City of Darebin Heritage Study Volume 1 Draft Thematic

DAREBIN HERITAGE STUDY STAGE 2INTRODUCTIONThe Darebin Thematic Environmental History comprises Volume 1 of the Darebin HeritageStudy 2007 (hereafter referred to as the study). This section provides an overview of thepurpose, background and key outcomes of this study. A more detailed explanation of thebackground to the study and its purpose is provided in the Darebin Heritage Study Volume 3:Key Findings & Recommendations. Volume 1of the study has been updated as part of the Stage2 assessment work and will remain as a draft report able to be reviewed and updated until thecompletion of the Heritage Study.PurposeThe Darebin Thematic Environmental History (the study) provides an explanation of the themesand activities that have been important in shaping the present day City of Darebin (the studyarea), which was created in 1994 and comprises the former City of Northcote (north ofHeidelberg Road) and the City of Preston (including small portion of the former city ofHeidelberg and Shire of Diamond Valley). The study area is shown in Figure 1.It is important to understand that a Thematic Environmental History is not intended as acomplete social or political history of the municipality, but rather as a summary of human useand impact upon the landscape in the years since the period of first contact betweenIndigenous peoples and non-Indigenous explorers and settlers during the middle of thenineteenth century (referred to as the ‘post-contact period’). It is not intended to be achronological record and has not been written in this way. Rather, the history is organisedaccording to themes so as to provide a context to assist with the identification of heritage placesthat illustrate the rich natural and cultural history of the study area.These heritage places include buildings and structures, precincts, objects, ruins, trees andlandscapes. The themes are also embodied in the historic or continuing use of places andpeople’s social and spiritual associations with them.The themes used in this environmental history have been adapted from the Australian HistoricThemes (AHT) 1 set down as guidelines by the former Australian Heritage Commission, nowthe Australian Heritage Council, and the Thematic List of Post Contact Aboriginal Places/Sites 2prepared in 1999 for Aboriginal Affairs Victoria (AAV) and the Australian HeritageCommission. The introduction to the themes notes that:The consistent organising principle for the Thematic Framework is activity. By emphasising thehuman activities that produced the places we value, and the human response to Australia’s naturalenvironment, places are related to the processes and stories associated with them, rather than to thetype or function of place.Finally, it is important to understand that the history is not arranged as a hierarchy givingpriority, weighting and privilege to some themes, nor is it simply a checklist. One place mayhave many themes reflecting the integrated, diverse and complex way that places evolve overtime.Each chapter includes:• A brief introduction, which provides an overview and includes a list of the relevant AAV orAHT themes.• An outline of the history of the study area associated with the particular theme.1 A full list of the Australian Historic Themes is provided in Appendix 1.2 A full list of the Thematic List of Post Contact Aboriginal Places/Sites is provided in Appendix 1.2