defence site, maribyrnong

Defence Site, Maribyrnong Heritage Management Plan Report prepared for Department of Defence

July 2007

Godden Mackay Logan

Defence Site, Maribyrnong—Heritage Management Plan, July 2007

Contents Page

ContentsTable of Acronyms .........................................................................................................................................i1.0 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 1

1.1 Defence Site, Maribyrnong ........................................................................................................................................ 11.2 This Document ........................................................................................................................................................... 11.3 The Site ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11.4 Scope of the Study..................................................................................................................................................... 2

1.4.1 Preamble ............................................................................................................................................................. 21.4.2 Statutory Requirements—Commonwealth .......................................................................................................... 31.4.3 Statutory Requirements—State .......................................................................................................................... 51.4.4 Heritage Values and Significance Assessment Criteria ...................................................................................... 5

1.5 Terminology ................................................................................................................................................................ 61.6 Author Identification ................................................................................................................................................... 61.7 Acknowledgments ...................................................................................................................................................... 8

2.0 Understanding the Place ........................................................................................................................... 92.1 Preamble .................................................................................................................................................................... 92.2 Study Area ................................................................................................................................................................. 9

2.2.1 Landform and Topography ................................................................................................................................... 92.3 Historical Development ........................................................................................................................................... 11

2.3.1 Historical Periods .............................................................................................................................................. 112.3.2 Historical Summary ........................................................................................................................................... 12

2.4 Built Form................................................................................................................................................................. 152.4.1 Preamble ........................................................................................................................................................... 152.4.2 Fisher Stables ................................................................................................................................................... 152.4.3 Explosives Factory at Maribyrnong ................................................................................................................... 15

2.5 Natural and Cultural Landscape ............................................................................................................................ 192.5.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................ 192.5.2 Geological Formation ....................................................................................................................................... 192.5.3 Flora and Fauna ................................................................................................................................................ 212.5.4 Cultural Landscape ........................................................................................................................................... 24

2.6 Buildings .................................................................................................................................................................. 272.6.1 Preamble ........................................................................................................................................................... 272.6.2 Comparative Examples ..................................................................................................................................... 272.6.3 The Complex .................................................................................................................................................... 272.6.4 Individual Buildings ............................................................................................................................................ 28

2.7 Archaeological Resources ....................................................................................................................................... 302.7.1 Indigenous Sites ................................................................................................................................................ 302.7.2 Non-Indigenous Archaeology ............................................................................................................................ 31

2.8 Social Values ........................................................................................................................................................... 342.8.1 Concept ............................................................................................................................................................. 342.8.2 Associated Communities ................................................................................................................................... 342.8.3 Identified Values ................................................................................................................................................ 35

2.9 Summary ................................................................................................................................................................. 382.10 Endnotes ................................................................................................................................................................ 38

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3.0 Heritage Values Assessment .................................................................................................................... 473.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................................................. 473.2 Identifying Heritage Values ...................................................................................................................................... 473.3 Assessment Criteria ................................................................................................................................................. 48

3.3.1 The Commonwealth Heritage Criteria ............................................................................................................... 483.3.2 The National Heritage Criteria ........................................................................................................................... 493.3.3 Victorian Heritage Register Criteria ................................................................................................................... 503.3.4 Register of the National Estate Criteria ............................................................................................................. 51

3.4 Evaluation ................................................................................................................................................................ 523.4.1 Historic ............................................................................................................................................................. 533.4.2 Rarity ................................................................................................................................................................. 573.4.3 Scientific ............................................................................................................................................................ 583.4.4 Representativeness ........................................................................................................................................... 593.4.5 Aesthetic ............................................................................................................................................................ 613.4.6 Technical ............................................................................................................................................................ 623.4.7 Social ................................................................................................................................................................. 633.4.8 Associational ..................................................................................................................................................... 653.4.9 Indigenous ......................................................................................................................................................... 66

3.5 Summary Statement of Significance ....................................................................................................................... 673.5.1 Preamble ........................................................................................................................................................... 673.5.2 Commonwealth Heritage Values ....................................................................................................................... 673.5.3 Victorian Heritage Values .................................................................................................................................. 733.5.4 Local Heritage Values ......................................................................................................................................... 75

3.6 Endnotes .................................................................................................................................................................. 76

4.0 Management Issues .............................................................................................................................. 774.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................................................. 774.2 Constraints Arising from Heritage Values ................................................................................................................ 784.3 Heritage Listings ...................................................................................................................................................... 79

4.3.1 Commonwealth Heritage List and the Register of the National Estate ............................................................. 794.3.2 Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) .................................................................................................................... 794.3.3 Aboriginal Affairs Victoria .................................................................................................................................. 804.3.4 Local Planning Scheme, Maribyrnong City Council .......................................................................................... 804.3.5 National Trust of Australia (Victoria) .................................................................................................................. 80

4.4 Statutory Requirements and Policies—Commonwealth .......................................................................................... 804.4.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................ 804.4.2 Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 ..................................................................... 814.4.3 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Amendment Act 1987 ............................................. 82

4.5 Statutory Requirements and Policies—Victoria ....................................................................................................... 824.5.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................ 824.5.2 Heritage Act 1995 (Victoria) .............................................................................................................................. 834.5.3 Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 .......................................................................................................... 86

4.6 Local Government .................................................................................................................................................... 864.6.1 Maribyrnong Council Heritage Plan 2002 ......................................................................................................... 864.6.2 Strategic Planning Context ................................................................................................................................ 87

4.7 Physical Condition ................................................................................................................................................... 884.8 Client Requirements ................................................................................................................................................ 894.9 Heritage Management Principles ............................................................................................................................. 89

4.9.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................ 89

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4.9.2 June 2004 IHA—Heritage Management principles ........................................................................................... 904.9.3 EPBC Regulations—Heritage Management Principles ..................................................................................... 91

4.10 Endnotes ................................................................................................................................................................ 91

5.0 Heritage Management Policy ................................................................................................................... 935.1 Preamble .................................................................................................................................................................. 935.2 General Conservation Policy.................................................................................................................................... 935.3 Landscape ............................................................................................................................................................... 945.4 Aboriginal Heritage .................................................................................................................................................. 955.5 Historical Archaeology ............................................................................................................................................. 955.6 Built Elements .......................................................................................................................................................... 965.7 Movable Items .......................................................................................................................................................... 975.8 Records.................................................................................................................................................................... 975.9 Review ..................................................................................................................................................................... 985.10 Interpretation .......................................................................................................................................................... 985.11 Associated People ................................................................................................................................................. 98

6.0 Implementation Strategies ..................................................................................................................... 996.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................................................. 99

7.0 References ........................................................................................................................................ 1077.1 Legislation .............................................................................................................................................................. 1077.2 Heritage Advice ..................................................................................................................................................... 1077.3 Heritage Listings .................................................................................................................................................... 1087.4 Reports .................................................................................................................................................................. 1087.5 Other Sources ........................................................................................................................................................ 108

8.0 Appendices ........................................................................................................................................ 109Appendix A Commonwealth Heritage List—Database Report: Defence Explosive Factory Maribyrnong, Cordite

Avenue, Maribyrnong Register of the National Estate—Database Report: Defence Explosive Factory Maribyrnong, Cordite

Avenue, Maribyrnong Register of the National Estate—Database Report: Racing Stables of CB and H Fisher (former), Cordite

Avenue, MaribyrnongAppendix B The Burra Charter (The Australian ICOMOS Charter for Places of Cultural Significance)Appendix C National Heritage List, Commonwealth Heritage List, Victorian Heritage Register and Register of

National Estate—Comparison of Heritage Values CriteriaAppendix D EPBC Act Compliance ChecklistAppendix E Commemorative Guidelines—Remount HillAppendix F Defence Site, Maribyrnong—Individual Built ElementsAppendix G Draft Heritage Deed (between Department of Defence and Purchaser)Appendix H Draft Nomination Form for entry of Defence Site, Maribyrnong to the Victorian Heritage Register

Godden Mackay Logan


Defence Site, Maribyrnong–Heritage Management Plan, July 2007

Godden Mackay Logan

Page i

Table of Acronyms

Acronym Terms

AMRL Aeronautical & Maritime Research Laboratory

AAFCANS Army and Air Force Canteen Service

AHC Act Australian Heritage Commission Act 1975

CHL Commonwealth Heritage List

CSIRO Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation

DSTO Defence Science and Technology Organisation

DSM Defence Site, Maribyrnong

EDE Engineering Development Establishment, formerly Engineering

Design Establishment

EPBC Act Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

GML Godden Mackay Logan

HV Heritage Victoria

HLCD Helen Lardner Conservation Design

HMP Heritage Management Plan

IHA Integrated Heritage Assessment

ICOMOS International Council on Monuments and Sites

LEA Land Engineering Agency

MRL Materials Research Laboratory

MSS Municipal Strategic Statement

NHL National Heritage List

RNE Register of the National Estate

VHR Victorian Heritage Register


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Page ii

Godden Mackay Logan

Defence Site, Maribyrnong—Heritage Management Plan, July 2007 Page 1

Figure 1.1 Site Location Plan (Source: Terra Culture)

1.0 Introduction

1.1 Defence Site, Maribyrnong

The Defence Site, Maribyrnong is located in a horseshoe bend on the south

side of the Maribyrnong River in Maribyrnong, Victoria. The site is owned and

managed by the Department of Defence and incorporates the former explosives

factory, which was a major explosives and armaments manufacturer in Australia

from its establishment in 1908 until its closure in 2000, as well as a range of

research and other facilities.

The Defence Site, Maribyrnong has been identified as surplus to the requirements

of the Defence and has been progressively vacated in recent years.

1.2 This Document

As part of the proposed disposal of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong from

Commonwealth ownership, the Department of Defence commissioned a series

of characterisation studies examining the natural qualities, cultural landscapes,

the built environment, Indigenous and European archaeological sites, and social

values of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong. The conclusions of the characterisation

studies were integrated into the Defence Site, Maribyrnong Integrated Heritage

Assessment (the ‘IHA’), prepared by Godden Mackay Logan in June 2004.

This document incorporates the assessments provided in the IHA providing

an assessment of the Commonwealth Heritage values of the Defence Site,

Maribyrnong under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and provides policies for the retention and management of

those values. This HMP meets the applicable guidelines for the EPBC Act and

provides management of the Commonwealth and other Heritage values of the

Defence Site, Maribyrnong during and following the disposal process.

1.3 The Site

The Defence Site, Maribyrnong is approximately 127 hectares in size, bounded

to the north, east and west by the Maribyrnong River and to the south by Cordite

Avenue and Raleigh Road, which provides road and tram access to the site. A

general location plan is provided in Figure 1.1.

The site is currently occupied by the vacant buildings of the former Explosives

Factory and a group of buildings occupied by the Aeronautical and Marine

Laboratory in the southern part of the site. Other discrete areas within the site

have recently been occupied by a variety of government agencies, including the

Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) and Land Engineering

Agency (LEA), although these tenants are expected to vacate the site in the near

future.

Godden Mackay Logan

Defence Site, Maribyrnong—Heritage Management Plan, July 2007Page 2

Figure 1.2 Site Precincts: 1. General Administrative Section2. Propellant Section3. Detonator Section4. High Explosives Filling Section 5. MRL, EDE, AAFCANS

The 2004 IHA addressed the Defence Site, Maribyrnong under the original

arrangement of the site in five main precincts, which still determine the generalfive main precincts, which still determine the general

layout of the site and are identified in Figure 1.2. The precincts include:

General Administrative Section��Section�� includes the Offices and Laboratories and the 1935

Mess Room.

Propellant Section�� the location of the 1908 Cordite Factory, it includes buildings

and structures associated with nitroglycerine production, acid and chemical

production, and guncotton and cordite manufacture.

Detonator Section�� includes large numbers of buildings and structures for producing

initiators (priming caps) for shells and other explosive devices. Some buildings

were mounded, while others were cut into the slope of Remount Hill.

High Explosives Filling Section�� includes buildings generally enclosed by mounds

for filling mines, depth charges and explosive artillery shells. There are no above-

ground remains of buildings associated with the TNT manufacturing process,

although concrete foundations are visible.

MRL, EDE, AAFCANS�� includes production buildings and storage magazines and

chemical laboratories, as well as administration and workshop buildings near the

main entrance in Cordite Avenue. This section also includes the Remount area

and associated historic 1888–1889 Fishers Stables.

The Defence Explosive Factory, Maribyrnong and the former Fisher Racing

Stables located on Cordite Avenue are listed on the Register of the National

Estate (RNE). The Defence Explosive Factory, Maribyrnong is listed on the

Commonwealth Heritage List. The RNE and CHL listings for the site are provided

in Appendix A.

1.4 Scope of the Study

1.4.1 Preamble

This study draws upon the information provided in the June 2004 IHA document

which aimed to provide an explanation of the heritage values of the site and

recommendations addressing the management issues and obligations arising

from those values under the now repealed Australian Heritage Commission Act 1975.

The aim of this Heritage Management Plan is to provide a framework for the

values identified in the IHA to be incorporated into the legislative requirements of

the EPBC Act and to provide guidance for the management of the Commonwealth

and other heritage values of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong. It addresses

the processes and consequences involved with the transfer of ownership of

the Defence Site, Maribyrnong from Commonwealth ownership and outlines

Godden Mackay Logan


Figure 1.3 Building 1 (Offices, General Administration Section) (Source: HLCD).

Figure 1.4 Building 387 (Toilets, Fuze Section) (Source: HLCD).

processes intended to protect the heritage values of the site, including listing on

the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) and the preparation of a Covenant between

Defence and Purchaser.

1.4.2 Statutory Requirements—Commonwealth

Under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC

Act), there are certain legislative requirements for Commonwealth agencies in

regard to Commonwealth-owned properties with identified heritage values.

In 2004, the level of protection for sites with identified Commonwealth and National

Cultural Heritage values was considerably increased by the revision of heritage

protection provisions in the EPBC Act. The EPBC Act was amended to extend

its protective provisions to include places of cultural heritage significance, which

included the establishment of the National Heritage List and the Commonwealth

Heritage List.

A related Act, the Australian Heritage Council Act 2003, established the Australian

Heritage Council as the Government expert advisory body on matters of cultural

heritage (replacing the Australian Heritage Commission). The Register of the

National Estate, which was maintained by the Australian Heritage Commission

under the Australian Heritage Commission Act 1975 from 1976 to 2003, is

retained in a modified form by the new legislation and continues to exist alongside

the National and Commonwealth Heritage Lists. The Australian Heritage Council

is now responsible for maintaining the RNE. Places listed on the RNE that are

on Commonwealth land or that may be affected by Commonwealth actions are

afforded protection under the new legislation.

Management Plans under the EPBC Act

This HMP fulfils the requirements for a ‘Management Plan’ as outlined the

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Regulations 2000 (Schedule 7A). The Regulations require that the Management Plan must:

a) establish objectives for the identification, protection, conservation, presentation and transmission of the Commonwealth Heritage values of the place;

b) provide a management framework that includes reference to any statutory requirements and agency mechanisms for the protection of the Commonwealth Heritage values of the place;

c) provide a comprehensive description of the place, including information about its location, physical features, condition, historical context and current uses;

d) provide a description of the Commonwealth Heritage values and any

Godden Mackay Logan


Figure 1.5 Building 398 (Office, Nitro-glycerine and Paste section)(Source: HLCD).

other heritage values of the place;

e) describe the condition of the Commonwealth Heritage values of the place;

f) describe the method used to assess the Commonwealth Heritage values of the place;

g) describe the current management requirements and goals, including proposals for change and any potential pressures on the Commonwealth Heritage values of the place;

h) has policies to manage the Commonwealth Heritage values of the place, and include in those policies, guidance in relation to the following:

(i) the management and conservation processes to be used;

(ii) the access and security arrangements, including access to the area for indigenous people to maintain cultural traditions;

(iii) the stakeholder and community consultation and liaison arrangements;

(iv) the policies and protocols to ensure that Indigenous people participate in the management process;

(v) the protocols for the management of sensitive information;

(vi) planning and managing of works, development, adaptive reuse and property divestment proposals;

(vii) how unforeseen discoveries or disturbing heritage values is to be managed;

(viii) how, and under what circumstances, heritage advice is to be obtained;

(ix) how the condition of Commonwealth Heritage values is to be monitored and reported;

(x) how the records of intervention and maintenance of a heritage place’s register are kept;

(xi) research, training and resources needed to improve management;

(xii) how heritage values are to be interpreted and promoted;

i) include an implementation plan;

j) show how the implementation of policies will be monitored;

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Figure 1.6 Building 125 (Conditioning House) (Source: HLCD).

Figure 1.7 Building 2697 (Conditioning House) (Source: HLCD).

k) show how the management plan will be reviewed.

The Management Plan emphasises the practical application of the Commonwealth

Heritage management principles.

These requirements, and the sections of this Heritage Management Plan that

address each of them, are set out in Appendix D.

1.4.3 Statutory Requirements—State

The Defence Site, Maribyrnong has been identified as surplus to the requirements

of the Defence and is in the process of disposal.

Should the site pass from Commonwealth ownership, it would no longer be subject

to the EPBC Act and would no longer be eligible for listing on the Commonwealth

Heritage List. If that were to occur, listing on the Victorian Heritage Register

(VHR) under the Victorian Heritage Act 1995 would become the relevant statutory

control for the management of the place’s heritage.

It may also be possible and appropriate for the site to be added to the City of

Maribyrnong’s heritage overlay schedule under the Planning and Environment Act 1987, although such controls would be supplanted by any controls stemming

from the site’s possible listing on the Victorian Heritage Register.

During the disposal process, there may be a period of time during which the

property would not be listed on either the Commonwealth Heritage List or the

VHR. It would remain on the Register of the National Estate, but this would

not accord it any direct statutory protection. (A Victorian site cannot be listed

on the VHR while it is in Commonwealth ownership.) In order to overcome this

potential heritage control gap, Heritage Victoria has indicated willingness to apply

an Interim Protection Order (IPO) to protect the heritage values of the site until it

is listed on the VHR.

A draft nomination form for listing the Defence Site, Maribyrnong onto the Victorian

Heritage Register using the state heritage criteria is provided in Appendix H.

1.4.4 Heritage Values and Significance Assessment Criteria

Eligibility for entry of a site onto the Commonwealth Heritage List and Victorian

Heritage Register is governed by different assessment criteria according to the

EPBC Act and the Heritage Act 1995 (Victoria). Listing of a site onto the RNE

occurred under the now repealed Australian Heritage Commission Act 1975. Comparison of the National Heritage List, Commonwealth Heritage List, Victorian

Heritage Register and Register of National Estate Heritage Values criteria is

provided in table form in Appendix C.

Section 3.0 of this report assesses the Defence Site, Maribyrnong in terms of the

Godden Mackay Logan


Figure 1.8 Building 2699 (Building, General Adminsitration Section)(Source: HLCD).

criteria for the Commonwealth Heritage List, Victorian Heritage Register and the

Register of the National Estate.

If the site is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register, it will be listed because it

fulfils VHR criteria. The Commonwealth and National Heritage criteria may not be

the governing reason for listing on the VHR. The management policies and draft

covenant have been devised in order to ensure that the Commonwealth Heritage

values of the site are protected during the disposal process and following the

listing of the site under the Heritage Act 1975 (Victoria).

1.5 Terminology TerminologyTerminology

The site which is the subject of this report is identified as the Defence Site,

Maribyrnong (DSM).

The terminology of heritage conservation analysis and principles used in this

report is consistent with the definitions contained in The Burra Charter: The Australia ICOMOS Charter for Places of Cultural Significance 1999 (Appendix

B).

Discussion of the former Explosives Factory utilises a large amount of industry-

specific terminology. No glossary has been prepared, as terminology not easily

understood in its context is not utilised in this report.

1.6 Author IdentificationAuthor Identification

This report has been prepared by a specialist team assembled by Godden Mackay

Logan Pty Ltd. Karina Waddell, Heritage Consultant; Dr Iain Stuart, Senior

Heritage Consultant; and Professor Richard Mackay, AM, prepared the report.

Tony Brassil, Associate, and Lisa Newell, Senior Associate, provided specialist

advice. Rachel Jackson, Senior Heritage Consultant, provided input to Section

3.0 of the report. Professor Richard Mackay, AM, Director of Godden Mackay

Logan, reviewed the report.

This HMP incorporates material originally prepared by other consultants in the

initial baseline characterisation studies commissioned by the Department of

Defence and the IHA prepared by Godden Mackay Logan, including:

TerraCulture Pty Ltd

• David Rhodes, Project Supervisor

• Dr Sarah Myers, Project Archaeologist

• Lyndon Patterson, Archaeologist

• Phillippa Sutherland, Production

Godden Mackay Logan


Figure 1.9 Building 908 (Change Room) (Source: HLCD).

Figure 1.10 Building 84 (Solvent Distillery) (Source: HLCD).

Helen Lardner Conservation and Design Pty Ltd

• Helen Lardner, Principal, Architect

• Samantha Westbrooke, Graduate Architect

• Scott Wiseman, Database Manager

• Dr Carlotta Kellaway, Historic Research

• Dr David Rowe (Authentic Heritage Services), Architectural Analyst

• Dr Iain Stuart (HLA Environsciences), Industrial Processes Analyst

HLA Envirosciences Pty Ltd

• Peter James, Senior Geological Engineer

• Dr Iain Stuart, Principal Archaeological and Heritage Manager

• Paul Kelly, Flora and Fauna Consultant

• Dr Neville Rosengren, Environmental Geosurveys Pty Ltd.

Context Pty Ltd

• Chris Johnston, Principal

• Kirsty Lewis, Consultant

• Michelle Ralph, Consultant

• Libby Richards, Consultant

• Kristal Buckley, Senior Consultant

• Vilia Dukas, Support

Spatial Vision Pty Ltd

• Graeme Martin, GIS Consultant

• Ben Johnson, GIS Consultant

Living Museum of the West Inc

• Peter Haffenden, Director

• Olwen Ford, Advisor

• Ian Marshall, Advisor

• Larry Walsh, Advisor

Godden Mackay Logan


Figure 1.11 Building 102 (Acetate of Lime Store) (Source: HLCD).

1.7 Acknowledgments

Godden Mackay Logan acknowledges the assistance of the following during the

preparation of this HMP report.

• Mr David French, Director, Property Disposal Task Force, Corporate Services

and Infrastructure Group, Department of Defence;

• Mr Rick Zentellis, Director, Defence Heritage and Biodiversity Conservation

and Management;

• Mr Gary Pendlebury, Planning Manager, Foresite Pty Ltd;

• Mr Peter Sharp, Project Coordinator, Foresite Pty Ltd;

• Ms Justina Ong, Project Officer, Foresite Pty Ltd;

• Mssrs Andrew Deane and Robert Jamieson, Blake Dawson Waldron; and

• Mr Patrick Miller, Heritage Victoria.

• TerraCulture Pty Ltd;

• Helen Lardner Conservation and Design Pty Ltd;

• HLA Envirosciences Pty Ltd;

• Context Pty Ltd;

• Spatial Vision Pty Ltd; and

• Living Museum of the West Inc.

Godden Mackay Logan


Figure 2.1 Aerial view of Defence Site, Maribyrnong. The boundary of the site is outlined in red. (Source: Spatial Vision)

2.0 Understanding the Place

2.1 Preamble

The following description of the natural qualities, cultural and physical landscapes,

built environment, Indigenous and European archaeological sites and social

values of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong has been amalgamated from the a

range of characterisation studies commissioned by the Department of Defence.

The 2004 IHA document contains a more descriptive explanation of the various

properties, features and qualities of the site than is provided in the following brief

summary.

Within each brief description of the major built, landscape, archaeological

and social elements identified at Defence Site, Maribyrnong, a table has been

provided listing the individual components and a comparative ranking that has

been attributed to each, assessing their role or contribution to the significance

of the overall site using a ranking system that is consistent with similar systems

used by different heritage agencies in Australia. For the purposes of this Heritage

Management Plan, the definitions of each grading is provided below.

Table 2.1 Heritage Management Plan Significance Gradings

Grading Justification Status

Exceptional Rare or outstanding element directly contributing to an item’s significance.

Fulfils criteria for heritage listing.

High High degree of original fabric. Demonstrates a key element of the item’s significance. Alterations do not detract from significance.


Moderate Altered or modified elements. Elements with little heritage value but which contribute to the overall significance of the item.


Little Alterations detract from significance. Difficult to interpret.

Does not fulfil criteria for heritage listing.

Intrusive Damaging to the item’s heritage significance.


2.2 Study Area

2.2.1 Landform and Topography

The DefenceSite,Maribyrnong is located in the lowercatchmentof theMaribyrnongDefence Site, Maribyrnong is located in the lowercatchmentof theMaribyrnong is located in the lower catchment of the Maribyrnong

River Valley. The river drains south and southeast from the site into the �arrasite into the �arrainto the �arra

River and thence into Port Phillip Bay. Up to the Defence Site, Maribyrnong, theDefence Site, Maribyrnong, the, the

river is still tidal and saline, hence its older name, the Saltwater River.

Godden Mackay Logan


1908

1928

1948

1988

2002

Figure 2.2 View of the changing landscape of Horseshoe Bend, Maribyrnong, over 94 years. Between 1920 and 1948, the original landscape and vegetation of the site has been completely removed and the physical shape of the river has been altered (Source: Foresite Pty Ltd, Site Office).

Godden Mackay Logan


Figure 2.3 Plan of land grants, Maribyrnong, showing the 19th cen-tury Raleigh and Johnston allotments (Source: Allom Lovell & Associates 1994,1998)

The site is located between either side of a prominent bend in the Maribyrnongsite is located between either side of a prominent bend in the Maribyrnongis located between either side of a prominent bend in the Maribyrnong

River, known locally as ‘Horseshoe Bend’. The bend has been formed by a

combination of the erosion of older Tertiary and Quaternary rocks and deposition

of Quaternary sediments. The most prominent feature of the site is a large hill

known as ‘Remount Hill’, approximately 30m above sea level, which is situated in

the southern portion of the land and has been formed by stream downcutting and

progressive erosion of the underlying Tertiary and Quaternary rocks.

At the base of the north side of the hill is an outcropping of basalt, and along the

sides of the hill are outcrops of the Red Bluff Sand, terrestrial sediments of sands

and gravel. The crest of Remount Hill is capped with basalt.

Surrounding the hill on all sides are a series of alluvial terraces, which were utilised

to allow construction of the explosives factory. The topography of the DefenceDefence

Site, Maribyrnong was modified by construction of the explosives factory between was modified by construction of the explosives factory between

1909 and 1950. Figure 2.2 illustrates the extent of changes that occurred to the

site from 1908 to 2002.

2.3 Historical Development

2.3.1 Historical Periods

The history of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong can be considered in relation to theDefence Site, Maribyrnong can be considered in relation to thecan be considered in relation to the

following major periods or phases:

Pre-1830s Aboriginal Land

1830s–1840s European arrival and exploration; open pastoral land

1840s–1890s Pastoral Land and development as horse stud farm and horse

training property

• Joseph Raleigh and Joseph Johnston

• Fisher Family and George Petty

1890s–1908 Cox brothers racecourse (Cox family, Sir WJ Clarke & Thomas

Bent)

1908–1945 Explosives Factory and Remount Depot

1945–2000 Explosives Factory and Related Defence Facilities

2000–2005 Progressive Vacation of Site

The historical periods are examined in more detail in the following sections and

provide a chronological context for the identification of fabric from each period.

Godden Mackay Logan


Figure 2.4 Plan, Explosives Factory Maribyrnong 1905, showing the Cox’s racecourse (Source: Allom Lovell & Associates, op cit).

2.3.2 Historical Summary

Aboriginal Land

The Defence Site, Maribyrnong was in the wurrung area of the Woi wurrung

people. The Woi wurrung clan who had responsibility for management of the

study area were the Marin balug, meaning ‘Marin people from the Saltwater

(Maribyrnong) River’. Their clan estates extended from Sunbury, Kororoit Creek,

Jackson’s Creek and the Maribyrnong River. They belonged to the waa moiety.

At the time of contact with Europeans, the ngurungaeta (‘leader of the group’) of

the Marin balug was Bungaree. Bungaree was a highly influential man whose

country included the Mount William greenstone quarry, the most important source

of raw material for stone axes in the region and the centre of a large trading

network. Bungaree, as one of the ngurungaeta who was authorised to permit

access of strangers to his country, was a signatory on Batman’s 1835 treaty with

the Woi wurrung and Bun wurrung.

The Maribyrnong River would have been of considerable economic importance

to the Marin balug as a resource, although there are few European observations

of economic activities. Grimes observed fish traps on the Maribyrnong in 1803,

probably near Solomon’s Ford—further upstream from the study area—and

Solomon made a number of observations of indigenous people spearing fish near

the river. George Augustus Robinson, the Chief Protector of Aborigines, noted

that there were oven mounds situated on the west bank of the river in Footscray

during 1841.

The Woi wurrung people were decimated by a combination of dispossession,

massacres and the introduction of European diseases during the 1830s and

1840s. The British colonial government’s attempts to establish a ‘Protectorate’

for Indigenous people were a failure and, although the Bun wurrung people were

granted a reserve at Mordialloc in 1852, most of the remaining Woi wurrung

people were left to fend for themselves on the fringes of white settlement from

the 1850s onwards. Indigenous Australians were formally recognised as citizens

in 1967.

1830s–1840s�� European Arrival and Exploration—Open Pastoral Land

No incidents involving Maribyrnong are recorded in the early explorations of

the Victorian inlands, although various forays in the 1830s would have probably

passed through the area and the influence of settlement expansion would have

gradually spread over the area. From 1836, Maribyrnong was included in the

pastoral run of Joseph Solomon, who was based several kilometres westward

and whose access road appears to have developed into today’s Cordite Avenue,

but no particular details are recorded of activity in the Defence Site, Maribyrnong

area.

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Figure 2.5 Advertisement for sale of Maribyrnong Park Estate, October 1888 (Source: La Trobe Collection, State Library of Victoria, cited in Ford and Lewis, Maribyrnong in Tranquility, LMW and Sunshire City Council, Melbourne)

1840s–1890s�� Development as Horse Stud Farm and Horse Training Property

The land was surveyed, subdivided into two portions and sold by the Crown in

1847, with Joseph Raleigh occupying the east and James Johnston occupying

the west. Raleigh used this land for agricultural and pastoral purposes and built

the grand homestead known as ‘Maribyrnong House’, plus stables and extensive

gardens and orchards, between 1848 and 1852. Little is known of Johnston’s

activities.

The Raleigh’s lands were sold after 1858 to the brothers, Hurtle and Charles

Fisher. Famous horse breeders and owners, the Fishers on-sold the land in 1869

to George Petty. Charles Fisher reacquired Maribyrnong in 1875, also purchasing

Johnston’s land soon after. Fisher was responsible for the construction of new

stables and homestead, although little is known of the latter.

1890s–1908�� Cox Brothers Racecourse and Sir WJ Clarke

In 1892, the land was again split into two sections, with the Cox brothers purchasing

the western portion (including Remount Hill) and, soon after, Sir William J Clarke

purchasing the eastern section. The Cox brothers continued to operate the stud

farm and established a racecourse on the western side of the property. The

Cox Plate event in the Melbourne racing carnival commemorates this prominent

family. Clarke was a wealthy Victorian landowner and also a horse breeder, and

the eastern property also continued as a premier stud farm.

1908–1945�� Explosives Factory and Remount Depot

After federation, the nascent Commonwealth Government decided to establish

local manufacture of military cordite for small-arms ammunition. This was one

of a number of important initiatives in the Commonwealth’s development of

Australia’s defences. In 1909, AE Leighton was appointed to design a cordite1909, AE Leighton was appointed to design a cordite

factory. The Victorian Government, which had acquired the Maribyrnong land. The Victorian Government, which had acquired the Maribyrnong land

through the agency of Sir Thomas Bent, sold it to the Commonwealth Government.

Construction of buildings commenced in 1910 and the first production of guncotton

occurred in November 1911. The first batch of nitroglycerine was produced in

June 1912 and, a few days later, the first small arms cordite was manufactured.

Also in 1912, a Remount Depot for the army was established on the eastern

side of Remount Hill, taking over the Fisher Stables building and establishing a

complex of associated facilities. Both establishments were formed with regard

to the worsening situation in Europe (and more generally a desire to improve the

defence capabilities of the nation). From 1914 to 1918, ammunition and horses

were sent from Maribyrnong to the war front in Europe, the Middle East and North

Africa.

The only horse to return from overseas, General Bridge’s horse ‘Sandy’, was

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Figure 2.6 ‘The Horses Stay Behind’ a tribute in verse from WWI (Source: Gullet and Barrett 1919 Australia in Palestine, Angus & Robertson)

brought to the Maribyrnong Remount Depot and is believed to have been buried

on the property in 1922.

During the First World War, the site continued to develop with expansion into the

production of artillery cordite and initiating explosives. The chemicals used to

produce cordite, including glycerine, cellulose and methanol, had been imported

from Britain and, as a result of World War I, local companies were encouraged to

produce these chemicals, creating a local chemical industry. During the expansion

of the factories, the Initiator, or Detonator section was established.

In the 1920s, funded by the Commonwealth Munitions Supply Board, the factory

expanded its explosives and chemical manufacturing including the Propellant

(former Cordite) and Fuze Sections to the west of the site, the High Explosive

Section north of the Propellant Section and the Detonator Section on the east side

of the central Administration Section. The construction of a TNT (trinitrotoluene)

plant and associated new High Explosives Filling Section for naval mines and

depth charges was part of a major Government initiative during the inter-war

period, to expand munitions production to include High Explosives.

In addition, in 1922, the Munitions Supply Laboratory was established, which

later became the Materials Research Laboratory (MRL). The factory produced a

range of chemicals for the military, and commercially for civilian use, such as oil of

mirbane for shoe polish. By 1930–1933, the factory was the leader in Australian

chemical manufacturing and the most technologically sophisticated chemical

plant in Australia. In 1935, the factory began to produce solventless cordite for

the Australian Navy.

Following the outbreak of World War II, as the largest and longest established

explosives factory in Australia, the explosives factory at Maribyrnong conducted

intensive research into the manufacture of new types of explosive. Underground

air-raid shelters and slit trenches were erected in central locations. Maximum

explosives production at Maribyrnong occurred during 1942, following massive

growth of the factory between 1939 and 1940. The workforce reached over 8,000,

with approximately 45% being women. Maribyrnong was the centre of a network

of subsidiary factories established around Australia during the war and provided

training, equipment proofing and standards testing for the other factories.

The Remount Depot continued its work supplying cavalry and artillery horses for

local military use and for shipment overseas. By 1945, however, the transcendence

of motor vehicles was complete and the Remount Depot was closed and the land

later incorporated into the explosives factory.

1945–2000�� Explosives Factory Maribyrnong �EFM�Explosives Factory Maribyrnong �EFM�

At the cessation of hostilities, the explosives factory at Maribyrnong changed to

explosives recovery and destruction operations, a long process during which the

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Figure 2.7 Plan, Explosives Factory Maribyrnong 1915 (Source: Allom Lovell & Associates, op cit).

Figure 2.8 AIF anti-aircraft training school at Maribyrnong during World War II. (Source: State Library of Victoria. Number: 1199777 Accession Number: H98.105/4781.)

women staff disappeared and were replaced by returned servicemen. The postwar

immigration boom saw many new migrants employed and staff turn-over was much

higher than seen pre-war. By 1960, new technology and other developments saw

the role of the explosives factory changed to largely producing propellants for

rockets, assembly of rocket motors and production of other elements for missiles.

The MRL’s laboratory activities expanded and spare areas of land were utilised

for other government activities, such as Naval Stores, Canteen Services for the

Army and Air Force (AAFCANS) and the CSIRO. The total area of land including

those areas incorporated for the additional activities is known as the Defence

Site, Maribyrnong.

By 1980, however, the site was no longer considered suitable for the production of

modern explosives and the factory closed in 1994. Site remediation and salvage

or demolition of equipment and buildings has continued since that time. Tenancies

within the land were reviewed and most tenants vacated the site between 1996

and 2002.

2.4 Built Form

2.4.1 Preamble

The Defence Site, Maribyrnong comprises the built elements erected as part of

the ongoing development of the site as a Defence facility. With the exception of

the former Fisher Stables building, all standing structures date to and relate to

Commonwealth operations on the site and the development of the explosives

factory at Maribyrnong.

2.4.2 Fisher Stables

The Fisher Stables building is associated with the Fisher brothers, prominent

Victorians, and encapsulates and symbolises the early history of the land and its

ownership under Raleigh, Petty, the Cox brothers and others. It also provides a

representative example, architecturally and operationally, of a grand stable of the

late nineteenth century.

2.4.3 Explosives Factory at Maribyrnong

Defence Site, Maribyrnong has several characterising factors which influence

its built form and the arrangement of structures around the site. These factors

include the layout of the site in relation to the industrial activities and processes

associated with explosives manufacture, the period of development and associated

technology utilised, the architectural style current at the time of the design of any

building, and the availability and relative cost of materials at various times.

Godden Mackay Logan



Layout of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong

The technological or industrial processes utilised at Maribyrnong can be

summarised and itemised into various categories or sections and, by their nature,

these sections formed production modules within the overall site. Each section

was grouped together physically and was separate from adjacent groups for

safety. However, the sections were arranged so that related or sequential sections

were usually located within close proximity. The individual sections identified at

Defence Site, Maribyrnong include:

• Acid Manufacture: Guncotton and Nitrocellulose Manufacture;

• Nitroglycerine Manufacture;

• Cordite Manufacture;

• Acetone Manufacture;

• Fulminate of Mercury Manufacture;

• High Explosive Manufacture and Filling;

• Bomb, Mine and Depth Charge Filling;

• Detonators; Cartridge Bundling; Fuze Manufacture; and

• Steam Generation.

Other activities carried out were more general, such as stores, administration,

maintenance and security.

The original arrangement of the site provided for at least five main precincts,at least five main precincts,

which still determine the general layout of the site:

General Administrative Section—Section—This includes the first buildings of offices and

laboratories and the 1935 Mess Room.

Propellant Section—This was the initial focus of the 1908 Cordite Factory. It

includes buildings and structures associated with nitroglycerine production, acid

and chemical production, guncotton manufacture, incorporation of guncotton

and cordite with mineral jelly and acetone, and the pressing, reeling, drying and

storage of cordite.

The cordite production process is the best preserved at Maribyrnong as most

of the buildings are still standing. These include remains from the ‘dry’ cordite

process dating from 1912 and later processes that replaced it. The cordite process

is associated with the nitroglycerine process, the sites of which are reasonably

well preserved although all the buildings have been demolished to foundation

level.

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Figure 2.10 Air Raid Protection Drill in the Mess Hall, Maribyrnong c1940 (Source: Allom Lovell & Associates, op cit).

Figure 2.11 Plan of Defence Site, Maribyrnong illustrating the industrial processes associated with the surviving buildings on the site. (Source: Helen Lardner Conservation and Design)

Acids were used in almost every process. They were stored and then sent to

other sections where they were needed. There were once 49 buildings in the Acid

Section, all of which have been removed from the site.

Only a few buildings associated with the guncotton/nitrocellulose process remain.

These include Building 24 (Reel Stove House) and Building 25 (Quinan Stove).

These hot air stoves were used to dry the guncotton after it had been pressed to

get rid of the water.

Detonator Section—This was a section well-separated from the explosives area

and produced initiators (priming caps) for shells and other explosive devices. The

Detonator Section was located between the Maribyrnong River and Remount Hill

on relatively flat land. Although some stoves and magazines were mounded,

others were cut into the slope of Remount Hill.

High Explosives Filling Section—This section includes buildings erected for filling

mines and depth charges as well as explosive artillery shells. The High Explosives

Section occupied a flat piece of land adjacent to the Nitroglycerine Plant. There

was sufficient room for the buildings to be properly mounded.

The buildings associated with the TNT process were demolished for remediation

and now there are no above-ground remains of the buildings, although concrete

foundations are visible. These remains at most demonstrate the location of the

buildings.

MRL, EDE, AAFCANS—This section includes production buildings and storage

magazines and chemical laboratories, as well as administration and workshop

buildings near the main entrance in Cordite Avenue. The Cordite Avenue section

also includes the Remount area and associated historic 1888–1889 Fisher

Stables.

Building Styles and Types

Architecturally, the predominant style on the site is Commonwealth vernacular.

This style spans all phases of development up until 1945. This style is distinguished

mainly by the gable roofs, wide eaves, stepped brick parapets, verandahs, roof

ventilators and generally lack of any other wall articulation.

Research by Dr David Rowe into the history and architectural practice of J.S.

Murdoch, Australia’s first Commonwealth Government Architect, has identified

that Murdoch deliberately set out to develop a set of specific Commonwealth

architectural styles that were recognisable, functional and economic. One of

these styles was modern Renaissance which reached maturity in the 1920s. The

term modern Renaissance was coined by Murdoch himself in 1923,1 it is often

mistakenly described as Inter-War Stripped Classical. The modem RenaissanceThe modem Renaissance

style and Stripped Classical style appear in small numbers in the 1920s, are more

Godden Mackay Logan



prolific in the 1930s and are seen in small numbers again in the 1940s.

The differences between the modern Renaissance style and the Commonwealth

vernacular are subtle. Differences include hip roofs with boxed eaves, soldier

coursing and more prolific use of the pilaster (which did appear in the earlier

phases). The Stripped Classical style appears to have stronger vertical elements

and further wall articulation. Many buildings are difficult to distinguish from

particular periods, as many common elements were repeated, such as the

stepped gabled parapets, and there was an overlap in styles. There were subtle

differences between buildings but no great leaps between periods. Regardless of

when a building type was established, it may have been repeated in construction

of a later building.

The details and form of the buildings were more dictated by the use rather than

a particular style. For example, the use of wide verandahs was often required

for buildings as covered circulation spaces. Often the use produced interesting

forms to buildings, such as Building 65 (Cordite Press Building) and the saw-tooth

roof buildings.

The number of exceptional buildings relating to a particular style on the site is

minimal. This is because there is a consistency in construction type and detailing

across the site and through the different phases. For example, the buildings

are predominantly face red brick with gable roofs or brick parapets. There are

some lightweight clad buildings scattered in between these. The site is of interest

because of this consistency and cohesiveness. It represents the nature of

large industrial sites with their utilitarian buildings, minimal details and standard

designs.

The buildings which are exceptions to the general style and type on the site were

usually constructed for a particular purpose not required anywhere else on the

site, were particularly important buildings within a group or were established

at beginning of a phase. Examples of these include the Mess Room (Building

346, service building), the main Administration Building (Building 1, beginning of

the Cordite Factory) and the laboratories in AMRL (Building 229, first building in

AMRL).

As a collection, the buildings and supporting infrastructure are outstanding in

demonstrating the operation and characteristics of an explosives factory.

Other structures on the site which contribute to the collection as a whole and

provide a setting and context to the buildings include the transport system, waste

management system, air raid shelters, blast walls and mounds.

The transport system consisted mainly of a tramway network. This was initially

a hand-propelled, narrow-gauge railway but later there were concrete cleanways

(roads). This transport system linked the various precincts that developed on the

Godden Mackay Logan


Figure 2.13 Pictorials of the Maribyrnong Stud Farm, 1892 (Source: Illustrated Australian News, 5 November 1892, cited in the Australian Construction Services series, Nelsen and Miller).

site and dated from the opening of the factory. Elements of the rail system remain,

including rails, turntables, truck lift, cuttings and embankments, in addition to the

cleanway.

The waste management system includes the burning ground, drains and gutters

and the water treatment plant.

Evidence of the special environment experienced by workers at Defence Site,

Maribyrnong during the Second World War is provided by the Air Raid Precaution

(ARP) shelters and individual Chief Warden’s Posts still found around the site.

As an important centre of munitions production, the Defence Site, Maribyrnong

complex was considered a prime target for air attacks.

The blast walls of concrete or rendered masonry and the earth mounds are prolific

throughout the site and demonstrate the dangerous nature of the processes

undertaken on site by isolating buildings where there may have been explosion

or fire.

The various industrial processes and their location within the overall site is

illustrated in Figure 2.11.

A list of those built elements identified in the 2004 Integrated Heritage Assessment

for Defence Site, Maribyrnong as having exceptional, high or moderate significance,

as identified in Table 2.1 is provided in Appendix F.

2.5 Natural and Cultural Landscape

2.5.1 Introduction

For the purposes of this study, the following definition of a cultural landscape has

been adopted:

… a geographic area (including both cultural and natural resources and the wildlife or domestic animals therein) associated with a historic event, activity, or person or exhibiting other cultural or aesthetic values (US National Park Service, 1996).

Cultural landscape heritage assessments recognise the holistic nature of

landscapes as part of a larger environmental system.2 This assessment considers

the influencing factors and attributes of the series of cultural landscapes of the series of cultural landscapes of theof the

Defence Site, Maribyrnong progressively, identifying their creation over time by progressively, identifying their creation over time by

the interaction of the physical landscape and social and economic factors.

2.5.2 Geological Formation

The site lies on the right bank of Maribyrnong River and is enclosed by a broad,

river meander incised well below the level of the surrounding plain. Within the site,

the original topography has been greatly altered by excavation, embankments

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Figure 2.14 Aerial photograph of

Defence Site, Maribyrnong illustrating

the distribution of different species of

Commonwealth (CALP Act) and State Weeds

of National Significance (WONS) across the site

(Source: HLA Envirosciences Pty

Ltd).

Figure 2.15 Aerial photograph of

Defence Site, Maribyrnong illustrating

distribution of flora across the site. Note

that the areas characterised as

intrusive (light grey) may contain significant

cultural plantings. (Source: HLA

Environscience Pty Ltd).

Godden Mackay Logan


Figure 2.16 ‘Site of the old Maribyrnong Stud Farm’ 1892 (Source: Illustrated Australian News, 5 November 1892, cited in the Australian Construction Services series, Nelsen and Miller).

and levelling of much of the site; however, the broad character of the pre-industrial

landscape is still discernable. Prior to the landscape reshaping, the river was

flanked by a narrow, active floodplain with a surface two to four metres above

bank-full level. The floodplain is backed by a broad low (apparently alluvial)

terrace that rises abruptly from the floodplain edge to a height of three to four

metres. In the northeast of the site, the river channel turns sharply to the south

and the floodplain widens and has an irregular surface with shallow depressions

representing abandoned channel segments.

Behind the terrace is a steeper slope representing the edge of a now isolated

segment of a former higher river level bluff. This bluff is capped by basalt overlying

silica-cemented sands, both of which have preserved the small hill which forms

the highest part of the site. To the south of the hilltop, the terrain is lower and

Cordite Avenue follows the line of an abandoned river channel. On the opposite

(northern) side of the valley, the surface of the plain is much higher than the hilltop

within the site and the river bluffs rise to 40 metres high from the river edge.

The only feature of geomorphological significance identified on the site is the

area extending from the northern mud slopes of Remount Hill to Cordite Avenue,

including the basalt on the top of Remount Hill and the broad depression south of

the hill which is a higher level paleochannel (former channel) of the Maribyrnong

River. These show that the river once flowed south of its present alignment and

has migrated north, cutting a deeper channel and isolating the basalt as a hilltop

remnant. The site provides evidence of a former river process and illustrates

the progressive development of the Maribyrnong River Valley during an earlier

period. The remainder of the site is considered of no geological significance.

European occupation of the site has considerably altered the site’s topography

and vegetation, as illustrated in Figure 2.2.

2.5.3 Flora and Fauna

Preamble

The visual appearance of Defence Site, Maribyrnong has changed substantially

over time and the different periods of occupation of the site. Flora and fauna

studies, including surveys, were undertaken for the site to address both the impact

of the natural environment on the cultural landscape and also the impact of the

occupation and use of the site on the natural landscape, including the vegetation,

habitat and animal life.

