Monster Meeting Site

Golden Point Road, Golden Point, Victoria

Heritage Council Registrations Committee

Hearing – Wednesday 17 May, 2017

Decision of the Heritage Council

After considering the Executive Director’s recommendation and submissions received, and after conducting a hearing, pursuant to s 42(1)(a) of the Heritage Act 1995, the Heritage Council has determined that the Monster Meeting Site, Golden Point Road, Golden Point is of cultural heritage significance to the State of Victoria and warrants inclusion in the Victorian Heritage Register.

Heritage Council Registrations Committee:

Lucinda Peterson (Chair)

Megan Goulding

NaticaSchmeder

Decision Date – 6 July2017

APPEARANCES/SUBMISSIONS

Written submissions pursuant to s38(1)(a) of the Heritage Act 1995 were received from the following persons, who also made written submissions pursuant to s41(5) and appeared at the hearing to make verbal submissions:

Mr John Ellis

Mr Glenn Braybrook

Written submissions pursuant to s38(1)(a) of the Heritage Act 1995 were received from the following persons, who did not make further written submissions or appear at the hearing to make verbal submissions:

Mount Alexander Shire

Mr Gerard Oldman

Written submissions pursuant to s41(5) of the Heritage Act 1995 were received from the following persons, who also appeared at the hearing and made verbal submissions:

Mr David Petrusma

The Executive Director, Heritage Victoria (‘the Executive Director’)

Submissions were received from the Executive Director, Heritage Victoria. Ms Nicola Stairmand (Heritage Assessments Officer), Mr David Bannear (Archaeologist) and Dr Marina Larsson (Principal, Heritage Assessments) appeared, made verbal submissions and were available to take questions on behalf of the Executive Director.

Introduction

The Place

  1. On 20 January 2017, the Executive Director made a recommendation (‘the Recommendation’) that land at Golden Point Road, Golden Point, be included in the Victorian Heritage Register (‘the Register’).
  2. The proposed extent of registration set out in the Recommendation is described as the Monster Meeting Site and is located near the township of Chewton, but in fact is within the locality of Golden Point, near the confluence of Forest and Wattle Creeks. The site consists principally of grassed land across a shallow rise, which falls away towards Forest and Wattle Creeks. A large corrugated iron shed, cattle yard, fencing and a Monster Meeting commemorative monument are located within the recommended extent of registration (‘the Place’).
  3. The following ‘History Summary’ of the Place is taken from page 5 of the Recommendation:

‘History Summary

In the first week of July 1851, Victoria separated from New South Wales and became a colony in its own right. In the same week, gold was discovered in the new colony. Attempting to slow the rush of workers to the gold fields, and generate revenue, Governor La Trobe introduced a licence fee of 30 shillings per month for the right to mine for gold, effective from 1 September 1851. Even when enforced, the licence system did little to slow the rush, and by the end of November 1851, diggers were leaving their jobs in cities, towns and on pastoral stations and travelling to the gold fields in their thousands. On 1 December 1851 Governor La Trobe issued a proclamation which proposed to double the licence fee to £3, effective from 1 January 1852. Shortly after, notices appeared along the Forest Creek diggings urging diggers to meet and object to the proposed increase. The Monster Meeting of more than 10,000 diggers, took place on 15 December 1851, at the Shepherd’s Hut, Forest Creek. Two days later the government announced that the licence fee increase had been revoked. The gold licencing system continued to be a point of contention and continued objections led to the Red Ribbon Rebellion in Bendigo in 1853 and ultimately to the Eureka Stockade in Ballarat in 1854.’

  1. The following ‘Description Summary’ is taken from the Recommendation at page 5:

‘Description Summary

The Monster Meeting Site is located on the northern outskirts of the township of Chewton, near the confluence of Forest and Wattle Creeks. It is surrounded by the Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park (VHR H2407), but is not part of the Park. The site itself consists of grassed land across a shallow rise, which falls away towards Forest and Wattle Creeks. A large corrugated iron shed, a cattle yard and fencing are located on the site and a Monster Meeting commemorative monument is located to the south of the shed, on the recommended land.

