Christopher Biagi
In for a Penny, in for a Pound: Faunal analysis of the Jones Lane Archaeological Precinct
Charlotte Feakins, Australian National University
Behind the legend: A historical archaeology of the Australian buffalo hide industry, 1875-1958
GML
Former Schofields Aerodrome Preliminary Historical Archaeological Excavation Results Report
PNG National Museum and Art Gallery
Etoa; A Kokoda Track Story
Heritage NSW and University of New England
NSW Rivers and Waterways Cultural Landscapes Project (aka The Rivers Project)
Ian Smith
Pakeha Settlements in a Maori World: New Zealand Archaeology 1769-1860
Susan Lawrence and Peter Davies
Sludge
Andrew Wilson
Susan Arthure, Flinders University
The Occupation of Baker's Flat: A Study of Irishness and Power in Nineteenth Century South Australia
Historical research about the Irish in 19th-century Australia presents contrasting models for the understanding of Irishness and the relationships between the Irish and their neighbours. This is compounded by a lack of archaeological work specifically on discrete Australian Irish communities as opposed to working class urban areas that included an Irish population. This study constitutes the first study of an avowedly Irish community in a rural area and revealed a tightly knit community trying to lead respectable lives, who were adept at manipulating the local authorities and landscape to suit their needs.
Sean Winter, University of Western Australia
Global, Regional and Local Networks: Archaeological Investigation of the Western Australian Penal Colony 1850 - 1875
Historical research about the Irish in 19th-century Australia presents contrasting models for the understanding of Irishness and the relationships between the Irish and their neighbours. This is compounded by a lack of archaeological work specifically on discrete Australian Irish communities as opposed to working class urban areas that included an Irish population. This study constitutes the first study of an avowedly Irish community in a rural area and revealed a tightly knit community trying to lead respectable lives, who were adept at manipulating the local authorities and landscape to suit their needs.
Casey & Lowe Pty Limited
Cumberland Precinct – Parramatta
EMM
White Hart Inn
Susan Lawrence & Peter Davies
An Archaeology of Australia Since 1788
This book is the first major synthesis of Australian historical archaeology since the 1980s. It engages with a wide range of contemporary discussions and debates within Australian history and the international discipline of historical archaeology. The colonization of Australia was part of the international expansion of European hegemony in the 18th and 19th century. The material presented in this book is thus fundamentally part of the global processes of colonization and the creation of settler societies, the industrial revolution, the development of mass consumer culture and the emergence of national identities. Drawing out these themes and integrating them with the analysis of archaeological materials highlights the vital relevance of archaeology in modern society.
Caitlin Dircks, University of Sydney
Authority, Acquisition and Adaptation: Nineteenth century artefacts of personal consumption from the Prisoner Barracks at Port Arthur
This dissertation analyses assemblages excavated by the late Maureen Byrne from the site of the first prisoner barracks complex at Port Arthur, constructed c.1833. It examines the changing nature of consumption by different convict and non-convict groups occupying the complex and is an example of how an older assemblage can be productively re-analysed to address new and relevant questions.
Casey & Lowe Pty Limited
Archaeological Investigation – Darling Quarter
Excavations at Darling Quarter were undertaken by Casey & Lowe Pty Ltd between October 2008 and April 2009 for clients Lend Lease Development. The Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority is the owner of the site. The site on the edges of what was Cockle Bay included a range of early 19th century flour mills, slaughterhouses, foundries, timber yards and other industries, including wharfs and harbor structures and reclamation areas. The archaeological remains included evidence of these activities, as well as worker housing and many other buildings, as well as associated artefacts.
Sarah Colley & Martin Gibbs
New South Wales Archaeology On-Line
The NSW Archaeology Online Project was initiated in 2009 to create open access online archives of important reports and information about historical archaeology and heritage in NSW which for various reasons has been previously hard to access, is undervalued and otherwise at risk of being lost. Over 1000 pre-1995 reports have been scanned and are freely available for download. Stage 2 added nearly 9000 images taken by Ian Jack and Judy Birmingham from the 1960s-1990s for historical and industrial archaeological research and consultancy projects. The photographic collection is accessible through the Federated Archaeological Information Management System (FAIMS) repository.
Edwina Kay, La Trobe University
Watched Over and Guarded Day and Night: Archaeology and Institutions of Confinement in Australia
The thesis establishes a framework for the archaeological study of institutions that places society rather than the individual at the centre of the research. It argues that the archaeology of institutions can go beyond the investigation of the internal dynamics of institutional life, and contribute to a better understanding of the society that endorses the instutional confinement of particular groups of people. This is the first study to examine the marteriality of Abbotsford Convent, and one of only a few archaeological studies of institutions in Melbourne. It examines buildings at the convent that were occupied by Catholic children (neglected, criminal, impoverished, and local) in the second half of the nineteenth century.