Commonwealth and State databases were searched to establish listed threatened

species and flora of significance found on or within the vicinity of the Defence

Site, Maribyrnong. Defence also undertook a ‘Protected Matters Search’ on the Defence also undertook a ‘Protected Matters Search’ on the

Department of Environment and Heritage website in 2004. The EPBC Protected The EPBC Protected

Matters Report identified potential for 16 Threatened species, 7 migratory species

Godden Mackay Logan


Figure 2.17 Hurtle Fisher (Source: La Trobe Collection, State Library of Victoria, cited in Ford and Lewis, op cit).

and 7 marine species to be in or near the area. There are no World Heritage

properties, National Heritage Places, Ramsar Wetlands, Commonwealth Marine

Areas or Threatened Ecological Communities identified during survey to be within

the Defence Site, Maribyrnong. The results of these investigations are reflected

in the following overview.

Flora

The Defence Site, Maribyrnong is a highly modified site. Most areas of topsoil

have been disturbed in some way by historical land uses and the vegetation is

generally composed of exotic species with a few small occurrences of indigenous

species (see Figures 2.2 and 2.14). Exotic species are defined as flora species

which were most likely not present prior to European occupation and include

species that are endemic to Australia but are not indigenous to the local area.

Of the 255 taxa having the potential to occur on or within the vicinity of the

Defence Site, Maribyrnong, 152 species were recorded during the field survey.

Few indigenous species of flora were recorded during the survey. Most of the

species are exotic, with the majority being introduced to Australia and many of

the others, although native to Australia, not naturally occurring in the Maribyrnong

area. What remains of the original vegetation communities are individual plants

scattered throughout the site. The fragmented riverside vegetation community at

seven locations on the site is the largest representation of the original vegetation

community and comprises river red gums (Eucalyptus camaldulensis), sea rush

(Juncus kraussii) and tangled lignum (Muehlenbeckia florulenta).

The majority of the flora of the site is either planted on-site in gardens, plantations

or pasture, or naturalised through opportunistic invasion. The introduced flora

includes noxious weeds, environmental weeds, specimen trees and ornamental

plants. Figures 2.2 and 2.14 illustrate the current general vegetation growth at the

Defence Site, Maribyrnong.

Plantations of specimen trees of various ages and origins were identified,

including Sydney Red Gum, Norfolk Island Pine, Illawarra Flame Tree, Kurrajong,

Blue Atlas Cedar, Cedar of Lebanon, Lombardy Poplar, Banyan Fig, Morton Bay

Fig, Silky Oak, Brazilian Rosewood, Southern Magnolia, Canary Island Date

Palm and English Elm.

Gardens of exotic plants surround many of the carparks, office blocks and

laboratories, and exotic tree plantations occur on the western and eastern

boundaries and in isolated areas across the site.

Much of the pre-European settlement vegetation within 10km has been

significantly modified by land clearing for farming and urban development and the

potential for remnant vegetation containing any of the listed threatened species is

very low. None of the listed Threatened Species were recorded during the field

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Figure 2.19 Hurtle Fisher’s famous ‘Fisherman’ (Source: La Trobe Collection, State Library of Victoria, cited in Ford and Lewis, op cit).

Figure 2.18 The Maribyrnong Estate Homestead, built by Joseph Raleigh in the 1840s and occupied by the Fishers. This house is depicted as a ruin in the 1890s in Figure 2.13.

investigations.

Four specimens of white cypress pine (Callitris glaucophylla) were located on

the hilltop overlooking the Engineering Unit. It cannot be established whether

these species of potential significance are remnant vegetation or plantations;

however, the trees are noted on the RNE listing for Defence Explosive FactoryDefence Explosive Factory

Maribyrnong, in conjunction with the location of several historic artefacts andin conjunction with the location of several historic artefacts and

require active management. The trees are old and natural regeneration is not

evident; however, the area surrounding the trees is frequently mown. The seven

River Red Gums adjacent to the Maribyrnong River are also considered to have

heritage significance as they have local value as a provenance seed source.

Weed species are listed under both Commonwealth and State legislation and

requirements and priorities for their management form part of statutory regulations.

Species of Weeds of National Significance (WONS), as defined under the EPBC

Act and Noxious weeds, proclaimed in accordance with the Victorian Catchment and Land Protection Act (CALP Act) were found to be present on the site.

Environmental weeds carry no statutory requirement for control but are

highlighted because of their capacity to invade communities of native vegetation

and threaten their survival. Carr et al (1992), published by the former Department

of Conservation and Environment, identifies and classifies environmental weeds

in Victoria. A number of other significant environmental weeds were identified at

Defence Site, Maribyrnong (but are not listed under the CALP Act).

Figure 2.14 illustrates the distribution of noxious and environmental weeds and

Weeds of National Significance on the site.

Other weeds also present on the site that are not identified as noxious,

environmental or of National Significance can be classified as background weeds

and do not display invasive characteristics, which could impact significantly on

indigenous vegetation of the site.

Fauna

Over 127 fauna species are known, or have been found in the past, to occur in the

vicinity of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong. Seventy-four species were recorded

during the field survey undertaken during the initial characterisation studies at


The field survey identified recognised pest animals in additional to only one

fauna species listed as a Threatened Species under State and Commonwealth

legislation, the grey-headed flying fox.

Two migratory bird species were considered likely to be present on site, including

Latham’s Snipe and Nankeen Night Heron, a Threatened Species.

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Figure 2.20 Plan, Explosives Factory Maribyrnong, 1970 (Source: Allom Lovell & Associates, op cit).

The Australian Grayling (fish) may be present in the Maribyrnong River. The

scope of the project did not include sampling of the river adjacent to the site.

No ‘Critical Habitat’, as registered under the provisions of Section 207A of the

EPBC Act, occurs at the Defence Site, Maribyrnong. No habitat critical to the

continued survival of Commonwealth or State listed threatened species or

migratory species is present. There is no critical habitat that requires protection

upon disposal of the Commonwealth land as required under the provisions of

Section 207C of the EPBC Act.

2.5.4 Cultural Landscape

The cultural landscape of Defence Site, Maribyrnong comprises a series of cultural

landscapes created over time by the interaction of social, economic and physical

factors. The current landscape is the physical manifestation of the historic periods

of occupation on the site. The following assessment addresses the impact of the

identified historic periods of the site on the natural landscape and how the latter

influenced the former.

Aboriginal Occupation

There is insufficient evidence to reconstruct Aboriginal cultural landscapes

with the DSM but archaeological sites have been found along the Maribyrnong

River that have microlithic assemblages and silcrete quarries, with silcrete being

the dominant raw material for producing microlithic stone tools. Although the

Aboriginal landscape is much altered by subsequent uses of the site, some

remnant evidence of campsites along the ‘high alluvial terrace’ is discernible and

there is evidence of quarrying of a silcrete outcrop on Remount Hill and other

potential archaeological sites.

Squatting

It is not clear whether the brief squatting era left any impact on the landscape and

there is no historical reference relating to any structures from this period. There is

no identifiable landscape evidence from this period.

Raleigh Family Occupation

This landscape is best traced through the boundaries of the land owned by the

Raleigh family, which was considerably larger than the DSM site. The remains

of paddocks and buildings are poor within the Defence Site, Maribyrnong and

archaeological and historic investigations regarding the site of the house were

inconclusive. The landscape has been altered unsympathetically by subsequent

subdivisions and construction of buildings. The boundary between Johnston’s

and Raleigh’s properties is a significant landscape element that has endured from

that time and remains marked as a line of trees. There is no evidence of any

Godden Mackay Logan


Figure 2.21 Building 493 (Store in Cartridge Bundling Section) (Source: HLCD).

Figure 2.22 Building 490 (Propellant Store)(Source: HLCD).

landscape elements relating to the Johnston property, other than that boundary.

Fisher Stud

The Fisher Brothers, George Petty, Charles Fisher and Thomas Bent all owned

and operated the property as a horse stud from 1863 to circa 1890. The lack

of detailed historical accounts of the property and the absence of any physical

evidence from this time, with the exception of the Fisher Stables and the row of

trees along the property boundary, makes it difficult to make any assessment of

the landscape of this time. Overall, there is little evidence of the Stud farm in the

current landscape and the remnant grassy land at the eastern end of the site

provides the only reference to this period of use of the site.

Cox’s Maribyrnong Racecourse

Despite the suggestion that the main access road into the Defence Site, Maribyrnong

was the main straight of the racecourse, there is no visual evidence of any of

the racecourse buildings or layout remaining at the Defence Site, Maribyrnong.

While the layout and dominant appearance of the Maribyrnong Racecourse is

comparatively well-documented, it is not expressed in the current landscape,

mostly because of the construction of the Cordite Factory, which required the

removal of all the surviving buildings and features of the racecourse.

The Remount Depot

The Remount Depot landscape has been severely impacted on by post-1950

construction, leaving only a small core of land on the top of Remount Hill that

contains significant physical evidence (both built and archaeological) clearly

relating to the Remount Depot. The Fisher Stables is the main surviving structure

and evidence of other buildings survive as footings. The cleared area to the

southeast is a good example of a farm paddock but could relate to various periods

of use.

Archaeological investigations were carried out to locate the horse graves of

‘Sandy,’ ‘Lantern’ and ‘Fisherman’. Areas of the supposed graves were excavated

on the crest and eastern side of Remount Hill. The excavations did not reveal any

definite horse grave sites.

Explosives Factory at Maribyrnong

Seven potential interrelated cultural landscapes have been identified for the

Maribyrnong Defence Site. Of these seven, only the Explosives Factory landscape

was considered sufficiently intact to assess for heritage values. Although the

historic boundary line between Johnston’s and Raleigh’s properties is also an

element of High significance it was not separately assessed for heritage values

as a landscape.

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Figure 2.23 Building 503 (Testing Laboratory) (Source: HLCD).

The Explosives Factory landscape was examined in relation to its functional

and developmental layout, its response to its environment and the relationship

between sections and precincts. Eleven landscape areas and one feature of the

Explosives Factory landscape were identified as having identifiable and distinct

heritage values that contribute to the significance of the Maribyrnong site. These

areas and their assessed grading of significance are shown in Table 2.2 below

and illustrated in Figure 2.34.

Table 2.2 Significance of Cultural Landscapes

Explosive Factory Landscape Areas Significance Grading

1917 Cordite Factory Exceptional

Wet Paste Propellant area Exceptional

Detonator Section High

TNT Production and HE Filling High

Fuzes High

Cartridge Bundling High

Johnston/Raleigh Boundary Line High

Bomb Filling Little

Acid Little

Nitroglycerine Little

MSD Little

Army Little

The original layout of the Cordite Factory is in good condition with the exception

of the Acid section. The landscape retains a high level of integrity with the

sympathetic alteration as required of some landscape elements such as buildings

or clusters. The original layout of the Cordite Factory, with a central access road

and a core of ‘non-danger’ buildings along its central axis, set the pattern for

future development of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong.

The Fulminate of Mercury and Detonator section is in fair condition with most of

the buildings intact, although the Fulminate of Mercury plant has been demolished

and there is no physical evidence to show the link between the Fulminate of

Mercury buildings and the Detonator section.

The Detonator section retains a high level of integrity with little alterations.

The HE Filling and TNT sections are in fair condition, with most of the buildings

intact except for the TNT plant. The HE Filling section also retains a high level of

integrity with little alterations.

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Figure 2.24 Cordite Factory, Maribyrnong, c1920 (Source: Explosives Factory Maribyrnong, Victoria, Vol 2, prepared by Nelsen and Miller for the Australian Construction Services DAS).

Figure 2.25 Building 556 (Conditioning House in Cartidge Bundling Section) (Source: HLCD)

The Bomb and Depth-charge Filling section, the Fuze section, Defence Standards

Laboratory (former MRL) section and the Cartridge Bundling section each retain

a high level of integrity. Each is in good condition, virtually intact and exhibit

sympathetic alterations where required.

2.6 Buildings

2.6.1 Preamble

An extensive comparative analysis of Defence Site, Maribyrnong in relation to

its industrial and architectural character and features was carried out by Helen

Lardner Conservation and Design Pty Ltd in the Built Heritage AssessmentBuilt Heritage Assessment

prepared for the site in July 2002 in association with HLA Envirosciences.

2.6.2 Comparative Examples

The Defence Site, Maribyrnong is one of several explosives factories in Australia

and is one of a larger number of British explosives factories that form a discrete

and related group in the world’s collection of such facilities, owing to their common

origins and use of derivative technologies. The three British factories related

to Maribyrnong are the Waltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder Factory (upon which

Maribyrnong was originally based), the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich and the Royal

Naval Cordite Factory at Holton Heath, Dorset.

Australian explosives and armament factories—in various states of survival owing

to their primary operation during World War II but subsequent abandonment—

with comparative features and historical associations to Maribyrnong include the

Albion Explosives Factory at Deer Park, Victoria; Salisbury Explosives Factory,

South Australia; and St Marys Munitions Factory, New South Wales. Other

Commonwealth Government military and associated manufacturing complexes

include the Lithgow Small Arms Factory; the Clifton Hill Harness Factory; the

Former Federal Woollen Mill, North Geelong, Victoria; and the Commonwealth

Clothing Factory.

Architecturally, Maribyrnong falls into a larger group of an early-twentieth-century

industrial establishment erected by the Commonwealth Government and designed

(or the design supervised) by the Commonwealth Government Department of

Home Affairs (later the Department of Works and Railways).

2.6.3 The Complex

While the Defence Site, Maribyrnong complex is important of itself as physical

and associational evidence of the history of Defence in Australia and as part of

both local and worldwide events and processes, it is also useful to consider the

place in relation to other Commonwealth Defence establishments.

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Figure 2.27 Worker silcrete outcrop within disturbed quarry—Site AAV 7822-1119 (Source: TerraCulture).

The scale and range of buildings at the Defence Site, Maribyrnong is equivalent to

other early-twentieth-century Commonwealth sites including: the Lithgow Small

Arms Factory, NSW; Footscray Ammunition Factory, Victoria; HMAS Creswell (Naval College), Jervis Bay; and HMAS Cerberus (Naval College), Victoria.

However, there appears to be a greater number of buildings at some of the other

complexes listed above.

As a complex, there are other early-twentieth-century Commonwealth complexes

with more formal Beaux-Arts and informal Garden City layouts, such as the

Lithgow Small Arms Factory, HMAS Creswell and HMAS Cerberus. The remnant

early-twentieth-century infrastructure of tramlines, concrete cleanways (roads

and paths) and landscapes at Maribyrnong is equivalent to similar infrastructure

at the Lithgow Small Arms Factory and Footscray Ammunition Factory.

As an overall complex, the Defence Site, Maribyrnong is not as intact as the

most comparable Commonwealth complex, the Lithgow Small Arms Factory.

The Lithgow complex appears to have more industrial buildings (dating from

1912 to the 1940s) of higher integrity, extant infrastructure, extant machinery,

and an extant early-twentieth-century residential village originally provided for

factory workers. As a complex of buildings, the Maribyrnong site is not as intact

as the Former Federal Woollen Mill site (although the Woollen Mill site is of a

considerably smaller scale).

There are other early-twentieth-century, large, complex Commonwealth sites

with numerous buildings that appear to be more intact than the Defence Site,

Maribyrnong. These sites of higher integrity include (but may not be limited to)

HMAS Creswell and HMAS Cerberus.

2.6.4 Individual Buildings

As a complex, the Defence Site, Maribyrnong is typical of other comparable

early-twentieth-century Commonwealth industrial defence sites in the regular and

dominant building characteristics that have established a consistent architectural

image. This image has been developed through the use of rudimentary

Commonwealth vernacular and modem Renaissance design traits, and to a

lesser degree, the rectilinear Classicism/Moderne style. In particular, the stylistic

qualities include:

• red brick or weatherboard, galvanised-corrugated iron or cement sheet wall

construction;

• gabled and hipped, predominantly single-storey roof forms, often with wide

eaves and projecting verandahs;

• prominent roofscapes, often with distinctive parapets (having central gables

and flanking flat ends) and the internal cellular configuration exposed through

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Figure 2.29 Lines of Bluestone paving in the vicinity of Fishers Stables, exposed as part of the archaeological testing program in late 2002. (Source: TerraCulture).

Figure 2.28 Coarse silcrete artefacts from soil test pit, former quarry site, Remount Hill—Site AAV 7822-1119 (Source: TerraCulture).

projecting firewalls;

• shallow brick pilasters and other subtle brick articulation (notably soldier

coursing and incised banding/rustication); and

• prominently corrugated roof cladding (iron or asbestos cement) with some

tiled roofs.

Comparable buildings are at:

• Lithgow Small Arms Factory, New South Wales;

• Former Clifton Hill Harness Factory, Victoria (considerably fewer buildings);

• Federal Woollen Mill (considerably fewer in number), Victoria; and

• Footscray Ammunition Factory, Victoria.

Notable variations of Murdoch’s Federation Free style at Maribyrnong include the

Offices (Building 1) and Chemical Laboratory (Building 2).

Most early Commonwealth vernacular buildings on the Maribyrnong site (such

as Buildings 77 [Gas Mask Testing House and Store], 405 [Change Room/

Decontamination], 74 [Press and Assembling House], 386 [Plastic Moulding

House] and 375 [Substation]) are typical examples of the style that are also extant

at other early-twentieth-century Commonwealth installations. The architectural

integrity of several of the buildings at Maribyrnong does not appear to be as high

as similarly-styled buildings at other Commonwealth sites including the Lithgow

Small Arms Factory, Footscray Ammunition Factory, Former Federal Woollen

Mill, and HMAS Cerberus. However, these buildings show design traits that were

typical for the 1910s–1920s period under the leadership of JS Murdoch.

Most rudimentary, early-twentieth-century modern Renaissance-style buildings

on the Maribyrnong site are of the standard industrialised type also evident on

other Commonwealth sites such as Buildings 15 (Office/Tea Room), 514 (Office

in Detonator Section) and 883 (Toilet in Detonator Section). These buildings

show design details consistent with other Commonwealth buildings of the period,

as a result of being designed under the Commonwealth architect, JS Murdoch

(1910s–1920s) and, later, EH Henderson (1930s).

Notable industrial modern Renaissance-style structures at Maribyrnong include

Magazines (including Buildings 497 and 499, and Building 660).

There are some notable and unusual transitional modern Renaissance and

rectilinear Stripped Classical/Moderne style buildings at Maribyrnong compared

to other Commonwealth sites. These buildings include the Photography Unit

(Building 229), Mess Rooms (Building 346), Store/Office (Building 11) and Office

(Building 489).

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Figure 2.29 Plan showing structures present in 1922, identified in the archaeological record during the subsurface survey. (Source: TerraCulture).

2.7 Archaeological Resources

2.7.1 Indigenous Sites

A 2002 survey of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong located two isolated artefacts

and a small, stratified exposure of two stone artefacts on the remains of an alluvial

terrace between the western boundary of the site and the Maribyrnong River3,

thought to be either eroding from in situ soil deposits on the terrace or originating

from a slumped soil deposit on the slope of the terrace. There were no other

cultural materials associated with the artefacts.

A previously recorded Aboriginal isolated artefact exposure on the north slope of

Remount Hill (Site AAV 7822-1119) was also identified. Outcrops of silcrete were

also noted on the lower slope of the hill. These appeared to have negative flake

scars on the external surfaces.

Further sub-surface testing identified a shallow spread of Aboriginal stone artefacts

across an area of approximately 75 metres east–west by 50 metres north–south

at the base of the north slope of Remount Hill. The site had been disturbed and

an underground drain had also been cut north–south through the centre of the

site. It is possible that the silcrete outcrops at the base of the hillslope were

originally more exposed. The archaeological investigations suggested that most

of the original vegetation is likely to have been removed from the hill by the 1850’s

and soil eroded down the hill may have largely covered the silcrete outcrops and

artefacts exposed on the surface and washed artefacts further down the slope.

The original extent of site AAV 7822-1119 cannot now be determined since most

of Remount Hill to the west of the quarry has been excavated during construction

of different phases of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong. No evidence of Aboriginal

quarry sites was found on the part of Remount Hill immediately east of site AAV

7822-1119. The remains of a previously identified disturbed quarry, site AAV

7822-1037, were recorded above the floodplain and immediately northeast of

Remount Hill4. It is possible that there were several discrete sources of suitable

stone outcrops around the base of Remount Hill, many or all of which were utilised

by the traditional Woiworung owners in the past.

The artefacts recovered or recorded during the test excavation and survey are

indicative of quarrying activities by Aboriginal people. The majority of worked

stone comprises large primary flakes, which have either been extracted directly

from a worked silcrete outcrop, or large pieces of quarried stone. Cores and

flaked pieces found on the site indicate that some secondary stone reduction (ie

manufacture of smaller stone flakes or tools) also took place.

Although the finds provide only fragmented material evidence of past Indigenous

activity at the site, the site is of social, cultural and historical significance to the

Indigenous people and the area and has moderate scientific significance for its

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Figure 2.30 Historic and Aboriginal archaeological sites on Remount Hill. (Source: TerraCulture)

rare survival in a urban context. Table 2.3 provides a summary of each of the

identified Aboriginal sites and their significance grading, (using the rankings set

out in Table 2.1).

Table 2.3 Significance of Aboriginal Archaeological Sites

Site No. Site Type Grading

MEF-1 Isolated Artefact Moderate

MEF-2 Isolated Artefact Moderate

MEF-3 Exposure in Bank Moderate

AAV7822-1119 Artefacts – silcrete quarry High

2.7.2 Non-Indigenous Archaeology

Explosives Factory at Maribyrnong

There have been several cycles of rebuilding and expansion on the DefenceDefence

Site, Maribyrnong and new factory buildings have been constructed and others and new factory buildings have been constructed and others

removed or incorporated into other structures. A record of buildings on the site A record of buildings on the siteA record of buildings on the site

has been compiled from various sources. An analysis of buildings known to have compiled from various sources. An analysis of buildings known to have. An analysis of buildings known to have An analysis of buildings known to haveAn analysis of buildings known to have

been demolished prior to 1964 suggests that few buildings were removed before

that date.

It is unlikely that substantial artefact deposits will be associated with remains

of the buildings as buildings were probably stripped of equipment and waste

materials before demolition. The elaborate safety precautions in use on the

factory probably also meant that material waste products were not dumped on

any part of the factory site.

Archaeological sites primarily comprise the remains of footings and structures of

demolished factory buildings. There appear to be in-ground structural elements

and structures such as settling ponds associated with the Detonator Factory.

The most significant section of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong in historical

archaeological terms is the site of the original 1909 Cordite Factory. There are

some structures and buildings associated with this factory which are still extant.

Twenty-one historical archaeological sites across the Defence Site, Maribyrnong

have been identified, examined and assessed (as shown in Figure 2.30). A (as shown in Figure 2.30). A. A

summary of the sites and their assessed grading of significance is provided inand their assessed grading of significance is provided inis provided in

Table 2.4.

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Figure 2.31 AIF anti-aircraft training school at Maribyrnong during World War II. (Source: State Library of Victoria. Library Number: 1199777Accession Number: H98.105/4778.)

Table 2.4 Significance of European Archaeological Sites

Site No. Name/Location Grading

1 Building Rubble Grid M12 SE High

3 Post Supports Grid L12 SW High

6 Nitroglycerine Factory Grid L10 High

14 Brick Paving, Footings Building Rubble Grid Q16 High

18 Raleigh Homestead Site Grid R16-17 High

19 Concrete Manhole Grid L9 High

2 Metal Tram Tracks Grid M12 SW Moderate

7 Remains of Bridge Grid M9 N Moderate

8 Demolished Building Grid M10 N Moderate

9 Concrete Platform Grid L9 N Moderate

11 Drying House Tram Platform Grid N7 Moderate

Concrete Building Floor Grid N8-9 Moderate

15 Bluestone Drains Grid P16-17 Moderate

17 Bluestone Footing Grid Q17 Moderate

21 Pylon Grid Q5 Moderate

4 Concrete Tank etc Grid L12, L11 S Little

5 Concrete Platforms Grid L10, L11 Little

10 Settlement Pond Grid M7 SW Little

12 Concrete Building Floor Grid N7-8 Little

16 Remount Barracks Remains Grid Q17 Little

20 Tank Stands Grid L10 Little

Three sites were identified as having High significance as historical archaeological

sites:

• Site 6, the Nitroglycerine Factory (c1912–1939), contains intact physical

remains, which illustrate the process involved in the production of nitrate.

Although the building has been removed, it is still an excellent example of

the structural features associated with the early development of this type of

chemical process in Australia.

• Site 2, the metal tram tracks, appears to be part of the original tramway system

installed by 1915 and is also part of a wider network of tramways, which

extend across the site. The latter clearly illustrates the linkages between

different factories and processes involved in the production of explosives at

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Figure 2.33 Building 696 (Source: HLCD)

Figure 2.32 The Australian Light Horseman became an iconic image of Australia in WWI (Source: Gullet, Barrett Australia in Palestine, Angus and Robertson, 1919).

the Defence Site, Maribyrnong and are an excellent example of a materials

transport system within a large and complex factory in the first half of the

twentieth century.

• Site 19, the Stormwater Drain Manhole, is part of a large underground

drainage network under the Defence Site, Maribyrnong, which is another

significant surviving engineering component of the factory.

Other sites were in the vicinity of Remount Hill and are addressed below, or were

considered to be primarily significant for their association with the operation of the

explosives factory.

Remount Hill

Investigations into the nature and extent of archaeological evidence of the

structures associated with the Raleigh Homestead, Fisher Stud and the Remount

Depot in the vicinity of Remount Hill was undertaken by TerraCulture Pty Ltd in

2002 (see Appendix E).

Five sites on the Remount Hill were identified as related to the Remount Depot

and Raleigh Homestead. These sites have since been grouped into three site

complexes and are listed on the Victorian Heritage Inventory as H7822-0341 (The

Remount Depot, Stables and Barracks), H7822-0342 (Stables) and H7822-0343

(The Raleigh Homestead site and Outbuilding).

The investigation established that the Remount Hill area contains considerable

archaeological features associated with the Raleigh Homestead, Fisher Stud

and Remount Depot. These features are spread along the crest of Remount

Hill between the Fisher Stables and the eastern slope of the hill. The rangeThe range

of structural elements and in situ artefacts that were exposed during the sub-

surface testing show that, across the crest of Remount Hill, there is a spatial and

geographical convergence of features associated with the early European history

of the site, from the 1850s to the early 1900s. Some of the structural elements are

clearly visible from the surface, others are buried. There is a historical and spatial

continuity between the crest of Remount Hill and the adjoining area of urban

parkland to the east, both of which contain structural elements associated with

the Raleigh Homestead. Historical and archaeological investigations suggestHistorical and archaeological investigations suggest

that Raleigh Homestead was on the crest and eastern end of Remount Hill.

Archaeological investigations were carried out in 2003 in an attempt to locate the

graves of ‘Sandy,’ ‘Lantern’ and ‘Fisherman’, three significant horses said to be

buried at the site. Areas of the supposed graves were excavated on the crest and

eastern side of Remount Hill. The excavations did not reveal any definite horse

grave sites.

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2.8 Social Values

2.8.1 Concept

The concept of social heritage values alerts us to the importance that a place may

have to people with direct experience and knowledge of that place. By consulting

with these people, the nature of their association with a place is revealed, along

with an understanding of its significance to them. Some significance may survive

in the fabric of a place but social significance may also reside in its use, continuity

of an activity or access to the place, retention of place names, interpretation to

ensure its history lives on, and in other ways.

Social heritage values are values held today by living people. The process of

understanding social heritage values involves working with those communities

and/or groups of people who have past or present close associations to a place

so as to appreciate those aspects of the place that may have special meaning for

them. Associated communities are identified and the nature and extent of their

associations investigated. This material is analysed in light of evaluation criteria

(discussed in Section 3.0) to determine whether these associations have created

the basis for social significance.

2.8.2 Associated Communities

Communities potentially associated with the Defence Site, Maribyrnong include

local residents and employees. Other groups included descendants other families

associated with the pre-Defence history of the area, the Friends of Sandy group

and Aboriginal family and community associations. These associated communities

were identified through the development of a thematic framework based on the

history of the site. This process revealed six broad eras:

1. Pre-Defence: 1880s to 1908;

2. Early Defence Establishment—World War 1: 1908–1918;

3. Interwar Period: 1918–1939;

4. World War II: 1939–1945;

5. Post-World War II: 1946–1970s; and

6. Recent Times: 1970s–today.

The only representatives from the pre-Defence period were descendants of the

Fisher family. No employees of the Cordite Factory during the Early Defence

Establishment period survive today nor did descendants of these people come

forward. Defence employees and local residents were associated with periods

3 to 6. Aboriginal family and community associations potentially crossed all eras

and were therefore considered separately.

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People associated with the site were identified using knowledge already held by

the Living Museum of the West and previous employees. Advertisements were

lodged in local newspapers seeking to identify other people. A series of focus

groups was held on site, with each focus group covering a particular era. People

who were unable or unwilling to attend a focus group were sent a questionnaire or

interviewed by phone. The focus groups, interviews and questionnaires posed a

series of questions designed to gather information about the social significance of

the site. Participants were asked to describe their associations with the site, what

the site meant to them, which aspects best represented those meanings, and the

best ways of retaining important meanings.

2.8.3 Identified Values

Defence Site, Maribyrnong has demonstrated social heritage significance to a wide

range of people with close associations with the site as a result of working there

for many years. Wartime saw a significant increase in workforce at Maribyrnong,

round-the-clock shifts and a strict safety regime that minimised contact between

workers, except during meal breaks. For this group, both individual workplaces

and communal places are highly valued and represent the individual and shared

experiences of wartime work and lifestyle. There is a strong sense of connection

to the distinctive experiences of the wartime period.

For those who worked there during the postwar period, the site represents a

strong sense of community, a collegiate spirit and great camaraderie. Many

people spent a large part of their lives here and the site has important meanings

and associations for them. These may be expressed by the places in which they

worked, often as part of a team, and in communal gathering places such as the

canteen. Postwar employees expressed a strong sense of connection to the

wartime history of the place and had deep respect for the contributions made by

those who worked there during the war.

Few local residents came forward to express an association with or interest in the

Defence Site. However, it has a prominent physical and symbolic presence in

the landscape and there appears to be a wide recognition of the site in the local

community. The distinctive features of the place were most apparent to those

who worked inside. The particular landscape qualities of the site combined with

the work practices made it a ‘place apart’. The built and planted landscape was

shaped by safety factors, creating a place unlike those ‘outside the fence’. The

difference between the site and the outside world was frequently expressed in the

focus groups.

Extensive contact with Aboriginal people did not reveal individuals with a clear

connection to the Defence Site, Maribyrnong; however, there is a widespread

recognition within Aboriginal communities of the important role Aboriginal people

played in the defence industries of the Melbourne’s western suburbs during and

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after World War II. The explosives factory at Maribyrnong is one of a number of

twentieth century industrial sites in western Melbourne for which there is oral

history suggesting their importance in the establishment of the social, cultural and

political life of the Aboriginal community in Melbourne. Evidence of Aboriginal

use of this landscape goes back thousands of years, and this sense of continuity

through different historical periods is important to Aboriginal communities. The

Defence Site, Maribyrnong is considered to have strong symbolic meaning for

Aboriginal communities and families.

Places of social significance include areas and individual buildings or structures.

The following Table 2.5 presents the site in terms of the precincts and then the

individual buildings or structures within each of these areas. The location and

disposition of these elements are shown in the site plan in Figure 2.37 which

illustrates the buildings and precincts within the Defence Site, Maribyrnong that

demonstrate levels of social values, as identified in the Social Values assessment

carried out for the site.

In Table 2.5, two additional grading levels are utilised in addition to those addressed

in Table 2.1. These are:

Indicative: Indicative of some social heritage values but not for all of the section.

Select: Sample aspects may be able to be selected to represent the social heritage

values of the workplace and technology of the section.

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Table 2.5 Places of Social Significance

Section Specific Items Grading

Whole Site • As a symbol of war efforts made by many thousands of people. For the Aboriginal community as a potential symbol of recognition.

Exceptional

Remount Hill • Remount Hill: as an area Exceptional

• Fisher Stables Exceptional

• Fisher/Raleigh Homestead (ruins) High

• Remount paddock High

• Sandy’s burial location High

• None identified

Cartridge Bundling • Area as a whole for AMRL function High

• Building 500 (Developmental Laboratory) High

• Buildings 503 (Testing Laboratory) and 505 (Bundling House) Indicative*

Detonator • Canteen (Building 346) High

• Building 688 (Ballistics Laboratory) Indicative

• Building 514 (Office) Indicative

Fuze • Fuze Section: as an area Select**

• Building 73 (Fuze Filling and Assembling House) Indicative

• Building 379 (Pressing House) Indicative

General Administrative

• Office (Building 1) Exceptional

• Central Laboratory (Building 2) Exceptional

• Canteen/Mess (Building 346) Exceptional

• General Store (Building 11) and General Store (Building 40) High

• Office (Building 481) Indicative

General Chemical • Building 92 (Paint Preparation) and adjoining buildings Indicative

High Explosive • High Explosive Section: as an area Select

• Building 159 (Assembling House) Indicative

Maintenance and Services

• Boiler House (Building 297) Indicative

• Maintenance Workshop (Building 52) Indicative

• Carpenters Workshop (Building 88) Indicative

Nitroglycerine and Paste

• Nitroglycerine and Paste Section: northern area within section; whole of the ‘hill’ and Building 458 (Store)

Exceptional

Propellant • Propellant Section: as an area Select

• Building 65 (Cordite Press) or 66 (Incorporator House) Indicative

Rocket Propellant • Rocket Propellant Section: as an area Select

• Buildings 574, 573 (Pre-heating, Extruding and Assembly House) Indicative

DSTO (AMRL) • Canteen (Building 1046) Exceptional

• Building 229 and 428 — the quadrangle Exceptional

• Buildings 489 and 966 (Gatehouse) High

• Building 697 (Cartridge Bundling Store/Library) Moderate

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Section Specific Items Grading

AAFCANS • No information

EDE • No information

Canteens and tea rooms

These meeting places were important employees. Only a few survive:

• Propellant Section (Blgs. 465 & 564) and

• Cartridge Bundling (Blg (942)

High

Tragic events: deaths of employees

Recognise those who died while working on site (not a single place) Exceptional

• Building 371 (Fuze Section: Filling & Assembling House)Fuze Section: Filling & Assembling House) Indicative

• Building 78 (Fuze Section: Assembling House)Assembling House)) Indicative

EFM internal gate • Near Buildings 1 & 2 Moderate

Landscape • Open landscape character generally Exceptional

• River link/landscape High

• Trees/plantings High

• Gardens: EFM High

• Gardens: AMRL High

2.9 Summary

The above section documents the historic and physical changes and events that

have occurred on the Defence Site, Maribyrnong over the last two hundred years.

The land has been modified throughout its occupation, slightly during Aboriginal

use and more substantially during its use for pastoral land, horse raising and

racing and the Commonwealth occupation for the purposes of a large munitions

factory and Defence complex. A range of cultural and physical features remain

from the Commonwealth use of the site, including buildings, archaeological

remains, mounds, blast walls, railways and gutters. The spatial arrangement of

the sections of the complex and the layout of buildings are also important cultural

features and remnants of the site’s use before during and after the explosives

factory.

2.10 Endnotes1 Rowe, D 1997, ‘Building a National Image: The Architecture of John Smith Murdoch,

Australia’s First Commonwealth Government Architect’, PhD (Architecture) Thesis, Deakin University.

2 Heritage Victoria 2002, ‘Landscape Assessment Guidelines for Cultural Heritage Significance’, Victoria, p 8.

3 TerraCulture, April 2002, An Archaeological Survey, Maribyrnong Explosives Factory, TerraCulture Pty Ltd, p 24. 24.

4 TerraCulture, May 2003, Results of Sub-surface Investigations, Maribyrnong Explosives Factory, TerraCulture Pty Ltd, p 29.


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Figure 2.34 Aerial photograph of Defence Site, Maribyrnong illustrating the various cultural landscape areas of the site. (Source: HLA Environsciences Pty Ltd).


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Figure 2.35 Plan of Defence Site, Maribyrnong indicating the different significance ranking for individual buildings across the site (Source: HLCD).


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Figure 2.36 Aerial Photo of Defence Site, Maribyrnong illustrating the location of zones of potential archaeological sensitivity for Aboriginal and Historic sites (Source: TerraCulture).


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Figure 2.37 Plan of Defence Site, Maribyrnong illustrating buildings and precincts with Social values as identified in the Social Values assessment of the site (Source: Context Pty Ltd).


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Figure 3.2 Building 1036 (Building in EDE Section) (Source: HLCD).

Figure 3.1 Building 248 (Fisher Stables) (Source: HLCD).

3.0 Heritage Values Assessment

3.1 Introduction

The Defence Site, Maribyrnong is on Commonwealth-owned land and managed by

a Commonwealth agency, the Department of Defence. The legislative instrument

that governs the management of a Commonwealth place’s heritage values is

the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (the EPBC Act). The Commonwealth Heritage criteria established under

the EPBC Act have been used to identify, assess and evaluate Commonwealth

Heritage values and connections for the Defence Site, Maribyrnong.

As the Defence Site, Maribyrnong is located within Victoria, the approaches

developed and in use by Heritage Victoria, the Victorian Heritage Council and the

Victorian Government (including Local Government) may become relevant if the

site passes from Commonwealth ownership, although this legislation does not

necessarily bind the Commonwealth.

The sets of criteria established under the EPBC Act and by Heritage Victoria

are addressed below so as to identify the heritage values of the Defence Site,

Maribyrnong under both State and Commonwealth systems. Should the site pass

from Commonwealth ownership, the Victorian Heritage Act 1995 would be the

relevant statutory control for the management of the place’s heritage. It would

also be possible for the Defence Site, Maribyrnong to be added to the City of

Maribyrnong’s heritage overlay schedule under the Planning and Environment Act 1987, although such controls would be supplanted by any controls arising

from the listing of the site on the Victorian Heritage Register.

3.2 Identifying Heritage Values

Assessment of heritage values endeavours to identify whether a place has heritage

values, establish what those heritage values are, and why the place or element

of a place is considered important and valuable to the community. Heritage

value (also called cultural significance or heritage significance) is embodied in

the location, configuration and fabric of a place and/or an element of a place

(including its setting and relationship to other items), the records associated with

the place and the response that the place evokes in the community.

Identifying the heritage value(s) or heritage significance of a place relies on

understanding and analysing documentary evidence, the context and historic

themes that apply to a place or item, the way in which its extant fabric demonstrates

and embodies its function, and its associations and formal or aesthetic qualities.

Previous baseline studies of Defence Site, Maribyrnong, in particular the June 2004

Integrated Heritage Assessment, provide a basis for assessing the significance

of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong. The heritage assessment in this section

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reproduces and augments sections of the Integrated Heritage Assessment which

in itself integrated the heritage assessments prepared in the previous baseline

studies for the site.

3.3 Assessment Criteria

This section outlines the current assessment criteria for evaluating whether a

place has Commonwealth Heritage values, as well as outlining the Victorian

Heritage criteria and the criteria for the Register of National Estate (used by

the former Australian Heritage Commission and recommended for use by local

government in Victoria).

3.3.1 The Commonwealth Heritage Criteria

Section 341D of the EPBC Act prescribes that a place has Commonwealth

Heritage value if the place meets one of the Commonwealth Heritage criteria

specified in EPBC Regulation 10.03A. The reason that causes a place to meet

the criteria is acknowledged in the EPBC Act as the Commonwealth Heritage

value of the place.

The EPBC Act Regulation 10.03A defines nine Commonwealth Heritage criteria

for evaluating, identifying and assessing the Commonwealth Heritage values of

a place. A place that embodies one or more criteria is considered to have a

Commonwealth Heritage value.

The Commonwealth Heritage criteria are:

Criterion A—Historic: The place’s importance in the course, or pattern, of Australia’s natural or cultural history.

Criterion B—Rarity: The place’s possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Australia’s natural or cultural history.

Criterion C—Scientific: The place’s potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Australia’s natural or cultural history.

Criterion D—Representative: The place’s importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of:

i) a class of Australia’s natural or cultural places; or

ii) a class of Australia’s natural or cultural environments.

Criterion E—Aesthetic: The place’s importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics valued by a community or cultural group.

Criterion F—Creative/Technical: The place’s importance in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period.

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Figure 3.4 Building 1 (Offices in General Administration section) (Source: HLCD).

Figure 3.5 Building 2562 (Building in EDE section) (Source: HLCD).

Criterion G—Social: The place’s strong or special associations with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons.

Criterion H—Associative: The place’s special association with the life or works of a person, or group of persons, of importance in Australia’s natural or cultural history.

Criterion I—Indigenous: The place’s importance as part of Indigenous tradition.

The threshold for inclusion on the Commonwealth Heritage List (CHL) is that a

place has one or more of the heritage values listed above.

3.3.2 The National Heritage Criteria

Places identified with outstanding heritage values are eligible for inclusion in

the National Heritage List (NHL). In addition to governing the assessment and

management of a Commonwealth Heritage place’s heritage values, the EPBC

Act prescribes that a place has National Heritage value if the place meets one of

the National Heritage criteria specified in EPBC Regulation 10.01A. The reason

that causes a place to meet the criteria is acknowledged in Section 324C of the

EPBC Act as the National Heritage value of the place.

The EPBC Act Regulation 10.01A defines nine National Heritage criteria for

evaluating, identifying and assessing the National Heritage values of a place.

A place that embodies one or more criteria is considered to have a National

Heritage value.

The National Heritage criteria are:

Criterion A—Historic: the place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place’s importance in the course, or pattern, of Australia’s natural or cultural history;

Criterion B—Rarity: the place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place’s possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Australia’s natural or cultural history;

Criterion C—Scientific: the place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place’s potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Australia’s natural or cultural history;

Criterion D—Representative: the place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place’s importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of:(i) a class of Australia’s natural or cultural places; or (ii) a class of Australia’s natural or cultural environments;

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Figure 3.6 Building 684 (Building in EDE section) (Source: HLCD).

Criterion E—Aesthetic: the place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place’s importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics valued by a community or cultural group;

Criterion F—Creative/Technical: the place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place’s importance in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period;

Criterion G—Social: the place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place’s strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons;

Criterion H—Associative: the place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place’s special association with the life or works of a person, or group of persons, of importance in Australia’s natural or cultural history;

Criterion I—Indigenous: the place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place’s importance as part of Indigenous tradition.

The threshold for inclusion on the National Heritage List is that a place has one or

more of the heritage values listed above.

The Defence Site, Maribyrnong has been examined in relation to the above

National Heritage criteria and does not appear to have National Heritage values.

Determination of whether a place has National Heritage values is a matter for

the Minister for Environment and Heritage, as advised by the Australian Heritage

Council (Section 324J (1) of the EPBC Act). However, insofar as National

Heritage values may exist at the Defence Site, Maribyrnong, they are as a subset

of the Commonwealth Heritage values identified and addressed in this Heritage

Management Plan, and are therefore managed by the heritage management

policies in Section 5.0.

3.3.3 Victorian Heritage Register Criteria

To be assessed for listing on the Victorian Heritage Register, an item will, in

the opinion of the Victorian Heritage Council, meet one or more of the following

criteria:

Criterion A: The historical importance, association with or relationship to Victoria’s history of the place or object.

Criterion B: The importance of a place or object in demonstrating rarity or uniqueness.

Criterion C: The place or object’s potential to educate, illustrate or provide further scientific investigation in relation to Victoria’s cultural heritage.

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Criterion D: The importance of a place or object in exhibiting the principal characteristics or the representative nature of a place or object as part of a class or type of places or objects.

Criterion E: The importance of the place or object in exhibiting good design or aesthetic characteristics and/or in exhibiting a richness, diversity or unusual integration of features

Criterion F: The importance of the place or object in demonstrating or being associated with scientific or technical innovations or achievements.

Criterion G: The importance of the place or object in demonstrating social or cultural associations.

Criterion H: Any other matter which the Council considers relevant to the determination of cultural heritage significance.

3.3.4 Register of the National Estate Criteria

The Register of National Estate (RNE) is a national list of all those parts of

Australia’s natural, historic and cultural heritage. The Register was compiled and

maintained by the Australian Heritage Commission under the Australian Heritage Commission Act 1975 between 1976 and 2003. In 2004, the EPBC Act was

amended to extend its protective provisions to include places of cultural heritage

significance, which included the establishment of the National Heritage List and

the Commonwealth Heritage List. A related Act, the Australian Heritage Council Act 2003, established the Australian Heritage Council as the Government expert

advisory body on matters of cultural heritage (replacing the Australian Heritage

Commission).

The Register of the National Estate is retained in a modified form by the new

legislation and continues to exist alongside the National and Commonwealth

Heritage Lists. The Australian Heritage Council is now responsible for keeping

the Register. Places listed on the RNE that are on Commonwealth land or that

may be affected by Commonwealth actions are afforded protection under the new

legislation. Additionally, in making decisions under the EPBC Act with respect to

controlled actions, the Minister for the Environment and Heritage is required to

have regard to information in the RNE.1

In the VPP Practice Note ‘Applying the Heritage Overlay’ dated February 1999,2 it

is recommended that the Australian Heritage Commission’s assessment criteria

be used in order to make sure rigorous heritage assessment of places considered

for addition to the schedule to the Heritage Overlay in Local Government Planning

schemes.

The following criteria have been used to assess places for entry on the Register

of the National Estate:

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Figure 3.9 Building 71 (Bond/Issue Store)(Source: HLCD).

Criterion A—Historic: Its importance in the course or pattern of Australia’s natural or cultural history.

Criterion B—Rarity: Its possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Australia’s natural or cultural history.

Criterion C—Scientific: Its potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Australia’s natural or cultural history.

Criterion D—Representative: Its importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of: i) a class of Australia’s natural or cultural places; or ii) a class of Australia’s natural or cultural environments.

Criterion E—Aesthetic: Its importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics valued by a community or cultural group.

Criterion F—Creative/Technical: Its importance in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period.

Criterion G—Social: Its strong or special associations with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons.

Criterion H—Associative: Its special association with the life or works of a person, or group of persons, of importance in Australia’s natural or cultural history.

Several of these criteria have sub-criteria to facilitate specific assessment of a

variety of types of places and items. These criteria and their sub-criteria have

been used to evaluate the overall significance of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong

in the Integrated Heritage Assessment.

A comparative table summarising the heritage values assessment criteria is

provided in Appendix C.

3.4 Evaluation

In considering the thresholds required to meet each of the criteria, it can be seen

that these are organised at varying levels of importance for each type of value (eg

History, Rarity etc). For example, at a National level, a place has to have outstanding

heritage values; at a Commonwealth level, a place has to have importance to

Australia. To meet the Victorian criteria, a place has to be important to Victoria.

This hierarchy reflects the fact that a place may be important at different levels or

to different geographic contexts or for different reasons at different levels.

The following assessment considers each type of the CHL, Heritage Victoria and

RNE criteria in turn and evaluates how the Defence Site, Maribyrnong may meet

each. In this assessment, if a place meets Commonwealth Heritage criteria, it

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Figure 3.11 A cordite press for small-arms ammunition manufacture, c1912 (Source: Ford and Lewis op cit).

Figure 3.10 Building 115 (Drying House) (Source: HLCD).

is assumed that it meets Victorian criteria. The reverse, however, is not true; a

place that meets a criterion at a local level will not necessarily meet that criterion

at a higher level.

Each criterion is analysed and discussed to arrive at a concise set of factors,

which together assist in understanding the heritage significance of the Defence

Site, Maribyrnong as a whole. These factors are incorporated in a Summary

Statement of Significance.