This site is part of the traditional land of the DjaDja Wurrung.’

  1. The Committee notes that the above ‘Description Summary’ and ‘History Summary’ are part of a proposed Statement of Cultural Heritage Significance in the Recommendation. They are provided for information purposes only. The above material does not form part of any endorsed documentation relating to the Place.

Nomination

  1. A nomination for the Place to be included in the Register made by Mr Ellis was accepted by the Executive Director on 12January2017.

Recommendation of the Executive Director

  1. As described above, on 20 January 2017 the Executive Director recommended that the Place be included in the Register. During the 60-day advertisement period, four (4) submissions pursuant to s38(1)(a) of the Heritage Act 1995 (‘the Act’) were received in response to the Recommendation, three of which supported the inclusion of the Place in the Register and one of which objected to the proposed extent of registration of the Place.
  2. In accordance with s41(5) of the Act, a Heritage Council Registrations Committee (‘the Committee’) was constituted to consider the Recommendation and all submissions received in response to it.
  3. In accordance with s41(5) of the Act, parties were notified that the Heritage Council would be conducting a hearing in relation to whether or not the Place should be included in the Register. The Committee then invited further written submissions and a hearing was scheduled for 17 May 2017 (‘the hearing’).A late submission was made and accepted by the Committee.No parties objected to this ruling.

Site Inspection

  1. On 16 May 2017, the Committee and the Heritage Council Hearings Coordinator made an unaccompanied site inspection of the Place.No submissions were sought, made or received at the time of the site inspection.

Preliminary and Other Matters

Future Use of the Place

  1. Some submissions received referred to the future use of the Place. The Committee appreciates that there is at times interest in and concern about the potential development of places. However, the role of this Committee is to determine the cultural heritage significance of the Place in its current state. It is not the Committee’s task to consider the future development or use of the Place or to consider planning scheme considerations that may be heard in another forum. Any submissions dealing with these matters have not been considered by the Committee in reaching its decision.

Conflicts of Interest

  1. The Chair invited Committee members to declare any interests that they may have in relation to the Place or to the parties to the hearing. Committee members stated that there were no conflicts of interest to declare.

ISSUES

  1. This section is not intended to be a complete record of submissions that were made to the Committee. It is a summary of what the Committee considers to be the key issues, followed by an explanation of the Committee’s decision in relation to each key issue.
  1. Any reference to Criteria or an individual Criterion refers to the ‘Heritage Council Criteria for Assessment of Places of Cultural Heritage Significance’ (as adopted by the Heritage Council on 7 August 2008) [see Attachment 1].
  1. Any reference to the Guidelines refers to the ‘The Victorian Heritage Register Criteria and Threshold Guidelines’ (as adopted by the Heritage Council on 6 December 2012).

Summary of issues

  1. All parties to the hearing were broadly supportive of the Recommendation to include the Monster Meeting Site in the Register but in their submissions parties expressed differing views in relation to the proposed extent of registration of the Place and in relation to some of the information included in the Recommendation.
  1. The Executive Director recommended that the Place be included in the Register on the basis that it satisfies Criterion A at a State level as a Place of significance to the history of Victoria. The Executive Director submitted that the Place is a comparatively intact landscape that has a clear association with the discovery and mining of gold in Victoria, and with the beginnings of democracy in Victoria. In response to the submissions of Mr Braybrook and Mr Petrusma, which disagreed with the proposed extent of registration, the Executive Director submitted that on the basis of all the evidence considered by his office he is confident that the Place includes the location of the Monster Meeting, including the location of the Shepherd’s Hut and the dray on which speakers at the Monster Meeting stood, and includes sufficient land for more than 10,000 diggers to gather.
  1. Mount Alexander Shire and Mr Ellis were broadly supportive of the Recommendation. Mr Ellis proposed further changes to the information proposed to be included in the registration of the Place.
  1. Mr Braybrook objected to the Recommendation and submitted that the recommended extent of registration does not correctly identify or include the site of the Monster Meeting. Mr Petrusma also submitted that the recommended extent of registration does not correctly identify or include the entire site of the Monster Meeting.
  1. Mr Oldman objected to the Recommendation on the basis that the proposed registration of the Place was a ‘waste of community assets’ and that the registration of the Place would cause community disharmony in the local area.

