Appendix C - Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment - Peabody Energy

Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment
North Wambo Underground Mine Modification
approximately 1.5 kilometres long and varies from 250 metres to 460 metres wide. This area was selected
by Envirosciences Pty Ltd for the survey in order to determine whether sites were likely to occur within the
project area, as sites commonly occur along creeks.
Two isolated finds and 17 artefact scatters were found within the survey area along North Wambo Creek. A
possible scarred ironbark tree was observed adjacent to Wollombi Brook, 600 metres east of the survey
area. Three artefact scatters and four isolated finds were found along Stony Creek. Most of the sites were
open sites, consisting of stone artefacts eroding out of Unit A deposits or lying on eroded Unit B clays.
Eroding hearths were seen at two sites and the possible remains of a destroyed hearth at a third site. A
stone structure which was considered to be a possible heat treatment oven was found at another site. An
axe grinding groove site with at least seven grooves and a boulder with two grooves was also identified. The
sites were considered archaeologically significant as they displayed considerable variation in their contents.
Environsciences Pty Ltd recommended that an archaeological test excavation be carried out at Site 1,
adjacent sites #37–5-0030, #37–5-0031, #37–5–0033 and Isolated Find 1 to determine their significance. It
was recommended that if mining were to proceed the route of the North Wambo Creek diversion channel
should be retained in or near its present location to avoid Site 3 and that a management plan be developed
for the area of the Group 2 sites along North Wambo Creek to address erosion of the sites and future land
use. Programmes to monitor subsidence in A298 which are required by the Department of Minerals and
Energy should be designed to incorporate monitoring of Aboriginal sites already known for the area (Rich
1991a).
Rich E. 1991b Investigation of Aboriginal Sites SW3 and SC4 at South Wambo, near Bulga, NSW.
Rich (1991b) undertook test excavations at two sites on Wambo Creek, (known locally as South Wambo
Creek); both sites were located on spurs above creek flats. Artefact densities were recorded to be low to
moderate. Site SW3 was on a colluvial terrace with sediments 70 centimetres (cm) deep and the possibility
of stratified soil was indicated (Rich 1991b).
Rich E. 1991c Aboriginal Sites at Wambo, near Bulga in the Hunter Valley.
Archaeological survey and test excavation were carried out along Wambo Creek (Rich 1991c) (known locally
as South Wambo Creek), Stony Creek and North Wambo Creek. These creeks drain from the Wollemi
escarpment and flow into Wollombi Brook north of Bulga. The investigations were carried out for Wambo
Mining Corporation as part of environmental impact studies for proposed open cut and underground mining.
A total of 29 sites were recorded. Four were found along South Wambo Creek, four along Stony Creek and
21 were located on the banks of North Wambo Creek. The sites varied from small camp sites with a few
artefacts to very extensive camp sites with hundreds of artefacts. Hearths and grinding grooves were also
recorded.
Rich stated that some of the sites along North Wambo Creek were of considerable archaeological
significance as a variety of stone artefacts and a knapping floor were present. The sites along South Wambo
Creek were also considered by Rich to be of archaeological interest as she identified a number of backed
blades and noted a number of differences to the sites found along North Wambo Creek. Rich considered
that the sites along all three creeks had the potential to provide archaeological information on changing
Aboriginal land use through time. Rich stated that the underground mining works were unlikely to harm the
Aboriginal sites along South Wambo Creek and Stony Creek. The 16 sites along North Wambo Creek were
located away from the open cut mining area and these sites included the axe grinding grooves, hearths,
knapping floors, bulga knives, scrapers and other tools which she considered were sites of archaeological
significance and should not be impacted upon by the proposed works (Rich 1991c).
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