Defence Site, Maribyrnong is not listed on the National Heritage List. Insofar

as potential National Heritage values exist, they would form a subset of the

Commonwealth Heritage values identified and addressed in the following

evaluation.

3.4.1 Historic

CHL—Criterion A (Historic): the place’s importance in the course, or pattern, of Australia’s natural or cultural history

VHR—Criterion A (Historic Significance): The historical importance, association with or relationship to Victoria’s history of the place or object.

RNE—Criterion A: Importance in the course or pattern of Australia’s natural or cultural history. Sub-Criterion A4: Importance for association with events, developments or cultural phases which have had a significant role in the human occupation and evolution of the nation, state, region or territory.

Commonwealth Heritage Values

• The Defence Site, Maribyrnong played a critical role in defending Australia

during the period following the establishment of the new Federal Government

and the two world wars. The Defence Site, Maribyrnong was one of four

munitions factories which were established by the Federal Government in

1910 and the only one to produce explosives. The establishment of the

Cordite factory at Maribyrnong was one of the Commonwealth’s key actions

in establishing its defence function (along with the establishment of the Army

and Royal Australian Navy). It reflects the great emphasis at the time on the

need for National self-sufficiency in armament production.

• The Cordite (formerly the Cordite Factory and later called the Propellant

section), Fuze, High Explosives and Detonator sections of the explosives

factory at Maribyrnong (EFM) played a key role in Australia’s involvement

in World War I and World War II. In particular, the explosives factory at

Maribyrnong developed the capacity to manufacture the complete range of

explosives for military use and was ready for rapid expansion of production

during war. During World War II, this capacity allowed Australia to become self

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Figure 3.12 The emblem of the Australian Commonwealth Military Forces in World War I.

sufficient during a period where the nature of the war prevented substantial

supply from elsewhere. Therefore, the explosives factory at Maribyrnong

played an important role in the defence of Australia by providing ammunition

to Australia’s military forces and providing the seed technology and skilled

personnel for the rapid expansion of explosive manufacturing capacity during

the early part of World War II.

• The Cordite factory at Maribyrnong, within the Defence Site, Maribyrnong, has

historical importance for its role in establishing the newly federated Australia

as an independent nation. Maribyrnong was selected as the site for the new

Cordite factory for the purpose of providing, in conjunction with the privately-

owned Colonial Ammunition Company’s factory at Footscray, an independent

national supply of small arms and ammunition. The factory was one of five

Commonwealth facilities commissioned and constructed between 1910

and 1912, including the Small Arms Factory (Lithgow, NSW), the Federal

Woollen Mill (North Geelong), the Clothing Factory (South Melbourne), and

the Harness, Saddlery and Leather Accoutrements Factory (Clifton Hill). Like

the creation of the Army and Navy, the creation of the Cordite factory reflects

the emphasis at the time on the need for self-sufficiency in defence, while

retaining close links to Britain’s policy and practice.

• The design and development of the Maribyrnong factory was influential in

the design and production methods adopted by later government munition

factories in Australia. This influence was a direct result of the success of

Arthur Leighton’s incorporation of the latest English munitions production

with a view to local adoption of the best practice at Maribyrnong. Leighton,

in association with the Munitions Supply Board, designed and developed

Maribyrnong with the specific aim of being able to expand production readily

if required. The factory could manufacture the full range of munitions: high

explosives, propellants, initiators and pyrotechnics, and rapidly expand

production (by increasing batch sizes, running triple shifts and hiving-off

experienced personal to new plants) if required by war. This expansion in

the 1920s was at odds with other areas of Australia’s defence (which were

reduced in scale) and played a significant role in the development of the self-

reliant Australian munitions industry.

• The Remount Depot, established on the eastern side of the site in 1912, was

one of the sites used by the military for breaking in and training horses for the

Royal Australian Field Artillery and the Australian Light Horse. The Remount

Depot supplied horses to Australian forces during both World War I and the

early part of World War II.

• The establishment of the Cordite Factory in 1912 was a significant technical

achievement for Australia. In 1915, Fulminate of Mercury was produced for the

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Figure 3.13 Historic plan of Raleigh Homestead superimposed over modern aerial photograph and adjusted to match contour lines (Source: TerraCulture)

Figure 3.14 Former Building 8(Former AAFCANS Section) (Source: HLCD).

first time in Australia at the Cordite Factory, both an important step in technical

achievement and in terms of the totality of ammunition manufacture.

• The explosives factory at Maribyrnong played a key role in Australia’s

involvement in World War II. In the interwar period, the explosives factory at

Maribyrnong developed the capacity to manufacture the complete range of

explosives for military use and was ready for rapid expansion of production

during war. During World War II, this capacity allowed Australia to become self

sufficient during a period where the nature of the war prevented substantial

supply from elsewhere. The explosives factory at Maribyrnong thereby played

a critical role in the defence of Australia for the production of explosives and

research and development of munitions as well as being the parent company

for other explosives factories across Australia.

• The explosives factory at Maribyrnong had an influential effect on the

development of explosives and missile technology. Developments in the high

explosive filling section following the end of World War II saw pioneering design

and manufacture of solid rocket propellants, the assembly of rocket motors,

and the manufacture of igniters and other explosive devices associated

with these missiles (such as the Ikara and Malkara—Britain’s first anti-tank

missile), for use by the Commonwealth government and overseas clients such

as the British Government. This marked the transition of an industry from

reliance on implementing the patents and techniques developed overseas to

developing its own solutions to technical challenges.

• The production of munitions and other ordinance represents an important

technical achievement of Australia’s industry during World War II. The

Defence Site, Maribyrnong was the focus of munitions production, in particular

the production of explosives, propellants and initiators. The development

and production of wet paste cordite during the Second World War was a

significant technical achievement. This work was supported by the Munitions

Supply Laboratory through the development of standards for production and

in training staff to undertake quality inspections.

• The establishment of the Munitions Supply Laboratory on the Defence Site,

Maribyrnong in 1922 and its subsequent development is of historical importance

for two reasons. Firstly, the Munitions Supply Laboratory was an important

precursor to the CSIRO and was one example of the Commonwealth’s early

involvement in the field of science and technology. Secondly, the Munitions

Supply Laboratory played a key role in the establishment, development and

maintenance of industry standards for defence work in Australia. These

standards were vital in ensuring that products from differing production lines

fitted as required, that munitions performed as required and that designs from

overseas could be produced in Australia with the required level of accuracy.

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Figure 3.15 Production of gasmasks at Maribyrnong. (Library Number: 1179790 Accession Number: H99.201/3835.)

• The explosives factory has historical importance as the site of the influx of

workers into the area to staff the munitions factories. Particularly during

and after World War II, the explosives factory played an important role in

the expansion of women into the workforce, when women represented

approximately half of the Maribyrnong workforce, and the subsequent return

to an all male workforce after the war.

Victorian Heritage Values

• The Defence Site, Maribyrnong has an equestrian association dating from its

late nineteenth and early twentieth century use as a horse stud farm, training

property and racecourse. The Fisher Stables located on Remount Hill were

built around 1888 and is the only remaining structure from the extensive

complex of the famous racing establishment and stud owned by Charles

and Hurtle Fisher in the nineteenth century. In the early twentieth century, a

racecourse was established by the prominent racing family, the Cox brothers,

on the western side of what is now known as Remount Hill.

• The boundary between Johnston’s and Raleigh’s land is a persistent

landscape element consisting of tree planting and fences that has existed on

the Defence Site, Maribyrnong since subdivision in 1847. The boundary line

has been a significant element since 1847 when the first subdivision occurred.

As such, it relates to the history of the previous phases of occupation of the


• The acquisition of the Maribyrnong site by the Commonwealth Government

for the establishment of a Cordite factory demonstrates the importance of

Victoria as the headquarters of Australia’s defence forces and the centre

of the emerging chemical industry. There were a number of other similar

facilities located in the region such as the Colonial Ammunition Factory in

Footscray, the Ordinance Factory at Maribyrnong and the ICI Explosives

Factory at Albion that utilised the available land, access to labour and close

proximity to sub-contractors and suppliers in the western Melbourne area

that made the region suitable for the establishment of munitions facilities.

Local Heritage Values

• Historically, the Defence Site, Maribyrnong played an important role in

the development of the Maribyrnong area and the surrounding suburbs,

particularly in wartime. Particularly during World War I and II and in the

postwar expansion, the explosives factory employed significant numbers of

local people, many of them women, although they were replaced by returned

servicemen at the end of the war. The postwar immigration boom also saw

the employment of many more migrant workers on the site.

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Figure 3.17 Building 514 (Office in Detonator Section) (Source: HLCD).

Figure 3.16 Building 655 (Toilet/Store) (Source: HLCD).

3.4.2 Rarity

CHL—Criterion B (Rarity): the place’s possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Australia’s natural or cultural history

VHR—Criterion B (Rarity): The importance of a place or object in demonstrating rarity or uniqueness.

RNE—Criterion B: Its possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Australia’s natural or cultural history. Sub-Criterion B2: Importance in demonstrating a distinctive way of life, custom, process, land use, function or design no longer practised, in danger of being lost or of exceptional interest.


• The explosives factory at Maribyrnong was the first Commonwealth explosives

factory built and is one of the earliest surviving sets of Commonwealth

buildings. It is a rare site in Australia as no similar explosives facility was

developed until World War II.

• The original layout of the Cordite Factory, with a central access road and a

core of ‘non-danger’ buildings along its central axis, set the pattern for future

development of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong. Most of the buildings of the

former Cordite Factory are still standing and provide rare in situ evidence of

the cordite production process used in small-arms ammunition manufacture

by the Commonwealth Government. There are also considerable extant

remains of both the 1912 ‘dry’ cordite process and the ‘wet’ cordite process

that replaced it.

• The dangerous nature of the production processes in use at the explosives

factory gave rise to a distinctive patterning across the landscape. For safety

reasons, the production process was broken down into individual work

places (often single buildings), separated from each other by open space or

blast mounds, the whole forming an overall production line within one of the

manufacturing processes undertaken on the site. Patterning of this nature is

unique to explosive production and forms a distinct cultural landscape. The

landscape patterning varies according to perceived safety risk across the

explosives factory site.


• The Fisher Stables are all that remains above ground of the nineteenth century

horse stud and stables that were incorporated into the Army’s Remount

Depot. They are a rare remnant of the equine use of the place which was an

important historical aspect of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong’s history.

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Figure 3.18 Building 21 (Preparation Plastic Propellant building) (Source: HLCD).


• The Fisher Stables are the only evidence of the equine activity on the Defence

Site, Maribyrnong, which was its main significant historical use until the land

was resumed for the Cordite Factory in 1908.

• The presence of the silcrete quarry site on Remount Hill is a rare Indigenous

feature within the surrounding highly developed urban development.

3.4.3 Scientific

CHL—Criterion C (Scientific): The place’s potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Australia’s natural or cultural history;

VHR—Criterion C (Scientific Significance): The place or object’s potential to educate, illustrate or provide further scientific investigation in relation to Victoria’s cultural heritage.

RNE—Criterion C: Its importance to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Australia’s cultural history. Sub-Criterion C2: Importance for information contributing to a wider understanding of the history of human occupation in Australia.


• The surviving Cordite Factory buildings and associated remains of the cordite

production process have the potential to contribute to an understanding of

the production process used in small-arms ammunition manufacture by the

Commonwealth Government.

• The cultural material evidence for the different phases of occupation and land

use on the site has considerable significance for its value in:

– representing the past;

– providing a physical link with the unique Indigenous and non-Indigenous

activities that took place on the site; and

– educating through interpreting the past.


• The whole of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong forms part of a larger geological

landform unit that is demonstrative of a process of slip development on incised

(specifically ingrown) meanders. An area on the Defence Site, Maribyrnong

from the northern mid-slopes of Remount Hill to Cordite Avenue illustrates

this process.

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Figure 3.19 Building 102 (Lime store in general chemical section) (Source: HLCD).

Figure 3.20 Building 330 (Office and Store in Propellant Section) (Source: HLCD).

• The Remount Hill area contains some structural and archaeological remains

associated with the Raleigh Homestead and Fisher Stud, and extensive

physical remains of the Remount Depot that have the potential to provide

additional information about the historical occupation of the Remount Hill

site.

• The site of the Remount Depot is believed to contain the unlocated graves of

horses significant to the equestrian history of Australia, including ‘Fisherman’

and ‘Sandy’ (the only Australian Light Horse to return from World War I).


• The four examples of white cypress pine trees and the regenerated river red

gums along the foreshore of the Maribyrnong River are significant flora in the

district.

• As a scientific resource, surviving Indigenous heritage sites have the potential

to contribute to an understanding of past Aboriginal lifeways in the Melbourne

region.

3.4.4 Representativeness

CHL—Criterion D (Representativeness): the place’s importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of:(i) a class of Australia’s natural or cultural places; or(ii) a class of Australia’s natural or cultural environments;

VHR—Criterion D (Representative Significance): The importance of a place or object in exhibiting the principal characteristics or the representative nature of a place or object as part of a class or type of places or objects.

RNE—Criterion D: Its importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of a class of Australia’s cultural environments. Sub-Criterion D2: Importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of the range of human activities in the Australian environment (including way of life, philosophy, custom, process, land-use, function, design, technology or technique).


• The remaining features of the explosives factory complex at Maribyrnong

comprise a large collection of buildings and infrastructure representing

key periods of operations and production processes. The assemblage of

buildings and features relating to the explosives factory are demonstrative and

representative of the diversity of cultural features related to Commonwealth

munitions factory use, including building types such as magazines,

laboratories, incorporating houses, drying stoves, assembling houses, staff

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Figure 3.21 A worker machining caps for 3.7 inch anti-aircraft shells, early 1940s, at the Maribyrnong Ordinance Factory, one of the complementary facilities located across Raleigh Road from the Explosives Factory (Source: Ford and Lewis op cit).

facilities and infrastructure types such as mounds, blast walls and drainage

systems.

• The remaining evidence on site is important in demonstrating twentieth century

munitions processes. A number of the buildings are unique as purpose-built

buildings associated with various manufacturing processes, despite the loss

of some building fabric and most machinery and equipment.

• The deliberate spatial arrangement of the sections of the complex, according

to the risk associated with the production process being undertaken in each

section, and the layout of buildings linked by the transport system, comprise

a cultural landscape representative of Commonwealth munitions sites.

Remnants of the transport system, some dating from the factory’s opening,

remain. Elements include the initial hand-propelled narrow gauge railway,

rails, turntables, truck lift, cuttings and embankments, in addition to the

roads. These demonstrate important characteristics of the dangerous activity

of transporting explosive material between the buildings each containing a

separate stage in the production process and between production precincts.

• As a complex, the Defence Site, Maribyrnong is typical of other comparable

early twentieth century Commonwealth industrial defence sites. The regular

and dominant building characteristics demonstrate a consistent architectural

image comprising elements of rudimentary Commonwealth vernacular and

modern Renaissance design traits and, to a lesser degree, the rectilinear

Classicism/Moderne style. Most early Commonwealth vernacular buildings

on the Defence Site, Maribyrnong are typical examples of the style that is also

consistent with other early twentieth century Commonwealth installations and

buildings. These buildings show design traits that were typical of the period

designed under leadership of the Commonwealth architect, JS Murdoch

(1910s–1920s), and later by EH Henderson (1930s).


• Fisher Stables, a large set of brick stables built on the eastern side of Remount

Hill in 1888–1889, is a surviving representative example of Victorian-period

stables.

• The series of cultural landscapes within the explosives factory at Maribyrnong

demonstrate the spatial relationships between buildings, structures and

landscape elements that demonstrate production of propellant, high

explosives and initiators on the site from 1912.

• The system of protection for the explosives factory from possible enemy air

attacks during World War II, as evidenced by the Air Raid Precaution (ARP)

shelters and individual Chief Warden’s posts, are representative of protection

measures used by vital industrial sites during the war.

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Figure 3.22 Production of gasmasks at Maribyrnong. (Library Number: 1179790 Accession Number: H99.201/3834.)

Figure 3.23 Building 386 (Plastic Moulding House) (Source: HLCD).


• The explosives factory at Maribyrnong is representative of a class of

industrial facilities constructed in Western Melbourne related to munitions

and ordinance.

3.4.5 Aesthetic

CHL—Criterion E (Aesthetic Significance): The place’s importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics valued by a community or cultural group;

VHR—Criterion E (Aesthetic Significance): The importance of the place or object in exhibiting good design or aesthetic characteristics and/or in exhibiting a richness, diversity or unusual integration of features.

RNE—Criterion E: Its importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics valued by a community or cultural group. Sub-Criterion E1: Importance for a community for aesthetic characteristics held in high esteem or otherwise valued by a community.


• As a complex, Defence Site, Maribyrnong demonstrates regular and dominant

buildings characteristics that establish a consistent image throughout the site.

Research by Dr David Rowe into the history and architectural practice of JS

Murdoch, Australia’s first Commonwealth Government Architect, has identified

that Murdoch deliberately set out to develop a set of specific Commonwealth

architectural styles that were recognisable, functional and economic. One of

these styles was modern Renaissance which reached maturity in the 1920s.

The term modern Renaissance was coined by Murdoch himself in 1923,3 and

is often mistakenly described as Inter-War Stripped Classical.

• Most buildings at Maribyrnong demonstrate design traits characteristic of

the Commonwealth Department of Works in the 1910s–1920s period under

the leadership of the Commonwealth architect, JS Murdoch. This design

theme is carried through into later periods, creating a high degree of visual

homogeneity across the large site.

• Individually within Defence Site, Maribyrnong, notable variations of Federation

Free-style architecture (as practiced by Murdoch) include the Offices (Building

1) and Chemical Laboratory (Building 2).

• Most rudimentary early-twentieth-century modern Renaissance-style

buildings on the Maribyrnong site are of the standard industrialised type also

evident on other Commonwealth sites. Notable modern Renaissance-style

structures at Maribyrnong include Buildings 497 (Magazine), 499 (Magazine)

and 660 (building in General Administration section).

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Figure 3.24 Building 229 (AMRL Laboratories) (Source: HLCD).

• There are some notable and unusual transitional modern Renaissance

and rectilinear Stripped Classical/Moderne-style buildings at Maribyrnong

compared to other Commonwealth sites. These buildings include the

Photography Unit (Building 229), Mess Rooms (Building 346), Store/Office

(Building 11) and Office (Building 489).


There are no additional values of importance to Victoria identified under this

criterion.


• The riverfront landscape and alluvial terraces, combined with the conscious

landscaping and garden plantings around discrete clusters of low-scale

buildings, gives the Defence Site, Maribyrnong a characteristic and attractive

parkland appearance.

• The winding roads, discrete clusters of low-scale buildings, undulating

landscape and plantings represent the combination of both official and

amateur attempts to create a pleasant and aesthetically pleasing environment

for the occupants of the site.

3.4.6 Technical

CHL—Criterion F (Technical): The place’s importance in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period;

VHR—Criterion F (Technical Achievement): The importance of the place or object in demonstrating or being associated with scientific or technical innovations or achievements.

RNE—Criterion F: Its importance in demonstrating a high degree of technical achievement, for a particular period. Sub-Criterion F1: Importance for its technical, creative, design or artistic excellence, innovation or achievement.


• In 1922, a new chemical laboratory, the forerunner of the Australian Materials

Research Laboratory (MRL), was constructed to examine materials for a

number of government agencies, including the CSIRO, Commonwealth

Engineering Standards, the Country Roads Board and Victorian Railways.

This laboratory pioneered the identification and measurement procedures for

manufacturing standards and influenced standards in the chemical industry

and munitions production, as well as Australian industry generally. The

expanded AMRL area is a key element of the remaining explosive factory

complex at Maribyrnong and demonstrative of the technical achievements

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Figure 3.26 Building 688 (Ballistics Laboratory—Detonator Section) (Source: HLCD).

Figure 3.25 Building 481 (Office—Administration Section) (Source: HLCD).

undertaken within the laboratories.

• The production of munitions and other ordinance demonstrates an important

technical achievement of Australia’s industry during World War II. The Defence

Site, Maribyrnong was the focus of munitions production, in particular the

production of explosives, propellants and initiators. The development and

production of wet paste cordite during the Second World War was a significant

technical achievement. This work was supported by the Munitions Supply

Laboratory through the development of standards for production and in

training staff to undertake quality inspections. The structure and distribution

of the remaining buildings within the Defence Site, Maribyrnong demonstrate

the activities and the nature of the technical work undertaken across the

explosives factory complex.

• Despite the removal of many of the original plant and equipment within the

remaining buildings within Defence Site, Maribyrnong, the distinctive patterning

of the landscape, including the positioning of single buildings separated by

open space or blast mounds, the whole forming an overall production line,

are demonstrative of and provide valuable information regarding the technical

processes undertaken on the site.

• Remnants of the transport system, including the initial hand-propelled narrow

gauge railway, rails, turntables, truck lift, cuttings and embankments and

original roads, demonstrate the processes of transportation of explosive

material between the buildings and between production precincts.


There are no additional values of importance to Victoria identified under this

criterion.


There are no Local Heritage Values identified under this criterion.

3.4.7 Social

CHL—Criterion G (Social): The place’s strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons;

VHR—Criterion G (Social Associations): The importance of the place or object in demonstrating social or cultural associations.

RNE—Criterion G: Its strong or special associations with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons. Sub-Criterion G1: Importance as a place highly valued by the community for reasons of religious, spiritual, symbolic, cultural, educational or social associations.

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Figure 3.27 Building 368 (Paper Workshop in Fuze Section) (Source: HLCD).


The Defence Site, Maribyrnong does not have strong or special association with

a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons.

Social assessments of the site indicate that the site does have social values

to former employees and former occupants of the land. However, most former

employees and occupants of the site have now died. In addition to this, the site

was, and has always been during its use as a Defence facility, a site closed to the

public, which has restricted access and the development of values associated

with it. Therefore, the place is unlikely to meet the threshold for entry in the

Commonwealth Heritage List against this criterion.

State and Local social values have been identified which are addressed under

Victorian Heritage Values and Local Heritage Values below.


• The Defence Site, Maribyrnong is of social significance to the employee

communities as a place where:

– work-based communities and friendships were forged over many years;

– personal endeavour helped create scientific and technological advances

that benefited the wider community;

– the contributions of past employees, especially those who gave wartime

services, can be remembered and honoured; and

– connections to the past remain present in daily working life.


• The Defence Site, Maribyrnong appears likely to be of social significance to

the local community for its value as a prominent landmark site dedicated to

defence industries, highly visible and yet unavailable to the wider community,

and as a marker of important phases in the history of the locality and

community.

• The Defence Site, Maribyrnong is of social significance to the employee

community as a distinctive and special landscape, contained and bounded,

and a place apart from the everyday world.

• The Aboriginal quarry site on Remount Hill and its association with

remnant cultural landscape elements are of social and cultural value to the

contemporary Wurundjeri community.

• The Defence Site, Maribyrnong appears likely to be of social significance for

Aboriginal people with family/community connections to those who worked

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Figure 3.28 Building 159 (Assembling House in High Explosives Section)(Source: HLCD).

Figure 3.29 Building 585 (Toilet—Rocket Propellant section) within the open-grassed landscape (Source: HLCD).

in the defence industries during the war, as one of the few remaining sites

that has the potential to symbolise the unrecognised contributions made by

Aboriginal people to defending a country that still did not recognise them as

citizens.

• The Defence Site, Maribyrnong is of social significance for people with family

connections to the earlier periods in the site’s history, as a place that provides

a strong sense of connection to important periods in their own family’s history,

in the history of the local community and also the wider community, especially

the war-time periods and the association with the Light Horse.

3.4.8 Associational

CHL—Criterion H (Associational): The place’s special association with the life or works of a person, or group of persons, of importance in Australia’s natural or cultural history;

VHR—Criterion A (Historic Significance): The historical importance, association with or relationship to Victoria’s history of the place or object.

RNE—Criterion H: Special association with the life or works of a person, or group of persons, of importance in Australia’s natural or cultural history. Sub-Criterion H1: Importance for close associations with individuals whose activities have been significant within the history of the nation, state or region.


• Arthur Edgar Leighton, a British chemist with experience at the Royal

Gunpowder Factory at Waltham Abbey and at the Indian Government Cordite

Factory at Aravankadu, was appointed as designer and manager of the

proposed Maribyrnong Cordite Factory. This association is of Commonwealth

significance as Leighton became a leader of the Australian munitions industry

as Controller General of Munitions Supply 1921–1939, as well as playing an

important role within the British defence establishment during the First World

War. He is commemorated by the Leighton medal, the premier award of the

Royal Australian Chemical Institute.

• The site is associated with the Australian Light Horse, through the Remount

Depot, and more generally with the Australian military, especially the soldiers

and gunners who utilised and depended upon the Maribyrnong products.

• A particular association with the Australian military is through ‘Sandy’, the

favourite horse of General William Throsby Bridges, founder of the Australian

Imperial Force (AIF), who was killed at Anzac Cove and is buried at Duntroon.

In 1918, Sandy became the only AIF horse to be repatriated. He lived the

remainder of his life at the Remount Depot and is believed to be buried on

site.

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Figure 3.30 Building 25 (Quinan Guncotton Stove), half hidden by earth mounds (Source: HLCD).

• The Defence Site, Maribyrnong is associated with JS Murdoch, Australia’s

first Commonwealth Government Architect, who designed the layout and

buildings for the Cordite factory complex. During his time as Commonwealth

Architect and ultimately Chief Architect, Murdoch developed a set of specific

Commonwealth architectural styles that were recognisable, functional and

economic, including the modern Renaissance style which reached maturity

in the 1920s and is recognisable within Defence Site, Maribyrnong.


• The Defence Site, Maribyrnong was the site of a series of prominent colonial

horse breeding and training establishments during the nineteenth century,

including that of Joseph Raleigh, CB and H Fisher, George Petty and the Cox

brothers, all of whom remain significant names in the history of the Australian

thoroughbred industry.

• Fisher Stables was associated with the Fishers, a prominent Melbourne

racing family, who ran a thoroughbred horse stud on the site from the 1860s

to the mid-1890s.

• The site has associations with Sir Thomas Bent, Premier of Victoria and

notable ‘land-boomer’, whose reportedly dubious land dealings meant that

the land was available for the Commonwealth to purchase.


• The site has local significance for its association with Joseph Raleigh,

prominent merchant and landowner. Raleigh used his property for agricultural

and pastoral purposes, and erected a homestead and stables on what is now

known as Remount Hill. These buildings are now gone but the site may be of

archaeological interest.

• The western part of the site was occupied by the privately-owned Maribyrnong

Racecourse, established by the Cox Brothers between 1892 and 1901.

Nothing remains of this historic racecourse but the association with the Cox

Brothers, prominent Victorian racing identities.

3.4.9 Indigenous

CHL—Criterion I (Indigenous): The place’s importance as part of Indigenous tradition.

VHR—Criterion H: Any other matter which the Council considers relevant to the determination of cultural heritage significance.

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Figure 3.32 Building 23 (Paste Magazine) (Source: HLCD).

Figure 3.31 Building 428 (AMRL Administration building) (Source: HLCD).


• The silcrete quarry site on Remount Hill is of Moderate scientific significance,

being rare within such a highly developed urban context. The Aboriginal sites

within the Defence Site, Maribyrnong provide evidence of a way of life of the

Woiworung land owners prior to and at the time of European settlement.

• As a rare scientific resource, the surviving Indigenous heritage sites in the

area have the potential to contribute to an understanding of past Aboriginal

lifeways.


• The Aboriginal sites within the Defence Site, Maribyrnong provide evidence

of a way of life of the Woiworung land owners prior to and at the time of

European settlement and have the potential to contribute to an understanding

of past Aboriginal life ways in Victoria.

• Although significantly disturbed by European landuse over the past 150

years, the silcrete quarry site on Remount Hill is of scientific significance. The

survival of the quarry is rare within such a highly developed urban context

and it provides visible evidence and interpretation of traditional Woiworung

activities on the site.

(Note: Under the Victorian Archaeological and Aboriginal Relics Preservation Act 1972, all relics are listed and protected irrespective of their significance values.)

3.5 Summary Statement of Significance

3.5.1 Preamble

The following statements of significance consider the Commonwealth, Victorian

and Local heritage values of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong in regard to the

specific criteria listed above. Insofar as the site has potential National Heritage

values, these exist as a subset of the Commonwealth Heritage values.

3.5.2 Commonwealth Heritage Values

Context

As discussed in Section 3.3.4, the Register of the National Estate (RNE) was

compiled and maintained by the Australian Heritage Commission under the

Australian Heritage Commission Act 1975 between 1976 and 2003. The Defence

Site, Maribyrnong was listed on the RNE in November 2000. In 2004, the

EPBC Act was amended to extend its protective provisions to include places of

cultural heritage significance, which included the establishment of the National

Heritage List and the Commonwealth Heritage List. Some places listed on the

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Figure 3.33 Building 2643 (Former AAFCANS Complex) (Source: HLCD).

RNE that were on Commonwealth land, such as Defence Site, Maribyrnong,

were transferred onto the Commonwealth Heritage List by the Minister for the

Environment and Heritage.

The current gazetted listing of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong on the

Commonwealth Heritage List is based on the 2000 RNE database entry for the

site. Both the Commonwealth Heritage listing and the RNE database entry are

provided in Appendix A. The incorporated summary statement of significance

is the same within both the RNE and the CHL listings and is based on the RNE

criteria provided in Section 3.3.4 and Section 3.4. Several of these criteria have

sub-criteria to facilitate specific assessment of a variety of types of places and

items. These RNE criteria were used to evaluate the overall significance of the

Defence Site, Maribyrnong in the 2004 Integrated Heritage Assessment.

This Heritage Management Plan addresses the EBPC Act regulations and

requirements for Commonwealth-owned places and has assessed the Defence

Site, Maribyrnong using EPBC Commonwealth Heritage Criteria. However, the

current gazetted heritage values of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong listed on the

Commonwealth Heritage database listing for the site are still based on the original

assessment against RNE criteria.

In order to ensure that the revised heritage values identified under the EPBC

CHL criteria and discussed in this Heritage Management Plan and the original

values addressed in the RNE listing are each managed appropriately, both sets of

values are set out below. While they are consistent, their terms differ. Both sets

of values are covered by the heritage management policies in Section 5.0.

Commonwealth Heritage Values—Summary Assessment (based on Commonwealth Heritage Criteria)

The Defence Site, Maribyrnong has Commonwealth Heritage values.

The Aboriginal sites within the Defence Site, Maribyrnong provide evidence of

a way of life of the Woiworung land owners prior to and at the time of European

settlement and have the potential to contribute to an understanding of past

Aboriginal life ways. Although the site has been disturbed by European landuse

over the past 150 years, the silcrete quarry site on Remount Hill is of Moderate

scientific significance. The survival of the quarry is rare within such a highly

developed urban context and it provides visible evidence and interpretation of

traditional Woiworung activities on the site.

The Defence Site, Maribyrnong played an important historical role in the

establishment of Australia as an independent nation through the Commonwealth’s

emergence of an Australian defence force with an independent source of munitions

from Australia. Maribyrnong was selected as the site for the new Cordite Factory

in 1910. The construction of federal factories, in association with the formation

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Figure 3.34 Building 489 (Gatehouse) (Source: HLCD).

Figure 3.35 Defence Site, Maribyrnong — Boundary, Tenancy/Occupancy and Landholdings, circa 1990

of the Australian Army and Navy during the same period, demonstrates the early

actions of the Commonwealth Government in establishing general self-sufficiency

and, more specifically, defence capability for the nation.

The design and development of the Maribyrnong factory was influential in the

design and production methods adopted by later government munition factories

in Australia. This influence was a direct result of the success of Arthur Leighton’s

incorporation of the latest English munitions production with a view to local

adoption of the best practice at Maribyrnong. Leighton, in association with the

Munitions Supply Board, designed and developed Maribyrnong with the specific

aim of being able to expand production readily if required. The factory could

manufacture a wide range of munitions: high explosives, propellants, initiators and

pyrotechnics, and rapidly expand production (by increasing batch sizes, running

triple shifts and hiving-off experienced personal to new plants) if required by war.

The explosives factory at Maribyrnong had an influential effect on the development

of explosives and missile technology. Developments in the high explosive filling

section following the end of World War II saw pioneering design and manufacture

of rocket propellants, the assembly of rocket motors and the manufacture of

igniters and other explosive devices associated with these missiles (such as the

Ikara and Malkara), for use by the Commonwealth government and overseas

clients such as the British Government.

The explosives factory at Maribyrnong played a key role in Australia’s involvement

in World War II through the expansion of Australia’s munitions production, in

particular explosives, propellants and initiators, allowing Australia to be self-

sufficient at a critical time during the war. Maribyrnong played a significant role

as the ‘patent’ factory for production of explosives, propellants and initiators, as

well as housing the Munitions Supply Laboratories whose achievements lay in the

development and maintenance of standards for production work.

The explosives factory at Maribyrnong was the first Commonwealth explosives

factory built and includes some of the earliest surviving Commonwealth buildings.

It is a rare site in Australia as no similar explosives facility was developed until

World War II.

The dangerous nature of the production processes in use at the explosives

factory at Maribyrnong is reflected in the patterning across the landscape where

the production process was broken down into individual work places separated

from each other yet forming an overall production line. Patterning of this nature

is unique to explosive production. Most of the buildings of the former Cordite

Factory are still standing and illustrate the cordite production process used in

small-arms ammunition manufacture by the Commonwealth Government. There

are also considerable extant remains of both the 1912 ‘dry’ cordite process and

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Figure 3.36 Building 1046 (AMRL Canteen) (Source: HLCD).

the ‘wet’ cordite process that replaced it.

The surviving Cordite Factory buildings and associated remains of the cordite

production process, have the potential to provide an understanding of the

production process used in small-arms ammunition manufacture by the


The remaining features of the explosives factory complex comprise a large

collection of buildings and infrastructure representing key periods of operations

and production processes. The assemblage of buildings and features relating

to the explosives factory demonstrate and represent the diversity of cultural

features related to Commonwealth munitions factory use, including buildings and

infrastructure.

The remaining evidence on site is important in demonstrating twentieth-century

munitions processes despite the loss of some building fabric and most machinery

and equipment. A number of the buildings are unique as purpose-built buildings

associated with various manufacturing processes.

The spatial arrangement of the sections of the complex and the layout of buildings

linked and deliberately separated by the transport system are representative of

Commonwealth munitions sites. Remnants of the transport system, dating from

the factory’s opening, remain, including the initial hand-propelled narrow gauge

railway, rails, turntables, truck lift, cuttings and embankments, in addition to the

roads.

As a complex, the Defence Site, Maribyrnong is typical of other comparable

early twentieth century Commonwealth industrial defence sites. Most buildings

at Maribyrnong demonstrate design traits characteristic of the Commonwealth

Department of Works in the 1910s–1920s period under the leadership of the

Commonwealth architect, JS Murdoch (1910s–1920s), and later, EH Henderson

(1930s). This design theme is carried through into later periods, creating a

high degree of visual homogeneity across the large site. The regular and

dominant building characteristics display consistent architecture with elements of

rudimentary Commonwealth vernacular and modern Renaissance design traits

and, to a lesser degree, the rectilinear Classicism/Moderne style.

There are some notable and unusual transitional modern Renaissance and

rectilinear Stripped Classical/Moderne-style buildings at the Defence Site,

Maribyrnong. These buildings include the Photography Unit (Building 229), Mess

Rooms (Building 346), Store/Office (Building 11) and Office (Building 489).

The establishment of the cordite factory in 1912 was a significant technical

achievement for Australia and was followed by the production of fulminate

of mercury for the first time in Australia in 1915. The production of TNT was

commenced in the mid-1920s, giving Australia the capacity to make a full range of

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Figure 3.37 Building 54, Nitrating House, Nitrogylycenne and Paste Section. (Source: HLCD)


explosives, namely high explosives, propellents and initiators. During the Second

World War, the production of wet paste cordite was seen as a significant technical

innovation.

In the immediate post-World War II period, the explosives factory at Maribyrnong

was involved in the development of rockets, including the Malkara, Britain’s first

anti-tank missile. This marked the transition of an industry from reliance on

implementing the patents and techniques developed overseas to developing its

own solutions to technical challenges.

In 1922 the Munitions Supply Laboratory, the forerunner of the Materials

Research Laboratory, pioneered the identification and measurement procedures

for manufacturing standards, influencing standards in the chemical industry and

munitions production and for Australian industry generally.

The Defence Site, Maribyrnong has important associations with Arthur Edgar

Leighton, the designer and manager of the Maribyrnong Cordite Factory, who later

became Controller General of Munitions Supply and a leader of the Australian

munitions industry. The site is associated with the Australian Light Horse through

the Remount Depot, and more generally with the Australian military, who utilised

Maribyrnong’s products. A particular association with the Australian military is

through ‘Sandy’, the favourite horse of General William Throsby Bridges, founder

of the Australian Imperial Force, who was killed at Anzac Cove and is buried at

Duntroon. In 1918, Sandy became the only AIF horse to be repatriated. He lived

the remainder of his life at the Remount Depot, and is believed to be buried on

site.

Defence Site, Maribyrnong is also associated with JS Murdoch, Australia’s first

Commonwealth Government Architect, who designed the layout and buildings

for the Cordite factory complex and developed a set of specific Commonwealth

architectural styles that were recognisable, functional and economic, including

the modern Renaissance style which reached maturity in the 1920s and is

recognisable within Defence Site, Maribyrnong.

Commonwealth Heritage Values—Gazetted Commonwealth Heritage List Citation

The Maribyrnong Explosives Factory, located in a horseshoe bend of the Maribyrnong River, below the basalt plain, is important as the seminal example in Australia of the design and development of a cordite factory, on which all later factories and production methods in Australia were based, including the Salisbury Explosives Factory in South Australia. (Criterion B.2)

The Maribyrnong Explosives Factory (EFM) comprising the functional areas, roads, industrial buildings, administration and storage buildings,

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service and transport systems, blast mounds, open spaces and magazines is important as the site of the first Commonwealth munitions factory, the Cordite Factory, established by the newly formed Commonwealth Government in 1910. The manufacture of cordite and armaments had been high on the agenda for Federation and were national considerations consequent on Australia’s isolation. The Lithgow Small Arms Factory began production of short magazine Lee-Enfield .303 rifles in 1912, in parallel with the Commonwealth’s Maribyrnong Cordite Factory in Melbourne, which first produced cordite in 1912. These complementary munitions facilities marked the end of the use of black powder propellants by Australian troops, placed Australia on a par with other modern defence forces, ensured the future self-sufficiency of Australia’s Armed Forces and demonstrated Australia’s technical skills and military capabilities. The Maribyrnong factory supplied much of the cordite (propellant) used in Australian-made armaments during World War One, and was the seminal example on which later explosives factories were based, including the Salisbury Explosives Factory in South Australia completed in 1940, and which, with Maribyrnong, played a key role in World War Two, when munitions production reached its peak. Although the quantity of material produced at the Maribyrnong factory was much smaller than that produced at such emergency mass production factories as Albion, it included a much wider range of products. Maribyrnong also served as the parent factory for other armament factories during World War Two and was responsible for experimentation, specifications and standards of manufacture. The level of technological exploration and the standard of Australian developed manufacturing equipment was so high that Australia began exporting to countries such as Britain which had previously supplied much of the necessary equipment and training. The technical standards achieved during the 1920s and 1930s, and which underpinned its later technological role, gave the factory leadership in the chemical engineering industry in Australia during the Inter War years.

The factory is an important reminder of the war years, in particular World War Two, when there was an influx of workers into the area to staff the munitions factories. The factory also serves as a reminder of the change in the nature of the workforce during this period when women represented approximately half of the Maribyrnong workforce and then the return to an all male workforce after the war.

The site of the Maribyrnong Explosives Factory is important for its association with the history and development of horse racing in Victoria. This is implicit in the alignment of the main avenue, which reflects the main straight of the former, private Maribyrnong Racecourse, associated with the Cox Brothers 1892–1901, and the area of the Remount, which includes the former Fisher Stables, erected 1888–89 by Charles Brown Fisher, the foundations of the former Raleigh homestead and a burial site for racehorses. The use of the Fisher Stables as focus of a Remount Depot before the First World War, and the erection of barracks accommodation for the Royal Australian Field Artillery, increased the Army’s association with the Maribyrnong River. (Criterion A.4)

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Figure 3.40 Building 351, Boot change, Nitrogylycenne and Paste Section. (Source: HLCD)

Figure 3.41 Building 113, Wet Fulminate Magazine, Detonator Section. (Source: HLCD)

The Maribyrnong Factory expanded throughout its existence into a densely developed cultural landscape area containing over 500 structures. These structures, including magazines, processing plants and support systems, illustrate much of the development of explosives technology and manufacturing processes and are important for the considerable information they contribute to an understanding of the growth of the armaments industry in Australia under the Commonwealth government. (Criterion C.2)

The Maribyrnong site is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of explosives factories developed for the production of cordite and cordite based munitions. These characteristics include the separation of functions, including the use of containing blast mounds and the use of single-storey, cellular industrial buildings, linked by service and transport sytems designed to maximise safety. (Criterion D.2)

The site of the Raleigh homestead is important for its association with George Petty who, in 1868, purchased the property from Charles Brown Fisher, and ran the property successfully as a thoroughbred horse stud. The Maribyrnong Stud became an important name in Melbourne racing circles. The Fisher Stables, erected 1888–89, are important for their close association with the Fisher family which bought Petty’s stud and, from 1875 to the mid-1890s, ran a successful stud farm for racehorses on Joseph Raleigh’s former property, building on the reputation established by George Petty. The site of the cordite factory is associated with the Cox brothers who established a private racecourse, the Maribyrnong Racecourse, in 1892 and which ran until 1901. (Criterion H.1) (Principal Australian Historic Themes: 3.13 Developing an Australian manufacturing capacity, 5.2 Organising workers and work places, 7.4 Federating Australia, 7.7 Defending Australia, 8.1 Organising recreation)

The Explosives Factory Site, together with the adjoining former CSIRO land, supports one of the southernmost populations of White Cypress-pine (Callitris glaucophylla), a species that is considered vulnerable in Victoria. The eleven trees, four of them on the Defence site, are estimated at between 130-220 years old and considered to be a valuable naturally occurring remnant that predates European settlement. (Criteria A.1 and B.1)

Indigenous cultural heritage values of national estate significance may exist on this site. As yet these values have not been identified or assessed.

3.5.3 Victorian Heritage Values

In addition to the above Commonwealth Heritage values, the Defence Site,

Maribyrnong has some heritage values specifically related to the heritage of the

place in the context of Victoria’s history.

The whole of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong forms part of a larger geological

landform unit that is demonstrative of a process of slip development on incised

(specifically ingrown) meanders. An area on the Defence Site, Maribyrnong from

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Figure 3.42 Building 910, Tool Store, Detonator Section. (Source: HLCD)

the northern mid-slopes of Remount Hill to Cordite Avenue has been identified as

illustrating this process.

The Defence Site, Maribyrnong has an equestrian association dating from its late

nineteenth and early twentieth century use as a horse stud farm, training property

and racecourse. The boundary between Johnston’s and Joseph Raleigh’s land

is a persistent landscape element consisting of tree planting and fences that has

existed on the site since subdivision in 1847. In the early twentieth century, a

racecourse was established by the prominent racing family, the Cox brothers, on

the western side of what is now known as Remount Hill.

The Fisher Stables, located on Remount Hill, were built around 1888 and are

the only remaining structure from the extensive complex of the famous racing

establishment and stud owned by Charles and Hurtle Fisher in the nineteenth

century. The stables are an important remaining example of a Victorian-period

stables building. Fisher Stables were associated with the Fishers, a significant

family in Melbourne’s racing circles, who ran a thoroughbred horse stud on the

site from the 1860s to the mid-1890s. They are the only above ground evidence

of equestrian activity on the Defence Site, Maribyrnong.

The Remount Depot was established on the eastern side of the site and was one

of the sites used by the military for breaking in and training horses. The Remount

Depot supplied horses to Australian forces during both World War I and World War

II. The Remount Hill area contains some structural and archaeological remains

associated with the Raleigh Homestead and Fisher Stud. The physical remains

of the Remount Depot have potential to provide additional information about the

historical occupation of the Remount Hill site. The site of the Remount Depot

contains the unlocated graves of horses significant to the equestrian history of

Australia, including ‘Fisherman’ and ‘Sandy’.

The acquisition of the Maribyrnong site by the Commonwealth Government for

the establishment of a Cordite factory demonstrates the importance of Victoria

as the headquarters of Australia’s defence forces and the centre of the emerging

chemical industry. The site has associations with Sir Thomas Bent, Premier

of Victoria and notable ‘land-boomer’, whose reportedly dubious land dealings

meant that the land was available for the Commonwealth to purchase.

The series of cultural landscapes across the site of the explosives factory

at Maribyrnong are evidence of the spatial relationships between buildings,

structures and landscape elements that demonstrate the principal characteristics

of production of propellant, high explosives and initiators on the site from 1912.

The system of protection for the explosives factory from possible enemy air

attacks during the Second World War, as evidenced by the Air Raid Precaution

(ARP) shelters and individual Chief Warden’s posts that remain on the site, are

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representative of protection measures used by vital industrial sites during the

war.

The Defence Site, Maribyrnong is of social significance to the employee

communities as a workplace.

The Aboriginal sites within the Defence Site, Maribyrnong provide evidence of

a way of life of the Woiworung land owners prior to and at the time of European

settlement and have the potential to contribute to an understanding of past

Aboriginal life ways in Victoria. Although significantly disturbed by European

landuse over the past 150 years, the silcrete quarry site on Remount Hill is of

scientific significance. Its survival within such a highly developed urban context

is rare and it provides visible evidence and interpretation of traditional Woiworung activities on the site.

3.5.4 Local Heritage Values

In addition to the above Commonwealth and Victorian Heritage values, the

Defence Site, Maribyrnong has some heritage values specifically related to the

heritage of the place in the context of the history of Melbourne’s West.

The four examples of white cypress pine trees and the regenerated river red gums

along the foreshore of the Maribyrnong River are significant flora in the district.

Historically, the Defence Site, Maribyrnong played an important role in the

development of the Maribyrnong area and the surrounding suburbs, particularly in

wartime. Particularly during World War I and II and in the postwar expansion, the

explosives factory employed significant numbers of local people, many of them

women, although they were replaced by returned servicemen at the end of the war.

The postwar immigration boom also saw the employment of many more migrant

workers on the site. The explosive factory at Maribyrnong is representative of a

class of industrial facilities constructed in Western Melbourne related to munitions

and ordinance.

As a scientific resource, the surviving sites in the area have the potential to

contribute to an understanding of past Aboriginal lifeways in the Melbourne region.

The presence of the silcrete quarry site on Remount Hill is a rare feature within

the surrounding highly developed urban development. The Aboriginal quarry site

on Remount Hill and its association with remnant cultural landscape elements are

of social and cultural value to the contemporary Wurundjeri community

The riverfront landscape and alluvial terraces, combined with the conscious

landscaping and garden plantings around discrete clusters of low-scale buildings,

gives the Defence Site, Maribyrnong a characteristic and attractive parkland

appearance. The winding roads, discrete clusters of low-scale buildings,

undulating landscape and plantings represent the combination of both official and

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amateur attempts to create a pleasant and aesthetically pleasing environment for

the occupants of the site.

The Defence Site, Maribyrnong appears likely to be of social significance to the

local community for its landmark values as a prominent landmark site dedicated to

defence industries, highly visible and yet unavailable to the wider community, and

as a marker of important phases in the history of the locality and community.