Criterion A – Importance to the course, or pattern of Victoria’s cultural history

  1. The parties broadly agreed that the Place is of significance to Victoria’s cultural history in the terms of Criterion A.

Submissions and evidence

  1. The Executive Director submitted that the Place be included in the Register on the basis that it satisfies Criterion A at a State level as a substantially intact site that has a clear association with the discovery and mining of gold in Victoria, a clear association with the Monster Meeting and with the history of democracy in Victoria, associations which are evident in the physical fabric of the Place and by reference to documentary sources. The Executive Director submitted that the Place allows its clear associations with the State’s cultural heritage to be understood and interpreted better than the sites of other comparable protest meetings across the State.
  1. The other parties to the hearing broadly agreed with the Executive Director that the Monster Meeting was of historical significance to the State of Victoria. Mr Braybrook and Mr Petrusma objected to the Recommendation only on the basis of location and information relating to the Monster Meeting. Mr Ellis suggested some corrections to the proposed registration information relating to the site. Mr Oldman objected to the registration of the Place for reasons that did not relate to its argued historical significance.

Discussion and conclusion

  1. With respect to Criterion A, the Committee agrees with the Recommendation and with the Executive Director’s submission in particular that the Place is of importance to the course of Victoria’s cultural history as the site of the December 1851 Monster Meeting. The Committee is of the view that the relative intactness of the landscape of the Place does allow the association of the Place with the discovery and mining of gold in Victoria, with the Monster Meeting specifically and, by extension, with the beginnings of democracy in Victoria, to be understood better than most other places in Victoria with the same association.
  1. The Committee is of the view that the Monster Meeting Site is historically significant to the State of Victoria as the location of the first organised protest meeting objecting to the gold licensing system in colonial Victoria and the Committee determines that the association of the Place with the Monster Meeting is evidenced by the rich documentary sources considered as part of the hearing.
  1. The Committee notes it did not receive submissions from parties submitting that the Monster Meeting and related events were not of historical significance to the State of Victoria.
  1. Having considered all of the submissions and evidence provided to it, the Committee finds that Criterion A is satisfied at a State level in relation to the Place, and determines therefore that the Place warrants inclusion in the Register.

Criterion C – Potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Victoria’s cultural history

  1. The parties did not make detailed submissions in relation to Criterion C.

Discussion and conclusion

  1. With respect to Criterion C, the Committee notes that some parties did refer generally to the archaeology of elements of the Place and in particular, the location of the Shepherd’s Hut.
  1. The Committee notes that any archaeological material related to the Shepherd’s Hut may be of interest but would not be related to the history of the Monster Meeting or the registration of the Place apart from its existence contemporaneous with the Monster Meeting and its function at that time as a landmark for the meeting site. In this context, the Committee does not consider that Criterion C applies to this site.
  1. The Committee notes that the registration of the Place in relation to Criterion A means that any subsurface works at the Place require a permit in accordance with the Act.

