The Heritage Council of New South Wales has recommended the Hunter’s Ravensworth homestead be placed on the state heritage register, which would give it significant protection from coal mining and proposals to move it to another town.
Key points:
- A historic homestead receives key endorsement for heritage protection
- Singleton Council and Glencore wanted to move the building for continued coal mining
- Heritage advice has been provided to Minister Penny Sharpe for final decision
The 1820s colonial homestead was at the centre of a stoush between the Plains Clan of the Wonnarua people and mining giant Glencore, which wanted to relocate the homestead so it could expand its Glendell operation into the area.
“I think it’s a fantastic win,” Wonnarua man Scott Franks said.
“Hopefully, we’re going to get some closure for this, and we can all get on with reconciling the issues that happened there.”
The Plains clan say oral history and family accounts indicate a frontier massacre occurred in the area in the 1830s.
“It’s an opportunity now for us to have our people move on if it gets listed, but also to protect the land.”
Final hurdle for homestead
The Independent Planning Commission rejected the Glencore mining expansion last year on the grounds it would harm Aboriginal Cultural Values, stating future generations should not lose the heritage value of the homestead.
A proposal to have the Ravensworth property on the state heritage register (SHR) was then referred to the NSW Heritage Council.
The body makes recommendations to the Minister for Heritage, Penny Sharpe, who is in charge of the final decision.
Mr Franks said he would like the homestead to be opened to visitors as an educational and cultural space
“We need the minister to sign off,” he said.
“The property in itself is just an absolute time capsule of the Europeans when they came to the Hunter Valley in the early days.
“I believe it’s an important place for Australia.”
The Heritage Council announced it has considered submissions and decided to recommend the area of Ravensworth for the SHR, stating its importance to cultural history in NSW.
It originally made the same recommendation in April this year, but it was voided, with the council explaining an administration error meant it did not have all the necessary information at the time.
The ABC has reached out to Minister Penny Sharpe for comment.
A blow for relocation plans
Singleton Council backed the Glencore expansion, with the promise of securing roughly 600 jobs in the region.
Council also endorsed the company’s proposal to turn the homestead into a tourist attraction in the nearby town of Broke, by dismantling it brick by brick and rebuilding it in McNamara Park.
It formally opposed a heritage listing for the property, which would mean it cannot be moved or altered without permission from the Heritage Council.
Singleton Council has been contacted for comment.
Upper Hunter MP Dave Layzell says he does not support a heritage listing for Ravensworth.
“Everything I’m trying to do is keep the mining industry on its current footprint … and making sure we’ve got plenty of jobs,” he said.
“The money was offered to recreate an area, a cultural centre, where we could have really talked about what happened.”
Glencore said it continued to oppose the heritage listing for the homestead, stating it will constrain mining and agriculture in an unusually large area, not just the building.
It said the uninhabitable homestead would continue to degrade at Ravensworth without significant investment and the company remains willing to relocate it and give it a new lease on life as a community space.
Posted , updated