The Defence Site, Maribyrnong is of social significance to the employee community

as a distinctive and special landscape, contained and bounded, and a place apart

from the everyday world. The Defence Site, Maribyrnong appears likely to be

of social significance for Aboriginal people with family/community connections

to those who worked in the defence industries during the war, as one of the few

remaining sites that has the potential to symbolise the unrecognised contributions

made by Aboriginal people to defending a country that still did not recognise them

as citizens.

The Defence Site, Maribyrnong is of social significance for people with family

connections to the earlier periods in the site’s history, as a place that provides a

strong sense of connection to important periods in their own family’s history, in

the history of the local community and also the wider community, especially the

war-time periods and the association with the Light Horse.

The site has local significance for its association with Joseph Raleigh, prominent

merchant and landowner. Raleigh used his property for agricultural and pastoral

purposes and erected a homestead and stables on what is now known as

Remount Hill.

3.6 Endnotes1 Sneddon, A 2004, ‘Development or Sale of Identified Cultural Heritage Sites’,

Law Society Journal, Vol 42, No. 11, pp 50–54.2 VPP Practice Notes, 1999, Applying the Heritage Overlay, www.doi.vic.gov.

au/planningnotes, accessed 19 September 2005.3 Rowe, D 1997, ‘Building a National Image: The Architecture of John Smith

Murdoch, Australia’s First Commonwealth Government Architect’, PhD (Architecture) Thesis, Deakin University.

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Figure 4.1 Women manned the Explosives Factory in WWII. This view shows Ms Tyack in the High-Explosive Filling Section (Source: Ford and Lewis, op cit).

4.0 Management Issues

4.1 Introduction

Sections 2.0 and 3.0 analysed the natural and cultural values of the Defence Site,

Maribyrnong, including

• strong historic associative values that attach to all phases of its history;

• historical and technical value as an example of a comprehensive military

explosives manufacturing facility;

• aesthetic values relating to its overall form, the cultural landscape and the

individual buildings located on the site;

• archaeological evidence of nineteenth century occupation and earlier

Aboriginal use of the land, as well as the early and later processes and

approaches associated with explosives technology; and

• social significance for its former employees and their families, to the local

Aboriginal community and is symbolic of a range of related places associated

with defence activities.

The Commonwealth Heritage values of Defence Site, Maribyrnong discussed in

Section 3.0 present some constraints and opportunities that may apply to the

future use and development of the site. In particular, the identified Commonwealth

Heritage values trigger certain requirements and processes under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 which must be co-ordinated

with the requirements of the Department of Defence and the possibility of the

site passing from Commonwealth ownership. These requirements must be taken

into account in ongoing conservation and maintenance of the identified heritage

values of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong.

The following sections outline the principal heritage constraints and opportunities

which may arise from the operation of potentially relevant state and local legislation,

as well as the EPBC Act. A number of further constraints and opportunities that

may be present as a result or consequence of legislative compliance are also

briefly outlined. Potential constraints include:

• constraints arising from heritage values/significance;

• physical constraints;

• external factors (statutory control and non-statutory controls); and

• feasible uses and client requirements.

The following statements are not conclusions or recommendations but, rather,

observations relevant to the circumstances of the site and matters that require

consideration and resolution.

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Figure 4.2 The Explosives Factory Maribyrnong landscape, with the footings of Building 587 in the foreground (Source: HLCD).

4.2 Constraints Arising from Heritage Values

The Commonwealth, State and Local Heritage values of Defence Site, Maribyrnong

gives rise to a range of obligations and requirements. The most fundamental of

these is the obligation to ensure that the heritage values of the place are retained

for present and future generations. Other obligations that arise from the assessed

heritage values of the place are:

• The Defence Site, Maribyrnong is a place with Commonwealth Heritage values

and therefore should be managed in accordance with the Commonwealth

Heritage Management Principles (see Section 4.9.3).

• The physical evidence of the history of the place, including the current

diversity in buildings, structures and the ‘fine grain’ of the built environment,

should be retained and conserved.

• Evidence of Aboriginal use and occupation should be retained and

conserved.

• The place itself should continue to be able to demonstrate its own history.

• The many historical associations of the place—with people, processes and

events—should be maintained and be able to be interpreted.

• Defence Site, Maribyrnong should be managed and planned as an evolving

cultural landscape; in particular, the integrity of the explosives factory

landscape should be maintained.

• Archaeological resources, both above and below ground, and collections of

artefacts and records should be protected and conserved.

• Records and other information, such as oral histories and employee

reminiscences, should be recognised as important elements of the place and

appropriately maintained and managed.

• Interested persons and organisations, such as current and f ormer EFM,

DSTO and CSIRO staff, the Australian military and local residents, should be

encouraged to be involved in the care and conservation of the place.

• The history and significance of the place should be interpreted to visitors and

communicated to the wider community.

The Burra Charter: the Australia ICOMOS Charter for Places of Cultural Significance 1999 also provides guidelines for the care of places of cultural

significance. The Burra Charter provides specific guidelines for physical and

procedural actions that should occur in relation to significant places. The June

2004 Integrated Heritage Assessment for the Defence Site, Maribyrnong was

prepared in accordance with the relevant Burra Charter principles. The Burra

Charter is provided in full in Appendix B.

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Figure 4.3 Defence Site Maribyrnong, 2002. The ‘Horseshoe Bend’ of Maribyrnong River curves around the site in the forefront of the photograph Building 571 (Bomb Filling House) is visible in the centre of the image is. (Source: Foresite Pty Ltd, Site Office)

Figure 4.4 Building 60 (Store) (Source: HLCD).

4.3 Heritage Listings

4.3.1 Commonwealth Heritage List and the Register of the National Estate

The Defence Explosive Factory, Maribyrnong is listed on the Commonwealth

Heritage List (CHL) as a ‘Listed Place’. Only places owned by or managed byOnly places owned by or managed by

Commonwealth agencies can be placed on the Commonwealth Heritage List.

The obligations and statutory requirements of Commonwealth agencies whose

properties are listed on the Commonwealth Heritage List are addressed in Section

4.4 below.

The Defence Explosive Factory, Maribyrnong and the former Fisher Racing

Stables located on Cordite Avenue are also listed on the Register of the National

Estate (RNE). The RNE and CHL listings for the site are provided in Appendix A.

The Register of the National Estate has been retained as an indicator of heritage

values and is maintained by the Australian Heritage Council. Section 391A of the

EPBC Act requires that any decision made under the EPBC Act must have regard

to the listing of an affected place on the RNE. The EPBC Act also specifically

states that a place on the RNE is included in the definition of the environment,

and so the heritage values addressed in the RNE listing for the former Fisher

Racing Stables (although not expressed in terms of heritage values) still place

some obligations on the Department of Defence under the Act. These are also

addressed in Section 4.4 of this report.

4.3.2 Victorian Heritage Register �VHR�Victorian Heritage Register �VHR�

The Heritage Council is currently unable to list Commonwealth-owned properties

onto the Victorian Heritage Register. For this reason, the Victorian Heritage

Register does not currently include listings for either the former Explosives Factory

or the Defence Site, Maribyrnong as a whole. When the property transfers from

Commonwealth ownership, the Defence Site, Maribyrnong should be assessed

for inclusion in the Victorian Heritage Register, in order to provide a mechanism

for retention and management of its Commonwealth, State and Local Heritage

values.

It is likely that, once the site transfers from Commonwealth ownership, an Interim

Protection Order (IPO) could be placed on Defence Site, Maribyrnong to ensure

the identified heritage values of the site will be continuously protected during the

formal listing process of the site onto the Victorian Heritage Register. Heritage

Victoria have indicated that they would support the temporary IPO and formal

listing of the site onto the Victorian Heritage Register. The statutory obligations

and consequences of listing the Defence Site, Maribyrnong onto the Victorian

Heritage Register are addressed in Section 4.5 below.

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Figure 4.5 Building 32 (Building, EDE section) (Source: HLCD).

4.3.3 Aboriginal Affairs Victoria

The Explosives Factory, Maribyrnong is registered as a historic Indigenous

place with Aboriginal Affairs Victoria. Four Aboriginal archaeological sites

within the former Explosives Factory land are registered with Aboriginal Affairsformer Explosives Factory land are registered with Aboriginal Affairs land are registered with Aboriginal Affairs

Victoria. Part IIA of the Commonwealth Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Amendment Act 1987 applies only in Victoria and provides

comprehensive protection for Aboriginal cultural heritage. The provisions of the

Victorian Archaeological and Aboriginal Relics Act 1972, which is administered by

Aboriginal Affairs Victoria, also protect Aboriginal places and objects in Victoria.

4.3.4 Local Planning Scheme, Maribyrnong City Council

As the site is a Commonwealth-owned property, it is not currently covered by the

Maribyrnong Planning Scheme. However, the Maribyrnong City Council has an

active interest in the future of the site and it was identified as being of significance

in the Maribyrnong Heritage Review, a study of natural and cultural heritage

places within the Municipality, undertaken by Maribyrnong City Council.

It is possible that the Defence Site, Maribyrnong will be added to the City of

Maribyrnong’s heritage overlay schedule under the although such controls would

be supplanted by any controls arising from the listing of the site on the Victorian

Heritage Register. The statutory obligations and consequences of listing theThe statutory obligations and consequences of listing the

Defence Site, Maribyrnong onto the Victorian Heritage Register are addressed

in Section 4.5 below.

4.3.5 National Trust of Australia �Victoria�

The National Trust of Australia (Victoria) is a community-based heritage

conservation organisation. The Trust has assembled a register of heritage items

and conservation areas through the assessment work of its expert committees.

While the National Trust Register has no legal status, it is considered to be an

authoritative guide to heritage significance and acts as a lobby group for heritage

conservation.

Fisher’s Stables and Remount Hill are listed in the National Trust of Australia

(Victoria) Register at a State level. There is no listing for the Explosives Factory,

Maribyrnong or Defence Site, Maribyrnong on the register.

4.4 Statutory Requirements and Policies—Commonwealth

4.4.1 Introduction

As the Defence Site, Maribyrnong is currently a Defence-owned property, it is

subject to Commonwealth statutory controls, including the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Amendment Act 1987.

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Figure 4.6 Building 1082 AMRL (Source: HLCD)

Figure 4.7 Building 405 (Change Room/Decontamination, AMRL) (Source: HLCD)

4.4.2 Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

The EPBC Act establishes an environmental and heritage assessment and

approval system that is separate and distinct from state systems.

Heritage

On 6 September 2004, the First Assistant Secretary, Approvals and Wildlife

Division, Department of Environment and Heritage, acting as a delegate of the

Minister for the Environment and Heritage, advised that the proposed action by

the Department of Defence to sell the Defence Site, Maribyrnong was a controlled

action under the EPBC Act.

As such, the proposed Disposal of the site requires the approval of the Minister

for the Environment and Heritage. Under Section 87 of the EBPC Act, an

environmental assessment must be undertaken to provide all the information on

the impacts that a proposed action would have the Commonwealth site, to ensure

that the Minister makes an informed decision on whether or not to approve the

action.1

The proponent, or the person proposing to take the action, in this case the

Department of Defence, must supply preliminary information on the impacts of the

proposed action in order to help the Minister select an appropriate assessment

approach (out of ‘preliminary documentation’, ‘public environment report’ (PER),

‘environmental impact statement’ (EIS) or ‘public inquiry’).

This Heritage Management Plan forms part of the preliminary information that

will be provided to the Department of Environment and Heritage as part of the

approval process under Section 86 of the EPBC Act. The Department of Defence

is also required to provide controls and assurances that the proposed action, in

this case the Disposal of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong, will not have an adverse

effect on the Commonwealth Heritage values of the place.

One of the reasons the disposal of the site is designated a ‘controlled action’

and requires approval from the Minister is the proposed sale will remove it from

Commonwealth ownership and the jurisdiction of the EPBC Act. Under Section

341ZE of the Act any Commonwealth agency undertaking to sell a Commonwealth

Heritage listed property is required to ensure the protection of the Commonwealth ensure the protection of the Commonwealth

Heritage values of the site (in this case, Defence Site, Maribyrnong) and prepare

a Draft Covenant between Defence and any Purchaser of the site setting out the

obligations of the Purchaser in regard to the protection and maintenance of those

heritage values. A Draft Covenant for the disposal of Defence Site, Maribyrnong

is provided in Appendix G of this report.

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Figure 4.8 Building 425 (Laboratory/Store, AMRL) (Source: HLCD)

Environment

Commonwealth and State databases were searched to establish listed Threatened

Species and flora of significance found on or within the vicinity of the Defence

Site, Maribyrnong. None of the listed Threatened Species were recorded during

the field investigations.

Weed species are listed under both Commonwealth and state legislation, and

requirements and priorities for their management form part of statutory regulations.

Species of Weeds of National Significance (WONS), as defined under the EPBC

Act, were found to be present on the site and their management and control is

required under the Act.

4.4.3 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Amendment Act 1987

The Commonwealth Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Amendment Act 1987 is an amendment to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984, which applies only in Victoria, and provides

comprehensive blanket protection for Aboriginal cultural heritage, administered by

the Victorian Minister for Aboriginal Affairs. The protection is offered to known and

unknown Aboriginal cultural heritage, including places and objects. Declarations

under the provisions of the Act state what can and cannot be done to Aboriginal

cultural property, including both places and objects. Declarations of preservation

are made for places or objects that the local Aboriginal community considers to

be significant, although they are not a legal requirement. No current declarations

are in place in relation to the Defence Site, Maribyrnong.

4.5 Statutory Requirements and Policies—Victoria

4.5.1 Introduction

Victorian legislation does not bind the Commonwealth but would become a relevant

consideration should the Defence Site, Maribyrnong pass from Commonwealth

to private ownership. The following lists the relevant state legislation that may be

relevant in future management of the site.

• The Victorian Heritage Act 1995 includes provisions for identifying and

protecting items of heritage significance and provides blanket protection for

all known and unknown European archaeological relics.

• The Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 (CaLP Act) provides a

legislative framework for the management of land including the control of

declared noxious weeds and pest animals.

• The Planning and Environment Act 1987 provides for the preparation of

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Figure 4.9 Building 434 (AMRL)(Source: HLCD)

Figure 4.10 Building 484 (AMRL) (Source: HLCD)

planning instruments intended to guide land use and management at state,

regional and local levels. The Act provides a code for making and determining

development applications. The main features of the Act, with relevance

to cultural heritage, is the requirement for environmental assessment of

development proposals and a mechanism for the inclusion of heritage

conservation provisions in planning instruments.

• The Victorian Archaeological and Aboriginal Relics Preservation Act 1972 provides blanket protection for all known and unknown (that is, listed and

unlisted) Aboriginal cultural heritage, including places and objects (relics).

• The State Planning Policy Framework of the Maribyrnong Planning Scheme, particularly Clauses 13 and 15.11–12, establishes principles and requirements

for the protection of Aboriginal cultural heritage in the context of the planning

process.

4.5.2 Heritage Act 1995 �Victoria�

The Heritage Act established a legislative framework for heritage protection in

Victoria, replacing the Historic Buildings Act 1981, the Historic Shipwrecks Act 1981 and part of the The Heritage Act provides protection for a wide range of

cultural heritage places and objects, including:

• historic archaeological sites and artefacts;

• historic buildings, structures and precincts;

• gardens, trees and cemeteries;

• cultural landscapes;

• shipwrecks and relics; and

• significant objects.

Protection is achieved through listing on the Victorian Heritage Register. The

Victorian Heritage Register lists the state’s most significant heritage places and

objects (including archaeological relics) that are considered to have special

character and value and assist in documenting Victoria’s history. Registered

heritage places are considered to have ‘state-wide’ cultural heritage significance

(see Section 3.0 of this report for the VHR significance criteria).

The registration process involves preparation of a nomination in the approved

manner, which is submitted to the Executive Director of Heritage Victoria. The

nomination is then assessed and a recommendation is made by the Executive

Director of Heritage Victoria to the Heritage Council. There is no time set in the

provisions of the Heritage Act for a nomination to be assessed by the Executive

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Figure 4.11 Building 2715 (AMRL) (Source: HLCD)

Director and so an application may take some time to be considered and for a

recommendation to be made to the Heritage Council.

Submissions can be made to the Victorian Heritage Council within 60 days of a

decision and a registration hearing can be requested. The Minister may also ‘call

in’ or direct the Heritage Council to refer the recommendation to the Minister for

determination. Following the registration hearing, the Heritage Council makes a

determination as to whether a place or object should be added or not added to

the Victorian Heritage Register.

Once a determination is made either by the Heritage Council or the Minister, the

Executive Director must publish a notice in the Government Gazette, after which

the place or object is added to the Victorian Heritage Register.

Interim Protection Orders

Should the Defence Site, Maribyrnong pass from Commonwealth ownership,

Heritage Victoria has indicated support for the placing of an Interim Protection an Interim Protection

Order on the site to ensure the identified heritage values of the place are protected

during the time it may take for a determination by the Minister regarding the listing

of the site on the VHR.

Interim Protection Orders are established under Division 6 of the Heritage Act.

The Heritage Council or the Executive Director may make an interim protection

order if, in their opinion, it is necessary and desirable to do so for the purposes

of the Heritage Act. The purposes of the Act are defined as, inter alia, providing

for the protection of places and objects of cultural heritage significance and the

registration of such places and objects.

The Executive Director must make a decision to recommend or not recommend

a place for listing on the Victorian Heritage Register within 60 days after the

serving of an Interim Protection Order. An Interim Protection Order is a short

term measure to protect places and objects. It has a defined sunset clause of

four months, although an order can be extended by the Minister or removed at

any time by the Heritage Council. An Interim Protection Order would be removed

once the place was added to the Victorian Heritage Register, or the decision not

to add it was made by the Heritage Council.

Impact of Registration on the VHR

The effect of the Interim Protection Order is the same as if the place had been

listed on Victorian Heritage Register. The Executive Director may also authorise

reasonable works or activities on the place which may assist in determining a

place’s cultural heritage significance or in the consideration of whether a place

might be added to the Victorian Heritage Register.

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Figure 4.12 Building 240 (Magazine, Detonator Section) (Source: HLCD)

Figure 4.13 Building 888 (Fill and As-sembling House, Detonator Section) (Source: HLCD)

The ownership or use of a place or object on the register is not affected by the

interim or permanent listing on the Victorian Heritage Register.2 Registration

does not prevent a property from being altered or developed; however, under

Sections 64 and Section 67 of the Heritage Act, a permit must first be obtained

from the Heritage Council before works can proceed. Under Section 52, the

owner of a Registered place must notify the Executive Director of the intention

and actuality of sale of the property. Under Section 52A, the purchaser must

notify the Executive Director regarding the change of ownership and the intended

use of the property in regard to intended occupation of Registered buildings.

Relics Provision

All archaeological sites in Victoria are protected by the Heritage Act 1995 and all

known archaeological sites are listed in the Heritage Inventory.

Under the Heritage Act ‘archaeological relic’ is defined as any archaeological

deposit, or any artefact, remains or material evidence associated with an

archaeological deposit which relates to non-Aboriginal settlement, and which is

over 50 years old.

Prior to the passing of the Heritage Act, archaeological sites were protected under

the Archaeological and Aboriginal Relics Preservation Act 1972. Under Section

121 of the Heritage Act the Executive Director of the Heritage Council created the

Heritage Inventory and must record in the Inventory:

(a) all places or objects previously identified as historic archaeological sites,

areas or relics on the register under the Archaeological and Aboriginal Relics Preservation Act 1972 and

(b) all known areas where archaeological relics are located; and

(c) all known occurrences of archaeological relics; and

(d) all persons known to be holding private collections of artefacts or unique

specimens that include archaeological relics.

Archaeological sites and relics are protected under Section 127 which prohibits

damaging or disturbing or registered and unregistered relics, negligently damaging

or otherwise interfering with a relic or carrying out an act likely to endanger a

relic without a permit issued under Section 129 of the Heritage Act. In addition a

person must not knowingly uncover or expose an archaeological relic or disturb or

excavate any land for the purpose of uncovering or discovering an archaeological

relic except in accordance with a consent issued under Section 129.

If an archaeological relics has been listed in the Victorian Heritage Register as a

historic object then this section does not apply presumably as protection is also

given to items listed on the Heritage Register.

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Figure 4.14 Building 122 (Initiatorsating Composition Magazines, Detonator Section) (Source: HLCD)

This blanket protection applies to all archaeological relics in Victoria and therefore

would apply as soon as land at Maribyrnong leaves Commonwealth ownership

and possibly currently applies although Victorian legislation cannot bind the

activities of the Commonwealth. The archaeological assessments and surveys of

the site have identified archaeological relics at the Defence Site, Maribyrnong.

4.5.3 Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994

The CaLP Act provides a legislative framework for the management of land

including the control of declared noxious weeds and pest animals. The CaLP Act

sets out the responsibilities of private and public land managers, stating that they

must take all reasonable steps to:

• avoid causing or contributing to land degradation which causes or may cause

damage to land of another land owner;

• conserve soil;

• protect water resources;

• eradicate regionally prohibited weeds;

• prevent the growth and spread of regionally controlled weeds; and

• prevent the spread of, and, as far as possible, eradicate, established pest

animals.

Noxious weeds and Regionally Prohibited Weeds, as registered in the CaLP Act,

were found to be present on the Defence Site, Maribyrnong and should the site

come under state controls must be eradicated to prevent their spread to other

neighbouring properties under the Act.

The CaLP Act requires a landholder subject to state controls to prevent the spread

of and, as far as possible, eradicate established pest animals, which have also

been identified on the Defence Site, Maribyrnong.

4.6 Local Government

4.6.1 Maribyrnong Council Heritage Plan 2002

Maribyrnong City Council, in February 2002, released its Heritage Plan, a

proposed strategy for the protection and management of heritage places within

the municipality. The Heritage Plan enshrines four essential actions for Local

Government to protect heritage places. These are:

• identifying Council’s legislative and administrative responsibilities;

• identifying and assessing the importance of heritage places;

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Figure 4.15 Building 518 (Initiatorsating Composition Magazines, Detonator Section) (Source: HLCD)

Figure 4.16 Building 2687 (Detonator Section) (Source: HLCD)

• creating a positive environment for heritage protection; and

• taking action.

The intended outcomes of the Heritage Plan, inter alia, include proposals for

producing and exhibiting amendments to the Maribyrnong Planning Scheme to

improve mechanisms for heritage protection within the municipality.

4.6.2 Strategic Planning Context

Throughout 2002–2006, the Maribyrnong City Council has been proactive in

proposing a strategic and urban design framework plan for the City of Maribyrnong,

including the Defence Site, Maribyrnong. The Municipal Strategic Statement

(MSS) outlined in the Maribyrnong Planning Scheme presents a series of

statements expressing the objectives and strategic landuse policy of Council and

identifies context, infrastructure, opportunities and constraints for planning and

development of the Maribyrnong municipality and suburbs. The MSS designates

the Defence Site, Maribyrnong for major residential development accommodating

up to 2,000 dwellings by 2011 and includes a mixed-use employment precinct

along the Cordite Avenue frontage. The MSS reserves a substantial river open

space link or corridor along the northern edge of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong,

as well as a major open space area and ‘future heritage park’ encompassing the

identified heritage area that includes Fisher Stables and Remount Hill. The MSS

also refers to the Northern Maribyrnong Structure Plan, which will be used as a

‘reference document’ for use by potential developers and decision-makers.

Future development planning for the site will need to be fully appraised in regard

to Maribyrnong City Council’s strategic plans for the Defence Site, Maribyrnong,

as outlined in the MSS. The broad statements and zoning indications provided

in the MSS for the Defence Site, Maribyrnong do not conflict with proposed

conservation of the heritage values of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong.

Maribyrnong City Council has the power to list the Defence Site, Maribyrnong on

to the Heritage Overlay once the site has passed from Commonwealth-ownership,

however the controls placed on the site would not be as strong as the protection

provided by the Victorian Heritage Act 1995.

Two other strategic planning studies are currently being undertaken which

partially affect the Defence Site, Maribyrnong. Maribyrnong City Council has

commissioned a report entitled ‘Highpoint Structure Plan’ and the Department of

Sustainability and Environment has commissioned a report entitled ‘Maribyrnong

River Valley Vision and Design Guidelines’. Both reports acknowledge the future

urban redevelopment potential of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong and are currently

in draft form and at the stakeholder feedback stage.

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Figure 4.17 Building 104 (Store -Cotton Waste, Detonator Section) (Source: HLCD)

The Department of Sustainability and Environment’s ‘Urban Development Program

Annual Report 2005’ also earmarks the Defence Site, Maribyrnong as a potential

residential development site within the next 3 to 5 years.

4.7 Physical Condition

Since the early 1990s, a series of remediation and decontamination programs

have been undertaken at Defence Site, Maribyrnong, controlled by the Department

of Defence and funded by the Federal Government. The work, while emphasising

the safety of the site through removal of contaminants and other threats, has

had an impact upon the existing fabric and has included demolition of some

elements and buildings on site. In general, the physical condition of the site may

be summarised as follows:

• the physical condition of the buildings are highly variable; condition ranges

from sound and well maintained to being on the point of collapse;

• there are large numbers of highly purpose-built structures with little utility

beyond their original intended use as part of the Explosives Factory;

• there are large numbers of similar structures that accommodated large

quantities of similar activities;

• there has been some demolition of structures owing to safety and contamination

problems;

• there has been some partial demolition, particularly the removal of roofs,

which has affected the interiors of buildings;

• little operational equipment remains in place and most industrial process

equipment has been removed;

• the age and serviceability of infrastructure throughout the site is likely to

require renewal in part or whole;

• there is new fabric in some of the old buildings, some of which is unsympathetic

and intrusive in heritage terms;

• the site maintains its overall configuration of major historic precincts;

• the riverbanks have been recently stabilised through weed clearance and

replanting;

• an UXO survey has been completed for the site, and the probability of an

UXO present on the site is low; and

• lack of maintenance to building stock poses problems for safety, heritage

conservation and potential future adaptive reuse.

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Figure 4.18 Building 1065 (Cartridge Bundling Section) (Source: HLCD)

Figure 4.19 Building 942 (Boot Change/Tea Room, Cartridge bundling Section) (Photo: HLCD)

In 2006, HLCD prepared a draft Maribyrnong Defence Site Urgent Works

Survey—Buildings of Exceptional and High Significance report, addressing those

exceptional or high heritage significance buildings identified in the 2004 IHA for

Defence Site, Maribyrnong requiring urgent works to prevent loss of or further

deterioration of significant fabric.

Remediation works are also continuing under the advice of the Principal

Environmental Adviser that need to be taken into account in any future planning

for the Defence Site, Maribyrnong.

4.8 Client Requirements

The Department of Defence, in the light of its current and projected future

requirements, intends to dispose of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong. The

Commonwealth Government’s asset disposal program has as its general objective

the disposal, as appropriate, of Commonwealth-owned land which is no longer

required, where possible, for market value.

4.9 Heritage Management Principles

4.9.1 Introduction

The Defence Site, Maribyrnong is a place of heritage significance that contains a

large number of individual heritage elements of varying degrees of significance,

in addition to the overall level of significance of the site as a major cultural

landscape. In the context of future disposal options, the heritage of the site is an

asset—both cultural and actual—which should be cared for and managed in a

way that creates sustainable future benefits. The site landscape, built elements

and both documentary and oral history create a place that evidences and reflects

historic layering in both visible fabric and associative meaning. The open spaces

of the site also contribute to the site’s cultural values. The place therefore has an

existing identity (or set of identities) which can legitimately be both retained and

extended through new development.

In looking at how the site may be developed, the heritage perspective creates

an obligation to maximise future options and to retain and conserve those parts

or aspects of the site that are valued. This is not to say that there should not be

change. Indeed, the Defence Site, Maribyrnong is burdened with a number of

other factors, including the physical condition of the site itself and its elements,

requirements for weed management and remediation, and its importance as a

surplus Commonwealth Government asset.

Any response to this complex set of potentially conflicting constraints necessitates

recognition of the need for change. Change, however, can and should be

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consistent with the heritage values of the site and should be planned and

managed such that design decisions and disposal strategies are informed by

a thorough understanding of heritage value. This was the primary purpose of

the June 2004 Integrated Heritage Assessment and the studies that preceded

it. The IHA developed the following list of heritage management principles to

guide appropriate policy development and future site planning. These have

been compared to the relevant Heritage Management principles identified in

the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Regulations 2000 (Schedule 7B) below.

4.9.2 June 2004 IHA—Heritage Management principles

Objectives Heritage Management Principles

Heritage Conservation Objective Heritage conservation is a primary

management objective for the Defence Site,

Maribyrnong.

Total Resource Management Conservation of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong

must extend to the total resource, respecting

all identified heritage values and their inter-

relationships.

Understand Significance Decision-making must be based upon a proper

understanding of heritage significance

Respect Authenticity The authenticity and identity of the Defence

Site, Maribyrnong, as reflected in setting, form,

built elements, interconnections, planning,

layout and historic associations, should be

retained

Minimise Heritage Impact Site planning and other actions should minimise

impact on the heritage value of the Defence

Site, Maribyrnong.

Inclusion and Consultation Suitable opportunities should be provided for

interested persons and organisations to be

involved in heritage management decisions that

affect the Defence Site, Maribyrnong.

Interpretation The history and significance of the Defence

Site, Maribyrnong should be communicated to

future visitors of the site.

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4.9.3 EPBC Regulations—Heritage Management Principles

The following lists the Heritage Management principles identified in the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Regulations 2000 (Schedule 7B) for

Places on the Commonwealth Heritage List.

1) The objective in managing Commonwealth Heritage places is to identify, protect, conserve, present and transmit, to all generations, their Commonwealth Heritage values.

2) The management of Commonwealth Heritage places should use the best available knowledge, skills and standards for those places, and include ongoing technical and community input to decisions and actions that may have a significant impact on their Commonwealth Heritage values.

3) The management of Commonwealth Heritage places should respect all heritage values of the place and seek to integrate, where appropriate, any Commonwealth, State, Territory and local government responsibilities for those places.

4) The management of Commonwealth Heritage places should ensure that their use and presentation is consistent with the conservation of their Commonwealth Heritage values.

5) The management of Commonwealth Heritage places should make timely and appropriate provision for community involvement, especially by people who: a) have a particular interest in, or associations with, the place; and b) may be affected by the management of the place;

6) Indigenous people are the primary source of information on the value of their heritage and that the active participation of indigenous people in identification, assessment and management is integral to the effective protection of indigenous heritage values.

7) The management of Commonwealth Heritage places should provide for regular monitoring, review and reporting on the conservation of Commonwealth Heritage values.

4.10 Endnotes1 Australian Government Department of Environment and Heritage, ‘Preliminary

information guide: Guide for the format, content and submission of preliminary information under Chapter 4 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999’.

2 Heritage Victoria 1999, Victorian Heritage Register, Heritage Victoria, Victoria, p 3.

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5.0 Heritage Management Policy

5.1 Preamble

The following policy sets out a basis for heritage management of Defence Site,

Maribyrnong. For the purposes of the June 2004 Integrated Heritage Assessment,

the individual components of the site were individually assessed for their role or

contribution to the significance of the overall site. The gradings applied to the

components of the entire site are set out in Table 5.1 below.

Table 5.1 Integrated Heritage Assessment Significance Gradings

Grading Justification Status

Rare or outstanding element directly contributing to an item’s significance.










The policy for management of the historical archaeological resource and the built

heritage elements of Defence Site, Maribyrnong relate directly to their gradings,

as identified in Table 5.1. Achievement of policy requirements will occur as part of

the planning and disposal process for the site, and subsequently.

The heritage management policies relate to the heritage values addressed and

set out in Section 3.0 of this Heritage Management Plan. They refer to the revised

Commonwealth Heritage values discussed in Section 3.4 and summarised in

Section 3.5.2, as well as the values cited in the RNE and CHL listings for Defence

Site, Maribyrnong (Appendix A), which are also provided in Section 3.5.2 of this

report.

5.2 General Conservation Policy

The Burra Charter: The Australia ICOMOS Charter for Places of Cultural Significance 1999 (Appendix B) provides an appropriate framework for management of the

Figure 5.1 Building 656 (Workshop, Cartridge Bundling Section) (Source: HLCD)

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Figure 5.2 Building 649 (Change Room, Fuze Section) (Source: HLCD)

cultural heritage management of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong.

• The Defence Site, Maribyrnong is a place of heritage significance which must

be conserved.

• The Heritage Values Assessment (Section 3.0), including the citation in the

Commonwealth Heritage List, provides the basis for natural and cultural

resource management at the Defence Site, Maribyrnong.

• Retention of heritage values and conservation are key objectives of the site

planning and disposal process for Defence Site, Maribyrnong.

• Heritage management at Defence Site, Maribyrnong must adopt a total

resource approach and must extend to all areas and elements, such as

landscape, built structures, cultural deposits, artefacts, records, memories

and associations.

• Heritage management at Defence Site, Maribyrnong must make use of the

full array of available expertise.

• Caution must be applied in making decisions which may damage the natural

or cultural environment, either immediately or over time. Decisions must have

regard to potential threat of environmental damage or heritage impacts.

• Alternatives to actions with adverse heritage impacts must be explored before

such actions are undertaken.

• The Defence Site, Maribyrnong must be protected from physical or

environmental damage by appropriate security, maintenance and management

procedures.

• Interpretation of the history and significance of the place is fundamental to its

heritage management.

5.3 Landscape

• The Defence Site, Maribyrnong must be managed and planned as an evolving

cultural landscape.

• Design decisions must recognise the contribution of previous elements to

the history and significance of the site and the need to balance retention and

conservation of existing elements with the legitimacy of new layers.

• Existing topography and landform of Defence Site, Maribyrnong, reflecting

natural topography and layers of historic occupation and use, must be taken

into account in planning for the future of the site.

• Remnant indigenous vegetation should be maintained, where possible, in

particular the White Cypress pines. Plantings of new indigenous species

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Figure 5.3 Building 650 (Change Room, Fuze Section) (Source: HLCD)

must prefer those present at the site, known to be have been at the site

previously, or otherwise present in the Maribyrnong Valley.

• Existing significant plantings must be maintained. New plantings must have

regard to the existing palette of vegetation and the historic cultural landscape

of the site.

• Weeds which are identified as significant at a State or National level must

be actively eradicated or managed. Decisions about ‘environmental weeds’

must have regard to their potential cultural landscape value and contribution,

as well as to their role as introduced plantings.

• The layout and design of the site should incorporate, inform and reflect the

historic structure of the site including roads, paths and other infrastructure.

Former structural elements may be reconstructed. Preference must be given

to use of landscape materials already present on this site.

• The spaces between the precincts also form part of the cultural landscape of

the site and must be taken into account in planning for the site.

• Significant views and vistas within the site, and to and from the site, must be

maintained.

5.4 Aboriginal Heritage

• The management and planning for Defence Site, Maribyrnong must include

management of Indigenous values.

• The right of Indigenous people to be involved in making decisions that affect

their cultural heritage and their concerns in this respect must be acknowledged.

Provision must be made for ongoing consultation with relevant Indigenous

groups in relation to the management of the Indigenous values of the site.

• Management of interpretation of Indigenous values of the site must be

based on an understanding of the existing Indigenous resource and the site

context.

• The potential for encountering previously unknown Indigenous cultural

heritage in ground-disturbing activities of the site is acknowledged. Protocols

and procedures must be put in place to ensure that such cultural heritage is

not damaged, disturbed or concealed.

5.5 Historical Archaeology

• The historical archaeological resources of Defence Site, Maribyrnong (both

above and below ground) are acknowledged as part of its heritage value.Figure 5.4 Building 2707 (Cartridge Bundling Section) (Source: HLCD)

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Figure 5.5 Building 8 (Former AAFCANS Store) (Source: HLCD)

• Where practicable, historical archaeological resources of Exceptional or High

significance must be retained in situ.

• Where subsurface disturbance reveals unexpected archaeological resources,

procedures must be in place such that work must cease pending appropriate

investigation and advice.

• Historical archaeological investigations must be carried out where required:

– to record information not available from historic records, maps, plans,

photographs, or other similar records;

– to test the accuracy or validity of existing historical documents;

– to investigate unexpected discoveries; and/or

– to provide site-specific information which can assist in understanding the

potential impact of proposed works.

5.6 Built Elements

• Built elements of Defence Site, Maribyrnong are recognised as integral to its

heritage significance.

• Built elements of Defence Site, Maribyrnong form part of the cultural landscape

of the site, which is recognised as integral to the heritage significance of the

place.

• Built elements of Exceptional significance must be retained and conserved.

• Built elements of High significance must be retained and conserved.

• An appropriate sample of built elements of Moderate significance, including

related groups, must be retained and conserved. This sample should

include:

– at least one example of each type of building;

– groups which demonstrate munitions manufacture processes and historic

places; and

– not less than 30% of the elements identified as being of Moderate

significance.

• Individual elements of Moderate significance may be demolished for

ongoing operational or safety reasons (provided the above 30% threshold is

maintained).

• Built elements of Little significance may be retained or removed, as

convenient.

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Figure 5.6 Building 334 (Paste Truck Lift, Nitroglycerine and Paste Section) (Source: HLCD)

• Adaptation of retained built elements is encouraged. Adaptation must occur

at places or in areas of lesser relative significance in preference to those of

greater significance. Where built structures are adapted for new uses, these

uses must be compatible with the significance of the element, and must not

obscure important historical associations, nor the ability of the built element

to demonstrate its historic use.

• Where significant built elements are retained, intervention in significant

fabric, including construction of conduits for provision of services, must occur

through elements or spaces of lesser significance in preference to those of

greater significance.

• A Conservation Management Plan must be prepared to guide conservation/

adaptation of each built element of Exceptional and High significance.

5.7 Movable Items

• Movable items at Defence Site, Maribyrnong must be identified, catalogued

and managed.

• Disposal of movable items must be undertaken in consultation with the Living

Museum of the West and relevant curatorial/museum professionals within the

Department of Defence.

5.8 Records

• Records are an important element of the significance of Defence Site,

Maribyrnong.

• Archival records must be made of any site elements which are demolished.

These shall include:

– sketch plans and photographs for items of Moderate significance; and

– photographs for all other items.

• During the planning and disposal process, copies of relevant records must

be maintained at Defence Site, Maribyrnong. These must include records of

heritage assessments and heritage management decisions and actions, as

well as archival material.

• These records must be professionally catalogued and curated.

• These records must be lodged with Commonwealth Archives so that access

is available to future owners.

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Figure 5.7 Building 2622 (Former AAFCANS Store) (Source: HLCD)

5.9 Review

• These policies must be reviewed and updated as necessary, following the site

remediation, provided that any updated policies maintain the Commonwealthprovided that any updated policies maintain the Commonwealth

Heritage values of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong..

• These policies must be reviewed and updated following change of ownership

and/or at intervals of not less than five years, provided that any updated provided that any updated

policies maintain the Commonwealth Heritage values of the Defence Site,

Maribyrnong..

5.10 Interpretation

• Interpretation of Defence Site, Maribyrnong is recognised as an integral part

of its heritage management.

• An Interpretation Strategy must be prepared as part of the site planning

process. Selection of themes and messages to be interpreted on-site as part

of this strategy must have primary regard to the heritage significance of the

site.

• The Commemorative Guidelines in Appendix E, should inform the

Interpretation Strategy and should guide the interpretation of Remount Hill..

5.11 Associated People

• A range of individuals and organisations have an ongoing interest in the future

heritage management of Defence Site, Maribyrnong. Consultation with these

people is integral to effective heritage management for the site. The following

associated people must be consulted and involved in heritage management

decisions:

– heritage agencies (Department of Environment and Water Resources,

Aboriginal Affairs Victoria, Heritage Victoria);

– community organisations (National Trust of Australia [Victoria], Heritage

Victoria);

– Wurundjeri Tribe Land Compensation and Cultural Heritage Council Inc;

– relevant community interest groups (Living Museum of the West, Friends

of Sandy, Friends of Maribyrnong Valley Residents Association, Fisher

family); and

– associated communities (current and former employees, associated

families, people interested in the Light Horse era, and the wider Aboriginal

community).

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6.0 Implementation Strategies

6.1 IntroductionThis section takes the existing heritage management policy framework and expresses it in terms of key strategies which encapsulate the heritage management process and obligations at the Defence Site, Maribyrnong:

• Understand Heritage Values.

• Manage and Conserve Heritage Values.

• Make Values-Based Heritage Decisions.

• Tell the Story.

• Incorporate Heritage in Future Planning.

• Provide Statutory Protection.

The list of policies under each objective is not comprehensive, but does incorporate the key themes addressed in Section 5.0. These summary policies should be read within the context of the full policies provided in Section 5.0.

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STRATEGY 1 Understand Heritage Values

KEY POLICIES Key Strategies

The Defence Site, Maribyrnong is a place of heritage significance.

Retain the identified heritage values of the site.

Elements within Defence Site, Maribyrnong demonstrate Commonwealth, State and Local Heritage values and include landscape, built structures, cultural deposits, artefacts, records, memories and associations.

Comply with:

• Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cwlth);

• Heritage Act 1995 (Victoria);

• Commonwealth Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Amendment Act 1987 (Victoria); and

• Archaeological and Aboriginal Relics Preservation Act 1972 (Victoria).

The historical archaeological resources of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong (both above and below ground) are acknowledged as part of its heritage value.The Indigenous archaeological resources of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong are acknowledged as part of its heritage value.

Built elements of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong are recognised as integral to its heritage significance.

Consult with relevant community groups.

Use the full array of available expertise and advice in regard to heritage management, site works and planning decision.

Records are an important element of the significance of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong.

The Statement of Significance provides the basis for natural and cultural resource management at the Defence Site, Maribyrnong.

OUTCOME Values Identified for Retention, Conservation and Interpretation

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STRATEGY 2 Manage and Conserve Heritage Values


Retention of heritage values and conservation are key objectives.

Apply the principles and guidelines of The Burra Charter: The Australia ICOMOS Charter for Places of Cultural Significance 1999.

Heritage management at the Defence Site, Maribyrnong must adopt a total resource approach and must extend to all areas and elements, such as landscape, built structures, cultural deposits, artefacts, records, memories and associations.

• Significant vegetation, views and vistas must be maintained.

• Significant weeds must be actively eradicated or managed.

• Built elements are integral to the heritage significance of the place and must be managed, having regard to their relative heritage value.

• The archaeological resources are acknowledged as part of the place’s heritage value.

Comply with:

• Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cwlth);

• Heritage Act 1995 (Victoria);

• Commonwealth Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Amendment Act 1987 (Victoria); and

• Archaeological and Aboriginal Relics Preservation Act 1972 (Victoria).

Indigenous people need to be involved in making decisions that affect the Indigenous values of the site.

Establish protocols and procedures to ensure Indigenous and historical cultural heritage is not damaged, disturbed or concealed.Provide ongoing consultation with relevant Indigenous groups and other stakeholders. Future development should aim to integrate the heritage landscape values into the urban design process, through adaptive re-use, sympathetic infill and retention of overall urban form.

OUTCOME Statutory ComplianceBest Heritage Practice

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STRATEGY 3 Make Values-Based Heritage Decisions


The Defence Site, Maribyrnong must be protected from physical or environmental damage by appropriate security, maintenance and management procedures.

Comply with Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cwlth).

Caution must be applied in making decisions which may damage the natural or cultural environment, either immediately or over time. Decisions must have regard to potential threat of environmental damage or heritage impacts.

Consult with relevant Indigenous and other interested community groups.

Alternatives to actions with adverse heritage impacts must be explored before such actions are undertaken.

Document decisions—including records of heritage assessments, heritage management decisions and actions, and archival record.Prepare a Conservation Management Plan to guide conservation/adaptation of each built element of Exceptional and High significance.Undertake historical archaeology only where it will record, investigate or test additional information not available from historic sources, OR provide site-specific information which can assist in understanding the potential impact of proposed works.

OUTCOME Heritage Values at the Centre of DSM Management

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STRATEGY 4 Tell the Story


Interpretation of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong is recognised as an integral part of its heritage management.

Promote site history and heritage via a range of published media.

Prepare an Interpretation Strategy based on the Commonwealth, State and Local Heritage values of the site.

Undertake oral history program.

Implement the Interpretation Plan, including on-site signage.

Incorporate the Interpretation Plan into new development.

Apply the Remount Hill Commemorative Guidelines.A range of individuals and organisations have an ongoing interest in the future heritage management of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong.

Consult and involve:

• heritage agencies (Department of Environment and Water Resources, AAV, Heritage Victoria);

• community organisations (National Trust of Australia [Victoria]);

• Wurundjeri Tribe Land Compensation and Cultural Heritage Council Inc; and

• interested communities/groups (Living Museum of the West, Friends of Sandy, Friends of Maribyrnong Valley Residents Association, Fisher family, former employees, wider Aboriginal community).

Records must be professionally catalogued and curated.

Movable items at the Defence Site, Maribyrnong must be identified, catalogued and managed.

Make information and interpretation publicly available. These must include records of heritage assessments and heritage management decisions and actions, as well as archival material.

OUTCOME Community Access to its Heritage

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STRATEGY 5 Incorporate Heritage in Future Planning


Design decisions must recognise the contribution of previous elements to the history and significance of the site and the need to balance retention and conservation of existing elements with the legitimacy of new layers.

Retain the Commonwealth, State and Local Heritage values of the site.

Existing topography and landform of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong, reflecting natural topography and layers of historic occupation and use, must be taken into account in planning for the future of the site.

Integrate the heritage landscape values into the urban design process. Ensure sympathetic development and use of the site.

• Retain key site features.

• Alter and adapt buildings of lesser relative heritage value in preference to buildings of greater heritage value.

• Promote innovative new uses to foster viability.

• Recognise, preserve and maintain historic and current road pattern and site layout and axis of orientation.

Significant structural elements such as roads, paths, railways and built areas must be taken into account in planning for the site. Former structural elements may be reconstructed. Preference must be given to use of landscape materials already present on this site.

OUTCOME Heritage Values at the centre of DSM Disposal and Future Planning

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STRATEGY 6 Provide Statutory Protection


The Defence Site, Maribyrnong is a place of heritage significance which must be conserved.

Retain the Defence Site, Maribyrnong on the Commonwealth Heritage List while it remains in Commonwealth ownership.Nominate the Defence Site, Maribyrnong to the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) if it is to pass from Commonwealth ownership.Negotiate interim protection for the Defence Site, Maribyrnong (possibly through use of an Interim Protection Order), pending listing of the place on the VHR.Require any purchaser to be party to the Covenant provided as Appendix G.

OUTCOME DSM Protected Irrespective of Ownership

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7.0 References

7.1 Legislation

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Amendment Act 1987 (Cwlth).

Archaeological and Aboriginal Relics Preservation Act 1972 (Victoria).

Australian Heritage Council Act 2003 (Cwlth).

Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 (Victoria).

Commonwealth Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Amendment Act, 1987 (Victoria).

The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act 1999 (Cwlth).

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Regulations 2000 (Cwlth)

Heritage Act 1995 (Victoria).

Planning and Environment Act 1987 (Victoria).

Victorian Archaeological and Aboriginal Relics Act 1972.

7.2 Heritage Advice

Australia ICOMOS Inc, The Burra Charter: The Australian ICOMOS Charter for Places of Cultural Significance 1999,

Burwood Victoria 2000.

Australian Government Department of Environment and Heritage, July 2005, ‘Heritage Strategies–A guide for

Commonwealth agencies’.

Australian Government Department of Environment and Heritage, July 2005, ‘Management Plans for Places on the

Commonwealth Heritage List–A guide for Commonwealth agencies’.

Australian Government Department of Environment and Heritage, ‘Preliminary information guide: Guide for the

format, content and submission of preliminary information under Chapter 4 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999’.

Heritage Victoria 1999, Victorian Heritage Register, Heritage Victoria, Victoria.