Caitlin Allen, Architects’ Office, NSW
Fort Phillip Archaeological Excavations, Sydney Observatory - Final Report
The report documents new historical research and archaeological investigation undertaken during the first in-depth study of this significant site. Its main contribution is its role in informing and generating public interpretation and a new focus on the early history of the site, particularly thorugh a successful schools and school holiday program. This contribution is supported by: the plain English format of the report, its narrative-style integration of historical and archaeological data, and its use of simple graphics to interpret the excavation findings to both archaeological professionals and non-archaeological audiences.
Prof. Jane Lydon, Archaeology, University of Western Australia
Fantastic Dreaming: The Archaeology of an Aboriginal Mission (AltaMira, 2009)
The book explores how whites have measured Australian Aboriginal people through their material culture and domestic practices, aspects of culture intimately linked to Enlightenment social institutions and notions of progress. It explores the role of material culture and spatial politics in shaping colonial identities and critiques essentialism in archaeological interpretation. It has been described by reviewers as a 'rich and deeply nuanced analysis of...archaeology's potential in illuminating hidden colonial pasts in a postcolonial present' that 'sets a necessary standard for future research in the humanities.'
Naomi Woods, University of Otago
Pakeha Ceramics as Dating Tools: Creating a Chronology for the Te Hoe Whaling Station
The thesis examines ceramic assemblages from Te Hoe with a view to developing chronological models. Attributes useful for dating are identified in order to develop a model for chronological analysis of assemblages with poorly known time spans. This is the first attempt to use such methodology in comparative analysis in New Zealand.
Sydney Observatory, part of the Powerhouse Museum
Digging up the Past! Fort Phillip Young Archaeologists in Training Program
The program is a series of children's archaeology workshops designed to engage and communicate the processes and principles of historical archaeology. Using the Fort Phillip archaeological site the program has had proven success with over 1600 participants.
Casey and Lowe Pty Ltd.
Archaeological Investigation 710-722 George St, Haymarket
This report covers a range of results including Australia's oldest excavated pottery site, describing the results and synthesising the findings including over 600 kg of pottery sherds. It establishes a baseline for analysis and interpretation of other Sydney potteries recently excavated, and a comparative resource for contemporary excavations that is online and downloadable.
Geraldine Mate, University of Queensland
Mining the Landscape: Finding the Social in the Industrial
The thesis examines the creation of landscape meaning and attachment at Mt. Shamrock, Qld and creates an innovative landscape methodology that effectively integrates social and industrial perspectives within a single archaeological narratives.
Annika Korsgaard,University of Sydney
Archaeological Signatures of a Maritime Industrial Frontier: Shipwrecks and Seafaring in the Solomon Islands, 1788-1942
The thesis explores the questions of how maritime industrial frontiers develop and operate, looking at theSolomon Islands(pre-1940) as a case study. It examines a range of elements that inform us about how a maritime industrial frontier was shaped and operated, including nodal points of activity, maritime infrastructure, navigation aids, land and sea tenure, shipwrecks, Indigenous agency, and maritime risk management. The thesis bridges many of the current concerns of historical and maritime archaeology and is a major contribution to cultural heritage management in the Solomon Islands region.
Port ArthurHistoric Site Management Authority
Kids Dig Port Arthur Family Activity
This is an innovative activity which introduces children to the process of archaeological discovery within the context of the excavation of an actual archaeological site. Children participate in four activity stations: excavation, sieving, cleaning and drawing artefacts. Guided by archaeological staff, student volunteers, and a specially designed activity book, children gain experience in how archaeologists observe sites and artefacts, and use those observations to develop ideas about the past.
Cosmos Coroneos, Cosmos Archaeology Pty Ltd.
South-West Historic and Maritime Heritage Assessment Project
The SWHMAAP was initiated by Heritage Victoria to improve the quality of information relating to historical archaeological sites in the local government areas of Moyne and Warrnambool in south-westVictoria. The main objective of the project was the identification and mapping of previously unrecorded sites. The project also required the development of a detailed Environmental History for the subject area, and a significance framework to enable the comparative assessment of sites within the study area. The project results are presented in a form that is easy for non-archaeology stakeholders to appreciate and understand, and for government planners to integrate into their planning systems.
Natalie Blake, University of Sydney: Town and Country: Diet in 19th Century Urban and Rural NSW
Four faunal assemblages from mid-19th century contexts in colonial NSW were analysed to document between urban and rural contexts with an intention of introducing themes relevant to Australian historical archaeology.