Extent of Registration

Submissions and evidence

  1. The Executive Director recommended that the extent of registration should comprise the whole of the Place and submitted that the basis for the proposed extent of registration is that it includes the probable location of the Shepherd’s Hut, the location of the dray where the speakers stood and sufficient land on which an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 men would have assembled for the Monster Meeting.
  1. In the Recommendation and in written submissions, the Executive Director relied on the comparative study of documentary sources, including a variety of maps and sketches, to support the proposed extent of registration. In submissions the Executive Director also noted his view that the drawings referred to, in particular the 1851 David Tulloch sketch, are not necessarily historically accurate and further noted that, in considering an appropriate extent of registration, allowances had been made for ‘artistic license’. The Executive Director submitted however, that he is of the view that the David Tulloch sketch shows that the dray upon which the speakers stood was located in reasonable proximity to the Shepherd’s Hut,although illustrations could not be relied upon as an exact location to the metre.
  2. At the hearing, Mr Bannear tabled a georeferenced version of the 1853 map which the Executive Director relied on for the Recommendation. The map tabled by Mr Bannear shows the probable location of the Shepherd’s Hut on the 1853 map to be approximately 70 metres east of the confluence of Wattle and Forest Creeks which places the Shepherd’s Hut within the extent of the proposed extent of the registration of the Place. Based on the conclusions drawn above concerning the likely proximity of the Shepherd’s Hut to the dray where the speakers stood, the georeferenced map supports the Executive Director’s conclusion that the location of the speaker’s dray is included in the proposed extent of the registration of the Place.
  1. The Executive Director submitted that he is confident that the Place includes the location of the Monster Meeting, including the location of the Shepherd’s Hut, the dray on which speakers at the Monster Meeting stood, and sufficient land for more than 10,000 diggers to gather.
  1. Mr Ellis supported the registration of the Place based on the recommended extent of registration and submitted that he did not believe the Tulloch sketch should be taken literally to determine the precise extent of land relating to the Monster Meeting encompassing 10,000 to 15,000 attendees.
  1. At the hearing Mr Braybrook submitted that additional land to the east of the proposed extent should be included in the Register and submitted that the proposed extent of registration does not adequately include the location of Monster Meeting site or more specifically,in Mr Braybrook’s view, the drays on which the speakers stood. Mr Braybrook submitted his interpretation of the documentary sources and the topography of the area, which led him to conclude that the drays and the speakers at the Monster Meeting stood further east of the eastern boundary of the proposed extent of registration and that the current course of Golden Point Road runs through the area which would have been the centre of the gathering of people at the Monster Meeting.
  1. Mr Petrusma submitted that the rise on which the drays and the speakers stood at the Monster Meeting was located approximately 40 metres further east of the eastern boundary of the proposed extent of registration. Mr Petrusma submitted that illustrations of the Monster Meeting, including the David Tulloch sketch, show that the dray and the speakers were located towards the top of the nearby Ammans Hill to the east of the current course of Golden Point Road and to the east of the proposed extent of registration.He also considered that a professional surveyor should verify the location based on the 1853 survey plans.

Discussion and conclusion

  1. The Committee agrees with the Executive Director that the location of the confluence of Forest and Wattle Creeks and the location of the Shepherd’s Hut are appropriate reference points in determining the probable location of the Monster Meeting site. The Committee agrees with all parties that the 1853 map is most probably accurate in showing the location of the Shepherd’s Hut as approximately 70 metres east of the confluence of Forest and Wattle Creeks. Having regard to the descriptions in the documentary evidence, the Committee is of the view that the Shepherd’s Hut is the key landmark in determining the location of the site of the December 1851 Monster Meeting.
  1. The Committee notes that the drays were probably located at the Monster Meeting site temporarily and, as movable objects, cannot be relied upon to determine the entire location of the Monster Meeting. In noting the difficulty in determining the location of the drays on 15 December 1851 the Committee also notes the potential for a wide variety of interpretations of the illustrations, including the David Tulloch sketch, and the potential for ‘artistic license’ particularly in the translation of a plein-air sketch to an engraving plate, a stylised depiction of the event and inaccuracies in perspective, foreshortening and geographical identifiers.
  1. The Committee is of the view that the exact location of the dray which speakers at the Monster Meeting stood upon cannot be determined with complete certainty but finds that, by reference to comparative analysis of the documentary resources available, the recommended extent of registration includes the most likely location of the Shepherd’s Hut, the most likely location of the dray which stood nearby and upon which speakers stood, and, on the evidence, enough land to accommodate the approximately 10,000 - 15,000 diggers who gathered on 15 December 1851 for the Monster Meeting. Although it is likely that the area occupied by those attending the meeting may have extended beyond the extent of proposed registration, the Committee is confident that the land of the proposed registration includes the epicentre of the Monster Meeting site and that this is able to be interpreted in the landscape.
  1. The Committee determines to include in the Victorian Heritage Register the extent of registration proposed in the Recommendation (see Attachment 2).

Statement of Cultural Heritage Significance and other registration information