ROCKY POINT HERITAGE AREA

The site is recognized for its industrial heritage significance, association with James Harrison and early ice making activities in Geelong. The Rocky Point Cave site is believed to be the site of experiments with icemaking in 1854-55, cited as the earliest attempts to create commercially viable ice in the world. These attempts were ultimately successful, and the world’s first vapour-compression refrigeration system was invented. Harrison refrigeration machines were used internationally by 1861 (Churchward, 2006). The cave was likely capped in the 20th century and has potential to contain historical archaeological deposits associated with the experimentation events. 

 

The site is of historical and archaeological significance. 

The site is of historical significance for its association with James Harrison, a journalist and citizen scientist associated with the development  of refrigeration, having developed the “first successful large-scale commercial ice-making machines…” (Lang, 2003). The site is of archaeological significance due to its potential to contain artefacts, deposits and features that relate to construction and use of the cave as a laboratory including metal fragments and other artefacts associated with the vapour compression machine.