, p. 66) is reflected at the site. Today, the site primarily exists as a low, rectangular mound of earth bordered on two sides by discontinuous but linear alignments of stones (basalt) measuring 6.60m (E-W) x 3.70m (N-S) x 150-600mm (high) - the probable remnants of the outstation hut’s original footings (see Plates 1-4, Attachment 1).
The site is clearly associated with the mid-nineteenth century (c.1840-c.1858) pastoral occupation of the property and has historic associations with the earliest period of European settlement in the region, and with the development of the pastoral industry. In addition, it has strong historic associations with pastoralists and pastoral companies of the period; specifically, James Bruce, George Russell, and the Clyde Company, who played a significant role in the early history of Bannockburn township and the surrounding pastoral landscape.
The site has been assessed as having ‘moderate to high’ archaeological potential, and ‘moderate to high’ heritage significance at a local level.
Group
Farming and Grazing
Category
Farm