Heritage Victoria 2002, ‘Landscape Assessment Guidelines for Cultural Heritage Significance’, Heritage Victoria,

Victoria.

Maribyrnong City Council, 2006, Maribyrnong Planning Scheme–Municipal Strategic Statement (19/01/2006—VC37),

http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/planningschemes/maribyrnong/home.html, accessed 11 July 2006.

VPP Practice Notes, 1999, Applying the Heritage Overlay, www.doi.vic.gov.au/planningnotes, accessed 19

September 2005.


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7.3 Heritage Listings

Commonwealth Heritage List–Database Report: Defence Explosive Factory Maribyrnong, Cordite Avenue,

Maribyrnong.

Register of the National Estate–Database Report: Defence Explosive Factory Maribyrnong, Cordite Avenue,

Maribyrnong.

Register of the National Estate–Database Report: Racing Stables of CB and H Fisher (former), Cordite Avenue,

Maribyrnong.

7.4 Reports

Allom Lovell & Associates, July 1994, Defence Estate, Maribyrnong, Heritage Strategy.

Allom Lovell & Associates, May 1998, Maribyrnong Heritage and Open Space Study, An Assessment of the Defence

Site, Cordite Avenue, Maribyrnong.

Context, May 2003, Maribyrnong Defence Site: Heritage Values Assessment, Final Report.

Godden Mackay Logan, June 2004, Defence Site, Maribyrnong Integrated Heritage Assessment.

HLA Envirosciences, January 2003, Interim Weed and Vermin Management Plan, Explosives Factory Munitions Site,

Maribyrnong, Victoria.

HLA Envirosciences, January 2003, Natural and Cultural Landscape Assessment, Explosives Factory Munitions Site,

Maribyrnong, Victoria.

HLCD, July 2002, Defence Site Maribyrnong, Built Heritage Assessment, in association with HLA Envirosciences.

TerraCulture, May 2003, Results of Sub-Surface Investigations, Maribyrnong Explosives Factory.

TerraCulture, September 2002, A Sub-Surface Survey, Maribyrnong Explosives Factory.

TerraCulture, April 2002, An Archaeological Survey, Maribyrnong Explosives Factory.

7.5 Other Sources

Ford, O and P. Lewis 1989, Maribyrnong: Action in Tranquility, Melbourne's Living Museum of the West and Sunshine

City Council, Melbourne.

Gullett, H and C Barrett (eds) 1919 Australia in Palestine, Angus & Robertson, Sydney.

Rowe, D 1997, ‘Building a National Image: The Architecture of John Smith Murdoch, Australia’s First Commonwealth

Government Architect’, PhD (Architecture) Thesis, Deakin University.

Sneddon, A 2004, ‘Development or Sale of Identified Cultural Heritage Sites’, Law Society Journal, Vol 42, No. 11, pp

50—54.


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8.0 Appendices

Appendix A

Commonwealth Heritage List–Database Report: Defence Explosive Factory Maribyrnong, Cordite Avenue,

Maribyrnong

Register of the National Estate–Database Report: Defence Explosive Factory Maribyrnong, Cordite Avenue,

Maribyrnong

Register of the National Estate–Database Report: Racing Stables of CB and H Fisher (former), Cordite Avenue,

Maribyrnong

Appendix B

The Burra Charter (The Australian ICOMOS Charter for Places of Cultural Significance)

Appendix C

National Heritage List, Commonwealth Heritage List, Victorian Heritage Register and Register of National Estate–

Comparison of Heritage Values Criteria

Appendix D

EPBC Act Compliance Checklist

Appendix E

Commemorative Guidelines –Remount Hill

Appendix F

Defence Site, Maribyrnong–Individual Built Elements

Appendix G

Draft Covenant (between Department of Defence and Purchaser)

Appendix H

Draft Nomination Form for entry of Defence Site, Maribyrnong to the Victorian Heritage Register

Appendix I

Draft Heritage Deed


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Appendix A

Commonwealth Heritage List–Database Report: Defence Explosive Factory Maribyrnong, Cordite

Avenue, Maribyrnong

Register of the National Estate–Database Report: Defence Explosive Factory Maribyrnong, Cordite

Avenue, Maribyrnong

Register of the National Estate–Database Report: Racing Stables of CB and H Fisher (former),

Cordite Avenue, Maribyrnong

Australian Heritage Database

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Defence Explosive Factory Maribyrnong, Cordite Av, Maribyrnong, VIC

Photographs: None List: Commonwealth Heritage List Class: Historic Legal Status: Listed place Place ID: 105325 Place File No: 2/12/051/0005 Summary Statement of Significance: The Maribyrnong Explosives Factory, located in a horseshoe bend of the Maribyrnong River, below the basalt plain, is important as the seminal example in Australia of the design and development of a cordite factory, on which all later factories and production methods in Australia were based, including the Salisbury Explosives Factory in South Australia. (Criterion B.2) The Maribyrnong Explosives Factory (EFM) comprising the functional areas, roads, industrial buildings, administration and storage buildings, service and transport systems, blast mounds, open spaces and magazines is important as the site of the first Commonwealth munitions factory, the Cordite Factory, established by the newly formed Commonwealth Government in 1910. The manufacture of cordite and armaments had been high on the agenda for Federation and were national considerations consequent on Australia's isolation. The Lithgow Small Arms Factory began production of short magazine Lee-Enfield .303 rifles in 1912, in parallel with the Commonwealth's Maribyrnong Cordite Factory in Melbourne, which first produced cordite in 1912. These complementary munitions facilities marked the end of the use of black powder propellants by Australian troops, placed Australia on a par with other modern defence forces, ensured the future self-sufficiency of Australia's Armed Forces and demonstrated Australia's technical skills and military capabilities. The Maribyrnong factory supplied much of the cordite (propellant) used in Australian made armaments during World War One and was the seminal example on which later explosives factories were based, including the Salisbury Explosives Factory in South Australia completed in 1940, and which with Maribyrnong played a key role in World War Two, when munitions production reached its peak. Although the quantity of material produced at the Maribyrnong factory was much smaller than that produced at such emergency mass production factories as Albion, it included a much wider range of products. Maribyrnong also served as the parent factory for other armament factories during World War Two and was responsible for experimentation, specifications and standards of manufacture. The level of technological exploration and the standard of Australian developed manufacturing

equipment was so high that Australia began exporting to countries such as Britain which had previously supplied much of the necessary equipment and training. The technical standards achieved during the 1920s and 1930s, and which underpinned its later technological role, gave the factory leadership in the chemical engineering industry in Australia during the Inter War years. The factory is an important reminder of the war years, in particular World War Two, when there was an influx of workers into the area to staff the munitions factories. The factory also serves as a reminder of the change in the nature of the workforce during this period when women represented approximately half of the Maribyrnong workforce and then the return to an all male workforce after the war. The site of the Maribyrnong Explosives Factory is important for its association with the history and development of horse racing in Victoria. This is implicit in the alignment of the main avenue, which reflects the main straight of the former, private Maribyrnong Racecourse, associated with the Cox Brothers 1892-1901, and the area of The Remount, which includes the former Fisher Stables, erected 1888-89 by Charles Brown Fisher, the foundations of the former Raleigh homestead and a burial site for racehorses. The use of the Fisher Stables as focus of a Remount Depot before the First World War, and the erection of barracks accommodation for the Royal Australian Field Artillery, increased the Army's association with the Maribyrnong River. (Criterion A.4). The Maribyrnong Factory expanded throughout its existence into a densely developed cultural landscape area containing over 500 structures. These structures, including magazines, processing plants and support systems, illustrate much of the development of explosives technology and manufacturing processes and are important for the considerable information they contribute to an understanding of the growth of the armaments industry in Australia under the Commonwealth government. (Criterion C.2). The Maribyrnong site is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of explosives factories developed for the production of cordite and cordite based munitions. These characteristics include the separation of functions, including the use of containing blast mounds and the use of single storey, cellular industrial buildings, linked by service and transport sytems designed to maximise safety. (Criterion D.2) The site of the Raleigh homestead is important for its association with George Petty who, in 1868, purchased the property from Charles Brown Fisher, and ran the property successfully as a thoroughbred horse stud. The Maribyrnong Stud became an important name in Melbourne racing circles. The Fisher Stables, erected 1888-89, are important for their close association with the Fisher family which bought Petty's stud and from 1875 to the mid-1890s ran a successful stud farm for racehorses on Joseph Raleigh's former property, building on the repuation established by George Petty. The site of the cordite factory is associated with the Cox brothers who established a private racecourse, the Maribyrnong Racecourse, in 1892 and which ran until 1901. (Criterion H.1)

(Principal Australian Historic Themes:3.13 Developing an Australian manufacturing capacity, 5.2 Organising workers and work places, 7.4 Federating Australia, 7.7 Defending Australia, 8.1 Organising recreation) The Explosives Factory Site, together with the adjoining former CSIRO land, supports one of the southernmost populations of White Cypress-pine (Callitris glaucophylla), a species that is considered vulnerable in Victoria. The eleven trees, four of them on the Defence site, are estimated at between 130-220 years old and considered to be a valuable naturally occurring remnant that predates European settlement. (Criteria A.1 and B.1) Indigenous cultural heritage values of national estate significance may exist on this site. As yet these values have not been identified or assessed. Official Values: Criteria Values A Processes The Maribyrnong Explosives Factory (EFM)

comprising the functional areas, roads, industrial buildings, administration and storage buildings, service and transport systems, blast mounds, open spaces and magazines is important as the site of the first Commonwealth munitions factory, the Cordite Factory, established by the newly formed Commonwealth Government in 1910. The manufacture of cordite and armaments had been high on the agenda for Federation and were national considerations consequent on Australia's isolation. The Lithgow Small Arms Factory began production of short magazine Lee-Enfield .303 rifles in 1912, in parallel with the Commonwealth's Maribyrnong Cordite Factory in Melbourne, which first produced cordite in 1912. These complementary munitions facilities marked the end of the use of black powder propellants by Australian troops, placed Australia on a par with other modern defence forces, ensured the future self-sufficiency of Australia's Armed Forces and demonstrated Australia's technical skills and military capabilities. The Maribyrnong factory supplied much of the cordite (propellant) used in Australian made armaments during World War One and was the seminal example on which later explosives factories were based, including the Salisbury Explosives Factory in South Australia completed in 1940, and which with Maribyrnong played a key role in World War Two, when munitions production reached its peak. Although the quantity of material produced at the Maribyrnong factory was much smaller than that produced at such emergency mass production factories as Albion, it included a much wider range

of products. Maribyrnong also served as the parent factory for other armament factories during World War Two and was responsible for experimentation, specifications and standards of manufacture. The level of technological exploration and the standard of Australian developed manufacturing equipment was so high that Australia began exporting to countries such as Britain which had previously supplied much of the necessary equipment and training. The technical standards achieved during the 1920s and 1930s, and which underpinned its later technological role, gave the factory leadership in the chemical engineering industry in Australia during the Inter War years. The factory is an important reminder of the war years, in particular World War Two, when there was an influx of workers into the area to staff the munitions factories. The factory also serves as a reminder of the change in the nature of the workforce during this period when women represented approximately half of the Maribyrnong workforce and then the return to an all male workforce after the war. The site of the Maribyrnong Explosives Factory is important for its association with the history and development of horse racing in Victoria. This is implicit in the alignment of the main avenue, which reflects the main straight of the former, private Maribyrnong Racecourse, associated with the Cox Brothers 1892-1901, and the area of The Remount, which includes the former Fisher Stables, erected 1888-89 by Charles Brown Fisher, the foundations of the former Raleigh homestead and a burial site for racehorses. The use of the Fisher Stables as focus of a Remount Depot before the First World War, and the erection of barracks accommodation for the Royal Australian Field Artillery, increased the Army's association with the Maribyrnong River. Four White Cypress-pine (Callitris glaucophylla) trees located on the Defence site, are estimated at between 130-220 years old and considered to be a valuable naturally occurring remnant that predates European settlement. Attributes The whole of the complex, including buildings and other structures, site layout and historically

influenced alignments, evidence of former site use and adaptations to accommodate changing circumstances. Remnant natural vegetation, including the four White Cypress-pine trees is also important.

B Rarity The Maribyrnong Explosives Factory, located in a horseshoe bend of the Maribyrnong River, below the basalt plain, is important as the seminal example in Australia of the design and development of a cordite factory, on which all later factories and production methods in Australia were based, including the Salisbury Explosives Factory in South Australia. The Explosives Factory Site, together with the adjoining former CSIRO land, supports one of the southernmost populations of White Cypress-pine (Callitris glaucophylla), a species that is considered vulnerable in Victoria. Attributes The initial 1910 design layout, plus the four White Cypress-pine trees that predate European settlement.

C Research The Maribyrnong Factory expanded throughout its existence into a densely developed cultural landscape area containing over 500 structures. These structures, including magazines, processing plants and support systems, illustrate much of the development of explosives technology and manufacturing processes and are important for the considerable information they contribute to an understanding of the growth of the armaments industry in Australia under the Commonwealth government. Attributes The whole complex.

D Characteristic values The Maribyrnong site is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of explosives factories developed for the production of cordite and cordite based munitions. These characteristics include the separation of functions, including the use of containing blast mounds and the use of single storey, cellular industrial buildings, linked by service and transport sytems designed to maximise safety. Attributes The separation of functions, the use of containing blast mounds, the use of single storey cellular

buildings and the linking transport systems. H Significant people The site of the Raleigh homestead is important for

its association with George Petty who, in 1868, purchased the property from Charles Brown Fisher, and ran the property successfully as a thoroughbred horse stud. The Maribyrnong Stud became an important name in Melbourne racing circles. The Fisher Stables, erected 1888-89, are important for their close association with the Fisher family which bought Petty's stud and from 1875 to the mid-1890s ran a successful stud farm for racehorses on Joseph Raleigh's former property, building on the repuation established by George Petty. The site of the cordite factory is associated with the Cox brothers who established a private racecourse, the Maribyrnong Racecourse, in 1892 and which ran until 1901. Attributes The site of the Raleigh homestead, the Fisher Stables, plus evidence of the former Maribyrnong Racecourse.

Description: The site comprises the Explosives Factory Maribyrnong (EFM) and the adjacent Materials Research Laboratory (Explosives Ordnance Division) (MRL)(EOD) and the Engineering Development Establishment ( EDE) and AAFCANS areas. It is bounded on the west, north and north-east by the Horseshoe Bend of the Maribyrnong (formerly Saltwater) River. The rest of the easterly boundary of the site is formed by a former Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) research station. From east to west the southern boundary is formed by part of EDE lying along Cordite Avenue, part of Cordite Avenue itself and the MRL. However, while the division between EFM and MRL is sharply defined in principle there is in practice no real physical separation of their buildings and some buildings belonging to EFM are used by MRL on a permissive occupancy. Land formerly leased to the CSIRO is included in the site area. HISTORY The land on which the EFM stands was put up for sale at an auction of Crown land in 1843. The allotments on the eastern part of the site were bought by Joseph Raleigh, while those on the western side were purchased by James Johnston. Raleigh used his property for agricultural and pastoral purposes and erected a house and stables on the top of what is now known as Remount Hill. In 1862 the South Australian pastoralist Hurtle Fisher acquired Raleigh's property and set about turning it into one of Australia's most famous stud farms for racehorses. Fisher sold most of the farm to his brother Charles Brown Fisher in April 1866 and he in turn sold the property to George W Petty two years later. Petty, who had amassed a fortune as a butcher, ran the property very successfully as a stud for thoroughbred horses such that Maribyrnong Stud became a celebrated name in Melbourne racing circles. In 1875, two years before his death, Petty sold the property whicht was re-

purchased by Charles Brown Fisher who continued to operate it as a stud for thoroughbred horses. Fisher also purchased the original Johnston holdings on the western side of the current EFM site. In 1888-89 Fisher erected a large new set of brick stables which are still standing (EFM Building No 248). Charles Brown Fisher sold the western portion of property in about 1892 to the three Cox brothers of horseracing fame, Archibald Robert, William Samuel and Albert Cox. The Cox brothers established a private racecourse, the Maribyrnong Racecourse, and held race meetings there until c 1900-01. The track continued to be used for training purposes as late perhaps as 1908, while in 1904 it served as the venue for Victoria's first motor sports meeting. In the mid-1890s Charles Brown Fisher sold his stud farm on the eastern side of the current EFM site to Sir William John Clarke, the largest landowner in Victoria and a breeder of thoroughbred horses. It is highly likely that Clarke continued to use the property as a stud farm for racehorses and he may also have used it to breed and train horses for his horse artillery battery. The breeding and training of horses on the property were probably continued after Clarke's death in 1897 by his son and heir, Sir Rupert Clarke, who was a leading racehorse owner and breeder in his own right and a member of his father's horse artillery battery. In 1878, the Victorian Colonial Government had built a large gunpowder Magazine known as the Saltwater River Powder Magazine or simply Jack's Magazine (file RR 5477) on a site to the south in Footscray near the river. Though by no means intended at the time, the building of this Magazine laid the foundation for the Footscray/Maribyrnong area to develop as the centre of Australia's armaments industry. A significant impetus towards this development occurred in 1889 when, following a proposal put forward by Victoria at the first meeting of the Federal Council in Hobart three years earlier for the establishment of a Federal ammunition factory for the Australian colonies, the Colonial Ammunition Company (RR 19122) erected a plant next to Jack's Magazine. Apart from its proximity to the magazine, the factory's location was eminently suitable for a variety of other reasons: the widest range of raw materials in Australia was readily available; a good supply of labour existed nearby; the main customer was close at hand in the shape of the Victorian Defence Force, the largest such force in colonial Australia; and, while port facilities for shipping the factory's products to the other colonies were within easy reach, the factory was at the same time sufficiently far inland to render it safe from naval bombardment. The particular development of the current EFM property as a centre of munitions production derives from its selection in the first decade of the twentieth century as the site of the Commonwealth's factory for the manufacture of cordite. Introduced in 1895 as a replacement for gunpowder, cordite was a smokeless, more powerful and more reliable propellant for firing missiles from guns. As early as 1895, the Victorian Government investigated the possibility of building a cordite factory and, the next year, an intercolonial conference of the military commandants of the Australian colonies agreed on the importance of such a factory to the capacity of Australia as a whole to defend itself. From 1901 the new Federal Government struggled with the issues of a munitions supply. For the first few years Australia's sole supplier was the first and only manufacturer, the Colonial Ammunition Company, at Footscray. In 1902 Major General Sir ET Hutton recommended that such a factory should be part of a Central Arsenal.

Suggestions had been made in Victoria in 1896 that a change should be made to a rifle using a cordite based propellant. One consequence of this decision was the need to import both cordite and new rifles. In Victoria new.303 rifles were issued to infantry with ammunition made at the Colonial Ammunition Co. Factory. The new Short Magazine Lee-Enfield .303 was adopted in 1903 by the British Government. While the new Federal Government aimed at achieving a greater degree of self-sufficiency for the nation in the area of defence including munitions production, no progress towards the establishment of a cordite factory occurred until 1906 when investigations into cordite explosions in arsenals around the world revealed that the substance deteriorated with age and variable temperature. This finding stirred the Federal Government into action. Melbourne was selected as the site for a factory to produce cordite for small arms ammunition because it was the headquarters of Australia's defence forces and, being the centre of the nation's emerging chemical industry, could supply the necessary raw materials. For the particular location for the factory the Commonwealth settled on the disused Maribyrnong Racecourse and part of the neighbouring stud farm because of their proximity to both the existing ammunition factory at Footscray and to a plentiful supply of labour. In 1908 the Commonwealth resumed the land and commenced construction of the factory complex in 1909. The factory was designed by its newly appointed manager, Arthur Edgar Leighton, who was to become one of the leaders of the Australian munitions industry. Construction of the factory complex, which extended over the period 1909-12, was carried out by a single contractor, Richard Hamilton of Malvern and took place on the site of the former Maribyrnong Racecourse, on the western part of the current EFM site. The completion of the Maribyrnong Cordite Factory in 1912 mirrored the completion of the Small Arms Factory at Lithgow in 1912, designed to produce Lee-Enfield .303 rifles, and ensured, in conjunction with the Colonial Ammunition Company's factory at Footscray, an independent national supply of arms and ammunition. The military development of the eastern part of the current EFM site commenced in 1912. At that time the Army's Director of Artillery put forward a proposal that the Federal Government purchase an additional segment of the former Clarke estate and convert in into a remount depot to be used for breaking in and training horses mainly for the Royal Australian Field Artillery. The Federal Government duly purchased a parcel of land of approximately 30 acres in extent adjoining the cordite factory site and erected timber stables, exercising yards and associated structures for a Remount Depot, on the crown of the hill that became known as The Remount. The original Fisher stables (EFM Building 248) were also incorporated into the remount depot and, in 1916, they were given a completely new roof clad in corrugated iron in place of the original slate. Barracks accommodation was also erected. The use of this section of the EFM site for remount purposes continued until 1945 when a remount unit and an army veterinary hospital were still located there. The outbreak of World War One led to an enormous increase in the demand for cordite and other munitions, while at the same time the supply of chemicals such as glycerine, cellulose and methanol, that Australia imported in order to produce its munitions, dried up. The consequences for Maribyrnong were twofold. Unable by itself to manufacture the basic chemicals that it had formerly imported, Leighton and his Assistant Manager

at Maribyrnong, (the chemical engineer Noel Brodribb, who was also to become a leading figure in the Australian munitions industry), persuaded local Australian companies to manufacture these substances and taught them how to go about it. Apart from its importance in maintaining and enhancing Australian munitions production, this stimulatory and educative role also proved a significant factor in helping to develop an industrial chemistry industry in Australia. The second major consequence of the war for Maribyrnong was a vast expansion in the range and quantity of munitions it produced. In 1915 the factory complex began to manufacture initiating explosives such as were used in small quantities in percussion caps to initiate the firing of cartridge ammunition. The first such explosive produced at Maribyrnong was fulminate of mercury. Two years later, in 1917, the complex expanded its production of cordite, moving from manufacturing the substance purely for small arms ammunition into making it for artillery shells as well. A further important development occurred in 1918 when Maribyrnong began to manufacture its own acetone from acetate of lime obtained from molasses produced at a purpose built Commonwealth factory in Queensland. Acetone was a vital ingredient in the manufacture of cordite and one for which Australia had previously been totally reliant on imports for its supplies. In the years immediately following the end of World War One, production at Maribyrnong declined to a low level. The war years however had demonstrated to the Australian Government the need for self-reliance and readiness in the area of munitions production. This prompted the Government, in August 1921, to set up the Munitions Supply Board (MSB) charged with the responsibilities of erecting laboratories and factories for the production of munitions, maintaining scientific and technical staff and preparing a scheme for the organisation of the whole industry of the nation in time of war. With all government munitions production now placed under the control of the MSB, the Commonwealth devoted some 3,000,000 pounds to capital works at its munitions factories and laboratories in the early 1920s, an amount larger than all the other parts of the British Empire put together. The programme of works naturally extended to the explosives factory complex at Maribyrnong. In the 1920s, capital works were undertaken at the factory to make it capable of producing the many components of modern high explosive artillery shells, including their fuses and trinitrotoluene (TNT) filling. The factory soon began to produce TNT, with its first major customer being the Victorian Government which was engaged in underwater blasting at Port Phillip Heads. Such civilian use of an EFM product was another highly significant feature of the factory complex's work in the 1920s and early 1930s. Commonwealth Government policy allowed EFM to manufacture chemical products for sale in the commercial sphere where there was no source of supply from private enterprise within Australia. The only proviso was that EFM had to withdraw from the market in any particular chemical product when private enterprise commenced manufacturing it. One major effect of this policy was that, as in the war years, the Maribyrnong complex played the leading role in stimulating the Australian chemical engineering industry in the interwar period. Among the products that the EFM manufactured for sale in the 1920s were various acids, twenty-nine varieties ofl lead free paints and enamels, lacquers, varnishes, cements, lutes, glycerine mixtures, soap mixtures, pitch

composition and drawing paste. The factory complex also produced pigmented acetate, nitrocellulose, dopes and identification colours for commercial aircraft companies and for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Under Leighton's energetic leadership the complex's range of commercial products was further expanded in the period 1930-33, with manufacture commencing of acetone solvents, collodion (gun cotton), paper cartons (target centres), TNT charges, salt cake and nitrobenzene. Such was the range of chemical processes performed by the Explosives and Factory Filling Group, as the Maribyrnong complex was then known, that it was in fact the centre of the chemical engineering industry in Australia in this era. Its chemical products were the most complex made by any chemical manufacturer in Australia, its technology was the most modern and the technology was kept up to date by a constant flow of technical information from England. A new phase of development opened at the EFM with the Commonwealth Government's announcement in September 1933 of a major rearmament programme for Australia's defence forces. As it turned out this was to be the first of a series of five major rearmament programmes instituted in the period leading up to the outbreak of World War Two, all of them aimed at modernising Australia's defences and making the nation more self-sufficient in this area. Significant impetus was given to these programmes from the latter half of 1935 following an assessment by senior defence officials that war was likely to break out in Europe and East Asia by the end of 1939. The impetus was reflected at Maribyrnong in a doubling of production output at the EFM complex each year from 1936-37 to the 1939-40. As it was, the 1933 announcement had an immediate impact on the Maribyrnong complex when the EFM was detailed to manufacture solventless cordite for big gun ammunition as used by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in its naval guns. Up to this point the RAN had relied completely on Britain for its supplies of solventless cordite. To house the manufacturing process for this substance, new buildings were erected at Maribyrnong and, in late 1935, the first supplies were produced. The successful manufacture of naval cordite was a considerable technical accomplishment for the EFM complex. One of the other notable achievements of the EFM in this period was its part in initiating the production of synthetic ammonia in Australia. Ammonia was essential for the production of nitric acid which was a vital ingredient in the manufacture of explosives and one for which Australia was totally reliant on imports. By the mid-1930s, Leighton, Brodribb and their colleagues at Maribyrnong were determined that this glaring gap in the nation's ability to produce all of its own explosives should be overcome. Against the opposition of Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) in England, the EFM complex began research into the manufacture of nitrogenous products and established a pilot plant for producing nitric acid by the oxidation of ammonia. This initiative eventually forced ICI in 1939-40 to set up a factory at Deer Park in Victoria to make ammonia and nitric acid. A further noteworthy feature of the development of the EFM complex in the mid- to late-1930s was the provision of additional staff buildings to accommodate a projected major increase in the size of the factory's workforce when war broke out. As it was anticipated that a large number of women would be employed in this eventuality, specific facilities for women were built from about 1935 onward. As anticipated, the outbreak of World War Two led to a massive increase in the demand for explosives and a

need for the construction of new factories in Australia to meet the demand. One of the main challenges in expanding the military explosives industry was to provide properly trained technical staff to run the new factories. In the words of D P Mellor's World War Two Australian official history volume, The Role of Science and Industry, 'It was here that the Maribyrnong Explosives Factory played a role for which it had long been planned. It possessed the only body of officers trained in the manufacture of military explosives and experienced in the techniques of filling ammunition. For the first half of the war it was the school to which staff recruited for the new factories were sent for training. Maribyrnong provided the managers for these factories and also the background of practical experience which enabled them to turn out products meeting the stringent requirements of service specifications.' As the largest and longest established explosives factory in Australia, the EFM, now under the management of A A Topp, also played the leading part in the research and development of new munitions and manufacturing processes. Again in Mellor's words, these were '...to a very large extent . . . pioneered, developed and brought into production at Maribyrnong. The range and diversity of manufacture and filling at this factory was unapproached by any other factory in the British Commonwealth, for it made and filled almost every type of ammunition'. The expansion of the war effort led to the construction of other armaments and munitions factories based on the processes developed at EFM Maribyrnong, including the Salisbury Explosives Factory in South Australia completed in 1940. By early 1941 the EFM had developed and commenced production of another initiator besides fulminate of mercury, uncoated lead azide. Later in the same year, the factory succeeded, after a lengthy research programme, in replacing cotton with paper-wood cellulose from Australian grown pine trees to produce nitrocellulose for propellants. The EFM further succeeded in nitrating this nitrocellulose in such a way as to make it suitable for both land service and naval propellants and it was the first factory in the world to go into regular production of this form of nitrocellulose. Other pioneering work in manufacturing munitions followed. In 1942, the EFM researched and developed a new method of making cordite while a crash research and development programme at the factory enabled it, by early 1943, to produce so called flashless cordite for use by the RAN. This was the first time that this type of cordite had been manufactured in Australia. Not surprisingly, a range of new structures were erected at the EFM complex to accommodate both the production of these new munitions and an enormous expansion in the production of existing munitions. A similar building programme occurred in the ammunition filling section of the factory to cope with the vast increase in work in this area. In May 1940 the Department of Supply, under which the EFM then operated, gained approval and funding for an expansion of this part of the complex. A new area for the filling of naval mines and depth charges was consequently built on the flats within the northern loop of the river and even the high ground of Remount Hill, though not overly convenient for handling explosives, was utilised for process buildings and magazines. Apart from mines and depth charges, the work of filling numerous other types of ammunition with explosives was carried out at Maribyrnong during the war. The peak of munitions production at Maribyrnong occurred in 1942 when the

complex employed over 8,000 workers. One of the most notable features of the World War Two workforce was the high proportion of female employees it contained. Prior to the outbreak of the war the factory had always been staffed wholly and solely by men and this situation had even been maintained throughout World War One. However, as the EFM management had foreseen in the mid-1930s, the production of munitions at the factory could not be achieved under the conditions of a future total war without the labour of women. Thus, women were employed in large numbers at the EFM during the war and, at the time the factory reached its production peak in 1942, women formed 52% of the workforce engaged in production and 45% percent of the workforce overall. Despite the key role played by women in this vital war industry, the factory reverted to an all male workforce at the end of the war. Safety measures instituted at Maribyrnong extended to the built environment. Many of the production, storage and filling buildings are still surrounded by earthen or concrete blast walls which were constructed as a means of containing any accidental explosions that might occur. For transporting materials around the factory all care was taken to reduce friction and prevent the accumulation of electrostatic charges mainly through the establishment of a network of cleanways. These were slightly elevated roads made of concrete and surfaced with wood or asphalt on which ran the factory's special electrically powered rubber tyred transport vehicles. In the laying down of footpaths in the factory complex, a high proportion of gypsum was often added to the concrete in order to minimise the risk of sparks. A number of other structures still surviving on the site owe their existence to a safety issue of a somewhat different kind. As one of Australia's most important centres of munitions productions, the EFM complex was considered a prime target for possible enemy air attacks. A range of Air Raid Protection (ARP) shelters were constructed on the site, including concrete bunker style shelters and shelters for individuals. The latter consist of a concrete pipe sunk vertically into the ground and covered with a concrete slab. Zigzag slit trenches were also dug for members of the workforce to take shelter in, but these have long since been filled in. From its production peak in 1942, the output of the EFM gradually declined as other munitions factories in Australia commenced production. Activity at the factory slackened off further from late 1943 by which time the tide of war had turned decisively against the Japanese and it seemed likely that they would eventually be defeated. In the post war years, the EFM complex continued to make explosives at Maribyrnong for Australia's armed forces, though on a much reduced scale. The factory was also engaged in this period in rendering safe its huge stockpile of unused wartime ammunition. It made something of a return, too, to its pre-war role of manufacturing non-munitions products for the general market. In this period, the EFM played an important role in employing post war immigrants, many of whom lived in the nearby Midway Migrant Hostel. Very little building activity took place at the site during this time and what buildings were erected are typified by the instrumentation building (No 999), a plain structure of red bricks with a shallow pitched roof. In 1960 the role of the factory changed as it became involved in the design and manufacture of plastic explosives, rocket propellants, the assembly of rocket motors and the manufacture of igniters and other explosive devices for rockets. By the 1980s, however, it had become clear that the site could no longer be safely used for the production

and filling of modern high explosives. The EFM's functions were progressively relocated to other sites and, in May 1994, the factory closed. The entire Maribyrnong site is exceedingly complex and the built environment reflects the process of organisational and operational change. Buildings from virtually every era, from 1910 to the present, exist side by side. While some new buildings have been erected and much modification carried out to existing buildings since the peak of production reached during World War Two, there has been an overall reduction in the number of buildings since that time. Some demolitions have occurred as a result of changes in production requirements, but most have been part of an on-going programme of decontamination and demolition leading towards redevelopment of the site. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION The production of explosives required an isolated site with the possibility of separating the various stages of production and storage from each other for safety. The extensive flood plain of the Maribyrnong River offered the possibility of separating industrial functions in the production of cordite. The topography of the site in a loop of the Maribyrnong River was dominated at its southern end by buildings associated with the former Fisher stables and the Raleigh Estate, which occupied a ridge of high ground on the south side of the site. The production of cordite required nitroglycerine production, acid and chemical production, gun cotton production, incorporation of gun cotton and cordite with mineral jelly and acetone, pressing and reeling of cordite, drying and storage of cordite and associated areas accommodating laboratory functions and administration. In 1917 the former Fisher stables, on the high ground, were occupied by the Remount Depot, with the cordite factory approached from the south by an avenue located on the alignment of the former Maribyrnong racecourse straight, which acted as the main site alignment and planning generator. The hill (The Remount) also provided water storage for the cordite production process. The planning evident in 1917 continues to underpin a cultural landscape which comprises a number of functional areas, separated for safety by open space, which illustrate the production of cordite and chemicals and materials used in the manufacture of explosives and propellants and munitions. The former Maribyrnong Explosives factory complex comprised over 500 buildings at peak production. The site includes the following functional areas and features. 1. Administration Section Includes the first buildings, buildings 1 & 2, the Offices and Laboratories, notably different in their design to the production buildings, and Building 346, the mess. This section is closely associated with the main site alignment, which develops as an urban avenue in conjunction with the associated planting, creating an introduction and focus for the site. 2. Propellant Section The initial focus of the factory, established to produce cordite. Includes buildings and structures associated with nitroglycerine production, acid and chemical production, gun cotton production, incorporation of gun cotton and cordite with mineral jelly and acetone, pressing and reeling the cordite and drying and storage of cordite. The original nitroglycerine plant was replaced in 1912; the replacement and a backup duplicate plant remain in place.

3. Detonator Section Well separated from the explosives areas, the section was established for the production of initiators(priming caps) for shells and other explosive devices. 4. High Explosives Filling Section Includes buildings erected for filling mines and depth charges, in addition to explosive artillery shells. 5. MRL (EOD), MRL, EDE, AAFCANS Includes production buildings and storage magazines associated with the production of naval cordite. These areas also include a range of administration and workshop buildings associated with the main entrance to the site from Cordite Avenue. The Fisher Stables, listed as indicative in the RNE at 2/12/51/2, are associated with the remains of Joseph Raleigh's house and a reported burial site for racehorses on The Remount in the northern part of the MRL(EOD) and EDE areas. This area is purported to include the burial site of General Bridges horse, Sandy. The separation of functional areas required a safe transport system around the site. Initially this was achieved by hand propelled narrow gauge railway, and later by concrete cleanways (roads). Elements of the rail system remain in place, including rails, turntables, cuttings and embankments, in addition to the cleanways. This transport system was complemented by major service systems including steam lines, which are major landscape features with elevated trestling and expansion loops. Earth mound blast walls within the site are functional landscape elements intrinsic to explosives establishments of this type, and which reinforce interpretation of the nature of the industrial processes. As a manufacturing facility, EFM Maribyrnong is characterised by a range of predominantly single storey, industrial cellular buildings, which in their architectural expression changed relatively little after 1912, and which reflect the character of similar buildings at the Lithgow Small Arms Factory. Dominant building characteristics, which create a consistent character, include the use of red-bricks, weatherboards, corrugated iron or asbestos cement cladding and roof coverings, large roofscapes, cellular or self contained building designs, dividing walls expressed externally through the roof and a scale generated by the single story nature of the majority of buildings. Pitched roofs predominate. Flat roofs are uncommon within the complex. Dividing walls, as an expression of the cellular nature of the single storey planning, are an important feature of many buildings. Explosives storage and magazines are characterised by their earth blast mounds, generally on three sides. The provision of safety for personnel during World War Two air raids is evident in the remains of ARP shelters for wardens. Archaeological sites include the Joseph Raleigh's house and the foundations of the Barracks and Stables associated with The Remount. There is limited evidence of planting except in the area of the original Administration building (346), the Mess building, and the area of the Fisher Stables and the remains of Joseph Raleigh's house and driveway. The latter includes Scots Pine, windbreak trees, associated with the Remount Depot. Natural values are described under Condition. The archaeological record of the Upper Maribyrnong River Valley

demonstrates Aboriginal occupation since the Pleistocene. Further evidence for Pleistocene occupation is likely to occur on remnants of the older alluvial river terraces on the EFM site. History: Not Available Condition and Integrity: INTEGRITY White Cypress-pine trees (Callitris glaucophylla) occur on the upper areas of the site as evidence of pre-European vegetation. These are estimated to be 130-220 years old with similar trees occurring on the adjacent former CSIRO land. This species is considered vulnerable in Victoria, the grouping constituting one of the southernmost populations in Australia. Some demolition has taken place as part of an ongoing program of decontamination and demolition towards a probable disposal of the site. Demolition has also included the removal of much of the asbestos cement roof cladding. A complete list of buildings is attached to the Australian Heritage Commission file. As at September 1997 the following information relating to phases in the development of the site was recorded. This information must be updated as soon as possible. Most of the buildings dating from the initial period of development are still standing. They include the original 1910 office and laboratories (EFM Buildings Nos 1 and 2) and a range of other important structures that reflect the various aspects of the manufacturing process and the working culture of the factory. Among these other structures are the boilerhouse (EFM Building No 8), air compressor house (No 9), strand burner house (No 18), propellant magazine (No 19), store (No 20), press house (No 21), incorporating house (No 22), paste magazine (No 23), plastic propellant magazine (No 24), nitrating house (No 54), wash water settling house (No 55), wash house (No 56), stores (Nos 59-62) and charge acid house (No 294) A number of important buildings remain from the complex's period of expansion during World War One, 1914-1918. These include propellant stores (EFM Buildings Nos 63-4), pressing room (No 65), incorporating room (No 66), magazine (No 70), fuse filling and assembly house (No 73), storehouse (No 77), assembling house (No 78), toluene refinery (No 84), acetate of lime building (No 85), propellant blending room (No 90), acetone recovery building (No 95), weighing room (No 101), magazine (No 122), filling, assembly and extraction house (No 123), rumbling house (No 126), store (No 127), packing room (No 128) and magazine (No 129). Several structures remain to represent the 1930-33 period of the EFM's activities. These structures are the fuse filling and assembly house (EFM Building No 73), solder and packing house (No 130), detonator stove building (No 131), high explosives shell filling building (No 150) and conditioning houses (Nos 224 and 225). A number of structures dating from the period of the rearmaments programmes of the 1930s are still standing. These include the store (EFM

Building No 11), womens' rest room (No 15), high explosive shell filling room (No 151), change rooms (No 295), mess hall (No 346), labyrinth (No 365), casualty room (No 389) and, from the propellant (or cordite) section of the EFM complex, the weighing room (No 323), rolling mill (No 324), slitting and cutting building (No 325), blocking press house (No 326), augmentor control room (No 327) and press house (No 328). Important EFM structures remaining from the World War Two period are the concrete magazines (EFM Building No 240), processing house (No 342), inspection office (No 394), rolling mill house (No 400), blocking house (No 401), pressing house (No 402), augmentor control room (No 403), detonator stoving building (No 516), conditioning house (No 519), detonator filling house (No 569), heating building (No 647), ARP Chief Warden's Post (unnumbered) and ARP concrete structures (unnumbered next to No 346). CONDITION Demolition, in the course of contamination remediation, has included the removal of much of the asbestos cement roof cladding. This has potentially placed some structures at risk. (September 1998) Location: About 120ha, at Maribyrnong, including the Explosives Factory Maribyrnong, the adjacent Materials Research Laboratory (Explosives Ordnance Division), the Engineering Development Establishment and the Army and Airforce Canteen Services areas. The site is bounded on the west, north and north-east by the Horseshoe Bend of the Maribyrnong River, in the east by the western and southern boundaries of the former CSIRO research station (but including the sites of Fisher Stables and Raleigh House), the Maribyrnong Community Centre and the Migrant Hostel, and Cordite Avenue in the south. Bibliography: Ivar Nelsen and Patrick Miller for Australian Construction Services (1990), Heritage Survey: Explosives Factory Maribyrnong, Victoria. Volume 1. Allom Lovell and Associates (July 1994) for the Department of Defence, Defence Estate, Maribyrnong: Heritage Strategy. Allom Lovell & Associates, ADI Maribyrnong Facitity, Volume 1, 1992, for the Australian Defence Industries. Alan Gross, 'Maribyrnong', Victorian Historical Magazine, vol. 22, no. 2, September 1947, 49-66 A.T. Ross, Armed and Ready: The Industrial Development and Defence of Australia 1900-1945, Wahroonga, Turton and Armstrong, 1995 D.P. Mellor, The Role of Science and Industry, Canberra, AWM, 1958 Brendan O'Keefe and Michael Pearson for the Australian Heritage Commission, Federation: A National Survey of Heritage Places (1996) Obituary for G.W. Petty, Australasian, 24 November 1877, p. 661 Sylvia Morrissey, article on Sir William John Clarke, ADB, vol. 3 J.M. Main, article on Charles Brown Fisher, ADB, vol. 4 R.J. Southey, article on Sir Rupert Clarke, ADB, vol. 8 Maribyrnong City Council Heritage Studies. David Parker, Charles Sturt University.



