Heritage

ON THE LAND

Pastoralism remains the dominant rural land use in NSW and in the early days of European settlement it shaped the settlement patterns of our nation. As we observe the receding tide of pastoral settlement, a rich cultural heritage of homesteads and fences, woolsheds and yards, pastoral infrastructure and machinery remains.

The original Gamboola shed, including its shingle roof, is still preserved in the centre of later additions.
Photograph by
Russell Moor.

The shearing sheds, barns, woolsheds, stables and worksheds that were built by settlers and farmers in the 19th century were usually simple in their construction and ideally suited for their function. Often made with the materials readily at hand, these practical timber buildings have a special place in the history and development of NSW.

However, this unique part of our heritage is also fragile. Many of these items are under threat from a lack of recognition, redundancy due to changing farming practices, and from financial pressures on rural land holders. Demolition by neglect or through scavenging of materials will be the fate of many redundant rural buildings and places. Should we be attempting to save these working buildings? Can they be adapted to new purposes? How do we as a community ensure their survival?

In the early 19th century, timber buildings were built by bush carpenters who adapted the local materials that were available to the job at hand. An interesting example of a bush carpenter's work still exists on the Mount Aubrey property at Baldy where a 123-year old slab barn is still standing, although now with a pronounced lean. The original bark ceiling is intact, a feature now rarely seen in surviving timber buildings.

From the 1830s to the 1890s new settlers ventured across rural NSW, including trained architects and builders who contributed their knowledge to the variety of timber structures dotting the rural landscape. As properties became established and the economy grew, structures such as shearing sheds and barns became larger and more complex.

At the end of the 19th century new technologies brought change to the type of structures built on farms: corrugated galvanised iron replaced the bark and shingle roofs of the earlier generation, structural timbers were circular sawn, weatherboards were easier and cheaper than splitting slabs from logs and improved transport meant that factory-produced materials were accessible for the rural builder. By World War II the era of indigenous timber buildings had come to an end as prefabricated steel structures became readily available.

At Gamboola Station, near Molong, John Smith built a shearing shed in 1848. This shed still exists today and tells the story of an important historic development in the local district. In the mid 19th century when Samuel Marsden brought his Spanish merino sheep over the Blue Mountains, he took them to this property. John Smith later took over the farm and the merino flock became the foundation of the whole of the Central West wool industry.

The Gamboola shed is just one of the shearing sheds documented by Russell Moor of Orange. He has been compiling a photographic record of the significant woolsheds of his district. A retired wool classer, Moor has built on his knowledge of the industry to document many fascinating sheds. His photographs show how local materials were important to these unique structures.

Community initiatives like Moor's photographic record help to alert people to the significance of places such as Mount Aubrey and Gamboola. Sometimes ordinary, utilitarian structures can tell us much about working life in the past or important developments in an area's history. Often the first step is to document and record such places.

Oral histories, photographic records and local research may provide important clues to the history of significant places. With change of owners, families moving from farms and the loss of physical evidence through natural weathering and deterioration of buildings, valuable information can be lost forever.

Many in rural communities view these 19th century timber buildings not just as utilitarian structures but as special places with important links to our history and development. Innovative ideas and a practical approach to maintenance may be the key to ensuring that they survive for future generations.

As Russell Moor comments, "On the land there is no room for sentiment. Once a building has lost its purpose, there is seen no need to maintain it. It is up to the people of the district to become interested and involved."

Working together, owners, community groups and local councils can develop strategies for keeping significant rural places. Often the role of the local heritage adviser is crucial, providing free advice, maintenance guidance and professional help where needed.

In the Cabonne area, heritage adviser, Sue Jackson, has been working with the community to raise awareness of rural heritage. Initiatives such as Russell Moor's photographic record are an important step. Cultural tourism is also playing a part. Jackson says that initiatives such as the Cobb & Co tourist trail which is being set up between Bathurst and Bourke are a successful model of what can be done. Community-based projects can be a successful way to promote the heritage of an area and encourage commercial benefits.

"Four historic shearing sheds in Cabonne are within a half-hour radius of Orange and they are within the main tourist coach line between Orange and Dubbo. My approach is to encourage cultural tourism in order to ensure sustainability without these historic buildings being a drain off farm income."

For information on practical repair see: The Maintenance of Heritage Assets: A Practical Guide. For more information or to purchase a copy at $39.95, contact the NSW Heritage Office. Individual information sheets on particular maintenance problems are also available.

The Historic Houses Trust exhibition Bush Lives: Bush Futures examined a wide range of issues affecting people living and working in the bush. This exhibition is currently touring NSW and can be seen at the Dundullimal Homestead in Dubbo from September to mid - November 1999. To obtain the Bush Lives: Bush Futures publication, cost $19.95 (plus postage & handling), contact the Historic Houses Trust on (02) 9692 8366, or www.hht.nsw.gov.au

Mount Aubrey, near Molong, was selected in 1874. The slab barn forms part of a complex of buildings on the property including a working shearing shed, store, hotel and a post office which received the Wellington-Parkes mail. Photograph by Sue Jackson. The Heritage Office recognises the difficulties that owners of such rural structures have in maintaining and repairing them. Trade and craft skills are in short supply, professional advice is difficult to access in more remote areas and the limited availability of traditional materials compounds the problems faced by the owners. These challenges to conserving our pastoral heritage demand a multi-faceted approach. The Heritage Office, together with the Heritage Council's Technical Advisory Group (TAG) are currently examining options for addressing such issues. Initiatives being considered include improving the skill-base in rural areas, targeted training for heritage advisers in the maintenance and repair of rural structures, the provision of technical guidance documents on specific repair issues and information on how to carry out such works in a practical, simple and economically viable way. While the cultural significance of so little of our pastoral heritage has been identified and recognised, it's future will depend on all of us. Community-based heritage studies planned for many rural areas of NSW will assist in identifying a wider representation of these types of places. However, where conservation and retention of some places is not possible, programs of identification and recording will be essential if we are to understand Australia's evolution over the last 200 years from early European settlement to the pastoral nation of the mid-twentieth century. SUSAN MACDONALD