200-year-old Hunter Valley sheep station added to state heritage list
NSW Heritage Minister Penny Sharpe has added the 200-year-old Hunter Valley sheep station Ravensworth to the state’s heritage list, despite opposition from its owner, coal miner Glencore, and ongoing debate about the indigenous people’s controversial history.
In his statement, Sharpe acknowledged that his decision took “far longer than the statutory period” of two weeks. The Heritage Council has proposed listing in late 2023.
“Sometimes decisions are complex and it is appropriate for ministers to take time to consider the many aspects of an issue and talk to those involved,” he said.
“I note that [Glencore] “They did not support the list and expressed this to me personally.”
Located between Singleton and Muswellbrook in the Upper Hunter, the 450-hectare site is surrounded by open-pit coal mining properties mostly owned by Glencore, including the controversial Glendell mine to the south.
The site, known as the Ravensworth Homestead Complex, was founded by Dr James Bowman and his wife Mary Macarthur Bowman. Her parents, John and Elizabeth Macarthur, had given her a generous dowry of 2000 sheep and 200 head of cattle.
Sharpe said he visited Ravensworth as part of his discussions, met with property owners and local Aboriginal groups and considered the local council’s view.
Laurie Perry, chief executive of the Wonnarua Nation Aboriginal Corporation, who met with the minister when she was informed of the decision, said: “Wow, this took a while.”
“So it’s heritage-listed, which is a good thing,” he said from his office in Singleton.
However, it is debated whether the massacre of 18 natives by an armed group in 1826 took place in the region or in the local area.
Perry, whose great-great uncle Herbie worked for the Bowmans, said he told Sharpe the massacre took place 30 kilometers away.
Scott Franks, leader of Wonnarua’s Plains Clan, said: reporter In 2021, it became “sacred land” for Indigenous people.
Listing with ABC in 2023 would be a big win, Franks said. “Hopefully we can bring some closure to this issue and we can all continue to reconcile the issues that are going on there.”
Newcastle University’s database on colonial massacres He says the incident happened near Ravensworth.
Heritage NSW said Ravensworth could provide rare insights into Aboriginal history and frontier conflict, colonial construction techniques, farming practices and the working lives of convicts in a non-institutional setting.
There was increasing violence “on, near or in connection with the property from 1825 onwards”, beginning with Aboriginal raids, “plunder” of crops and attacks on convict labourers, and the murder of a hut keeper in June 1826. This resulted in the “Ravensworth massacre,” but the exact location was missing.
NSW’s Independent Planning Commission rejected Glencore’s application to continue operating Glendell in 2022, citing indigenous cultural values and heritage impact.
Glencore disputes the sites of massacres of Aboriginal people. He had previously proposed moving the buildings brick by brick. A spokesman for Glencore said the company had no comment at this time.
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Julie Power is senior reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect with: X or email.
