Commercial Road, Vineyard
The Vineyard NSW site was a typical project by AMAC Group on behalf of a land owner who sought to subdivide new residential allotments in greenfield land that the Hawkesbury City Council had flagged with high potential for Aboriginal Archaeology.
AMAC Group prepared a Due Diligence report to assess the site and the proposed development which would eventually require excavation for new civil services, roads and homes. AMAC Group surveyed the site, located one artefact, and consulted with the local Aboriginal Communities in their role as Registered Aboriginal Parties for the project and with their input prepared an Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Assessment Report (ACHAR) to understand the Aboriginal heritage values associated with this Vineyard location.
The project moved into the next stage of management under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 when a red silcrete stone artefact was found on the site's natural ridgeline and there was further potential for artefacts down the slope around the creek. Under the Code of Practice, 26 test pits 50cm x 50cm were excavated by archaeologists and Registered Aboriginal Parties to collect a representative sample of the site's potential for archaeological remains across an area of 2.3 hectares.
Test Trench Section View
As the area sampled by test excavation did not yield evidence of archaeological or Aboriginal cultural material, the project proceeded to the final stage of the process with an application to Heritage NSW for an Aboriginal Heritage Impact Permit (AHIP) with the support of the registered Aboriginal stakeholders who have ongoing participation as part of a program of community collection for artefacts that may be recovered prior to or during the development.