Alister Bowen, La TrobeUniversity: 'A Power of Money': The Chinese Involvement in Victoria's Early Fishing Industry
Thousands of Chinese gold miners enteringVictoriaduring the 1850s increased demand for fish, a Chinese dietary staple. This PhD thesis uses historical documentation – predominately primary – and material evidence from the excavation of an 1860s Chinese fish curing site in Victoria to explain the Chinese involvement in Victoria’s colonial fishing industry. The conceptual and theoretical base revolves around social organisation and interaction themes, with emphasis placed on the micro-societies at Chinese fish curing establishments. Long-standing perceptions of the Chinese experience in colonialAustraliaare challenged and the Chinese shown to have played an active and important role in colonial Australia.
Godden Mackay Logan, Hinman, and Wright and Manser: Hadley’s Hotel, Hobart
The site houses the former Cascade Brewery office. Both the hotel and the brewery office are listed on the Tasmanian State Heritage Register. The investigation involved excavation, monitoring, test excavation and recording and revealed remains from Aboriginal occupation, the mid to late 19th century, and the 20th century. Analysis provided significant insight into the site's former environment and living conditions.
Godden Mackay Logan, the Sydney Youth Hostel Association, and the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority: The Big Dig Archaeology Education Centre
The Sydney YHA Big Dig Education Centre allows guests, school groups and the general public access to a unique and direct experience in understandingSydney's past. It includes interpretive panels and facades to contextualise the array of artefacts and features discovered during archaeological excavation in 1994 and 2006-2008.
Sarah Kelloway, University of Sydney
King of Irrawang: Chemical analysis of colonial ceramics
This project explores the value of chemical characterisation of local colonial ceramics for future studies in their archaeological context. Earthenware sherds from the Irrawang pottery were analysed using a suite of chemical techniques. This created a chemical reference group for future comparative and raw sources research, allowing some insight into manufacturing processes at Irrawang.
Anne Mackay, Richard Mackay and Liam Mannix (Godden Mackay Logan) and Liz Holt (International Conservation Services)
The Rocks DIG Site: Sydney Harbour YHA and the Big Dig Education Centre Archaeological Heritage Management Plan
The AHMP provides a comprehensive guide for the multidisciplinary team involved in the conservation, adaptation and interpretation of the Dig Site in the Rocks, Sydney as a youth hostel and education centre. Drawing on previous work, the AHMP succinctly summarised the nature and significance of the archaeological remains and offers clear guidance for their protectuion during construction works, plus techniques for ensuring their long-term conservation.
Edward Higginbotham, Edward Higginbotham and Associates, in association with Belgenny Farm Trust, Camden Park Environmental Education Centre and Camden High School
Test-Excavation of "The Small Miserable Hut", Belgenny Farm, Camden, NSW
The Belgenny Farm Trust commissioned Edward Higginbotham to undertake test excavations in 2008 at the frist residence of the Macarthur family at Camden. The excavation located the 3 building shown on the 1840 Estate Plan, of of which was identified as the early hut. The dig involved the participation of Year 11 students at Camden Public School who created a website for the project and the excavation results will be used to expand the education programs of the Camden Park Environmental Education Centre.
Dr Aedeen Cremin
Aedeen served on the ASHA committee from 1991 to 1994 and was president from 1997 to 1999. She has been guest editor of the journal and edited, with David Carment, the full-colour hardcover book 1901: Australian life at Federation: an illustrated chronicle (published by the Society in 2001). In addition, she has made an outstanding contribution to Australasian historical archaeology. She co-authored Australia's Age of Iron with Ian Jack (1994), Experience archaeology with Louise Zarmati (1998). As Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney she mentored many historical archaeology students who are working in the field today.
Linda Terry, University of Queensland
Caboonbah Homestead: Big Rock or Little Britain
Using the documentary and artefactual resources of the Caboonbah Homestead Archaeological Project the thesis examines the Britishness of the family of Henry and Katherine Somerset in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Situating the study within a comparative theory of ethnicity and employing Bourdieu's concept of habitus Linda establishes that the ethnic construction of Britishness in rural Queensland was as much a product of the colonial experience as it was of the British homeland and demonstrates that the Somerset family were able to accommodate both the competing and complimentary ethnicities of being both British and Australian.
Lindsay Smith, Australian National University
Hidden Dragons: The Archaeology of Mid-to-Late Nineteenth-Century Chinese Communities in Southeastern New South Wales
This PhD thesis investigates and combines all the elements that comprised mid-to-late nineteenth-century overseas Chinese settlements in rural southeastern NSW, and to compares them with each other at sub-regional, regional, national and international levels. It demonstrates that they conformed to a highly codified hierarchical pattern of community organisation in both a physical and perceived landscape. The data collected is unparalleled in its detail and extent, including site survey across southeastern NSW and numerous excavations at hut, oven and temple sites in settlements throughout the region. The historical research provides relevant information for understanding the nature of the overseas Chinese community in colonial rural Australia, while the theoretical framework reveals new insights into that community.
