Appendix C - Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment - Peabody Energy

Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment
North Wambo Underground Mine Modification
Kuskie, P. J. 1998. An Archaeological Assessment of the Proposed Wambo Mine Conveyor and Haul Road,
near Warkworth, Hunter Valley, New South Wales.
Kuskie (1998) conducted an archaeological survey for a proposed mine conveyor and haul road. The main
artefact types recorded included cores and core fragments and flakes and flake fragments of rhyolitic tuff and
silcrete (Kuskie 1998).
Kuskie, P. J. 2000. Jerrys Plains coal terminal and rail line: an Aboriginal assessment of several haul road
options at United and Lemington Collieries, Hunter Valley, New South Wales.
Kuskie (2000) conducted an archaeological assessment for proposed haul road routes from United and
Wambo leases to Lemington colliery as part of the proposed Jerry’s Plains Coal Terminal and Rail Line. Six
sites which included five artefact scatters and one isolated find were identified by the survey within United
Colliery’s lease boundary (Kuskie 2000).
White, E. 2003. Aboriginal Heritage Assessment for Resource Strategies Pty Ltd. Wambo Development
Project – (Environmental Impact Statement).
White (2003) conducted an archaeological Aboriginal heritage assessment of the proposed Wambo
Development Project. The existing Wambo open–cut and underground mines are located on the west side
of the Wollombi Brook and south of the Hunter River. This study was part of an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) being prepared by Wambo Coal (White 2003). The study area was relatively large, covering
approximately 60 square kilometres (km 2 ). It was located on the eastern edge of high sandstone country,
adjoining Wollemi National Park. The primary objective of the study was to assess the impact which the
project would have on Aboriginal heritage.
The study identified a total of 292 sites in the project area or in proximity to the proposed rail line. From
historical records, a carved tree site was identified on the eastern edge of the area. While the trees have
been destroyed since the site was recorded in 1918 the site is still of considerable value as a ceremonial
area to the Aboriginal community and additional research by Brayshaw (2003) was carried out to locate the
site more accurately.
Other site types identified in the project area include grinding grooves, a probable scarred tree, two sites with
glass artefacts and two other sites which included historical materials indicating they may have been contact
sites. Two locations have been identified as potential dateable geomorphic contexts, a red sand body on
which two sites were identified and a yellow sand dune east of Wollombi Brook. The remaining sites are
open artefact scatters and isolated finds. One hundred and ten isolated finds were identified along with 69
artefact scatters of only two to four visible artefacts. Only 18 sites had more than 50 artefacts. Based on the
analysis of artefact distribution White identified a total of 20 potential Aboriginal site locations. The analysis
undertaken by White of the artefact assemblages found variation in the distribution of stone raw materials
across the study area, particularly silcrete (White 2003).
In addition to the above described archaeological studies, several other relevant studies were reviewed and
their findings considered as part of this study. These additional studies include: Effenberger (1992), ERM
Mitchell McCotter (1999), Silcox (1998) and Sutton (2002).
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