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TRIAL BAY GAOL PAUL DAVIES PTY LTDCONSERVATION MANAGEMENT AND CULTURAL TOURISM PLAN APRIL 2004

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1.0 Introduction1.1 Background

Trial Bay Gaol as a place of recreationTrial Bay Gaol is perhaps the most well-known historic site of the mid-north coast of NSW. Itis a feature of countless tourism websites about the region, and is described andrecommended in many books and information brochures about touring NSW and Australia.As a public works prison it is unique in Australia's history, made even more dramatic andimpressive by its setting amidst spectacular natural beauty on a bare promontory extendinginto the sometimes peaceful waters of Trial Bay. Even before the prison was constructed,Aboriginal people recognised the special qualities of the site and its environs, and it was acentre for communal events and activities that retains its significance for the Dunghuttipeople to this day.The gaol was built to provide the workforce for a grand public work, the construction of abreakwater to create a harbour � a space wherein the navy of Great Britain might anchor ineasily.1 During World War I it became a German internment camp, and the extensivephotographic and oral history archive, as well as the remarkable object collection dating fromthat period of use should be considered one of the richest and most important collections ofits type in NSW.

Holiday-makers have long recognised the attractions of the place: the precinct has anunbroken history of recreational camping, fishing and water sports dating back almost acentury that is an additional dimension in its meaning and importance to the people of NSW.

Trial Bay Gaol as a ruinWhile Trial Bay Gaol only became a ruin in 1922 when it was decommissioned and stripped,part of the site's appeal now lies in the romance of its ruined buildings and its atmosphere of alost era. It attracts visitors not only for its recreational and historic cultural values, but as auniquely Australian example in the grand tradition of ruins that have fascinated people forcenturies. Trial Bay and similar ruined sites such as Port Arthur in Tasmania have been arecreational destination since their first abandonment.Ruins have inspired people for their beauty and for the way they embody the processes oftime and decay as they slowly return to nature. In Australia we judge our ruins by a differenttimescale to the antiquities of Europe, but the relative scarcity of such sites in Australia meansthat they have been quickly absorbed into the national psyche as places that are valued,probably more as ruins than as occupied sites.In the analysis of Trial Bay Gaol and its precinct within Arakoon Conservation Area, and inthe formulation of future action to conserve its heritage values, reference is made to the workof Christopher Woodward whose work In Ruins describes the value of a ruin:

'�A ruin is more than a collection of debris. It is a place with its own individuality,charged with its own emotion and atmosphere and drama, of grandeur, or nobility, orof charm. These qualities must be preserved as carefully as the broken stoneswhich are their physical embodiment' 2

1 Sydney Mail, 27/10/18662 �Bombed Churches as War Memorials� Barbara Jones and Hugh Casson


the character of the locality. The modified and natural landscapes of the area provide arange of distinctive viewpoints and settings from which to look over the site, as well asproviding different scenic outlooks that can be enjoyed and appreciated from variouslocations across the site as well as from the Gaol itself.Trial Bay Gaol and the Arakoon State Conservation Area also have well established socialvalue to a wide range of people. This was demonstrated in the degree of interest in the siteexpressed through the community consultation process as part of the preparation of thisplan, and through attendance at events such as the gaol 100th anniversary of closure in July2003.

The social values are broad and relate to: its Aboriginal associations; its recreational andcamping facilities and use; its scenic and tourism values including the community attachmentto the Gaol as a 'ruin'; its natural attributes and setting and; its historic values.

Vision Statement

The vision for Trial Bay Gaol is to create an experience for visitors that bringstogether the fascinating history of the place and the evocative and romanticruin of the gaol on its once desolate but now pleasantly landscaped headland:

� through insights into the lives of those who lived and worked there� through appreciation of the extraordinary human endeavour that went into

the construction of the gaol and breakwater which ended in such failure� through an understanding of the Aboriginal and natural history of the area� within the context of the strong attachment to ruins set within a sweeping

landscape

Policy

The policies and actions set out in Section 6.0 form the major component of this document. Allthese policies and actions must be understood within the framework of a set of head policiesthat support the Vision for the place. These policies are:

• The core activities at the place will be conservation, interpretation, education andrecreation. These activities will relate to all aspects of the place�s significance.

• The Vision Statement should guide all future works and plans for the site.

• The current uses of interpretation (including gaol access), camping, day visitation andtheir associated activities are an appropriate mix of uses for the site. Each use should bemanaged to provide a high quality experience for those visiting the site for each purpose.

• All uses are to be considered in relation to their impact on the significance of the placeand its component elements. Where a use is predicted to have an adverse impact onsignificance, it should not be undertaken.

• Wherever possible all new uses should be developed to be at least cost neutral or toprovide revenue for the ongoing maintenance, conservation and management of theplace. Only opportunities for revenue generation that are consistent with conservationvalues should be pursued.

• Any future development within the gaol precinct should be related to conservation,education and interpretation of the significant elements of the place, or to provideappropriate quality and levels of amenities for the recreational use of the place.

• Future uses that require new buildings or infrastructure, except for those minor newelements discussed in this plan, will generally not be appropriate uses. The values of siteopenness, historic form, archaeology and landscape must take precedence in consideringany future uses for the place.


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Trial Bay Gaol is now valued by many visitors as a ruin - more for its romantic relationship withthe land and seascape than for its historic background. Its history is however fascinating andprovides the potential to understand important aspects of the nation's development.