No nominees
Penny Crook, Laila Ellmoos and Tim Murray, La Trobe University
Exploring the Archaeology of The Modern City Project Databases
This entry comprises a two-disc set of two databases prepared by the authors while conducting research for the Exploring the Archaeology of the Modern City Project between 2001 and 2005. The database files, artefact images and accompanying guides were also released for download from the project's website. The databases provide a much-needed tool to link archaeological and historical information in a dynamic, searchable and user-friendly environment. They draw together, for the first time, large datasets including artefact catalogues from some of Sydney's major urban excavations, an archive of nearly 5000 photographs of artefacts and residency information for four city blocks in the Rocks. This serves the needs of archaeologists, historians, and heritage managers undertaking site-specific or neighbourhood research.
Rodney Harrison, Open University
Shared Landscapes: Archaeologies of Attachment and the Pastoral Industry in New South Wales
This book has two primary concerns-that pastoral heritage and history needs to be understood as shared between Aboriginal and settler Australians, and the introduction of landscape-based models for understanding, assessing and managing the archaeology and heritage of pastoralism in Australia. Shared Landscapes provides two detailed case-studies that result from a collaborative and multi-disciplinary approach to cultural heritage research in NSW. Working closely with local communities, and drawing on the results of archaeological, historical and anthropological research methods, it presents a new model for understanding historical archaeology and heritage throughout Australia and in other settler societies.
Lisa-Maree Campbell
Bound by Bricks or a Working Man's Paradise: The Archaeology of Labour Organisation in a Shale Mining Company Town
The thesis presents an analysis of domestic archaeological evidence, including brick quality and settlement layout, to understand the archaeological signature of labour organisation at Joadja, NSW. The thesis challenges conventional interpretations of industrial places as static and unpeopled by using the domestic archaeological record to reveal social structure and organisation in a mining town. The thesis also develops and presents a new methodology for the analysis and interpretation of bricks, demonstrating how bricks can be used to investigate questions about social structures and labour organisation.
Angela Middleton
Te Puna: The Archaeology and History of a New Zealand Mission Station, 1832-1874
This thesis documents the interpersonal relationships between missionaries and Maori over nearly 50 years. It is an exploration of history and archaeology which uses material objects to throw new light on gender, class and racial tensions in early colonial New Zealand.
Ainsworth Heritage
Evans Head Memorial Aerodrome: Archaeological Management Plan
This report has contributed to the discipline by applying the principles and theory of historical archaeology to a relatively unique type of World War II temporary air defence site, in order to establish the site's archaeological significance and ensure that this significance is protected in the likely future development of the site. This archaeological management plan is the first time that AMP principles have been applied to a WWII aerodrome and thus it may become a benchmark study in archaeological approaches to temporary WWII sites in Australia.
(Two winners)
The Mill Point Archaeology Project
The MPAP examines the site of a late 19th-century timber milling settlement on the shores of Lake Cootharaba on Queensland's Sunshine Coast. This project has raised awareness and understanding of historical archaeology in Australia through interactions with visitors, school groups, local community groups and the media. It has generated a sustainable project with strong interest and support from key local community stakeholders which will enhance the knowledge, protection, and management of the site. Opportunities provided for archaeology students to gain hands-on experience and undertake research at the site will provide ongoing benefits to the discipline.
Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority
Port Arthur Public Archaeology Program
This award recognises 30 years of leadership in public archaeology. Port Arthur introduced archaeological field schools in the 1980s and has run them in conjunction with a public archaeology program since 2001. It is the longest-running such program in Australia and has provided thousands of visitors the chance to experience archaeology. At the same time, it has shown hundreds of student volunteers the value of public archaeology.
R. Ian Jack
By training and practice a historian, Ian was also an early ASHA member. He was one of the first practitioners of industrial archaeology in Australia, and with Judy Birmingham and Denis Jeans published two important texts on colonial technology, Australian Pioneer Technology (1979) and Industrial Archaeology in Australia (1983). In his position of Dean of Arts at the University of Sydney in the early 1970s Ian played a further key role in the development of the field by facilitating the introduction of the first undergraduate subject in the area, which was coordinated by Judy Birmingham and to which Ian also contributed. Ian has continued to research and publish in many aspects of Australia's industrial heritage, including work on the iron industry (Australia's Age of Iron, written with Aedeen Cremin) among others.
Judy Birmingham
John Mulvaney (deceased)
Graham Connah
R. Ian Jack (deceased)
Aedeen Cremin
Andrew Wilson