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Defence Explosive Factory Maribyrnong, Cordite Av, Maribyrnong, VIC

Photographs: None List: Register of the National Estate Class: Historic Legal Status: Registered (21/11/2000) Place ID: 18437 Place File No: 2/12/051/0005 Statement of Significance: The Maribyrnong Explosives Factory, located in a horseshoe bend of the Maribyrnong River, below the basalt plain, is important as the seminal example in Australia of the design and development of a cordite factory, on which all later factories and production methods in Australia were based, including the Salisbury Explosives Factory in South Australia. (Criterion B.2) The Maribyrnong Explosives Factory (EFM) comprising the functional areas, roads, industrial buildings, administration and storage buildings, service and transport systems, blast mounds, open spaces and magazines is important as the site of the first Commonwealth munitions factory, the Cordite Factory, established by the newly formed Commonwealth Government in 1910. The manufacture of cordite and armaments had been high on the agenda for Federation and were national considerations consequent on Australia's isolation. The Lithgow Small Arms Factory began production of short magazine Lee-Enfield .303 rifles in 1912, in parallel with the Commonwealth's Maribyrnong Cordite Factory in Melbourne, which first produced cordite in 1912. These complementary munitions facilities marked the end of the use of black powder propellants by Australian troops, placed Australia on a par with other modern defence forces, ensured the future self-sufficiency of Australia's Armed Forces and demonstrated Australia's technical skills and military capabilities. The Maribyrnong factory supplied much of the cordite (propellant) used in Australian made armaments during World War One and was the seminal example on which later explosives factories were based, including the Salisbury Explosives Factory in South Australia completed in 1940, and which with Maribyrnong played a key role in World War Two, when munitions production reached its peak. Although the quantity of material produced at the Maribyrnong factory was much smaller than that produced at such emergency mass production factories as Albion, it included a much wider range of products. Maribyrnong also served as the parent factory for other armament factories during World War Two and was responsible for experimentation, specifications and standards of manufacture. The level of technological exploration and the standard of Australian developed manufacturing

equipment was so high that Australia began exporting to countries such as Britain which had previously supplied much of the necessary equipment and training. The technical standards achieved during the 1920s and 1930s, and which underpinned its later technological role, gave the factory leadership in the chemical engineering industry in Australia during the Inter War years. The factory is an important reminder of the war years, in particular World War Two, when there was an influx of workers into the area to staff the munitions factories. The factory also serves as a reminder of the change in the nature of the workforce during this period when women represented approximately half of the Maribyrnong workforce and then the return to an all male workforce after the war. The site of the Maribyrnong Explosives Factory is important for its association with the history and development of horse racing in Victoria. This is implicit in the alignment of the main avenue, which reflects the main straight of the former, private Maribyrnong Racecourse, associated with the Cox Brothers 1892-1901, and the area of The Remount, which includes the former Fisher Stables, erected 1888-89 by Charles Brown Fisher, the foundations of the former Raleigh homestead and a burial site for racehorses. The use of the Fisher Stables as focus of a Remount Depot before the First World War, and the erection of barracks accommodation for the Royal Australian Field Artillery, increased the Army's association with the Maribyrnong River. (Criterion A.4). The Maribyrnong Factory expanded throughout its existence into a densely developed cultural landscape area containing over 500 structures. These structures, including magazines, processing plants and support systems, illustrate much of the development of explosives technology and manufacturing processes and are important for the considerable information they contribute to an understanding of the growth of the armaments industry in Australia under the Commonwealth government. (Criterion C.2). The Maribyrnong site is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of explosives factories developed for the production of cordite and cordite based munitions. These characteristics include the separation of functions, including the use of containing blast mounds and the use of single storey, cellular industrial buildings, linked by service and transport sytems designed to maximise safety. (Criterion D.2) The site of the Raleigh homestead is important for its association with George Petty who, in 1868, purchased the property from Charles Brown Fisher, and ran the property successfully as a thoroughbred horse stud. The Maribyrnong Stud became an important name in Melbourne racing circles. The Fisher Stables, erected 1888-89, are important for their close association with the Fisher family which bought Petty's stud and from 1875 to the mid-1890s ran a successful stud farm for racehorses on Joseph Raleigh's former property, building on the repuation established by George Petty. The site of the cordite factory is associated with the Cox brothers who established a private racecourse, the Maribyrnong Racecourse, in 1892 and which ran until 1901. (Criterion H.1)

(Principal Australian Historic Themes:3.13 Developing an Australian manufacturing capacity, 5.2 Organising workers and work places, 7.4 Federating Australia, 7.7 Defending Australia, 8.1 Organising recreation) The Explosives Factory Site, together with the adjoining former CSIRO land, supports one of the southernmost populations of White Cypress-pine (Callitris glaucophylla), a species that is considered vulnerable in Victoria. The eleven trees, four of them on the Defence site, are estimated at between 130-220 years old and considered to be a valuable naturally occurring remnant that predates European settlement. (Criteria A.1 and B.1) Indigenous cultural heritage values of national estate significance may exist on this site. As yet these values have not been identified or assessed. Official Values: Not Available Description: The site comprises the Explosives Factory Maribyrnong (EFM) and the adjacent Materials Research Laboratory (Explosives Ordnance Division) (MRL)(EOD) and the Engineering Development Establishment ( EDE) and AAFCANS areas. It is bounded on the west, north and north-east by the Horseshoe Bend of the Maribyrnong (formerly Saltwater) River. The rest of the easterly boundary of the site is formed by a former Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) research station. From east to west the southern boundary is formed by part of EDE lying along Cordite Avenue, part of Cordite Avenue itself and the MRL. However, while the division between EFM and MRL is sharply defined in principle there is in practice no real physical separation of their buildings and some buildings belonging to EFM are used by MRL on a permissive occupancy. Land formerly leased to the CSIRO is included in the site area. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION The production of explosives required an isolated site with the possibility of separating the various stages of production and storage from each other for safety. The extensive flood plain of the Maribyrnong River offered the possibility of separating industrial functions in the production of cordite. The topography of the site in a loop of the Maribyrnong River was dominated at its southern end by buildings associated with the former Fisher stables and the Raleigh Estate, which occupied a ridge of high ground on the south side of the site. The production of cordite required nitroglycerine production, acid and chemical production, gun cotton production, incorporation of gun cotton and cordite with mineral jelly and acetone, pressing and reeling of cordite, drying and storage of cordite and associated areas accommodating laboratory functions and administration. In 1917 the former Fisher stables, on the high ground, were occupied by the Remount Depot, with the cordite factory approached from the south by an avenue located on the alignment of the former Maribyrnong racecourse straight, which acted as the main site alignment and planning generator. The hill (The Remount) also provided water storage for the cordite production process. The planning evident in 1917 continues to underpin a cultural landscape which comprises a number of functional areas, separated for safety by open space, which illustrate the production of cordite and chemicals and materials used in the manufacture of

explosives and propellants and munitions. The former Maribyrnong Explosives factory complex comprised over 500 buildings at peak production. The site includes the following functional areas and features. 1. Administration Section Includes the first buildings, buildings 1 & 2, the Offices and Laboratories, notably different in their design to the production buildings, and Building 346, the mess. This section is closely associated with the main site alignment, which develops as an urban avenue in conjunction with the associated planting, creating an introduction and focus for the site. 2. Propellant Section The initial focus of the factory, established to produce cordite. Includes buildings and structures associated with nitroglycerine production, acid and chemical production, gun cotton production, incorporation of gun cotton and cordite with mineral jelly and acetone, pressing and reeling the cordite and drying and storage of cordite. The original nitroglycerine plant was replaced in 1912; the replacement and a backup duplicate plant remain in place. 3. Detonator Section Well separated from the explosives areas, the section was established for the production of initiators(priming caps) for shells and other explosive devices. 4. High Explosives Filling Section Includes buildings erected for filling mines and depth charges, in addition to explosive artillery shells. 5. MRL (EOD), MRL, EDE, AAFCANS Includes production buildings and storage magazines associated with the production of naval cordite. These areas also include a range of administration and workshop buildings associated with the main entrance to the site from Cordite Avenue. The Fisher Stables, listed as indicative in the RNE at 2/12/51/2, are associated with the remains of Joseph Raleigh's house and a reported burial site for racehorses on The Remount in the northern part of the MRL(EOD) and EDE areas. This area is purported to include the burial site of General Bridges horse, Sandy. The separation of functional areas required a safe transport system around the site. Initially this was achieved by hand propelled narrow gauge railway, and later by concrete cleanways (roads). Elements of the rail system remain in place, including rails, turntables, cuttings and embankments, in addition to the cleanways. This transport system was complemented by major service systems including steam lines, which are major landscape features with elevated trestling and expansion loops. Earth mound blast walls within the site are functional landscape elements intrinsic to explosives establishments of this type, and which reinforce interpretation of the nature of the industrial processes. As a manufacturing facility, EFM Maribyrnong is characterised by a range of predominantly single storey, industrial cellular buildings, which in their architectural expression changed relatively little after 1912, and which reflect the character of similar buildings at the Lithgow Small Arms Factory. Dominant building characteristics, which create a consistent character, include the use of red-bricks, weatherboards, corrugated iron or asbestos

cement cladding and roof coverings, large roofscapes, cellular or self contained building designs, dividing walls expressed externally through the roof and a scale generated by the single story nature of the majority of buildings. Pitched roofs predominate. Flat roofs are uncommon within the complex. Dividing walls, as an expression of the cellular nature of the single storey planning, are an important feature of many buildings. Explosives storage and magazines are characterised by their earth blast mounds, generally on three sides. The provision of safety for personnel during World War Two air raids is evident in the remains of ARP shelters for wardens. Archaeological sites include the Joseph Raleigh's house and the foundations of the Barracks and Stables associated with The Remount. There is limited evidence of planting except in the area of the original Administration building (346), the Mess building, and the area of the Fisher Stables and the remains of Joseph Raleigh's house and driveway. The latter includes Scots Pine, windbreak trees, associated with the Remount Depot. Natural values are described under Condition. The archaeological record of the Upper Maribyrnong River Valley demonstrates Aboriginal occupation since the Pleistocene. Further evidence for Pleistocene occupation is likely to occur on remnants of the older alluvial river terraces on the EFM site. History: The land on which the EFM stands was put up for sale at an auction of Crown land in 1843. The allotments on the eastern part of the site were bought by Joseph Raleigh, while those on the western side were purchased by James Johnston. Raleigh used his property for agricultural and pastoral purposes and erected a house and stables on the top of what is now known as Remount Hill. In 1862 the South Australian pastoralist Hurtle Fisher acquired Raleigh's property and set about turning it into one of Australia's most famous stud farms for racehorses. Fisher sold most of the farm to his brother Charles Brown Fisher in April 1866 and he in turn sold the property to George W Petty two years later. Petty, who had amassed a fortune as a butcher, ran the property very successfully as a stud for thoroughbred horses such that Maribyrnong Stud became a celebrated name in Melbourne racing circles. In 1875, two years before his death, Petty sold the property whicht was re-purchased by Charles Brown Fisher who continued to operate it as a stud for thoroughbred horses. Fisher also purchased the original Johnston holdings on the western side of the current EFM site. In 1888-89 Fisher erected a large new set of brick stables which are still standing (EFM Building No 248). Charles Brown Fisher sold the western portion of property in about 1892 to the three Cox brothers of horseracing fame, Archibald Robert, William Samuel and Albert Cox. The Cox brothers established a private racecourse, the Maribyrnong Racecourse, and held race meetings there until c 1900-01. The track continued to be used for training purposes as late perhaps as 1908, while in 1904 it served as the venue for Victoria's first motor sports meeting. In the mid-1890s Charles Brown Fisher sold his stud farm on the eastern side of the current EFM site to Sir William John Clarke, the largest landowner in Victoria and a breeder of thoroughbred horses. It is highly likely that Clarke continued to use the property as a stud farm for racehorses and he may also have used it to breed and train horses for his horse artillery battery. The breeding and training of horses on the property were probably continued after

Clarke's death in 1897 by his son and heir, Sir Rupert Clarke, who was a leading racehorse owner and breeder in his own right and a member of his father's horse artillery battery. In 1878, the Victorian Colonial Government had built a large gunpowder Magazine known as the Saltwater River Powder Magazine or simply Jack's Magazine (file RR 5477) on a site to the south in Footscray near the river. Though by no means intended at the time, the building of this Magazine laid the foundation for the Footscray/Maribyrnong area to develop as the centre of Australia's armaments industry. A significant impetus towards this development occurred in 1889 when, following a proposal put forward by Victoria at the first meeting of the Federal Council in Hobart three years earlier for the establishment of a Federal ammunition factory for the Australian colonies, the Colonial Ammunition Company (RR 19122) erected a plant next to Jack's Magazine. Apart from its proximity to the magazine, the factory's location was eminently suitable for a variety of other reasons: the widest range of raw materials in Australia was readily available; a good supply of labour existed nearby; the main customer was close at hand in the shape of the Victorian Defence Force, the largest such force in colonial Australia; and, while port facilities for shipping the factory's products to the other colonies were within easy reach, the factory was at the same time sufficiently far inland to render it safe from naval bombardment. The particular development of the current EFM property as a centre of munitions production derives from its selection in the first decade of the twentieth century as the site of the Commonwealth's factory for the manufacture of cordite. Introduced in 1895 as a replacement for gunpowder, cordite was a smokeless, more powerful and more reliable propellant for firing missiles from guns. As early as 1895, the Victorian Government investigated the possibility of building a cordite factory and, the next year, an intercolonial conference of the military commandants of the Australian colonies agreed on the importance of such a factory to the capacity of Australia as a whole to defend itself. From 1901 the new Federal Government struggled with the issues of a munitions supply. For the first few years Australia's sole supplier was the first and only manufacturer, the Colonial Ammunition Company, at Footscray. In 1902 Major General Sir ET Hutton recommended that such a factory should be part of a Central Arsenal. Suggestions had been made in Victoria in 1896 that a change should be made to a rifle using a cordite based propellant. One consequence of this decision was the need to import both cordite and new rifles. In Victoria new.303 rifles were issued to infantry with ammunition made at the Colonial Ammunition Co. Factory. The new Short Magazine Lee-Enfield .303 was adopted in 1903 by the British Government. While the new Federal Government aimed at achieving a greater degree of self-sufficiency for the nation in the area of defence including munitions production, no progress towards the establishment of a cordite factory occurred until 1906 when investigations into cordite explosions in arsenals around the world revealed that the substance deteriorated with age and variable temperature. This finding stirred the Federal Government into action. Melbourne was selected as the site for a factory to produce cordite for small arms ammunition because it was the headquarters of Australia's defence forces and, being the centre of the nation's emerging chemical industry, could supply the necessary raw materials. For the particular location for the factory the Commonwealth settled

on the disused Maribyrnong Racecourse and part of the neighbouring stud farm because of their proximity to both the existing ammunition factory at Footscray and to a plentiful supply of labour. In 1908 the Commonwealth resumed the land and commenced construction of the factory complex in 1909. The factory was designed by its newly appointed manager, Arthur Edgar Leighton, who was to become one of the leaders of the Australian munitions industry. Construction of the factory complex, which extended over the period 1909-12, was carried out by a single contractor, Richard Hamilton of Malvern and took place on the site of the former Maribyrnong Racecourse, on the western part of the current EFM site. The completion of the Maribyrnong Cordite Factory in 1912 mirrored the completion of the Small Arms Factory at Lithgow in 1912, designed to produce Lee-Enfield .303 rifles, and ensured, in conjunction with the Colonial Ammunition Company's factory at Footscray, an independent national supply of arms and ammunition. The military development of the eastern part of the current EFM site commenced in 1912. At that time the Army's Director of Artillery put forward a proposal that the Federal Government purchase an additional segment of the former Clarke estate and convert in into a remount depot to be used for breaking in and training horses mainly for the Royal Australian Field Artillery. The Federal Government duly purchased a parcel of land of approximately 30 acres in extent adjoining the cordite factory site and erected timber stables, exercising yards and associated structures for a Remount Depot, on the crown of the hill that became known as The Remount. The original Fisher stables (EFM Building 248) were also incorporated into the remount depot and, in 1916, they were given a completely new roof clad in corrugated iron in place of the original slate. Barracks accommodation was also erected. The use of this section of the EFM site for remount purposes continued until 1945 when a remount unit and an army veterinary hospital were still located there. The outbreak of World War One led to an enormous increase in the demand for cordite and other munitions, while at the same time the supply of chemicals such as glycerine, cellulose and methanol, that Australia imported in order to produce its munitions, dried up. The consequences for Maribyrnong were twofold. Unable by itself to manufacture the basic chemicals that it had formerly imported, Leighton and his Assistant Manager at Maribyrnong, (the chemical engineer Noel Brodribb, who was also to become a leading figure in the Australian munitions industry), persuaded local Australian companies to manufacture these substances and taught them how to go about it. Apart from its importance in maintaining and enhancing Australian munitions production, this stimulatory and educative role also proved a significant factor in helping to develop an industrial chemistry industry in Australia. The second major consequence of the war for Maribyrnong was a vast expansion in the range and quantity of munitions it produced. In 1915 the factory complex began to manufacture initiating explosives such as were used in small quantities in percussion caps to initiate the firing of cartridge ammunition. The first such explosive produced at Maribyrnong was fulminate of mercury. Two years later, in 1917, the complex expanded its production of cordite, moving from manufacturing the substance purely for small arms ammunition into making it for artillery shells as well. A further important development occurred in 1918 when Maribyrnong began to manufacture its own acetone from acetate of lime obtained from molasses

produced at a purpose built Commonwealth factory in Queensland. Acetone was a vital ingredient in the manufacture of cordite and one for which Australia had previously been totally reliant on imports for its supplies. In the years immediately following the end of World War One, production at Maribyrnong declined to a low level. The war years however had demonstrated to the Australian Government the need for self-reliance and readiness in the area of munitions production. This prompted the Government, in August 1921, to set up the Munitions Supply Board (MSB) charged with the responsibilities of erecting laboratories and factories for the production of munitions, maintaining scientific and technical staff and preparing a scheme for the organisation of the whole industry of the nation in time of war. With all government munitions production now placed under the control of the MSB, the Commonwealth devoted some 3,000,000 pounds to capital works at its munitions factories and laboratories in the early 1920s, an amount larger than all the other parts of the British Empire put together. The programme of works naturally extended to the explosives factory complex at Maribyrnong. In the 1920s, capital works were undertaken at the factory to make it capable of producing the many components of modern high explosive artillery shells, including their fuses and trinitrotoluene (TNT) filling. The factory soon began to produce TNT, with its first major customer being the Victorian Government which was engaged in underwater blasting at Port Phillip Heads. Such civilian use of an EFM product was another highly significant feature of the factory complex's work in the 1920s and early 1930s. Commonwealth Government policy allowed EFM to manufacture chemical products for sale in the commercial sphere where there was no source of supply from private enterprise within Australia. The only proviso was that EFM had to withdraw from the market in any particular chemical product when private enterprise commenced manufacturing it. One major effect of this policy was that, as in the war years, the Maribyrnong complex played the leading role in stimulating the Australian chemical engineering industry in the interwar period. Among the products that the EFM manufactured for sale in the 1920s were various acids, twenty-nine varieties ofl lead free paints and enamels, lacquers, varnishes, cements, lutes, glycerine mixtures, soap mixtures, pitch composition and drawing paste. The factory complex also produced pigmented acetate, nitrocellulose, dopes and identification colours for commercial aircraft companies and for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Under Leighton's energetic leadership the complex's range of commercial products was further expanded in the period 1930-33, with manufacture commencing of acetone solvents, collodion (gun cotton), paper cartons (target centres), TNT charges, salt cake and nitrobenzene. Such was the range of chemical processes performed by the Explosives and Factory Filling Group, as the Maribyrnong complex was then known, that it was in fact the centre of the chemical engineering industry in Australia in this era. Its chemical products were the most complex made by any chemical manufacturer in Australia, its technology was the most modern and the technology was kept up to date by a constant flow of technical information from England. A new phase of development opened at the EFM with the Commonwealth Government's announcement in September 1933 of a major rearmament programme for Australia's defence forces. As it turned out this was to be the

first of a series of five major rearmament programmes instituted in the period leading up to the outbreak of World War Two, all of them aimed at modernising Australia's defences and making the nation more self-sufficient in this area. Significant impetus was given to these programmes from the latter half of 1935 following an assessment by senior defence officials that war was likely to break out in Europe and East Asia by the end of 1939. The impetus was reflected at Maribyrnong in a doubling of production output at the EFM complex each year from 1936-37 to the 1939-40. As it was, the 1933 announcement had an immediate impact on the Maribyrnong complex when the EFM was detailed to manufacture solventless cordite for big gun ammunition as used by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in its naval guns. Up to this point the RAN had relied completely on Britain for its supplies of solventless cordite. To house the manufacturing process for this substance, new buildings were erected at Maribyrnong and, in late 1935, the first supplies were produced. The successful manufacture of naval cordite was a considerable technical accomplishment for the EFM complex. One of the other notable achievements of the EFM in this period was its part in initiating the production of synthetic ammonia in Australia. Ammonia was essential for the production of nitric acid which was a vital ingredient in the manufacture of explosives and one for which Australia was totally reliant on imports. By the mid-1930s, Leighton, Brodribb and their colleagues at Maribyrnong were determined that this glaring gap in the nation's ability to produce all of its own explosives should be overcome. Against the opposition of Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) in England, the EFM complex began research into the manufacture of nitrogenous products and established a pilot plant for producing nitric acid by the oxidation of ammonia. This initiative eventually forced ICI in 1939-40 to set up a factory at Deer Park in Victoria to make ammonia and nitric acid. A further noteworthy feature of the development of the EFM complex in the mid- to late-1930s was the provision of additional staff buildings to accommodate a projected major increase in the size of the factory's workforce when war broke out. As it was anticipated that a large number of women would be employed in this eventuality, specific facilities for women were built from about 1935 onward. As anticipated, the outbreak of World War Two led to a massive increase in the demand for explosives and a need for the construction of new factories in Australia to meet the demand. One of the main challenges in expanding the military explosives industry was to provide properly trained technical staff to run the new factories. In the words of D P Mellor's World War Two Australian official history volume, The Role of Science and Industry, 'It was here that the Maribyrnong Explosives Factory played a role for which it had long been planned. It possessed the only body of officers trained in the manufacture of military explosives and experienced in the techniques of filling ammunition. For the first half of the war it was the school to which staff recruited for the new factories were sent for training. Maribyrnong provided the managers for these factories and also the background of practical experience which enabled them to turn out products meeting the stringent requirements of service specifications.' As the largest and longest established explosives factory in Australia, the EFM, now under the management of A A Topp, also played the leading part in the research and development of new munitions and manufacturing processes. Again in Mellor's words, these were '...to a very large extent . . . pioneered, developed

and brought into production at Maribyrnong. The range and diversity of manufacture and filling at this factory was unapproached by any other factory in the British Commonwealth, for it made and filled almost every type of ammunition'. The expansion of the war effort led to the construction of other armaments and munitions factories based on the processes developed at EFM Maribyrnong, including the Salisbury Explosives Factory in South Australia completed in 1940. By early 1941 the EFM had developed and commenced production of another initiator besides fulminate of mercury, uncoated lead azide. Later in the same year, the factory succeeded, after a lengthy research programme, in replacing cotton with paper-wood cellulose from Australian grown pine trees to produce nitrocellulose for propellants. The EFM further succeeded in nitrating this nitrocellulose in such a way as to make it suitable for both land service and naval propellants and it was the first factory in the world to go into regular production of this form of nitrocellulose. Other pioneering work in manufacturing munitions followed. In 1942, the EFM researched and developed a new method of making cordite while a crash research and development programme at the factory enabled it, by early 1943, to produce so called flashless cordite for use by the RAN. This was the first time that this type of cordite had been manufactured in Australia. Not surprisingly, a range of new structures were erected at the EFM complex to accommodate both the production of these new munitions and an enormous expansion in the production of existing munitions. A similar building programme occurred in the ammunition filling section of the factory to cope with the vast increase in work in this area. In May 1940 the Department of Supply, under which the EFM then operated, gained approval and funding for an expansion of this part of the complex. A new area for the filling of naval mines and depth charges was consequently built on the flats within the northern loop of the river and even the high ground of Remount Hill, though not overly convenient for handling explosives, was utilised for process buildings and magazines. Apart from mines and depth charges, the work of filling numerous other types of ammunition with explosives was carried out at Maribyrnong during the war. The peak of munitions production at Maribyrnong occurred in 1942 when the complex employed over 8,000 workers. One of the most notable features of the World War Two workforce was the high proportion of female employees it contained. Prior to the outbreak of the war the factory had always been staffed wholly and solely by men and this situation had even been maintained throughout World War One. However, as the EFM management had foreseen in the mid-1930s, the production of munitions at the factory could not be achieved under the conditions of a future total war without the labour of women. Thus, women were employed in large numbers at the EFM during the war and, at the time the factory reached its production peak in 1942, women formed 52% of the workforce engaged in production and 45% percent of the workforce overall. Despite the key role played by women in this vital war industry, the factory reverted to an all male workforce at the end of the war. Safety measures instituted at Maribyrnong extended to the built environment. Many of the production, storage and filling buildings are still surrounded by earthen or concrete blast walls which were constructed as a means of containing any accidental explosions that might occur. For transporting

materials around the factory all care was taken to reduce friction and prevent the accumulation of electrostatic charges mainly through the establishment of a network of cleanways. These were slightly elevated roads made of concrete and surfaced with wood or asphalt on which ran the factory's special electrically powered rubber tyred transport vehicles. In the laying down of footpaths in the factory complex, a high proportion of gypsum was often added to the concrete in order to minimise the risk of sparks. A number of other structures still surviving on the site owe their existence to a safety issue of a somewhat different kind. As one of Australia's most important centres of munitions productions, the EFM complex was considered a prime target for possible enemy air attacks. A range of Air Raid Protection (ARP) shelters were constructed on the site, including concrete bunker style shelters and shelters for individuals. The latter consist of a concrete pipe sunk vertically into the ground and covered with a concrete slab. Zigzag slit trenches were also dug for members of the workforce to take shelter in, but these have long since been filled in. From its production peak in 1942, the output of the EFM gradually declined as other munitions factories in Australia commenced production. Activity at the factory slackened off further from late 1943 by which time the tide of war had turned decisively against the Japanese and it seemed likely that they would eventually be defeated. In the post war years, the EFM complex continued to make explosives at Maribyrnong for Australia's armed forces, though on a much reduced scale. The factory was also engaged in this period in rendering safe its huge stockpile of unused wartime ammunition. It made something of a return, too, to its pre-war role of manufacturing non-munitions products for the general market. In this period, the EFM played an important role in employing post war immigrants, many of whom lived in the nearby Midway Migrant Hostel. Very little building activity took place at the site during this time and what buildings were erected are typified by the instrumentation building (No 999), a plain structure of red bricks with a shallow pitched roof. In 1960 the role of the factory changed as it became involved in the design and manufacture of plastic explosives, rocket propellants, the assembly of rocket motors and the manufacture of igniters and other explosive devices for rockets. By the 1980s, however, it had become clear that the site could no longer be safely used for the production and filling of modern high explosives. The EFM's functions were progressively relocated to other sites and, in May 1994, the factory closed. The entire Maribyrnong site is exceedingly complex and the built environment reflects the process of organisational and operational change. Buildings from virtually every era, from 1910 to the present, exist side by side. While some new buildings have been erected and much modification carried out to existing buildings since the peak of production reached during World War Two, there has been an overall reduction in the number of buildings since that time. Some demolitions have occurred as a result of changes in production requirements, but most have been part of an on-going programme of decontamination and demolition leading towards redevelopment of the site.

Condition and Integrity: INTEGRITY White Cypress-pine trees (Callitris glaucophylla) occur on the upper areas of

the site as evidence of pre-European vegetation. These are estimated to be 130-220 years old with similar trees occurring on the adjacent former CSIRO land. This species is considered vulnerable in Victoria, the grouping constituting one of the southernmost populations in Australia. Some demolition has taken place as part of an ongoing program of decontamination and demolition towards a probable disposal of the site. Demolition has also included the removal of much of the asbestos cement roof cladding. A complete list of buildings is attached to the Australian Heritage Commission file. As at September 1997 the following information relating to phases in the development of the site was recorded. This information must be updated as soon as possible. Most of the buildings dating from the initial period of development are still standing. They include the original 1910 office and laboratories (EFM Buildings Nos 1 and 2) and a range of other important structures that reflect the various aspects of the manufacturing process and the working culture of the factory. Among these other structures are the boilerhouse (EFM Building No 8), air compressor house (No 9), strand burner house (No 18), propellant magazine (No 19), store (No 20), press house (No 21), incorporating house (No 22), paste magazine (No 23), plastic propellant magazine (No 24), nitrating house (No 54), wash water settling house (No 55), wash house (No 56), stores (Nos 59-62) and charge acid house (No 294) A number of important buildings remain from the complex's period of expansion during World War One, 1914-1918. These include propellant stores (EFM Buildings Nos 63-4), pressing room (No 65), incorporating room (No 66), magazine (No 70), fuse filling and assembly house (No 73), storehouse (No 77), assembling house (No 78), toluene refinery (No 84), acetate of lime building (No 85), propellant blending room (No 90), acetone recovery building (No 95), weighing room (No 101), magazine (No 122), filling, assembly and extraction house (No 123), rumbling house (No 126), store (No 127), packing room (No 128) and magazine (No 129). Several structures remain to represent the 1930-33 period of the EFM's activities. These structures are the fuse filling and assembly house (EFM Building No 73), solder and packing house (No 130), detonator stove building (No 131), high explosives shell filling building (No 150) and conditioning houses (Nos 224 and 225). A number of structures dating from the period of the rearmaments programmes of the 1930s are still standing. These include the store (EFM Building No 11), womens' rest room (No 15), high explosive shell filling room (No 151), change rooms (No 295), mess hall (No 346), labyrinth (No 365), casualty room (No 389) and, from the propellant (or cordite) section of the EFM complex, the weighing room (No 323), rolling mill (No 324), slitting and cutting building (No 325), blocking press house (No 326), augmentor control room (No 327) and press house (No 328). Important EFM structures remaining from the World War Two period are the

concrete magazines (EFM Building No 240), processing house (No 342), inspection office (No 394), rolling mill house (No 400), blocking house (No 401), pressing house (No 402), augmentor control room (No 403), detonator stoving building (No 516), conditioning house (No 519), detonator filling house (No 569), heating building (No 647), ARP Chief Warden's Post (unnumbered) and ARP concrete structures (unnumbered next to No 346). CONDITION Demolition, in the course of contamination remediation, has included the removal of much of the asbestos cement roof cladding. This has potentially placed some structures at risk. (September 1998) Location: About 120ha, at Maribyrnong, including the Explosives Factory Maribyrnong, the adjacent Materials Research Laboratory (Explosives Ordnance Division), the Engineering Development Establishment and the Army and Airforce Canteen Services areas. The site is bounded on the west, north and north-east by the Horseshoe Bend of the Maribyrnong River, in the east by the western and southern boundaries of the former CSIRO research station (but including the sites of Fisher Stables and Raleigh House), the Maribyrnong Community Centre and the Migrant Hostel, and Cordite Avenue in the south. Bibliography: Ivar Nelsen and Patrick Miller for Australian Construction Services (1990), Heritage Survey: Explosives Factory Maribyrnong, Victoria. Volume 1. Allom Lovell and Associates (July 1994) for the Department of Defence, Defence Estate, Maribyrnong: Heritage Strategy. Allom Lovell & Associates, ADI Maribyrnong Facitity, Volume 1, 1992, for the Australian Defence Industries. Alan Gross, 'Maribyrnong', Victorian Historical Magazine, vol. 22, no. 2, September 1947, 49-66 A.T. Ross, Armed and Ready: The Industrial Development and Defence of Australia 1900-1945, Wahroonga, Turton and Armstrong, 1995 D.P. Mellor, The Role of Science and Industry, Canberra, AWM, 1958 Brendan O'Keefe and Michael Pearson for the Australian Heritage Commission, Federation: A National Survey of Heritage Places (1996) Obituary for G.W. Petty, Australasian, 24 November 1877, p. 661 Sylvia Morrissey, article on Sir William John Clarke, ADB, vol. 3 J.M. Main, article on Charles Brown Fisher, ADB, vol. 4 R.J. Southey, article on Sir Rupert Clarke, ADB, vol. 8 Maribyrnong City Council Heritage Studies. David Parker, Charles Sturt University.



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Racing Stables of C B and H Fisher (former), Cordite Av, Maribyrnong, VIC

Photographs: None List: Register of the National Estate Class: Historic Legal Status: Registered (21/11/2000) Place ID: 5496 Place File No: 2/12/051/0002 Nominator's Statement of Significance: This building was originally a stable which formed part of the famous racing establishment and stud owned by C B and H Fisher. The C B Fisher Plate, named after the original owner and now known as the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, is a highly regarded event on the Victorian racing calendar. Official Values: Not Available Description: Stable, which formed part of former racing stable owned by CB and H Fisher. This stable, built about 1888, is the only structure remaining of an extensive complex built at the former Maribyrnong Racecourse. History: Not Available Condition and Integrity: Small annex added to the side of the building. No imminent or potential danger to the condition or integrity of The building. Location: Stables are located within the Explosives Factory, Cordite Avenue, Maribyrnong. Bibliography: Not Available

Appendix B

The Burra Charter (The Australian ICOMOS Charter for Places of Cultural Significance)

The Burra Charter, 1999 Australia ICOMOS Inc

The Burra Charter(The Australia ICOMOS Charter for Places of Cultural Significance)

PreambleConsidering the International Charter for theConservation and Restoration of Monuments andSites (Venice 1964), and the Resolutions of the 5thGeneral Assembly of the International Council onMonuments and Sites (ICOMOS) (Moscow 1978),the Burra Charter was adopted by AustraliaICOMOS (the Australian National Committee ofICOMOS) on 19 August 1979 at Burra, SouthAustralia. Revisions were adopted on 23 February1981, 23 April 1988 and 26 November 1999.

The Burra Charter provides guidance for theconservation and management of places of culturalsignificance (cultural heritage places), and is basedon the knowledge and experience of AustraliaICOMOS members.

Conservation is an integral part of the managementof places of cultural significance and is an ongoingresponsibility.

Who is the Charter for?The Charter sets a standard of practice for thosewho provide advice, make decisions about, orundertake works to places of cultural significance,including owners, managers and custodians.

Using the CharterThe Charter should be read as a whole. Manyarticles are interdependent. Articles in theConservation Principles section are often furtherdeveloped in the Conservation Processes andConservation Practice sections. Headings havebeen included for ease of reading but do not formpart of the Charter.

The Charter is self-contained, but aspects of its useand application are further explained in thefollowing Australia ICOMOS documents:

• Guidelines to the Burra Charter: CulturalSignificance;

• Guidelines to the Burra Charter: ConservationPolicy;

• Guidelines to the Burra Charter: Procedures forUndertaking Studies and Reports;

• Code on the Ethics of Coexistence in ConservingSignificant Places.

What places does the Charter apply to?The Charter can be applied to all types of places ofcultural significance including natural, indigenousand historic places with cultural values.

The standards of other organisations may also berelevant. These include the Australian NaturalHeritage Charter and the Draft Guidelines for theProtection, Management and Use of Aboriginal andTorres Strait Islander Cultural Heritage Places.

Why conserve?Places of cultural significance enrich people’s lives,often providing a deep and inspirational sense ofconnection to community and landscape, to the pastand to lived experiences. They are historicalrecords, that are important as tangible expressionsof Australian identity and experience. Places ofcultural significance reflect the diversity of ourcommunities, telling us about who we are and thepast that has formed us and the Australianlandscape. They are irreplaceable and precious.

These places of cultural significance must beconserved for present and future generations.

The Burra Charter advocates a cautious approach tochange: do as much as necessary to care for theplace and to make it useable, but otherwise changeit as little as possible so that its cultural significanceis retained.

Articles Explanatory NotesArticle 1. DefinitionsFor the purposes of this Charter:1.1 Place means site, area, land, landscape, building or otherwork, group of buildings or other works, and may includecomponents, contents, spaces and views.

The concept of place should be broadlyinterpreted. The elements described in Article1.1 may include memorials, trees, gardens,parks, places of historical events, urban areas,towns, industrial places, archaeological sitesand spiritual and religious places.

The Burra Charter, 1999 2 Australia ICOMOS Inc

1.2 Cultural significance means aesthetic, historic, scientific,social or spiritual value for past, present or future generations.Cultural significance is embodied in the place itself, its fabric,setting, use, associations, meanings, records, related places andrelated objects.Places may have a range of values for different individuals orgroups.

The term cultural significance is synonymouswith heritage significance and cultural heritagevalue.

Cultural significance may change as a result ofthe continuing history of the place.

Understanding of cultural significance maychange as a result of new information.

1.3 Fabric means all the physical material of the place includingcomponents, fixtures, contents, and objects.

Fabric includes building interiors and sub-surface remains, as well as excavated material.

Fabric may define spaces and these may beimportant elements of the significance of theplace.

1.4 Conservation means all the processes of looking after a placeso as to retain its cultural significance.1.5 Maintenance means the continuous protective care of thefabric and setting of a place, and is to be distinguished from repair.Repair involves restoration or reconstruction.

The distinctions referred to, for example inrelation to roof gutters, are:• maintenance — regular inspection and

cleaning of gutters;• repair involving restoration — returning of

dislodged gutters;• repair involving reconstruction — replacing

decayed gutters.

1.6 Preservation means maintaining the fabric of a place in itsexisting state and retarding deterioration.

It is recognised that all places and theircomponents change over time at varying rates.

1.7 Restoration means returning the existing fabric of a place to aknown earlier state by removing accretions or by reassemblingexisting components without the introduction of new material.1.8 Reconstruction means returning a place to a known earlierstate and is distinguished from restoration by the introduction ofnew material into the fabric.

New material may include recycled materialsalvaged from other places. This should not beto the detriment of any place of culturalsignificance.

1.9 Adaptation means modifying a place to suit the existing use ora proposed use.1.10 Use means the functions of a place, as well as the activitiesand practices that may occur at the place.1.11 Compatible use means a use which respects the culturalsignificance of a place. Such a use involves no, or minimal, impacton cultural significance.1.12 Setting means the area around a place, which may include thevisual catchment.1.13 Related place means a place that contributes to the culturalsignificance of another place.1.14 Related object means an object that contributes to the culturalsignificance of a place but is not at the place.1.15 Associations mean the special connections that exist betweenpeople and a place.

Associations may include social or spiritualvalues and cultural responsibilities for a place.

1.16 Meanings denote what a place signifies, indicates, evokes orexpresses.

Meanings generally relate to intangible aspectssuch as symbolic qualities and memories.

1.17 Interpretation means all the ways of presenting the culturalsignificance of a place.

Interpretation may be a combination of thetreatment of the fabric (e.g. maintenance,restoration, reconstruction); the use of andactivities at the place; and the use ofintroduced explanatory material.


Conservation PrinciplesArticle 2. Conservation and management2.1 Places of cultural significance should be conserved.2.2 The aim of conservation is to retain the cultural significanceof a place.2.3 Conservation is an integral part of good management ofplaces of cultural significance.2.4 Places of cultural significance should be safeguarded and notput at risk or left in a vulnerable state.Article 3. Cautious approach3.1 Conservation is based on a respect for the existing fabric, use,associations and meanings. It requires a cautious approach ofchanging as much as necessary but as little as possible.

The traces of additions, alterations and earliertreatments to the fabric of a place are evidenceof its history and uses which may be part of itssignificance. Conservation action should assistand not impede their understanding.

3.2 Changes to a place should not distort the physical or otherevidence it provides, nor be based on conjecture.

Article 4. Knowledge, skills and techniques 4.1 Conservation should make use of all the knowledge, skills anddisciplines which can contribute to the study and care of the place.

4.2 Traditional techniques and materials are preferred for theconservation of significant fabric. In some circumstances moderntechniques and materials which offer substantial conservationbenefits may be appropriate.

The use of modern materials and techniquesmust be supported by firm scientific evidenceor by a body of experience.

Article 5. Values 5.1 Conservation of a place should identify and take intoconsideration all aspects of cultural and natural significance withoutunwarranted emphasis on any one value at the expense of others.

Conservation of places with naturalsignificance is explained in the AustralianNatural Heritage Charter. This Charter definesnatural significance to mean the importance ofecosystems, biological diversity andgeodiversity for their existence value, or forpresent or future generations in terms of theirscientific, social, aesthetic and life-supportvalue.

5.2 Relative degrees of cultural significance may lead to differentconservation actions at a place.

A cautious approach is needed, asunderstanding of cultural significance maychange. This article should not be used tojustify actions which do not retain culturalsignificance.

Article 6. Burra Charter Process 6.1 The cultural significance of a place and other issues affectingits future are best understood by a sequence of collecting andanalysing information before making decisions. Understandingcultural significance comes first, then development of policy andfinally management of the place in accordance with the policy.

The Burra Charter process, or sequence ofinvestigations, decisions and actions, isillustrated in the accompanying flowchart.

6.2 The policy for managing a place must be based on anunderstanding of its cultural significance.

6.3 Policy development should also include consideration of otherfactors affecting the future of a place such as the owner’s needs,resources, external constraints and its physical condition.

Article 7. Use7.1 Where the use of a place is of cultural significance it shouldbe retained.


7.2 A place should have a compatible use. The policy should identify a use orcombination of uses or constraints on uses thatretain the cultural significance of the place.New use of a place should involve minimalchange, to significant fabric and use; shouldrespect associations and meanings; and whereappropriate should provide for continuation ofpractices which contribute to the culturalsignificance of the place.

Article 8. SettingConservation requires the retention of an appropriate visual settingand other relationships that contribute to the cultural significance ofthe place.New construction, demolition, intrusions or other changes whichwould adversely affect the setting or relationships are notappropriate.

Aspects of the visual setting may include use,siting, bulk, form, scale, character, colour,texture and materials.

Other relationships, such as historicalconnections, may contribute to interpretation,appreciation, enjoyment or experience of theplace.

Article 9. Location9.1 The physical location of a place is part of its culturalsignificance. A building, work or other component of a place shouldremain in its historical location. Relocation is generallyunacceptable unless this is the sole practical means of ensuring itssurvival.9.2 Some buildings, works or other components of places weredesigned to be readily removable or already have a history ofrelocation. Provided such buildings, works or other components donot have significant links with their present location, removal maybe appropriate.9.3 If any building, work or other component is moved, it shouldbe moved to an appropriate location and given an appropriate use.Such action should not be to the detriment of any place of culturalsignificance.Article 10. ContentsContents, fixtures and objects which contribute to the culturalsignificance of a place should be retained at that place. Theirremoval is unacceptable unless it is: the sole means of ensuring theirsecurity and preservation; on a temporary basis for treatment orexhibition; for cultural reasons; for health and safety; or to protectthe place. Such contents, fixtures and objects should be returnedwhere circumstances permit and it is culturally appropriate.Article 11. Related places and objectsThe contribution which related places and related objects make tothe cultural significance of the place should be retained.Article 12. ParticipationConservation, interpretation and management of a place shouldprovide for the participation of people for whom the place hasspecial associations and meanings, or who have social, spiritual orother cultural responsibilities for the place.Article 13. Co-existence of cultural valuesCo-existence of cultural values should be recognised, respected andencouraged, especially in cases where they conflict.

For some places, conflicting cultural valuesmay affect policy development andmanagement decisions. In this article, the termcultural values refers to those beliefs which areimportant to a cultural group, including but notlimited to political, religious, spiritual andmoral beliefs. This is broader than valuesassociated with cultural significance.


Conservation ProcessesArticle 14. Conservation processesConservation may, according to circumstance, include the processesof: retention or reintroduction of a use; retention of associations andmeanings; maintenance, preservation, restoration, reconstruction,adaptation and interpretation; and will commonly include acombination of more than one of these.

There may be circumstances where no action isrequired to achieve conservation.

Article 15. Change15.1 Change may be necessary to retain cultural significance, butis undesirable where it reduces cultural significance. The amount ofchange to a place should be guided by the cultural significance ofthe place and its appropriate interpretation.

When change is being considered, a range ofoptions should be explored to seek the optionwhich minimises the reduction of culturalsignificance.

15.2 Changes which reduce cultural significance should bereversible, and be reversed when circumstances permit.

Reversible changes should be consideredtemporary. Non-reversible change should onlybe used as a last resort and should not preventfuture conservation action.

15.3 Demolition of significant fabric of a place is generally notacceptable. However, in some cases minor demolition may beappropriate as part of conservation. Removed significant fabricshould be reinstated when circumstances permit. 15.4 The contributions of all aspects of cultural significance of aplace should be respected. If a place includes fabric, uses,associations or meanings of different periods, or different aspects ofcultural significance, emphasising or interpreting one period oraspect at the expense of another can only be justified when what isleft out, removed or diminished is of slight cultural significance andthat which is emphasised or interpreted is of much greater culturalsignificance.Article 16. MaintenanceMaintenance is fundamental to conservation and should beundertaken where fabric is of cultural significance and itsmaintenance is necessary to retain that cultural significance.Article 17. PreservationPreservation is appropriate where the existing fabric or its conditionconstitutes evidence of cultural significance, or where insufficientevidence is available to allow other conservation processes to becarried out.

Preservation protects fabric without obscuringthe evidence of its construction and use. Theprocess should always be applied:• where the evidence of the fabric is of such

significance that it should not be altered;• where insufficient investigation has been

carried out to permit policy decisions to betaken in accord with Articles 26 to 28.

New work (e.g. stabilisation) may be carriedout in association with preservation when itspurpose is the physical protection of the fabricand when it is consistent with Article 22.

Article 18. Restoration and reconstructionRestoration and reconstruction should reveal culturally significantaspects of the place.Article 19. RestorationRestoration is appropriate only if there is sufficient evidence of anearlier state of the fabric.


Article 20. Reconstruction 20.1 Reconstruction is appropriate only where a place isincomplete through damage or alteration, and only where there issufficient evidence to reproduce an earlier state of the fabric. In rarecases, reconstruction may also be appropriate as part of a use orpractice that retains the cultural significance of the place.

20.2 Reconstruction should be identifiable on close inspection orthrough additional interpretation.

Article 21. Adaptation21.1 Adaptation is acceptable only where the adaptation hasminimal impact on the cultural significance of the place.

Adaptation may involve the introduction ofnew services, or a new use, or changes tosafeguard the place.

21.2 Adaptation should involve minimal change to significantfabric, achieved only after considering alternatives.Article 22. New work22.1 New work such as additions to the place may be acceptablewhere it does not distort or obscure the cultural significance of theplace, or detract from its interpretation and appreciation.

New work may be sympathetic if its siting,bulk, form, scale, character, colour, texture andmaterial are similar to the existing fabric, butimitation should be avoided.

22.2 New work should be readily identifiable as such.Article 23. Conserving useContinuing, modifying or reinstating a significant use may beappropriate and preferred forms of conservation.

These may require changes to significantfabric but they should be minimised. In somecases, continuing a significant use or practicemay involve substantial new work.

Article 24. Retaining associations and meanings24.1 Significant associations between people and a place should berespected, retained and not obscured. Opportunities for theinterpretation, commemoration and celebration of these associationsshould be investigated and implemented.

For many places associations will be linked touse.

24.2 Significant meanings, including spiritual values, of a placeshould be respected. Opportunities for the continuation or revival ofthese meanings should be investigated and implemented.Article 25. InterpretationThe cultural significance of many places is not readily apparent, andshould be explained by interpretation. Interpretation shouldenhance understanding and enjoyment, and be culturally appropriate.

Conservation PracticeArticle 26. Applying the Burra Charter process26.1 Work on a place should be preceded by studies to understandthe place which should include analysis of physical, documentary,oral and other evidence, drawing on appropriate knowledge, skillsand disciplines.

The results of studies should be up to date,regularly reviewed and revised as necessary.

26.2 Written statements of cultural significance and policy for theplace should be prepared, justified and accompanied by supportingevidence. The statements of significance and policy should beincorporated into a management plan for the place.

Statements of significance and policy shouldbe kept up to date by regular review andrevision as necessary. The management planmay deal with other matters related to themanagement of the place.

26.3 Groups and individuals with associations with a place as wellas those involved in its management should be provided withopportunities to contribute to and participate in understanding thecultural significance of the place. Where appropriate they shouldalso have opportunities to participate in its conservation andmanagement.


Article 27. Managing change27.1 The impact of proposed changes on the cultural significanceof a place should be analysed with reference to the statement ofsignificance and the policy for managing the place. It may benecessary to modify proposed changes following analysis to betterretain cultural significance.27.2 Existing fabric, use, associations and meanings should beadequately recorded before any changes are made to the place.Article 28. Disturbance of fabric28.1 Disturbance of significant fabric for study, or to obtainevidence, should be minimised. Study of a place by any disturbanceof the fabric, including archaeological excavation, should only beundertaken to provide data essential for decisions on theconservation of the place, or to obtain important evidence about tobe lost or made inaccessible.28.2 Investigation of a place which requires disturbance of thefabric, apart from that necessary to make decisions, may beappropriate provided that it is consistent with the policy for theplace. Such investigation should be based on important researchquestions which have potential to substantially add to knowledge,which cannot be answered in other ways and which minimisesdisturbance of significant fabric.Article 29. Responsibility for decisionsThe organisations and individuals responsible for managementdecisions should be named and specific responsibility taken for eachsuch decision.Article 30. Direction, supervision and implementationCompetent direction and supervision should be maintained at allstages, and any changes should be implemented by people withappropriate knowledge and skills.Article 31. Documenting evidence and decisionsA log of new evidence and additional decisions should be kept.Article 32. Records32.1 The records associated with the conservation of a placeshould be placed in a permanent archive and made publiclyavailable, subject to requirements of security and privacy, and wherethis is culturally appropriate.32.2 Records about the history of a place should be protected andmade publicly available, subject to requirements of security andprivacy, and where this is culturally appropriate.Article 33. Removed fabricSignificant fabric which has been removed from a place includingcontents, fixtures and objects, should be catalogued, and protected inaccordance with its cultural significance.Where possible and culturally appropriate, removed significantfabric including contents, fixtures and objects, should be kept at theplace.Article 34. ResourcesAdequate resources should be provided for conservation. The best conservation often involves the least

work and can be inexpensive.

Words in italics are defined in Article 1.


The Burra Charter ProcessSequence of investigations, decisions and actions

IDENTIFY PLACE AND ASSOCIATIONSSecure the place and make it safe

GATHER AND RECORD INFORMATION ABOUT THE PLACESUFFICIENT TO UNDERSTAND SIGNIFICANCE

Documentary Oral Physical

ASSESS SIGNIFICANCE

PREPARE A STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE

GATHER INFORMATION ABOUT OTHER FACTORSAFFECTING THE FUTURE OF THE PLACE

Owner/manager’s needs and resourcesExternal factors Physical condition

DEVELOP POLICYIdentify options

Consider options and test their impact on significance

PREPARE A STATEMENT OF POLICY

MANAGE PLACE IN ACCORDANCE WITH POLICYDevelop strategies

Implement strategies through a management planRecord place prior to any change

MONITOR AND REVIEW

IDENTIFY OBLIGATIONS ARISING FROM SIGNIFICANCE

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Appendix C

National Heritage List, Commonwealth Heritage List, Victorian Heritage Register and Register of

National Estate–Comparison of Heritage Values Criteria

Appendix C–Defence, Site Maribyrnong–Heritage Values Criteria, July 2007

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Appendix C Heritage Values Criteria

National Heritage List, Commonwealth Heritage List, Victorian Heritage Register and Register of National Estate–Comparison of Heritage Values Criteria

National Heritage Values Criteria Commonwealth Heritage Values Criteria Register of National Estate Criteria Victorian Heritage Register Criteria

Criterion A: HIstoric

the place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place's importance in the course, or pattern, of Australia's natural or cultural history;

Criterion A: HIstoric

(a) the place's importance in the course, or pattern, of Australia's natural or cultural history

Criterion A: Importance in the course, or pattern, of Australia’s natural or cultural history.

A1: Importance in the evolution of Australian flora, fauna, landscapes or climate.

A2: Importance in maintaining existing processes or natural systems at the regional or national scale.

A3: Importance in exhibiting unusual richness or diversity of flora, fauna, landscapes or cultural features.

A4: Importance for association with events, developments or cultural phases which have had a significant role in the human occupation and evolution of the nation, state, region or community.

Criterion A (Historic Significance)

The historical importance, association with or relationship to Victoria's history of the place or object.

Criterion B (Rarity)

the place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place's possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Australia's natural or cultural history;


(b) the place's possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Australia's natural or cultural history

Criterion B: Its possession of uncommon, rare or endangered aspects of Australia's natural or cultural history.

B1: Importance for rare, endangered or uncommon flora, fauna, communities, ecosystems, natural landscapes or phenomena, or as a wilderness.

B2: Importance in demonstrating a distinctive way of life, custom, process, land-use, function or design no longer practised, in danger of being lost, or of exceptional interest.


The importance of a place or object in demonstrating rarity or uniqueness.

Criterion C (Scientific )

the place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place's potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Australia's natural or cultural history;

Criterion C (Scientific )

(c) the place's potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Australia's natural or cultural history;

Criterion C: Its potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Australia’s natural or cultural history.

C1: Importance for information contributing to a wider understanding of Australian natural history, by virtue of its use as a research site, teaching site, type locality, reference or benchmark site.

C2: Importance for information contributing to a wider understanding of the history of human occupation of Australia.

Criterion C (Scientific Significance)

The place or object's potential to educate, illustrate or provide further scientific investigation in relation to Victoria's cultural heritage.

