TAS Conservation
Although nowhere near as famous as their Victorian and New South Wales counterparts, Tasmania has a surprising number of historical goldfields, some of which contain examples of dry stone walls.
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Most of the Tasmania’s gold workings are either on the ‘wet and wild’ west coast or the dry north-east of the State. Most drystone structures are confined to fairly simple retaining walls, often to provide support for pack tracks and loading ramps traversing slopes, or to shore up ground next to adits or shafts. Sluicing of the steep gully walls was aided by water gravity-fed via a hand-dug race of several kilometres length. Recent mining impact assessments recommend preserving the best examples of drystone structures.
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On the Register of the National Estate is the biogeographic region of Western Tasmania and this includes the Lake Nameless Hut:
" Lake Nameless Hut – a stone hut located near Lake Nameless on the Central Plateau. The hut is used for shelter by fishermen and bush walkers. The Lake Nameless Hut was built in 1916 by the Deloraine and Districts Improvement Association and paid for by local subscription. It was one of several huts built to serve anglers using the lakes in this region. The Lake Nameless Hut was recently rebuilt at the initiative of local people who donated materials and many hours of hard labour to reconstruct the dry stone walls. The proposal to rebuild the hut was controversial, and was opposed by Parks & Wildlife.
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See here for the full assessment report and here for the NSW Heritage Council’s webpage on the fishtraps.
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In 2000 the Brewarrina Fish Traps were listed on the NSW State Heritage Register (SHR) and in 2006 they were listed on the National Heritage Register (called by their Aboriginal name, ‘Baiame’s Ngunnhu”). See here for guided tours.
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The Kiama Council produced a Development Control Plan 2012 which covers dry stone walls heritage protection – Kiama LGA Chapter 30, Section 4 Dry Stone Walls There are over 360 dry stone walls mapped and assessed for heritage value by the council.
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Proposals to demolish, damage, alter, dismantle or destroy these walls require council consent. The Council may also require a Heritage Impact Statement if it is of the opinion that there is potential for a dry stone wall to be adversely affected by a proposed development. It also has detailed controls around maintenance, conservation and siting of other structures in the vicinity.