1200 SOMERTON ROAD HOMESTEAD

The historical archaeological deposits, artefacts, and features associated with the 1200 Somerton Road Homestead, gardens and outbuildings. 

The site is of local historical and archaeological significance. 

The site was likely first developed for farming or pastoral use and as a private residence c.1850s with the clearing of the land and establishment of the homestead. This pastoral/farming and residential use of the site continued until 1984. A building is indicated in 1916 and 1938 maps. 1968 aerial imagery shows a main house, rectangular in shape with fences enclosing the house and a large front yard up to Somerton Road. A pathway leads from Somerton Road to the front of the house. There are a series of small outbuildings on the western and northern sides of the main house, and several large trees on the eastern side of the property. It is not known when the homestead was demolished except that it was sometime between 1984 and 2004. A new home was constructed on the site, to the north of the original homestead location in 2017.  

 

A site survey revealed basalt/bluestone linear alignments (wall footings) forming a U-shape were visible but were mostly covered by turf. Also present were the remains of the original gate posts, a single whiteware ceramic sherd close to the bluestone footings and piled up bluestone blocks and bricks around the base of two trees. The site card states there is high potential for archaeological features and deposits to be present in the site, such as building footings and cesspits, dating from the early 1850s period since there has been little redevelopment of the area.  

The site has the potential to provide high-integrity archaeological deposits and reveal information about the development of the Oaklands area throughout the nineteenth century.