Criterion D (Representativeness)

the place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place's importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of:

(i) a class of Australia's natural or cultural places; or (ii) a class of Australia's natural or cultural environments;

Criterion D (Representativeness)

(d) the place's importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of:

(i) a class of Australia's natural or cultural places; or

(ii) a class of Australia's natural or cultural environments;

Criterion D: Its importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of: (i) a class of Australia’s natural or cultural places; or

(ii) a class of Australia’s natural or cultural environments.

D1: Importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of the range of landscapes, environments or ecosystems, the attributes of which identify them as being characteristic of their class.

D2: Importance in demonstrating the principal characteristics of the range of human activities in the Australian environment (including way of life, philosophy, custom, process, land-use, function, design or technique).

Criterion D (Representative Significance)

The importance of a place or object in exhibiting the principal characteristics or the representative nature of a place or object as part of a class or type of places or objects.

Appendix C–Defence, Site Maribyrnong–Heritage Values Criteria, July 2007

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National Heritage Values Criteria Commonwealth Heritage Values Criteria Register of National Estate Criteria Victorian Heritage Register Criteria

Criterion E (Aesthetic Significance)

the place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place's importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics valued by a community or cultural group;


(e) the place's importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics valued by a community or cultural group;

Criterion E: Its importance in exhibiting particular aesthetic characteristics valued by a community or cultural group.

E1: Importance to a community for aesthetic characteristics held in high esteem or otherwise valued by the community.


The importance of the place or object in exhibiting good design or aesthetic characteristics and/or in exhibiting a richness, diversity or unusual integration of features

Criterion F (Technical)

the place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place's importance in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period;

Criterion F (Technical)

(f) the place's importance in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period;

Criterion F: Its importance in demonstrating a high degree of creative or technical achievement at a particular period.

F1: Importance for its technical, creative, design or artistic excellence, innovation or achievement.

Criterion F (Scientific and Technical Significance)

The importance of the place or object in demonstrating or being associated with scientific or technical innovations or achievements..

Criterion G (Social)

the place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place's strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons;

Criterion G (Social)

(g) the place's strong or special association with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons;

Criterion G: Strong or special associations with a particular community or cultural group for social, cultural or spiritual reasons.

G1: Importance as a place highly valued by a community for reasons of religious, spiritual, symbolic, cultural, educational, or social associations.

Criterion G (Social Associations)

The importance of the place or object in demonstrating social or cultural associations.

Criterion H (Associational)

the place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place's special association with the life or works of a person, or group of persons, of importance in Australia's natural or cultural history;

Criterion H (Associational)

(h) the place's special association with the life or works of a person, or group of persons, of importance in Australia's natural or cultural history;

Criterion H: Special association with the life or works of a person, or group of persons, of importance in Australia’s natural or cultural history.

H1: Importance for close associations with individuals whose activities have been significant within the history of the nation, state or region.

Criterion A (Historic Significance)

The historical importance, association with or relationship to Victoria's history of the place or object.

Criterion I (Indigenous)

the place has outstanding heritage value to the nation because of the place's importance as part of Indigenous tradition.

Criterion I (Indigenous)

(i) the place's importance as part of Indigenous tradition.

No applicable criteria No applicable criteria

Appendix D


Appendix D–Defence Site, Maribyrnong– EPBC Act Compliance Checklist, July 2007

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Appendix D EPBC Act Compliance Checklist


This Management Plan addresses and fulfils the requirements for a Management Plan contained in

the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Regulations 2000.

Regulation 10.03B

Regulation 10.03B of the Regulations states that:

A plan for a Commonwealth Heritage place, made under section 341S of the Act, must address the matters set out in Schedule 7A.

The following table lists the requirements contained in Schedule 7A and the relevant sections of the

Management Plan that address each listed item.

Schedule 7A: Management Plans for Commonwealth Heritage Places

Regulation Reference

Schedule 7A: A management plan must: Report Section

Schedule 7A (a) Establish objectives for the identification, protection,

conservation, presentation and transmission of the

Commonwealth Heritage values of the place;

Section 5.0

Section 6.0

Schedule 7A (b) Provide a management framework that includes reference

to any statutory requirements and agency mechanisms for

the protection of the Commonwealth Heritage values of the

place;

Section 4.0

Schedule 7A (c) Provide a comprehensive description of the place, including

information about its location, physical features, condition,

historical context and current uses;

Section 2.0

Schedule 7A (d) Provide a description of the Commonwealth Heritage

values and any other heritage values of the place;

Section 3.0

Schedule 7A (e) Describe the condition of the Commonwealth Heritage

values of the place;

Section 4.0

Schedule 7A (f) Describe the method used to assess the Commonwealth

Heritage values of the place;

Section 3.0


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Schedule 7A (g) Describe the current management requirements and goals,

including proposals for change and any potential pressures

on the Commonwealth Heritage values of the place;

Section 4.0—6.0

Has policies to manage the Commonwealth Heritage

values of the place, and include in those policies, guidance

in relation to the following:

Section 4.0—6.0

(i) the management and conservation processes to be

used;

Section 5.0

(ii) the access and security arrangements, including access

to the area for indigenous people to maintain cultural

traditions;

Section 6.0

(iii) the stakeholder and community consultation and liaison

arrangements;

Section 6.0

(iv) the policies and protocols to ensure that indigenous

people participate in the management process;

Section 5.0

Section 6.0

(v) the protocols for the management of sensitive

information

Not Applicable

(vi) planning and managing of works, development,

adaptive reuse and property divestment proposals;

Section 5.0

Section 6.0

(vii) how unforeseen discoveries or disturbing heritage

values is to be managed;

Section 4.0—6.0

(viii) how, and under what circumstances, heritage advice

is to be obtained;

Section 6.0

(ix) how the condition of Commonwealth Heritage values is

to be monitored and reported;

Section 5.0

Section 6.0

(x) how the records of intervention and maintenance of a

heritage place’s register are kept;

Section 6.0

(xi) research, training and resources needed to improve

management;

Not Applicable

Schedule 7A (h)

(xii) how heritage values are to be interpreted and Section 6.0


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promoted;

Schedule 7A (i) Include an implementation plan; Section 6.0

Schedule 7A (j) Show how the implementation of policies will be monitored; Section 6.0

Schedule 7A (k) Show how the management plan will be reviewed Section 5.0

Appendix E

Commemorative Guidelines–Remount Hill

Appendix E–Defence Site, Maribyrnong–Heirtage Management Plan, July 2007

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Appendix E Commemorative Guidelines–Remount Hill

The following Commemorative Guidelines have been prepared as part of

the July 2007 Defence Site, Maribyrnong Heritage Management Plan

prepared for the Department of Defence. Historical analysis,

archaeological, landscape and structural investigations and a social

significance assessment of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong, indicate the site

has historical, archaeological and social significance. Remount Hill has

been assessed as having strong associative significance.

These Guidelines are intended to provide a brief for the presentation and

understanding of the history and significance of Remount Hill. They provide

recommendations for the interpretation of significance, using key messages

to expound the main issues and themes.

Background

Remount Hill

Remount Hill is located in the centre of the eastern part of the Defence Site,

Maribyrnong and includes a large plateau and northern slope of the hill.

The hill is a basalt capped hill with steep slopes to the north and west.

Significant, rare specimens of white cypress pines are located on the

northeast boundary of the precinct.

The precinct includes a collection of defence mounds and affords elevated

views to surrounding suburbs and the city. The buildings are mostly small,

single-storey brick buildings and include the historic Fisher Stables.

Archaeological features within the precinct include an Aboriginal silcrete

quarry site on the north slope and footings and paving from the former

Remount Depot, located east of the Fisher Stables. Figure 1 illustrates the

position of the Remount Hill Precinct within the Defence Site, Maribyrnong.

The location of historic and Aboriginal archaeological sites within the

precinct are illustrated in Figure 2.

Historical Periods

The history of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong can be considered in relation

to the following major periods or phases:

Pre-1830s Aboriginal Land

1830s—1840s European arrival and exploration; open pastoral land

Figure 1 Defence Site, Maribyrnong. Remount Hill is within the shaded area within the eastern half of the property

Appendix E–Defence Site, Maribrynong–Heritage Managemenr Plan, July 2007

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1840s—1890s Development as horse stud farm and horse training

property

• Joseph Raleigh and Joseph Johnston

• Fisher Family and George Petty

1890s—1908 Cox brothers racecourse, Thomas Bent and Sir WJ Clarke

1908—1945 Explosives Factory and Remount Depot

1945—2000 Explosives Factory and Related Defence Facilities

Aboriginal Occupation

Archaeological sites have been found along the Maribyrnong River

including microlithic assemblages and silcrete quarries, silcrete being the

dominant raw material for producing microlithic stone tools. Although the

Aboriginal landscape is much altered by subsequent uses of the site, there

is evidence of quarrying of a silcrete outcrop on Remount Hill.

There is an Aboriginal artefact exposure on the northern slope of Remount

Hill and outcrops of silcrete on the lower slope of the hill. Subsurface

testing has established that there is a shallow spread of Aboriginal stone

artefacts at the base of the northern slope of Remount Hill. This area has

been disturbed and an underground drain has been cut through the centre

of the site from north to south. It is possible that soil containing the

artefacts may be derived from eroded soil washed down the slope after land

clearance and removal of original vegetation by the 1850s.

The artefacts recovered clearly indicate quarrying activities by Aboriginal

people. The majority of worked stone comprises artefacts directly from a

worked silcrete outcrop, or large pieces of quarried stone.

The original extent of the artefact exposure cannot now be determined,

since most of Remount Hill to the west of the quarry has been excavated

during construction of different phases of the explosives factory at

Maribyrnong. No evidence of Aboriginal quarry sites was found on the part

of Remount Hill immediately east of the artefact exposure. The remains of

a highly disturbed quarry were found above the flood plain and immediately

northeast of Remount Hill. The latter also occurred on outcropping

sedimentary stone of the Brighton Group. It is possible that there were

several discrete sources of suitable stone outcrops around the base of

Remount Hill utilised by the traditional Woiworung owners.

Figure 2 Historical and Aboriginal archaeological sites on Remount Hill. (Source: TerraCulture)


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European Occupation

The land owned by the Raleigh family after 1847 consisted of the eastern

half of Maribyrnong subdivision and was used for agricultural and pastoral

purposes. Subsequent subdivisions and construction of buildings have

altered the original landscape significantly and unsympathetically. The

location of the original Raleigh Homestead on Remount Hill has been

superimposed over a modern aerial photograph in Figure 3.

The Fisher Brothers, Charles and Hurtle Fisher, George Petty and Thomas

Bent all owned and operated part of the current Defence Site, Maribyrnong,

property as a horse stud from 1863 until c1890. The Fisher Stables, the

row of trees along the property boundary and the remnant grassy land at

the eastern end of the site are the principal remains on site from this period

of use.

The Fishers established what became one of Australia’s most famous horse

stud farms with the purchase of quality English horses such as the famous

stallion ‘Fisherman’ who sired the 1964 Melbourne cup winner ‘Lantern’

(see Figure 4). The two horses were buried within sight of the Fisher home

and in the late nineteenth century the grave of ‘Fisherman’, in particular,

had become a famous site on the Maribyrnong property.

The Fisher Stables building is associated with the Fisher brothers,

prominent Victorians, and encapsulates and symbolises the early history of

the land and its ownership under Raleigh, Petty, the Cox brothers and

others. It also provides a representative example, architecturally and

operationally, of a grand stable of the late nineteenth century.

In 1912, a Remount Depot for the army was established on the eastern side

of Remount Hill, taking over the Fisher Stables building and establishing a

complex of associated facilities. Both establishments were formed in view

of the worsening situation in Europe and, from 1914 to 1918, ammunition

and horses were sent from Maribyrnong to the war front in Europe, the

Middle East and North Africa. Of nearly 170,000 Australian horses sent to

the war, the only horse to return from overseas, Major General Bridge’s

horse 'Sandy', was brought to the Maribyrnong Remount Depot and is

believed to have been buried on the property in 1922.

Figure 3 Historic plan of Raleigh Homestead superimposed over modern aerial photograph and adjusted to match contour lines (Source: TerraCulture).


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Archaeology

Only a small core of land on the top of Remount Hill that contains significant

physical evidence (both built and archaeological) clearly relating to the

Remount Depot. The Fisher Stables is the main surviving structure (see

Figure 5). Evidence of other buildings survives only as footings. The

cleared area to the southeast is a good example of a farm paddock but

could relate to various periods of use.

Archaeological investigations were conducted by TerraCulture Pty Ltd into

the nature and extent of archaeological evidence of the structures

associated with the Raleigh Homestead, Fisher Stud and the Remount

Depot in the vicinity of Remount Hill. Five sites on Remount Hill related to

the Remount Depot and Raleigh Homestead were identified. These sites

have been grouped into three site complexes and are listed on the Victorian

Heritage Inventory as H7822-0341 (The Remount Depot, Stables and

Barracks), H7822-0342 (Stables) and H7822-0343 (The Raleigh

Homestead site and Outbuilding) (see Figure 2).

Remount Hill contains considerable archaeological features associated with

the Raleigh Homestead, Fisher Stud and Remount Depot. These features

are spread along the crest of Remount Hill between the Fisher Stables and

the eastern slope of the hill. The range of structural elements and in situ

artefacts that were exposed show the early European historic use of the

site, across the crest of Remount Hill from the 1850s to the early 1900s.

Some of the structural elements are clearly visible from the surface; others

are buried. There is a historical and spatial continuity between the crest of

Remount Hill and the adjoining area of urban parkland to the east, both of

which contain structural elements associated with the Raleigh Homestead.

Historical and archaeological evidence indicates that Raleigh Homestead

was on the crest and eastern end of Remount Hill.

In October 2003, TerraCulture carried out archaeological investigations in

an attempt to locate the sites of the graves of ‘Fisherman’, ‘Lantern’ and

‘Sandy’ (see Figure 6). Consultation occurred with ‘Friends of Sandy’ and

other community participants. These archaeological investigations, on and

around the crest of Remount Hill and on the eastern slope, have not

revealed evidence of the graves of the three horses that are reputed to be

in the vicinity.

Figure 4 Hurtle Fisher’s famous ‘Fisherman’ (Source: State Library of Victoria, cited in Ford, Lewis, op cit). Fisherman’s grave is thought to be located on Remount Hill.


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Significance

The explosives factory at Maribyrnong is important for its association with

the history and development of horseracing in Victoria and to the Raleigh,

Fisher, Petty and Cox families. This association is particularly focused in

the area of the Remount Depot, which includes the former Fisher Stables,

the foundations of the former Raleigh Homestead and a burial site for

racehorses. The use of the Fisher Stables as a focus of a Remount Depot

and the training of horses for use by the Royal Australian Field Artillery

during the First and Second World Wars provides not only a continuous

association with horse breeding and training but also commemorates the

otherwise little-recorded presence and operation of military remount depots

throughout Australia.

Outcomes

Friends of Sandy – Themes

The ‘Friends of Sandy’ community group have highlighted a number of

issues regarding the interpretation of Remount Hill Depot and its historic

associations, particularly its association with Sandy, the only horse to return

to Australia from World War I.

The proposals outlined by the Friends of Sandy include:

• A need to preserve the heritage listed Fisher Stables for historical and

public use. The stables could house displays and/or a museum for the

Australian Light Horse and/or the racing industries. The stables to be

used as an interactive educational and tourist centre.

• Erection of a permanent monument in the memory of ‘Sandy’, thought

to be buried on the Maribyrnong site, as a memorial to the rest of the

Australian horses that did not return from World War I.

• Preservation of the ‘Bull Ring’, located to the east of the stables, used

for the breaking and training of horses for the Royal Australian Artillery

and Mounted Infantry (the Light Horse) in the First and Second World

Wars.

Figure 5 Fisher Stables. (Source: Helen Lardner Conservation and Design).


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Approach — Principles

Preliminary studies for the overall site have identified a number of key

considerations for the Defence Site, Maribyrnong as a whole. These

include:

• Evidence of Aboriginal use and occupation should be conserved and interpreted;

• The place itself should continue to demonstrate its own history;

• The many associations of the place – with people, processes and events – should be able to be interpreted;

• The landscape and setting of the place, including significant views, distinctive precincts, built form, subdivision and overall visual quality should be maintained; and

• The history and significance of the place should be interpreted to visitors and communicated to the wider community.

The following desired precinct character and key considerations have been

identified for Remount Hill:

• Reinforce the strong sense of history provide for reinterpretation of Indigenous and European occupation;

• Connect buildings and areas of heritage significance in an open space/heritage network;

• Protect areas of archaeological importance and provide interpretative information;

• Retain quarry area as open space and focus for interpretation; and

• Include appropriate recognition of layered European history.

Suggestions for the development and management of the Remount Hill

include:

• Links should be established to connect this key nodal location with other parts of the site;

• Ensure rear fences of the adjacent Riverbank Estate development are screened with new development. Where new development is not permissible due to heritage constraints, screen with dense vegetation;

Figure 6 Defence Site, Maribyrnong. The proposed location for the archaeological investigation for the horses’ graves, Fisher Stables and the Community Centre are all marked in the Remount Hill area of the property.


Godden Mackay Logan

Page vii

• Ensure views to the city are accessible by locating viewing points in public areas such as parks and roads;

• Ensure new built form appropriately responds to the topography and amenity of the site; and

• Retain and reinforce the vegetated edges of the hilltop, which feature prominently in views of the site from surrounding areas.

Messages

Management and interpretation of the precinct should cover the following

messages.

Primary Messages

The place was used by Aboriginal people prior to European settlement in

Australia.

Remount Hill has a multi-layered history of use by a variety of people and

organisations.

Remount Hill Depot is associated with Australia’s participation in the First

and Second World Wars.

The place played a major role in the equine history of Australia.

Subsidiary Messages

Remount Hill contains evidence of long-term Aboriginal quarrying pre-dating

to European settlement of Australia.

Remount Hill, including the former Fisher Stables and the foundations of the

former Raleigh Homestead, is associated with the history and development

of horseracing in Victoria and the Raleigh, Fisher, Petty and Cox families.

The Remount Depot was used for the training of horses for use by the

Royal Australian Field Artillery in the First and Second World Wars.

The use of the Fisher Stables by members of the racing community and its

subsequent use as a Remount Depot during the First and Second World

Wars created a continuous association with horse breeding and training.

The retention, preservation and interpretation of the Remount Depot

remains to commemorate the presence and operation of military remount

depots throughout Australia.

Figure 7 Coarse silcrete artefacts from soil test pit, former quarry site, Remount Hill–Site AAV 7822-1119 (Source: TerraCulture).


Godden Mackay Logan

Page viii

The body of ‘Sandy’, the only horse out of 169,000 ‘walers’ trained for the

Royal Australian Mounted Infantry to return to Australia from World War I, is

thought to be buried on Defence Site, Maribyrnong.

Remount Hill may also contain the burial place of the renowned Australian

racehorses ‘Fisherman’ and ‘Lantern’.

Information to be Provided

In order that the significance and historical associations of Remount Hill are

interpreted, varying modes of presentation of information for the different

elements are recommended.

Landscape and Buildings

The interpretation provided across the landscape of Remount Hill and at the

Fisher Stables site should provide the following information:

• an overview of the history and changing function of the site (using

images and text);

• a map/heritage walk showing the location of culturally significant

remnant structures and providing information on their function and

meaning;

• the physical relationship between the landscape and the precinct

buildings; and

• the many layers of the site’s heritage that are evident.

Memorials

The open spaces of Remount Hill provide an opportunity to commemorate

the multi-layered history of the site. Suggestions for such commemoration

from community groups include:

• ANZACs and Lighthorsemen of the First and Second World Wars;

• Major General William Throsby Bridges, the only Australian soldier

carried home from the battlefields of World War I, as a representative

of those servicemen who perished overseas;

• ‘Sandy’, the only horse to be returned to Australia, as a representative

of the 169,000 Australian walers that did not return;

Figure 8 Hurtle Fisher (Source: La Trobe Collection, State Library of Victoria, cited in Ford and Lewis, op cit).


Godden Mackay Logan

Page ix

• Remount Depot site and its association with Australia’s involvement in

the First and Second World Wars; and

• A memorial to the site’s broader equine heritage, including the above

themes and the horses ‘Lantern’ and ‘Fisherman’.

Indigenous Heritage

There is a substantial opportunity for cultural heritage interpretation which

should occur in consultation with the Wurundjeri Tribe Land Compensation

and Cultural Heritage Council Inc and/or indigenous people and families

with strong associations with the site. Indigenous interpretation concepts

should be developed by or in consultation with indigenous community

representatives.

Design Parameters

Concept

The area should represent the different levels of historical associations held

by the various elements of site.

Use of a museum display or temporary exhibitions to demonstrate the

varying historical elements of the site is consistent with the continued

changing functions of Remount Hill.

One or more strong visual or aural icons should be used.

Form/Scale

New development on or near Remount Hill should provide an appropriate

visual setting for Fisher Stables. New development should be sympathetic

to the layout and form of Remount Hill.

The information provided on the site should demonstrate the boundaries

that existed across space and time on Remount Hill.

Plantings

Species of potential heritage significance found within the site include the

white cypress pine (Callitris glaucophylla). Four specimens of white

cypress pine were located on the hilltop in the eastern part of Remount Hill.

Although it cannot be established whether these trees are remnant

vegetation or plantations, they are mentioned on the Register of the

Figure 9 ‘The Horses Stay Behind’ a tribute in verse from WWI (Source: Gullet, Barrett Australia in Palestine, Angus & Robertson, 1919).


Godden Mackay Logan

Page x

National Estate database in conjunction with the location of several historic

artefacts and require active management. The trees are old and natural

regeneration is not evident, however, the area surrounding the trees is

frequently mown.

Existing trees should be retained where possible. New plantings should be

selected from species known to have been present at the Defence Site,

Maribyrnong.

Access

Public access should be available to Remount Hill. Visitors should be

encouraged to visit and experience the interpretative elements of the site.

Special Events may be arranged to encourage visitors; for example, special

events to commemorate ANZAC day, the annual horses’ birthday, and

other relevant dates.

Media

The Defence Site, Maribyrnong Heritage Management Plan and community

groups all provide examples of media that could be utilised in the

interpretation of Remount Hill, including:

• Signage;

• Plaques;

• Soundscape; and

• Memorials/monuments.

The ‘Friends of Sandy’ have made specific suggestions regarding the type

of monument to be erected as a memorial to ‘Sandy’, the World War I

waler, and the site’s equine heritage:

• a replica of the Light Horse sculpture with a bas-relief sculpture of the

theme ‘Calling Them Home’ on the base;

• a plaque telling the story of ‘Sandy’ and the horses that did not come

home; and

• the establishment of a equine cemetery for the horses buried on site;

specifically Lantern, Fisherman and Sandy.

Figure 10 The Australian Light Horseman became an iconic image of Australia in WWI (Source: Gullet, Barrett Australia in Palestine, Angus and Robertson, 1919).


Godden Mackay Logan

Page xi

Other suggestions and examples of ways of providing interpretation of the

history and social significance of the site include:

• a soundscape incorporating sounds from the equestrian period

(hooves on cobblestones) and oral histories from the munitions period;

• interactive displays using objects from the varied periods and functions

of the sites;

• temporary exhibitions about archaeology, equine or social histories of

the site;

• use of paved area east of Fisher Stables incorporating exposed

archaeology to explain history of the site;

• lookout and/or path with views to the city and potential shelter and

picnic area;

• Raleigh Homestead site; and

• memorial to equine heritage.

These ideas should be considered and incorporated, where appropriate,

within the site design and interpretation.

Figure 11 Lines of Bluestone paving in the vicinity of Fishers Stables, exposed as part of the archaeological testing program in late 2002 (Source: TerraCulture).


Godden Mackay Logan

Page xii

Figure 12 Artist’s impression of Remount Hill. The illustration shows the many layers of the site’s heritage, including the Fisher Stables and a memorial to ‘Sandy’ and the site’s equine heritage. (Prepared by Architectus)

Appendix F

Defence Site, Maribyrnong–Individual Built Elements

Appendix F–Defence Site, Maribyrnong–Individual Built Elements, July 2007

Godden Mackay Logan

Page i

Appendix F Defence Site, Maribyrnong–Individual Built Elements

Significance of Individual Buildings

There are 537 built items tabulated for assessment by the 2004 Integrated Heritage Assessment.

Each has been considered for its intrinsic and associational attributes and assessed according to its

contribution to the significance of the overall site. Table 2 sets out those buildings considered to be of

Exceptional, High and Moderate significance in line with the gradings of significance set out in Table

1. The location and grading of these elements are presented in the site plan in Figure 2.36 according

to the colour code set out in Table 1.

Table 1. Significance Gradings

Grading Justification Status Colour Code

Exceptional Rare or outstanding element directly contributing to an item’s significance.


Red



Orange



Blue



Green



Grey

Table 2. Individual Buildings–Gradings of Significance

Physical Site Number

Precinct (Section) Historic Use Grading

1 General Administrative Offices Exceptional

11 General Administrative Store and Office Exceptional

2 General Administrative Chemical Laboratory Exceptional

229 AMRL Offices/Laboratories Exceptional

2359 Cartridge Bundling Water Tank Exceptional

248 Cartridge Bundling Storage Exceptional


Godden Mackay Logan

Page ii



334 Nitroglycerine and Paste Truck Lift Exceptional

346 General Administrative Mess Training Rooms Exceptional

489 AMRL Project Office Exceptional

65 Propellant Press House Exceptional

0 Whole Site Whole Site High

123 Detonator Fill and Assembling House High

126 Detonator Rumbling House High

145 High Explosive Boil Out High

146 High Explosive Break Down and X-ray High

150 High Explosive Process High

157 High Explosive Assembling House High

17 Nitroglycerine and Paste Nitroglycerine Store High

19 Propellant Cordite Magazine High

22N Propellant Incorporating House High

22S Propellant Incorporating House High

297 Maintenance and Services Boiler House High

342 Detonator Cap Processing House High

389 General Administrative Main Casualty Room High

405 AMRL Change Room Decontamination High

427 AMRL Moderate

459 Nitroglycerine and Paste Fan Room High

460 Nitroglycerine and Paste Fan Room High

461 Nitroglycerine and Paste Drying House V High

497 Cartridge Bundling Magazine High



66 Propellant Incorporator House High

660 General Administrative High


Godden Mackay Logan

Page iii



70 Propellant Magazine High

8 Maintenance and Services Boiler House High

84 General Chemical Solvent Distillery High

85 General Chemical Acetone Retort/Still High

88 Maintenance and Services Carpenter's Shop High

95 Nitroglycerine and Paste Acetone Recovery High

952 Fuze Press House High

969 General Administrative Air Raid Precaution High

102 General Chemical Acetate of Lime Store Moderate

1036 EDE Moderate

104 Detonator Store — Cotton Waste Moderate

1078 EDE Moderate

1082 AMRL Moderate

113 Detonator Wet Fulminate Magazine Moderate

115 Detonator Drying House Moderate



122 Detonator Initiatorisating Composition Magazine

Moderate

125 Detonator Conditioning House Moderate

127 Detonator Box Store Moderate

129 Detonator Magazine Moderate

130 Detonator Soldering and Packing House Moderate

143 High Explosive Experimental Moderate

144 High Explosive Inspection Branch Office Moderate

149 High Explosive Preparation Ammonium Nitrate Moderate

15 Fuze Office/Tea Room Moderate

151 High Explosive Shell Filling House Moderate

155 High Explosive Assembling House Moderate


Godden Mackay Logan

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158 High Explosive Gunpowder Magazine Moderate





163 High Explosive Bond and Issue Store Moderate

165 Maintenance and Services Timber Rack Moderate

166 High Explosive Breaking-Down House Moderate

182 High Explosive Office Moderate

188 High Explosive Office – Army Inspection Branch Moderate

193 High Explosive Substation No. 3 Moderate

196 Maintenance and Services Timber Rack Moderate

198 General Administrative Store Moderate

20 Propellant Reeling and Packing House Moderate

201 Detonator Dust House Moderate

203 High Explosive Conditioning House Moderate


208 Maintenance and Services Substation No. 1 Moderate

209 Fuze Store Moderate

21 Propellant Preparation Plastic Propellant Moderate



226 Fuze Conditioning House Moderate

23 Propellant Paste Magazine Moderate

235 Maintenance and Services Toilet Moderate

24 Propellant Reel Stove House Moderate


Appendix E — Commemorative Guidelines, Remount Hill, July 2007

Godden Mackay Logan

Page xi

Other suggestions and examples of ways of providing interpretation of the

history and social significance of the site include:

• a soundscape incorporating sounds from the equestrian period

(hooves on cobblestones) and oral histories from the munitions period;

• interactive displays using objects from the varied periods and functions

of the sites;

• temporary exhibitions about archaeology, equine or social histories of

the site;

• use of paved area east of Fisher Stables incorporating exposed

archaeology to explain history of the site;

• lookout and/or path with views to the city and potential shelter and

picnic area;

• Raleigh Homestead site; and

• memorial to equine heritage.

These ideas should be considered and incorporated, where appropriate,

within the site design and interpretation.

Figure 11 Lines of Bluestone paving in the vicinity of Fishers Stables, exposed as part of the archaeological testing program in late 2002 (Source: TerraCulture).


Godden Mackay Logan

Page v



25 Propellant Quinan Guncotton Stove Moderate

26 Propellant Guncotton stove Moderate

260 Detonator Processing House Moderate

2685 EDE Moderate

27 Nitroglycerine and Paste Nitrating House Moderate

2715 AMRL Moderate

272 Maintenance and Services Storage Shelter Moderate

3 EDE Moderate

317 Nitroglycerine and Paste Carbonite Grinding Moderate

319 Nitroglycerine and Paste Sheeting House Moderate

320 Nitroglycerine and Paste Maturing Yard House Moderate

321 Nitroglycerine and Paste Fan House Moderate

323 Propellant Weighing House Moderate

325 Propellant Slitting/Cutting House Moderate

326 Propellant Blocking Press House Moderate

329 Propellant Blending House Moderate

335 Nitroglycerine and Paste Process Building Moderate

338 Nitroglycerine and Paste Blending Moderate

34 Fuze Radiograph House Moderate

351 Nitroglycerine and Paste Boot Change Moderate

352 Nitroglycerine and Paste Boot Change Moderate

36 General Administrative Chemical Laboratory Moderate

366 Fuze Conditioning Moderate

367 Fuze Bond Store Moderate

368 Fuze Paper Workshop Moderate

369 Fuze Conditioning Moderate

370 Fuze Filling and Assembling House Moderate

372 Fuze Box Store and Change Room Moderate


Godden Mackay Logan

Page vi



373 Fuze Paper Workshop Moderate

374 Nitroglycerine and Paste Pulp NC Storage Moderate

375 General Administrative Sub Station Moderate

379 Fuze Pressing House Moderate


386 Fuze Plastic Moulding House Moderate


392 High Explosive Box and Shell Store Moderate

398 Nitroglycerine and Paste Office Moderate

40 General Administrative General Store Moderate

400 Propellant Rolling Mill House Moderate

401 Propellant Blocking Press Moderate

402 Propellant Press Moderate

403 Propellant Augmentor and Control Room Moderate

404 General Administrative Heat Test Lab Moderate

408 Fuze Bond and Issue Store Moderate

410 Fuze Expense Store Moderate



413 General Administrative Expense Store Moderate

419 AMRL Moderate

424 AMRL Moderate

425 AMRL Moderate

428 AMRL Moderate

434 AMRL Moderate

435 AMRL Moderate

436 AMRL Moderate

438 AMRL Moderate


Godden Mackay Logan

Page vii



457 Nitroglycerine and Paste Records Office Moderate

485 General Chemical Laundry Moderate

486 EDE Moderate

490 Cartridge Bundling Propellant Store Moderate



494 Cartridge Bundling Magazine Moderate

496 Cartridge Bundling Explosive Store Moderate

500 Cartridge Bundling Developmental Laboratory Moderate

501 Cartridge Bundling Conditioning House Moderate

504 Cartridge Bundling Magazine Moderate

507 Cartridge Bundling Store Moderate

508 Cartridge Bundling Engineers Office Moderate


514 Detonator Office Moderate

515 Detonator Medical Rest Room Moderate

516 Detonator Detonator Drying Stove Moderate

52 Maintenance and Services Maintenance Workshop Moderate

520 Detonator Compositions Mixing House Moderate

521 Detonator Initiatorisating Compositions Moderate

530 High Explosive Medical Examination Room Moderate



533 Nitroglycerine and Paste Magazine Moderate



54 Nitroglycerine and Paste Nitrating House Moderate



Godden Mackay Logan

Page viii



545 Fuze Pump House Moderate

55 Nitroglycerine and Paste Wash Settling House Moderate

550 Propellant Change Room Moderate

554 Maintenance and Services Mixing House Moderate

555 Maintenance and Services Small Mixing House Moderate


557 Propellant Toilet Moderate


56 Nitroglycerine and Paste Wash Plant House Moderate

561 Propellant Plastic Press House Moderate

562 Propellant Propellant Press House Moderate

563 Propellant Rocket Charge House Moderate

564 Propellant Boot Change and Tea Room Moderate

57 Propellant Press and Assembling House Moderate

571 Rocket Propellant Bomb Filling House Moderate

572 Rocket Propellant Magazine l Moderate

573 Rocket Propellant Pre-heating, Extruding and Assembly

Moderate

574 Rocket Propellant Pre-heating, Extruding and Assembly

Moderate

575 Rocket Propellant Magazine Moderate

576 Rocket Propellant Biscuit Casting/Milling House Moderate

579 Rocket Propellant Store Moderate

58 Propellant Crumbling House Moderate

580 Rocket Propellant Magazine Moderate

581 Rocket Propellant Filled Bombs Store Moderate

585 Rocket Propellant Toilet Moderate




Godden Mackay Logan

Page ix



602 Propellant Reeling House Moderate

606 Fuze Drying House Moderate


618 Cartridge Bundling Tool Store Moderate

619 Fuze Tool Store Moderate


626 Propellant Magazine Moderate

63 Propellant Cordite Stove Moderate

633 General Chemical Processing Moderate


64 Propellant Cordite Stove Moderate



655 Cartridge Bundling Moderate


664 Cartridge Bundling Electronics Workshop Moderate


672 EDE Moderate



680 AMRL Propulsion Moderate

681 Cartridge Bundling Outworks Garage Moderate

682 AMRL Receipt and Issue Store Moderate

684 EDE Moderate

688 Detonator Ballistics Laboratory Moderate


696 Cartridge Bundling Tea House Moderate

71 Fuze Bond/lssue Store Moderate


Godden Mackay Logan

Page x



73 Fuze Fuze Filling and Assembling House Moderate

74 Fuze Press and Assembling House Moderate

76 Fuze Magazine Moderate

77 Fuze Gasmask Testing House and Store Moderate

78 Fuze Assembling House Moderate

87 Fuze Electrical Substation Moderate

881 Detonator Toilet Moderate



888 Detonator Fill and Assembling House Moderate

89 Maintenance and Services Toilet Moderate

891 Detonator Explosives Store Moderate


9 Maintenance and Services Power House Moderate

90 Propellant Blending House Moderate

91 General Chemical Maintenance Records Moderate

912 General Administrative Creep Test Laboratory Moderate

92 General Chemical Paint Preparation Moderate


928 Detonator Army inspection House Moderate

942 Cartridge Bundling Boot Change/Tea Room None

953 Fuze Magazine Moderate

958 Nitroglycerine and Paste Truck Maintenance Moderate


972 General Administrative Personnel Office Moderate

977 High Explosives Tea Room Moderate

Appendix G

Draft Heritage Deed (between Department of Defence and Purchaser)

© Blake Dawson Waldron 2007

Heritage Deed

Commonwealth of Australia

[Purchaser]

14 September 2007

Level 39 101 Collins Street

Melbourne Vic 3000 Telephone: (03) 9679 3000

Fax: (03) 9679 3111 Ref: JCJ AMD 03 1356 3191

BLAKE DAWSON WALDRON L A W Y E R S

202891872_2 2.

HERITAGE DEED

DATE

PARTIES

Commonwealth of Australia, c/- David French, Director, Property Disposals, Defence Support Group, Department of Defence, BP3-2-A034, Brindabella Park, CANBERRA ACT 2600 (Vendor)

[Purchaser] (Purchaser)

RECITALS

A. The parties have agreed to enter into a contract of sale of the Property (Contract).

B. Pursuant to the Contract, the Purchaser must provide to the Vendor this document in properly executed form.

OPERATIVE PROVISIONS

1. INTERPRETATION

1.1 Definitions

Heritage Victoria means the person or entity responsible for carrying out the functions of the Executive Director under the Heritage Act 1995 (Vic).

HMP means the Heritage Management Plan, Godden Mackay Logan, July 2007, a copy of which forms Annexure A to this document, as revised and approved by the Minister for Environment and Water Resources from time to time.

Property means the land respectively contained in:

(a) certificate of title volume 4072 folio 275;

(b) certificate of title volume 3911 folio 047; and

(c) certificate of title volume 3911 folio 157,

and otherwise as described in the Contract.

Victorian Heritage Register means the register kept under the Heritage Act 1995 (Vic) or any successor register.

1.2 Rules for interpreting this document

Headings are for convenience only, and do not affect interpretation. The following rules also apply in interpreting this document, except where the context makes it clear that a rule is not intended to apply.

202891872_2

(a) A reference to:

(i) legislation (including subordinate legislation) is to that legislation as amended, re-enacted or replaced, and includes any subordinate legislation issued under it;

(ii) a document or agreement, or a provision of a document or agreement, is to that document, agreement or provision as amended, supplemented, replaced or novated;

(iii) a party to this document or to any other document or agreement includes a permitted substitute or a permitted assign of that party;

(iv) a person includes any type of entity or body of persons, whether or not it is incorporated or has a separate legal identity, and any executor, administrator or successor in law of the person; and

(v) anything (including a right, obligation or concept) includes each part of it.

(b) A singular word includes the plural, and vice versa.

(c) A word which suggests one gender include the other genders.

(d) If a word is defined, another part of speech has a corresponding meaning.

(e) If an example is given of anything (including a right, obligation or concept), such as by saying it includes something else, the example does not limit the scope of that thing.

(f) In the interpretation of this document, no rule of construction applies to the disadvantage of the party preparing the document or any part of it or on the basis that it put forward this document or any part of it.

(g) The word agreement includes an undertaking or other binding arrangement or understanding, whether or not in writing.

1.3 Multiple parties

If a party to this document is made up of more than one person, or a term is used in this document to refer to more than one party:

(a) an obligation of those persons is joint and several;

(b) a right of those persons is held by each of them severally; and

(c) any other reference to that party or term is a reference to each of those persons separately, so that (for example) a representation, warranty or undertaking relates to each of them separately.

202891872_2

2. HERITAGE COVENANT UNDER SECTION 341ZE OF THE ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AND BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION ACT 1999 (CTH)

2.1 Purchaser’s covenant

The Purchaser covenants with the Vendor:

(a) to protect the Commonwealth Heritage values of the Property which are identified in the HMP in a manner which is consistent with principles and policies contained in the HMP, and without limitation, to comply with the Heritage Management Policy included in the HMP;

(b) to implement the HMP and not to take any action which is inconsistent with the HMP;

(c) to seek the further protection of the Commonwealth Heritage values identified in the HMP by:

(i) immediately following Settlement of the Contract (as defined in the Contract), and having regard to the HMP:

(A) nominating the heritage place and/or objects for registration on the Victorian Heritage Register; and

(B) nominating the heritage place and/or objects for inclusion within a heritage overlay under the Maribyrnong Planning Scheme; and

(ii) using its best endeavours to procure:

(A) the expeditious registration of the heritage place and/or objects on the Victorian Heritage Register; and

(B) upon such registration on the Victorian Heritage Register, agreement in writing from Heritage Victoria that Heritage Victoria will have regard to the Heritage Management Policy in maintaining registration of the heritage place and/or objects on the Victorian Heritage Register; and

(d) to ensure that any successors in title to the Purchaser are made aware of and are subject to compliance with the obligations set out in this clause.

2.2 Covenant to cease upon entry of site onto Victorian Heritage Register

Clause 2.1 of this document will cease to have any effect upon:

(a) entry of the heritage place and/or objects onto the Victorian Heritage Register in accordance with clause 2.1(c)(ii)(A), above; and

(b) Heritage Victoria providing the agreement in writing to be procured under clause 2.1(c)(ii)(B) above.

202891872_2

3. AMENDMENT

This document can only be amended, supplemented, replaced or novated by another document signed by the parties.

4. GENERAL

4.1 Governing law

This document is governed by the law in force in Victoria.

4.2 Liability for expenses

Each party must pay its own expenses incurred in negotiating, executing, stamping and registering this document.

4.3 Giving effect to this document

Each party must do anything (including execute any document), and must ensure that its employees and agents do anything (including execute any document), that the other party may reasonably require to give full effect to this document.

4.4 Waiver of rights

A right may only be waived in writing, signed by the party giving the waiver, and:

(a) no other conduct of a party (including a failure to exercise, or delay in exercising, the right) operates as a waiver of the right or otherwise prevents the exercise of the right;

(b) a waiver of a right on one or more occasions does not operate as a waiver of that right if it arises again; and

(c) the exercise of a right does not prevent any further exercise of that right or of any other right.

4.5 Operation of this document

(a) This document contains the entire agreement between the parties about its subject matter. Any previous understanding, agreement, representation or warranty relating to that subject matter is replaced by this document and has no further effect.

(b) Any right that a person may have under this document is in addition to, and does not replace or limit, any other right that the person may have.

(c) Any provision of this document which is unenforceable or partly unenforceable is, where possible, to be severed to the extent necessary to make this document enforceable, unless this would materially change the intended effect of this document.

(d) If the Contract is terminated for any reason, the Vendor may elect to terminate this document by notice in writing to the Purchaser.

202891872_2

4.6 Counterparts

This document may be executed in counterparts.

4.7 Attorneys

Each person who executes this document on behalf of a party under a power of attorney declares that he or she is not aware of any fact or circumstance that might affect his or her authority to do so under that power of attorney.

202891872_2

EXECUTED as a deed.

[Insert execution clauses as appropriate]

202891872_2 8.

ANNEXURE A

HMP

Appendix H

Draft Nomination Form for entry of Defence Site, Maribyrnong to the Victorian Heritage Register

Nomination for Inclusion

of place or object in the Victorian Heritage Register (Pursuant to Section 23 of the Heritage Act 1995)

Please provide the following information to assist us in processing your application. If adequate details are not provided, the application may be returned to the applicant.

1. Place or object proposed for registration Name of place or object (if any: if a tree, name of species, etc.) Defence Site, Maribyrnong

Description Site approximately 127 hectares, located on the Maribyrnong River, Maribyrnong, northwest of Melbourne

Address/location(or distance and direction from nearest town) 150 Cordite Avenue, Maribyrnong. (The site is bounded to

the north, east and west by the Maribyrnong River and to the south by Cordite Avenue and Raleigh Road, which provides road and tram

access to the site, northwest of Melbourne.

Local Government Authority Maribyrnong City Council

Title Details (e.g. volume/folio numbers, crown land/parcel number, parish/county) Part Allotment 4, Section 2A - Certificate of Title

Vol.3911, Folio 157; Allotments 2,3,4,5,6 & Part 7, Certificate of Title Vol.4072 Folio 275; and Certificate of Title Vol.3911 Folio 047

The following information must be provided for archaeological sites

Site Location (Map name 1:100,000) Melway Greater Melbourne Street Directory Edition 21 1991/1991 Maps 27-28

AMG co-ordinates (Scale 1:25,000) Longitude East 144 degrees, 52 minutes 44.98 Latitude South 37 degrees, 45 minutes 46.73

2. Owner/land manager details (if multiple owners, please attach details)

Name Mr David French, Director—Property Disposal Task Force, Defence Corporate Services & Infrastructure Group

Postal address Department of Defence, BP3–2–A034 Postcode 2600 Brindabella Business Park, Canberra ACT

Telephone (Business hours) (02) 626 68017 Facsimile (02) 626 68276

3. Occupier details(if applicable) Name Department of Defence

Postal address ....................................................................................................................................

........................................................................................................... Postcode .......................

Telephone (Business hours) .................................................. Facsimile ..............................................

4. Applicant Details Name Mr David French, Director—Property Disposal Task Force, Defence Corporate Services & Infrastructure Group

Postal address Department of Defence, BP3–2–A034 Postcode 2600 Brindabella Business Park, Canberra ACT

Telephone (Business hours) (02) 626 68017 Facsimile (02) 626 68276

5. Is there any immediate threat to the proposed registered place or object ? (If yes, specify briefly) The Defence Site, Maribyrnong has been identified as surplus to the requirements of the Department of Defence

and is scheduled for disposal from the Commonwealth Government ownership. The disposal of the site would be subject to covenants

protecting the heritage values of the site by requiring compliance with a management framework prepared by the Department of Defence's

Heritage consultants.

6. To your knowledge, is the place or object proposed for sale ? (If yes, please provide estate agent’s or seller’s name and telephone number)

Name Mr David French, Director—Property Disposal Task Force Telephone (02) 626 68017

7. Please provide a rough sketch of the site depicting areas of the place or object you

propose for inclusion in the Register. For example, hatched rooms in a building, hatched buildings in a complex, or hatched land surrounding an

object, building or a tree would depict the areas and land proposed for registration. Provide an approximation

scale with a key of plant/tree species or structures and landmarks. Provided in Attachment 1.

Before filling in point 8 refer to ‘Requirements of a nomination for the Register’ overleaf

8. Details of why the place or object is significant (Refer to the Heritage Council’s

published criteria)

If adequate details are not provided, the application may not be considered. The whole of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong forms part of a larger geological landform unit that is demonstrative of a process of slip development on incised

(specifically ingrown) meanders. An area on the Defence Site, Maribyrnong from the northern mid-slopes of Remount Hill to Cordite Avenue, has been identified

as illustrating this process.

The Defence Site, Maribyrnong has an equestrian association dating from its late nineteenth and early twentieth century use as a horse stud farm, training

property and racecourse. The boundary between Johnston’s and Joseph Raleigh’s land is a persistent landscape element consisting of tree planting and fences

that has existed on the site since subdivision in 1847. In the early twentieth century, a racecourse was established by the prominent racing family, the Cox

brothers, on the western side of what is now known as Remount Hill.

The Fisher Stables, located on Remount Hill, were built around 1888 and are the only remaining structure from the extensive complex of the famous racing

establishment and stud owned by Charles and Hurtle Fisher in the nineteenth century. The stables are an important remaining example of a Victorian-period

stables building. Fisher Stables were associated with the Fishers, a significant family in Melbourne’s racing circles, who ran a thoroughbred horse stud on the

site from the 1860s to the mid-1890s. They are the only above ground evidence of equestrian activity on the Defence Site, Maribyrnong.

The Remount Depot was established on the eastern side of the site and was one of the sites used by the military for breaking in and training horses. The

Remount Depot supplied horses to Australian forces during both World War I and World War II. The Remount Hill area contains some structural and

archaeological remains associated with the Raleigh Homestead and Fisher Stud. The physical remains of the Remount Depot that have potential to provide

additional information about the historical occupation of the Remount Hill site. The site of the Remount Depot contains the unlocated graves of horses significant

to the equestrian history of Australia, including ‘Fisherman’ and ‘Sandy’.

Continued on Attachment 2.

If space is inadequate, please attach further information.

Applicant’s signature ............................................................................. Date / / Assistance

If you require assistance to complete this form, please telephone (03) 9655 6519.

This form should be lodged by post or fax with

Heritage Victoria, Level 22, 80 Collins St., Melbourne 3000 Facsimile (03) 9655 9720

Attachment 1 Section 7 Rough Sketch of site proposed for inclusion on the Register

Defence Site, Maribyrnong — Location plan of site. (Source: TerraCulture Heritage Consultants)

Defence Site, Maribyrnong — Boundary, Tenancy/Occupancy and Landholdings

Attachment 2

Section 8 Details of why the place or object is significant (Refer to the Heritage council’s published criteria)

Summary Statement of Significance for the Defence Site, Maribyrnong

Summarised from Defence Site, Maribyrnong–Heritage Management Plan prepared for the Department of Defence

by Godden Mackay Logan, July 2007.

