Lotterywest funds for Bayswater/Maylands colonial sites

22/8/03
A number of historic sites along the Bayswater/Maylands foreshore will receive $10,850 in the latest round of Lotterywest grants for cultural heritage and conservation.
The grants are part of a three-year commitment by Lotterywest to increase funding by $500,000 to $1.5million per year, which had allowed the Heritage Council to redirect funding towards an accelerated assessment and registration project.
Government Enterprises Minister Nick Griffiths reaffirmed the Gallop Government's commitment to heritage conservation and said the grant would help identify future use of the historically significant foreshore.
Mr Griffiths said the grant monies would be used to fund the development of a conservation plan for the historic area.
"A conservation plan is recognised as the primary guiding document for the conservation and future use of places of cultural significance," he said.
"Land in the Bayswater and Maylands areas was taken up soon after the initial settlement of Perth but only Tranby House is well recognised from this period.
"It is likely that there were several other farms and dwellings on the foreshore area during the early years of the Swan River colony and that these places may still exist as undisturbed archaeological sites.
"Seven potential archaeological sites have been identified and will form the focus of the conservation plan.
"The Bayswater/Maylands foreshore area has the potential to provide an understanding of early colonial settlement of the area and the broader metropolitan region."
Mr Griffiths said the colonial sites on the foreshore were currently under threat from unintentional destruction through housing developments and public recreation works because they had not been fully identified or managed.
"A conservation plan is vital for the long-term preservation of this heritage area," he said.
"It will guide the management and future research of these rare resources."
Minister's office: 9222 8950