Trial Bay Gaol as a place valued by the communityTrial Bay has clear contemporary social value to a range of people for a wide range ofreasons. The community consultations and submissions undertaken and received as part ofthis study identified the broad range of values of the place and concerns over managementpractices and potential changes. Despite some concerns there was broad communitysupport for the gaol and its tourism and recreational activities. These are set out in detail inAppendix E. In summary the key areas raised were:

� recognition and identification of Aboriginal heritage and history� site management related to weed infestation, natural values and edge management

� access to the beach and waterfront for residents without fees� traffic movements and vehicle speeds

� delineation of camping and day use areas and facilities generally� maintenance and general condition of the site

� establishing development limits� Interest in site activities such as cultural events

� improved site interpretation

Trial Bay Gaol site as a State Conservation AreaIn recognition of its value, Trial Bay Gaol and its surrounds were declared a State RecreationArea in 1974, although it had already been designated a Reserve for Public Recreation in1946. Over time additions have been made to the original site, and the complexmanagement history of the place reflects the involvement of a number of governmentdepartments, statutory bodies and local committees. The first formal management body wasthe Trial Bay Gaol Reserve Trust established in 1965, to be followed by the Arakoon StateRecreation Area Trust in 1974. The National Parks and Wildlife Service became jointmanagers of the Recreation Area and Trial Bay in the late 1970s or early 80s. In 1987 theArakoon State Recreation Area Plan of Management was prepared, to be followed in 1991by the addition of Trial Bay Gaol to the Register of the National Estate.Through the National Parks and Wildlife Amendment Act (October 2002), State RecreationAreas were renamed State Conservation Areas. In 2003, the National Parks and WildlifeService was also restructured to become part of the Department of Environment andConservation (DEC). This term will be used where appropriate throughout this document.

1.2 Previous Studies

For the purposes of this Conservation Management and Cultural Tourism Plan (CM+CTP),the most important previous study was the Trial Bay Prison Study prepared by JacksonTeece Chesterman Willis and Partners in association with Dr J S Kerr, which described thesite and its built and archaeological heritage and included a set of policies to guideconservation of many of the elements on the site. This CM+CTP reviews and revises thatmaterial and provides more detailed approaches to the site in line with current NSW HeritageOffice requirements.


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1.3 Scope and Methodology

This plan considers in detail the portion of the State Conservation Area indicated in figure2.1.1, but excludes a detailed consideration of Little Bay and the Overshot Dam (now aduckpond). The gaol has had a much broader impact than just the immediate site. This isaddressed in section 2 where the history of the gaol and its context is explored. Thephysical investigation and analysis is however confined to the area within the site boundaryindicated in figure 2.1.1.The methodology of the preparation of this plan follows that set out in JS Kerr TheConservation Plan. The key elements of the study are:

� Understanding the Place through- description and historical research

- site investigation and analysis- looking at how the site operates

� Setting out the significance of the Place through- a statement of significance

- looking at the significance of the various parts of the Place� Looking to the future by

- providing policies and strategies on the place as a whole as well as the variouselements that make the Place

1.4 Limits of the Plan

In the preparation of this plan a number of existing sources of information and research havebeen used, particularly the J S Kerr study. Other research has been undertaken at local andstate repositories as well as DEC records and archives. Extensive site investigation has alsobeen undertaken of Aboriginal, natural and built heritage elements. However no sitedisturbance or intervention has been carried out in reaching the opinions andrecommendations in the report.Much of the post-contact history of the place has been derived from historical records as littleof the largely ephemeral early buildings has survived under vegetation regrowth and landuse changes. In addition, many of the buildings were deliberately destroyed, either removedfollowing the gaol's decommissioning or burned after the departure of the last group ofinhabitants, the German internees. There is however potential for evidence of these earlierstructures and elements to remain.

In addition, the complex management history referred to in Section 1.1 above has ensuredthat archival and photographic records have not been consistently maintained, hamperingthe research process considerably.

1.5 Authors

This Conservation Management Plan has been prepared by the office of Paul Davies Pty Ltdin conjunction with Austral Archaeology and Bangalay Botanical Surveys:


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Paul Davies Pty LtdPaul Davies Principal Consultant, Conservation Architect

Nick Jackson Historian

Linda Raymond Project Manager, Interpretation Specialist

Austral Archaeology Pty LtdJustin McCarthy Archaeologist

Sharon Lane Archaeologist specialising in Aboriginal archaeology

Bangalay Botanical SurveysClaire DeLacey Ecological and Natural Values Assessment Specialist

Steven Chamberlain Ecological and Natural Values Assessment Specialist

1.6 Acknowledgements

This document has been prepared with the assistance of many people includingrepresentatives of the communities of South West Rocks and Arakoon. They are listed inAppendix F, The community consultations. The following people have also made importantcontributions to the development of this Plan.

DECVic Buchanan RangerColin Campbell Area Manager MacleayGreg Croft Regional Manager Mid North CoastRobyne English Clerical OfficerLela Green Discovery RangerCath Ireland RangerKim Payne Clerical OfficerSusan Phillips Regional Discovery CoordinatorMiriam Stacy Cultural Heritage Division

Indigenous CommunityCheryl BlairGreg Blair Kempsey Aboriginal Land CouncilMary-Lou Buck Chair of Dunghutti Elders CouncilRuth Campbell Dunghutti Elders CouncilAndrew Hoholt Administrator Kempsey LALCDavid Hoskins Dunghutti Elders CouncilZona MoranMaggie MorrisCraig Smith Kempsey Aboriginal Land CouncilStaff at the Aboriginal Heritage Information Management System Office

OthersBillie Crawford and the volunteers Macleay River Historical SocietyGerald Officer Kempsey PhotographicsDr Marlene Norst for assistance with German translationsKylie Winkworth for assistance with Movable Heritage Policy

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