The whole of the Defence Site, Maribyrnong forms part of a larger geological landform unit that is demonstrative of a

process of slip development on incised (specifically ingrown) meanders. An area on the Defence Site, Maribyrnong

from the northern mid-slopes of Remount Hill to Cordite Avenue, has been identified as illustrating this process.

The Defence Site, Maribyrnong has an equestrian association dating from its late nineteenth and early twentieth

century use as a horse stud farm, training property and racecourse. The boundary between Johnston’s and Joseph

Raleigh’s land is a persistent landscape element consisting of tree planting and fences that has existed on the site

since subdivision in 1847. In the early twentieth century, a racecourse was established by the prominent racing family,

the Cox brothers, on the western side of what is now known as Remount Hill.

The Fisher Stables, located on Remount Hill, were built around 1888 and are the only remaining structure from the

extensive complex of the famous racing establishment and stud owned by Charles and Hurtle Fisher in the nineteenth

century. The stables are an important remaining example of a Victorian-period stables building. Fisher Stables were

associated with the Fishers, a significant family in Melbourne’s racing circles, who ran a thoroughbred horse stud on

the site from the 1860s to the mid-1890s. They are the only above ground evidence of equestrian activity on the


The Remount Depot was established on the eastern side of the site and was one of the sites used by the military for

breaking in and training horses. The Remount Depot supplied horses to Australian forces during both World War I and

World War II. The Remount Hill area contains some structural and archaeological remains associated with the Raleigh

Homestead and Fisher Stud. The physical remains of the Remount Depot that have potential to provide additional

information about the historical occupation of the Remount Hill site. The site of the Remount Depot contains the

unlocated graves of horses significant to the equestrian history of Australia, including ‘Fisherman’ and ‘Sandy’.

The acquisition of the Maribyrnong site by the Commonwealth Government for the establishment of a Cordite factory

demonstrates the importance of Victoria as the headquarters of Australia’s defence forces and the centre of the

emerging chemical industry. The site has associations with Sir Thomas Bent, Premier of Victoria and notable ‘land-

boomer’, whose reportedly dubious land dealings meant that the land was available for the Commonwealth to

purchase.

The cultural landscapes within the Explosives Factory, Maribyrnong are evidence of the spatial relationships between

buildings, structures and landscape elements that demonstrate the principal characteristics of production of propellant,

high explosives and initiators on the site from 1912. The system of protection for the Explosives Factory from possible

enemy air attacks during the Second World War, as evidenced by the Air Raid Precaution (ARP) shelters and

individual Chief Warden’s posts that remain on the site, are representative of protection measures used by vital

industrial sites during the war.

The Defence Site, Maribyrnong is of social significance to the employee communities as a workplace.

In addition to these state-specific heritage values, Defence Site, Maribyrnong also has heritage values relating to its importance to the Commonwealth and Australia.

The Aboriginal sites within the Defence Site, Maribyrnong, provide evidence of a way of life of the Woiworung land

owners prior to and at the time of European settlement and have the potential to contribute to an understanding of past

Aboriginal life ways. The silcrete quarry site on Remount Hill is of High scientific significance, being rare within such a

highly developed urban context.

The Defence Site, Maribyrnong played an important historical role in the establishment of Australia as an independent

nation through the Commonwealth’s emergence of an Australian defence force with an independent source of

munitions from Australia. Maribyrnong was selected as the site for the new Cordite Factory in 1910. The construction

of federal factories, in association with the formation of the Australian Army and Navy during the same period,

demonstrates the early actions of the Commonwealth Government in establishing general self-sufficiency and, more

specifically, defence capability for the nation.

The Explosives Factory, Maribyrnong had an influential effect on the development of explosives and missile

technology and the design and production methods adopted by later government munition factories in Australia.

Developments in the high explosive filling section following the end of World War II saw pioneering design and

manufacture of rocket propellants, the assembly of rocket motors and the manufacture of igniters and other explosive

devices associated with these missiles for use by the Commonwealth government and overseas clients such as the

British Government.

The Explosives Factory, Maribyrnong played a key role in Australia’s involvement in World War II through the

expansion of Australia’s munitions production, in particular explosives, propellants and initiators, allowing Australia to

be self-sufficient at a critical time during the war. Maribyrnong played a significant role as the ‘patent’ factory for

production of explosives, propellants and initiators, as well as housing the Munitions Supply Laboratories whose

achievements lay in the development and maintenance of standards for production work.

The Explosives Factory, Maribyrnong was the first Commonwealth munitions factory built and includes some of the

earliest surviving Commonwealth buildings. It is a rare site as no similar facility was developed until World War II. The

dangerous nature of the production processes in use at the Maribyrnong Explosives Factory is reflected in the

patterning across the landscape where the production process was broken down into individual work places separated

from each other yet forming an overall production line. Patterning of this nature is unique to explosive production.

Most of the buildings of the former Cordite Factory are still standing and illustrate the cordite production process used

in small-arms ammunition manufacture by the Commonwealth Government. There are also considerable extant

remains of both the 1912 ‘dry’ cordite process and the ‘wet’ cordite process that replaced it.

The surviving Cordite Factory buildings and associated remains of the cordite production process have the potential to

provide an understanding of the production process used in small-arms ammunition manufacture by the


The assemblage of buildings and features relating to the Explosives Factory demonstrate and represent the key

periods of operations and production processes and the diversity of cultural features related to Commonwealth

munitions factory use, including buildings and infrastructure.

The spatial arrangement of the sections of the complex and the layout of buildings linked and deliberately separated

by the transport system are representative of Commonwealth munitions sites. Remnants of the transport system,

dating from the factory’s opening, remain, including the initial hand-propelled narrow gauge railway, rails, turntables,

truck lift, cuttings and embankments, in addition to the roads.

As a complex, the Defence Site, Maribyrnong is typical of other comparable early twentieth century Commonwealth

industrial defence sites. Most buildings at Maribyrnong demonstrate design traits characteristic of the Commonwealth

Department of Works in the 1910s—1920s period under the leadership of the Commonwealth architect, JS Murdoch

(1910s—1920s) and later, EH Henderson (1930s). This design theme is carried through into later periods, creating a

high degree of visual homogeneity across the large site.

The establishment of the cordite factory in 1912 was a significant technical achievement for Australia and was followed

by the production of fulminate of mercury for the first time in Australia in 1915. The production of TNT was

commenced in the mid-1920s, giving Australia the capacity to make a full range of explosives, namely high explosives,

propellents and initiators. During the Second World War, the production of wet paste cordite was seen as a significant

technical innovation.

In the immediate post World War II period, the Explosives Factory, Maribyrnong was involved in the development of

rockets, including the Malkara, Britain’s first anti-tank missile. This marked the transition of an industry from reliance

on implementing the patents and techniques developed overseas to developing its own solutions to technical

challenges.

In 1922 the Munitions Supply Laboratory, the forerunner of the Materials Research Laboratory, pioneered the

identification and measurement procedures for manufacturing standards, influencing standards in the chemical

industry and munitions production and for Australian industry generally.

The Defence Site, Maribyrnong has important associations with Arthur Edgar Leighton, the designer and manager of

the Maribyrnong Cordite Factory, who later became Controller General of Munitions Supply and a leader of the

Australian munitions industry. The site is associated with the Australian Light Horse, through the Remount Depot, and

more generally with the Australian military, who utilised Maribyrnong’s products. A particular association with the

Australian military is through ‘Sandy’, the favourite horse of General William Throsby Bridges, founder of the Australian

Imperial Force, who was killed at Anzac Cove and is buried at Duntroon. In 1918, Sandy became the only AIF horse

to be repatriated. He lived the remainder of his life at the Remount Depot, and is believed to be buried on site.

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Defence Explosive Factory Maribyrnong, Cordite Av, Maribyrnong, VIC Photographs: None List: Commonwealth Heritage List Class: Historic Legal Status: Listed place Place ID: 105325 Place File No: 2/12/051/0005 Summary Statement of Significance: The Maribyrnong Explosives Factory, located in a horseshoe bend of the Maribyrnong River, below the basalt plain, is important as the seminal example in Australia of the design and development of a cordite factory, on which all later factories and production methods in Australia were based, including the Salisbury Explosives Factory in South Australia. (Criterion B.2) The Maribyrnong Explosives Factory (EFM) comprising the functional areas, roads, industrial buildings, administration and storage buildings, service and transport systems, blast mounds, open spaces and magazines is important as the site of the first Commonwealth munitions factory, the Cordite Factory, established by the newly formed Commonwealth Government in 1910. The manufacture of cordite and armaments had been high on the agenda for Federation and were national considerations consequent on Australia's isolation. The Lithgow Small Arms Factory began production of short magazine Lee-Enfield .303 rifles in 1912, in parallel with the Commonwealth's Maribyrnong Cordite Factory in Melbourne, which first produced cordite in 1912. These complementary munitions facilities marked the end of the use of black powder propellants by Australian troops, placed Australia on a par with other modern defence forces, ensured the future self-sufficiency of Australia's Armed Forces and demonstrated Australia's technical skills and military capabilities. The Maribyrnong factory supplied much of the cordite (propellant) used in Australian made armaments during World War One and was the seminal example on which later explosives factories were based, including the Salisbury Explosives Factory in South Australia completed in 1940, and which with Maribyrnong played a key role in World War Two, when munitions production reached its peak. Although the quantity of material produced at the Maribyrnong factory was much smaller than that produced at such emergency mass production factories as Albion, it included a much wider range of products. Maribyrnong also served as the parent factory for other armament factories during World War Two and was responsible for experimentation, specifications and standards of manufacture. The level of technological exploration and the standard of Australian developed manufacturing equipment was so high that Australia began exporting to countries such as Britain which had previously supplied much of the necessary equipment and training. The technical standards achieved during the 1920s and 1930s, and which underpinned its later technological role, gave the factory leadership in the chemical engineering industry in Australia during the Inter War years. The factory is an important reminder of the war years, in particular World War Two, when there was an influx of workers into the area to staff the munitions factories. The factory also serves as a reminder of the change in the nature of the workforce during this period when women represented approximately half of the Maribyrnong workforce and then the return to an all

male workforce after the war. The site of the Maribyrnong Explosives Factory is important for its association with the history and development of horse racing in Victoria. This is implicit in the alignment of the main avenue, which reflects the main straight of the former, private Maribyrnong Racecourse, associated with the Cox Brothers 1892-1901, and the area of The Remount, which includes the former Fisher Stables, erected 1888-89 by Charles Brown Fisher, the foundations of the former Raleigh homestead and a burial site for racehorses. The use of the Fisher Stables as focus of a Remount Depot before the First World War, and the erection of barracks accommodation for the Royal Australian Field Artillery, increased the Army's association with the Maribyrnong River. (Criterion A.4).

The Maribyrnong Factory expanded throughout its existence into a densely developed cultural landscape area containing over 500 structures. These structures, including magazines, processing plants and support systems, illustrate much of the development of explosives technology and manufacturing processes and are important for the considerable information they contribute to an understanding of the growth of the armaments industry in Australia under the Commonwealth government. (Criterion C.2).

The Maribyrnong site is important in demonstrating the principal characteristics of explosives factories developed for the production of cordite and cordite based munitions. These characteristics include the separation of functions, including the use of containing blast mounds and the use of single storey, cellular industrial buildings, linked by service and transport sytems designed to maximise safety. (Criterion D.2)

The site of the Raleigh homestead is important for its association with George Petty who, in 1868, purchased the property from Charles Brown Fisher, and ran the property successfully as a thoroughbred horse stud. The Maribyrnong Stud became an important name in Melbourne racing circles. The Fisher Stables, erected 1888-89, are important for their close association with the Fisher family which bought Petty's stud and from 1875 to the mid-1890s ran a successful stud farm for racehorses on Joseph Raleigh's former property, building on the repuation established by George Petty. The site of the cordite factory is associated with the Cox brothers who established a private racecourse, the Maribyrnong Racecourse, in 1892 and which ran until 1901. (Criterion H.1) (Principal Australian Historic Themes:3.13 Developing an Australian manufacturing capacity, 5.2 Organising workers and work places, 7.4 Federating Australia, 7.7 Defending Australia, 8.1 Organising recreation)

The Explosives Factory Site, together with the adjoining former CSIRO land, supports one of the southernmost populations of White Cypress-pine (Callitris glaucophylla), a species that is considered vulnerable in Victoria. The eleven trees, four of them on the Defence site, are estimated at between 130-220 years old and considered to be a valuable naturally occurring remnant that predates European settlement. (Criteria A.1 and B.1)

Indigenous cultural heritage values of national estate significance may exist on this site. As yet these values have not been identified or assessed. Official Values: Criteria Values

A Processes The Maribyrnong Explosives Factory (EFM) comprising the functional areas, roads, industrial buildings, administration and storage buildings, service and transport systems, blast mounds, open spaces and magazines is important as the site of the first Commonwealth munitions factory, the Cordite Factory, established by the newly formed Commonwealth Government in 1910. The manufacture of cordite and armaments had been high on the agenda for Federation and were national considerations consequent on Australia's isolation. The Lithgow Small Arms Factory began production of short magazine Lee-Enfield .303 rifles in 1912, in parallel with the Commonwealth's Maribyrnong Cordite Factory in Melbourne, which first produced cordite in 1912. These complementary munitions facilities marked the end of the use of black powder propellants by Australian troops, placed Australia on a par with other modern defence forces, ensured the future self-sufficiency of Australia's Armed Forces and demonstrated Australia's technical skills and military capabilities.

The Maribyrnong factory supplied much of the cordite (propellant) used in Australian made armaments during World War One and was the seminal example on which later explosives factories were based, including the Salisbury Explosives Factory in South Australia completed in 1940, and which with Maribyrnong played a key role in World War Two, when munitions production reached its peak. Although the quantity of material produced at the Maribyrnong factory was much smaller than that produced at such emergency mass production factories as Albion, it included a much wider range of products. Maribyrnong also served as the parent factory for other armament factories during World War Two and was responsible for experimentation, specifications and standards of manufacture. The level of technological exploration and the standard of Australian developed manufacturing equipment was so high that Australia began exporting to countries such as Britain which had previously supplied much of the necessary equipment and training. The technical standards achieved during the 1920s and 1930s, and which underpinned its later technological role, gave the factory leadership in the chemical engineering industry in Australia during the Inter War years.

The factory is an important reminder of the war years, in particular World War Two, when there was an influx of workers into the area to staff the munitions factories. The factory also serves as a reminder of the change in the nature of the workforce during this period when women represented approximately half of the Maribyrnong workforce and then the return to an all male workforce after the war.

The site of the Maribyrnong Explosives Factory is important for its association with the history and development of horse racing in Victoria. This is implicit in the alignment of the main avenue, which reflects the main straight of the former, private Maribyrnong Racecourse, associated with the Cox Brothers 1892-1901, and the area of The Remount, which includes the former Fisher Stables, erected

1888-89 by Charles Brown Fisher, the foundations of the former Raleigh homestead and a burial site for racehorses. The use of the Fisher Stables as focus of a Remount Depot before the First World War, and the erection of barracks accommodation for the Royal Australian Field Artillery, increased the Army's association with the Maribyrnong River.

Four White Cypress-pine (Callitris glaucophylla) trees located on the Defence site, are estimated at between 130-220 years old and considered to be a valuable naturally occurring remnant that predates European settlement.

Attributes The whole of the complex, including buildings and other structures, site layout and historically influenced alignments, evidence of former site use and adaptations to accommodate changing circumstances. Remnant natural vegetation, including the four White Cypress-pine trees is also important.

B Rarity The Maribyrnong Explosives Factory, located in a horseshoe bend of the Maribyrnong River, below the basalt plain, is important as the seminal example in Australia of the design and development of a cordite factory, on which all later factories and production methods in Australia were based, including the Salisbury Explosives Factory in South Australia.

The Explosives Factory Site, together with the adjoining former CSIRO land, supports one of the southernmost populations of White Cypress-pine (Callitris glaucophylla), a species that is considered vulnerable in Victoria.

Attributes The initial 1910 design layout, plus the four White Cypress-pine trees that predate European settlement.

C Research The Maribyrnong Factory expanded throughout its existence into a densely developed cultural landscape area containing over 500 structures. These structures, including magazines, processing plants and support systems, illustrate much of the development of explosives technology and manufacturing processes and are important for the considerable information they contribute to an understanding of the growth of the armaments industry in Australia under the Commonwealth government.

Attributes The whole complex. D Characteristic values The Maribyrnong site is important in demonstrating the principal

characteristics of explosives factories developed for the production of cordite and cordite based munitions. These characteristics include the separation of functions, including the use of containing blast mounds and the use of single storey, cellular industrial buildings, linked by service and transport sytems designed to maximise safety.

Attributes The separation of functions, the use of containing blast mounds, the use of single storey cellular buildings and the linking transport systems. H Significant people The site of the Raleigh homestead is important for its association with

George Petty who, in 1868, purchased the property from Charles

Brown Fisher, and ran the property successfully as a thoroughbred horse stud. The Maribyrnong Stud became an important name in Melbourne racing circles. The Fisher Stables, erected 1888-89, are important for their close association with the Fisher family which bought Petty's stud and from 1875 to the mid-1890s ran a successful stud farm for racehorses on Joseph Raleigh's former property, building on the repuation established by George Petty. The site of the cordite factory is associated with the Cox brothers who established a private racecourse, the Maribyrnong Racecourse, in 1892 and which ran until 1901.

Attributes The site of the Raleigh homestead, the Fisher Stables, plus evidence of the former Maribyrnong Racecourse.

Description: The site comprises the Explosives Factory Maribyrnong (EFM) and the adjacent Materials Research Laboratory (Explosives Ordnance Division) (MRL)(EOD) and the Engineering Development Establishment ( EDE) and AAFCANS areas. It is bounded on the west, north and north-east by the Horseshoe Bend of the Maribyrnong (formerly Saltwater) River. The rest of the easterly boundary of the site is formed by a former Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) research station. From east to west the southern boundary is formed by part of EDE lying along Cordite Avenue, part of Cordite Avenue itself and the MRL. However, while the division between EFM and MRL is sharply defined in principle there is in practice no real physical separation of their buildings and some buildings belonging to EFM are used by MRL on a permissive occupancy. Land formerly leased to the CSIRO is included in the site area. HISTORY The land on which the EFM stands was put up for sale at an auction of Crown land in 1843. The allotments on the eastern part of the site were bought by Joseph Raleigh, while those on the western side were purchased by James Johnston. Raleigh used his property for agricultural and pastoral purposes and erected a house and stables on the top of what is now known as Remount Hill. In 1862 the South Australian pastoralist Hurtle Fisher acquired Raleigh's property and set about turning it into one of Australia's most famous stud farms for racehorses. Fisher sold most of the farm to his brother Charles Brown Fisher in April 1866 and he in turn sold the property to George W Petty two years later. Petty, who had amassed a fortune as a butcher, ran the property very successfully as a stud for thoroughbred horses such that Maribyrnong Stud became a celebrated name in Melbourne racing circles. In 1875, two years before his death, Petty sold the property whicht was repurchased by Charles Brown Fisher who continued to operate it as a stud for thoroughbred horses. Fisher also purchased the original Johnston holdings on the western side of the current EFM site. In 1888-89 Fisher erected a large new set of brick stables which are still standing (EFM Building No 248). Charles Brown Fisher sold the western portion of property in about 1892 to the three Cox brothers of horseracing fame, Archibald Robert, William Samuel and Albert Cox. The Cox brothers established a private racecourse, the Maribyrnong Racecourse, and held race meetings there until c 1900-01. The track continued to be used for training purposes as late perhaps as 1908, while in 1904 it served as the venue for Victoria's first motor sports meeting. In the mid-1890s Charles Brown Fisher sold his stud farm on the eastern side of the current EFM site to Sir William John Clarke, the largest landowner in Victoria and a breeder of thoroughbred horses. It is highly likely that Clarke continued to use the property as a stud farm for racehorses and he may also

have used it to breed and train horses for his horse artillery battery. The breeding and training of horses on the property were probably continued after Clarke's death in 1897 by his son and heir, Sir Rupert Clarke, who was a leading racehorse owner and breeder in his own right and a member of his father's horse artillery battery. In 1878, the Victorian Colonial Government had built a large gunpowder Magazine known as the Saltwater River Powder Magazine or simply Jack's Magazine (file RR 5477) on a site to the south in Footscray near the river. Though by no means intended at the time, the building of this Magazine laid the foundation for the Footscray/Maribyrnong area to develop as the centre of Australia's armaments industry. A significant impetus towards this development occurred in 1889 when, following a proposal put forward by Victoria at the first meeting of the Federal Council in Hobart three years earlier for the establishment of a Federal ammunition factory for the Australian colonies, the Colonial Ammunition Company (RR 19122) erected a plant next to Jack's Magazine. Apart from its proximity to the magazine, the factory's location was eminently suitable for a variety of other reasons: the widest range of raw materials in Australia was readily available; a good supply of labour existed nearby; the main customer was close at hand in the shape of the Victorian Defence Force, the largest such force in colonial Australia; and, while port facilities for shipping the factory's products to the other colonies were within easy reach, the factory was at the same time sufficiently far inland to render it safe from naval bombardment. The particular development of the current EFM property as a centre of munitions production derives from its selection in the first decade of the twentieth century as the site of the Commonwealth's factory for the manufacture of cordite. Introduced in 1895 as a replacement for gunpowder, cordite was a smokeless, more powerful and more reliable propellant for firing missiles from guns. As early as 1895, the Victorian Government investigated the possibility of building a cordite factory and, the next year, an intercolonial conference of the military commandants of the Australian colonies agreed on the importance of such a factory to the capacity of Australia as a whole to defend itself. From 1901 the new Federal Government struggled with the issues of a munitions supply. For the first few years Australia's sole supplier was the first and only manufacturer, the Colonial Ammunition Company, at Footscray. In 1902 Major General Sir ET Hutton recommended that such a factory should be part of a Central Arsenal. Suggestions had been made in Victoria in 1896 that a change should be made to a rifle using a cordite based propellant. One consequence of this decision was the need to import both cordite and new rifles. In Victoria new.303 rifles were issued to infantry with ammunition made at the Colonial Ammunition Co. Factory. The new Short Magazine Lee-Enfield .303 was adopted in 1903 by the British Government. While the new Federal Government aimed at achieving a greater degree of self-sufficiency for the nation in the area of defence including munitions production, no progress towards the establishment of a cordite factory occurred until 1906 when investigations into cordite explosions in arsenals around the world revealed that the substance deteriorated with age and variable temperature. This finding stirred the Federal Government into action. Melbourne was selected as the site for a factory to produce cordite for small arms ammunition because it was the headquarters of Australia's defence forces and, being the centre of the nation's emerging chemical industry, could supply the necessary raw materials. For the particular location for the factory the Commonwealth settled on the disused Maribyrnong Racecourse and part of the neighbouring stud farm because of their proximity to both the existing ammunition factory at Footscray and to a plentiful supply of labour. In 1908 the Commonwealth resumed the land and commenced construction of the factory complex in 1909. The factory was designed by its newly appointed manager, Arthur Edgar Leighton, who was to become one of the leaders of the Australian munitions industry. Construction of the factory complex, which extended over the period

1909-12, was carried out by a single contractor, Richard Hamilton of Malvern and took place on the site of the former Maribyrnong Racecourse, on the western part of the current EFM site. The completion of the Maribyrnong Cordite Factory in 1912 mirrored the completion of the Small Arms Factory at Lithgow in 1912, designed to produce Lee-Enfield .303 rifles, and ensured, in conjunction with the Colonial Ammunition Company's factory at Footscray, an independent national supply of arms and ammunition. The military development of the eastern part of the current EFM site commenced in 1912. At that time the Army's Director of Artillery put forward a proposal that the Federal Government purchase an additional segment of the former Clarke estate and convert in into a remount depot to be used for breaking in and training horses mainly for the Royal Australian Field Artillery. The Federal Government duly purchased a parcel of land of approximately 30 acres in extent adjoining the cordite factory site and erected timber stables, exercising yards and associated structures for a Remount Depot, on the crown of the hill that became known as The Remount. The original Fisher stables (EFM Building 248) were also incorporated into the remount depot and, in 1916, they were given a completely new roof clad in corrugated iron in place of the original slate. Barracks accommodation was also erected. The use of this section of the EFM site for remount purposes continued until 1945 when a remount unit and an army veterinary hospital were still located there. The outbreak of World War One led to an enormous increase in the demand for cordite and other munitions, while at the same time the supply of chemicals such as glycerine, cellulose and methanol, that Australia imported in order to produce its munitions, dried up. The consequences for Maribyrnong were twofold. Unable by itself to manufacture the basic chemicals that it had formerly imported, Leighton and his Assistant Manager at Maribyrnong, (the chemical engineer Noel Brodribb, who was also to become a leading figure in the Australian munitions industry), persuaded local Australian companies to manufacture these substances and taught them how to go about it. Apart from its importance in maintaining and enhancing Australian munitions production, this stimulatory and educative role also proved a significant factor in helping to develop an industrial chemistry industry in Australia. The second major consequence of the war for Maribyrnong was a vast expansion in the range and quantity of munitions it produced. In 1915 the factory complex began to manufacture initiating explosives such as were used in small quantities in percussion caps to initiate the firing of cartridge ammunition. The first such explosive produced at Maribyrnong was fulminate of mercury. Two years later, in 1917, the complex expanded its production of cordite, moving from manufacturing the substance purely for small arms ammunition into making it for artillery shells as well. A further important development occurred in 1918 when Maribyrnong began to manufacture its own acetone from acetate of lime obtained from molasses produced at a purpose built Commonwealth factory in Queensland. Acetone was a vital ingredient in the manufacture of cordite and one for which Australia had previously been totally reliant on imports for its supplies.

In the years immediately following the end of World War One, production at Maribyrnong declined to a low level. The war years however had demonstrated to the Australian Government the need for self-reliance and readiness in the area of munitions production. This prompted the Government, in August 1921, to set up the Munitions Supply Board (MSB) charged with the responsibilities of erecting laboratories and factories for the production of munitions, maintaining scientific and technical staff and preparing a scheme for the organisation of the whole industry of the nation in time of war. With all government munitions production now placed under the control of the MSB, the Commonwealth devoted some 3,000,000 pounds to capital works at its munitions factories and laboratories in the early

1920s, an amount larger than all the other parts of the British Empire put together. The programme of works naturally extended to the explosives factory complex at Maribyrnong. In the 1920s, capital works were undertaken at the factory to make it capable of producing the many components of modern high explosive artillery shells, including their fuses and trinitrotoluene (TNT) filling. The factory soon began to produce TNT, with its first major customer being the Victorian Government which was engaged in underwater blasting at Port Phillip Heads. Such civilian use of an EFM product was another highly significant feature of the factory complex's work in the 1920s and early 1930s. Commonwealth Government policy allowed EFM to manufacture chemical products for sale in the commercial sphere where there was no source of supply from private enterprise within Australia. The only proviso was that EFM had to withdraw from the market in any particular chemical product when private enterprise commenced manufacturing it. One major effect of this policy was that, as in the war years, the Maribyrnong complex played the leading role in stimulating the Australian chemical engineering industry in the interwar period. Among the products that the EFM manufactured for sale in the 1920s were various acids, twenty-nine varieties ofl lead free paints and enamels, lacquers, varnishes, cements, lutes, glycerine mixtures, soap mixtures, pitch composition and drawing paste. The factory complex also produced pigmented acetate, nitrocellulose, dopes and identification colours for commercial aircraft companies and for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Under Leighton's energetic leadership the complex's range of commercial products was further expanded in the period 1930-33, with manufacture commencing of acetone solvents, collodion (gun cotton), paper cartons (target centres), TNT charges, salt cake and nitrobenzene. Such was the range of chemical processes performed by the Explosives and Factory Filling Group, as the Maribyrnong complex was then known, that it was in fact the centre of the chemical engineering industry in Australia in this era. Its chemical products were the most complex made by any chemical manufacturer in Australia, its technology was the most modern and the technology was kept up to date by a constant flow of technical information from England. A new phase of development opened at the EFM with the Commonwealth Government's announcement in September 1933 of a major rearmament programme for Australia's defence forces. As it turned out this was to be the first of a series of five major rearmament programmes instituted in the period leading up to the outbreak of World War Two, all of them aimed at modernising Australia's defences and making the nation more self-sufficient in this area. Significant impetus was given to these programmes from the latter half of 1935 following an assessment by senior defence officials that war was likely to break out in Europe and East Asia by the end of 1939. The impetus was reflected at Maribyrnong in a doubling of production output at the EFM complex each year from 1936-37 to the 1939-40. As it was, the 1933 announcement had an immediate impact on the Maribyrnong complex when the EFM was detailed to manufacture solventless cordite for big gun ammunition as used by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in its naval guns. Up to this point the RAN had relied completely on Britain for its supplies of solventless cordite. To house the manufacturing process for this substance, new buildings were erected at Maribyrnong and, in late 1935, the first supplies were produced. The successful manufacture of naval cordite was a considerable technical accomplishment for the EFM complex. One of the other notable achievements of the EFM in this period was its part in initiating the production of synthetic ammonia in Australia. Ammonia was essential for the production of nitric acid which was a vital ingredient in the manufacture of explosives and one for which Australia was totally reliant on imports. By the mid-1930s, Leighton, Brodribb and their colleagues at Maribyrnong were determined that this glaring gap in the nation's ability to produce all of its own explosives should be overcome. Against the opposition of Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) in England,

the EFM complex began research into the manufacture of nitrogenous products and established a pilot plant for producing nitric acid by the oxidation of ammonia. This initiative eventually forced ICI in 1939-40 to set up a factory at Deer Park in Victoria to make ammonia and nitric acid. A further noteworthy feature of the development of the EFM complex in the mid- to late-1930s was the provision of additional staff buildings to accommodate a projected major increase in the size of the factory's workforce when war broke out. As it was anticipated that a large number of women would be employed in this eventuality, specific facilities for women were built from about 1935 onward. As anticipated, the outbreak of World War Two led to a massive increase in the demand for explosives and a need for the construction of new factories in Australia to meet the demand. One of the main challenges in expanding the military explosives industry was to provide properly trained technical staff to run the new factories. In the words of D P Mellor's World War Two Australian official history volume, The Role of Science and Industry, 'It was here that the Maribyrnong Explosives Factory played a role for which it had long been planned. It possessed the only body of officers trained in the manufacture of military explosives and experienced in the techniques of filling ammunition. For the first half of the war it was the school to which staff recruited for the new factories were sent for training. Maribyrnong provided the managers for these factories and also the background of practical experience which enabled them to turn out products meeting the stringent requirements of service specifications.' As the largest and longest established explosives factory in Australia, the EFM, now under the management of A A Topp, also played the leading part in the research and development of new munitions and manufacturing processes. Again in Mellor's words, these were '...to a very large extent . . . pioneered, developed and brought into production at Maribyrnong. The range and diversity of manufacture and filling at this factory was unapproached by any other factory in the British Commonwealth, for it made and filled almost every type of ammunition'. The expansion of the war effort led to the construction of other armaments and munitions factories based on the processes developed at EFM Maribyrnong, including the Salisbury Explosives Factory in South Australia completed in 1940.

By early 1941 the EFM had developed and commenced production of another initiator besides fulminate of mercury, uncoated lead azide. Later in the same year, the factory succeeded, after a lengthy research programme, in replacing cotton with paper-wood cellulose from Australian grown pine trees to produce nitrocellulose for propellants. The EFM further succeeded in nitrating this nitrocellulose in such a way as to make it suitable for both land service and naval propellants and it was the first factory in the world to go into regular production of this form of nitrocellulose. Other pioneering work in manufacturing munitions followed. In 1942, the EFM researched and developed a new method of making cordite while a crash research and development programme at the factory enabled it, by early 1943, to produce so called flashless cordite for use by the RAN. This was the first time that this type of cordite had been manufactured in Australia. Not surprisingly, a range of new structures were erected at the EFM complex to accommodate both the production of these new munitions and an enormous expansion in the production of existing munitions. A similar building programme occurred in the ammunition filling section of the factory to cope with the vast increase in work in this area. In May 1940 the Department of Supply, under which the EFM then operated, gained approval and funding for an expansion of this part of the complex. A new area for the filling of naval mines and depth charges was consequently built on the flats within the northern loop of the river and even the high ground of Remount Hill, though not overly convenient for handling explosives, was utilised for process buildings and magazines. Apart

from mines and depth charges, the work of filling numerous other types of ammunition with explosives was carried out at Maribyrnong during the war. The peak of munitions production at Maribyrnong occurred in 1942 when the complex employed over 8,000 workers. One of the most notable features of the World War Two workforce was the high proportion of female employees it contained. Prior to the outbreak of the war the factory had always been staffed wholly and solely by men and this situation had even been maintained throughout World War One. However, as the EFM management had foreseen in the mid-1930s, the production of munitions at the factory could not be achieved under the conditions of a future total war without the labour of women. Thus, women were employed in large numbers at the EFM during the war and, at the time the factory reached its production peak in 1942, women formed 52% of the workforce engaged in production and 45% percent of the workforce overall. Despite the key role played by women in this vital war industry, the factory reverted to an all male workforce at the end of the war. Safety measures instituted at Maribyrnong extended to the built environment. Many of the production, storage and filling buildings are still surrounded by earthen or concrete blast walls which were constructed as a means of containing any accidental explosions that might occur. For transporting materials around the factory all care was taken to reduce friction and prevent the accumulation of electrostatic charges mainly through the establishment of a network of cleanways. These were slightly elevated roads made of concrete and surfaced with wood or asphalt on which ran the factory's special electrically powered rubber tyred transport vehicles. In the laying down of footpaths in the factory complex, a high proportion of gypsum was often added to the concrete in order to minimise the risk of sparks. A number of other structures still surviving on the site owe their existence to a safety issue of a somewhat different kind. As one of Australia's most important centres of munitions productions, the EFM complex was considered a prime target for possible enemy air attacks. A range of Air Raid Protection (ARP) shelters were constructed on the site, including concrete bunker style shelters and shelters for individuals. The latter consist of a concrete pipe sunk vertically into the ground and covered with a concrete slab. Zigzag slit trenches were also dug for members of the workforce to take shelter in, but these have long since been filled in. From its production peak in 1942, the output of the EFM gradually declined as other munitions factories in Australia commenced production. Activity at the factory slackened off further from late 1943 by which time the tide of war had turned decisively against the Japanese and it seemed likely that they would eventually be defeated. In the post war years, the EFM complex continued to make explosives at Maribyrnong for Australia's armed forces, though on a much reduced scale. The factory was also engaged in this period in rendering safe its huge stockpile of unused wartime ammunition. It made something of a return, too, to its pre-war role of manufacturing non-munitions products for the general market. In this period, the EFM played an important role in employing post war immigrants, many of whom lived in the nearby Midway Migrant Hostel. Very little building activity took place at the site during this time and what buildings were erected are typified by the instrumentation building (No 999), a plain structure of red bricks with a shallow pitched roof. In 1960 the role of the factory changed as it became involved in the design and manufacture of plastic explosives, rocket propellants, the assembly of rocket motors and the manufacture of igniters and other explosive devices for rockets. By the 1980s, however, it had become clear that the site could no longer be safely used for the production and filling of modern high explosives. The EFM's functions were progressively relocated to other sites and, in May 1994, the factory closed. The entire Maribyrnong site is exceedingly complex and the built environment reflects the process of organisational and operational change. Buildings from virtually every era, from 1910 to the present, exist side by side. While

some new buildings have been erected and much modification carried out to existing buildings since the peak of production reached during World War Two, there has been an overall reduction in the number of buildings since that time. Some demolitions have occurred as a result of changes in production requirements, but most have been part of an on-going programme of decontamination and demolition leading towards redevelopment of the site.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION The production of explosives required an isolated site with the possibility of separating the various stages of production and storage from each other for safety. The extensive flood plain of the Maribyrnong River offered the possibility of separating industrial functions in the production of cordite. The topography of the site in a loop of the Maribyrnong River was dominated at its southern end by buildings associated with the former Fisher stables and the Raleigh Estate, which occupied a ridge of high ground on the south side of the site. The production of cordite required nitroglycerine production, acid and chemical production, gun cotton production, incorporation of gun cotton and cordite with mineral jelly and acetone, pressing and reeling of cordite, drying and storage of cordite and associated areas accommodating laboratory functions and administration. In 1917 the former Fisher stables, on the high ground, were occupied by the Remount Depot, with the cordite factory approached from the south by an avenue located on the alignment of the former Maribyrnong racecourse straight, which acted as the main site alignment and planning generator. The hill (The Remount) also provided water storage for the cordite production process. The planning evident in 1917 continues to underpin a cultural landscape which comprises a number of functional areas, separated for safety by open space, which illustrate the production of cordite and chemicals and materials used in the manufacture of explosives and propellants and munitions. The former Maribyrnong Explosives factory complex comprised over 500 buildings at peak production. The site includes the following functional areas and features.

1. Administration Section Includes the first buildings, buildings 1 & 2, the Offices and Laboratories, notably different in their design to the production buildings, and Building 346, the mess. This section is closely associated with the main site alignment, which develops as an urban avenue in conjunction with the associated planting, creating an introduction and focus for the site. 2. 2. Propellant Section The initial focus of the factory, established to produce cordite. Includes buildings and structures associated with nitroglycerine production, acid and chemical production, gun cotton production, incorporation of gun cotton and cordite with mineral jelly and acetone, pressing and reeling the cordite and drying and storage of cordite. The original nitroglycerine plant was replaced in 1912; the replacement and a backup duplicate plant remain in place. 3. 3. Detonator Section Well separated from the explosives areas, the section was established for the production of initiators(priming caps) for shells and other explosive devices. 4. 4. High Explosives Filling Section Includes buildings erected for filling mines and depth charges, in addition to explosive artillery shells. 5. 5. MRL (EOD), MRL, EDE, AAFCANS Includes production buildings and storage magazines associated with the production of naval cordite. These areas also include a range of administration and workshop buildings associated with the main entrance to the site from

Cordite Avenue. The Fisher Stables, listed as indicative in the RNE at 2/12/51/2, are associated with the remains of Joseph Raleigh's house and a reported burial site for racehorses on The Remount in the northern part of the MRL(EOD) and EDE areas. This area is purported to include the burial site of General Bridges horse, Sandy. The separation of functional areas required a safe transport system around the site. Initially this was achieved by hand propelled narrow gauge railway, and later by concrete cleanways (roads). Elements of the rail system remain in place, including rails, turntables, cuttings and embankments, in addition to the cleanways. This transport system was complemented by major service systems including steam lines, which are major landscape features with elevated trestling and expansion loops. Earth mound blast walls within the site are functional landscape elements intrinsic to explosives establishments of this type, and which reinforce interpretation of the nature of the industrial processes. As a manufacturing facility, EFM Maribyrnong is characterised by a range of predominantly single storey, industrial cellular buildings, which in their architectural expression changed relatively little after 1912, and which reflect the character of similar buildings at the Lithgow Small Arms Factory. Dominant building characteristics, which create a consistent character, include the use of red-bricks, weatherboards, corrugated iron or asbestos cement cladding and roof coverings, large roofscapes, cellular or self contained building designs, dividing walls expressed externally through the roof and a scale generated by the single story nature of the majority of buildings. Pitched roofs predominate. Flat roofs are uncommon within the complex. Dividing walls, as an expression of the cellular nature of the single storey planning, are an important feature of many buildings. Explosives storage and magazines are characterised by their earth blast mounds, generally on three sides. The provision of safety for personnel during World War Two air raids is evident in the remains of ARP shelters for wardens. Archaeological sites include the Joseph Raleigh's house and the foundations of the Barracks and Stables associated with The Remount. There is limited evidence of planting except in the area of the original Administration building (346), the Mess building, and the area of the Fisher Stables and the remains of Joseph Raleigh's house and driveway. The latter includes Scots Pine, windbreak trees, associated with the Remount Depot. Natural values are described under Condition. The archaeological record of the Upper Maribyrnong River Valley demonstrates Aboriginal occupation since the Pleistocene. Further evidence for Pleistocene occupation is likely to occur on remnants of the older alluvial river terraces on the EFM site. History: Not Available Condition and Integrity: INTEGRITY

White Cypress-pine trees (Callitris glaucophylla) occur on the upper areas of the site as evidence of pre-European vegetation. These are estimated to be 130-220 years old with similar trees occurring on the adjacent former CSIRO land. This species is considered vulnerable in Victoria, the grouping constituting one of the southernmost populations in Australia.

Some demolition has taken place as part of an ongoing program of decontamination and demolition towards a probable disposal of the site. Demolition has also included the removal of much of the asbestos cement roof cladding. A complete list of buildings is attached to the Australian Heritage Commission file. As at September 1997 the following information relating to phases in the development of the site was recorded. This information must be updated as soon as possible.

Most of the buildings dating from the initial period of development are still standing. They include the original 1910 office and laboratories (EFM Buildings Nos 1 and 2) and a range of other important structures that reflect the various aspects of the manufacturing process and the working culture of the factory. Among these other structures are the boilerhouse (EFM Building No 8), air compressor house (No 9), strand burner house (No 18), propellant magazine (No 19), store (No 20), press house (No 21), incorporating house (No 22), paste magazine (No 23), plastic propellant magazine (No 24), nitrating house (No 54), wash water settling house (No 55), wash house (No 56), stores (Nos 59-62) and charge acid house (No 294)

A number of important buildings remain from the complex's period of expansion during World War One, 1914-1918. These include propellant stores (EFM Buildings Nos 63-4), pressing room (No 65), incorporating room (No 66), magazine (No 70), fuse filling and assembly house (No 73), storehouse (No 77), assembling house (No 78), toluene refinery (No 84), acetate of lime building (No 85), propellant blending room (No 90), acetone recovery building (No 95), weighing room (No 101), magazine (No 122), filling, assembly and extraction house (No 123), rumbling house (No 126), store (No 127), packing room (No 128) and magazine (No 129).

Several structures remain to represent the 1930-33 period of the EFM's activities. These structures are the fuse filling and assembly house (EFM Building No 73), solder and packing house (No 130), detonator stove building (No 131), high explosives shell filling building (No 150) and conditioning houses (Nos 224 and 225).

A number of structures dating from the period of the rearmaments programmes of the 1930s are still standing. These include the store (EFM Building No 11), womens' rest room (No 15), high explosive shell filling room (No 151), change rooms (No 295), mess hall (No 346), labyrinth (No 365), casualty room (No 389) and, from the propellant (or cordite) section of the EFM complex, the weighing room (No 323), rolling mill (No 324), slitting and cutting building (No 325), blocking press house (No 326), augmentor control room (No 327) and press house (No 328).

Important EFM structures remaining from the World War Two period are the concrete magazines (EFM Building No 240), processing house (No 342), inspection office (No 394), rolling mill house (No 400), blocking house (No 401), pressing house (No 402), augmentor control room (No 403), detonator stoving building (No 516), conditioning house (No 519), detonator filling house (No 569), heating building (No 647), ARP Chief Warden's Post (unnumbered) and ARP concrete structures (unnumbered next to No 346).

CONDITION Demolition, in the course of contamination remediation, has included the removal of much of the asbestos cement roof cladding. This has potentially placed some structures at risk. (September 1998) Location: About 120ha, at Maribyrnong, including the Explosives Factory Maribyrnong, the adjacent Materials Research Laboratory (Explosives Ordnance Division), the Engineering Development Establishment and the Army and Airforce Canteen Services areas. The site is bounded on the west, north and northeast by the Horseshoe Bend of the Maribyrnong River, in the east by the western and southern boundaries of the former CSIRO research station (but including the sites of Fisher Stables and Raleigh House), the Maribyrnong Community

Centre and the Migrant Hostel, and Cordite Avenue in the south. Bibliography: Ivar Nelsen and Patrick Miller for Australian Construction Services (1990), Heritage Survey: Explosives Factory Maribyrnong, Victoria. Volume 1. Allom Lovell and Associates (July 1994) for the Department of Defence, Defence Estate, Maribyrnong: Heritage Strategy. Allom Lovell & Associates, ADI Maribyrnong Facitity, Volume 1, 1992, for the Australian Defence Industries. Alan Gross, 'Maribyrnong', Victorian Historical Magazine, vol. 22, no. 2, September 1947, 49-66 A.T. Ross, Armed and Ready: The Industrial Development and Defence of Australia 1900-1945, Wahroonga, Turton and Armstrong, 1995 D.P. Mellor, The Role of Science and Industry, Canberra, AWM, 1958 Brendan O'Keefe and Michael Pearson for the Australian Heritage Commission, Federation: A National Survey of Heritage Places (1996) Obituary for G.W. Petty, Australasian, 24 November 1877, p. 661 Sylvia Morrissey, article on Sir William John Clarke, ADB, vol. 3 J.M. Main, article on Charles Brown Fisher, ADB, vol. 4 R.J. Southey, article on Sir Rupert Clarke, ADB, vol. 8 Maribyrnong City Council Heritage Studies. David Parker, Charles Sturt University.

Report Produced: Tue Nov 23 15:03:35 2004

Requirements of a nomination for the Register

Nominations for the Victorian Heritage Register must provide enough information to properly assess the place’s or object’s

significance at State level.

A properly completed application should include those items already ticked. Please tick any other items you are providing with

your application.

For all nominations

æ Precise details of the place’s or object’s location (distance and direction from the nearest town may also be helpful).

� Title details (these can be obtained from the Titles Office or from the Title if you have a copy).

æ Description of place or object (e.g., single-storey brick residence, Avenue of Honour, a ruined homestead).

æ Indication of building(s)/structure(s) or garden work(s) proposed for registration, located on the layout plan and

appropriately hatched.

� Other known heritage listings.

æ Adequate details of ownership to enable Heritage Victoria staff to make contact with the owner or land managers to

commence assessment of the subject proposed for registration.

� Occupier details (if any) to enable Heritage Victoria to gain access for assessments.

æ Details of any threat to the integrity of the place or object.

� Details of a proposed sale of the place or object (if any).

æ A sketch of the place or object on a site plan must be included in the space provided, with hatching to depict the

items/areas proposed for registration.

æ Details of why the place or object should be included in the Heritage Register must be provided and related to the

categories Shown at Question 8.

æ At least three photographs/slides of the subject with a brief description of them on the back or on the mount.

� Comparative analysis of other similar types of places or objects and their existing condition.

� Bibliography or list of other references.

Cemetery, garden and tree nominations

æ A key of the various species and an indication of the layout/landscape/topography of the land.

æ A garden’s/tree’s contribution to the understanding of adjacent building(s)/structure(s) or work(s).

æ Indication on the plan of any hard landscape elements.

æ Scaled plan showing property boundaries (if nearby), the number and size of tree(s) proposed for registration, including

circumference of trunk (at 1.4 metres above ground), canopy spread (note: north-south, east-west in metres) and

height, with the date when measurements were taken.

� Garden designer(s) and date.

� Additional history.

� Original owner(s) and date.

� Subsequent owner(s) and date.

æ Condition of subject(s) proposed for registration

� Alterations made to garden establishment.

� Botanical names.

� Common names.

� Approximate age of tree(s) or date planted.

æ Garden type (e.g., botanic garden, homestead garden, villa garden, etc.).

Archaeological place and object nominations

æ AMG co-ordinates of subject.

æ List of all features of the site indicated on the sketch plan.

æ Condition of each feature of the site (e.g., intact, undisturbed, ruined, disturbed).

defence site, maribyrnong

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