Godden Mackay Logan

UTS proposed to redevelop the former Dairy Farmers site in Ultimo, which was capped with a concrete slab and recently operated as a carpark.  A visual inspection of the site provided no indication as to whether the location could hold sub-surface archaeological deposits. 

GML’s investigations of the development site included consultation with the Metro Local Aboriginal Land Council and investigations of geotechnical and historical documentation of the area.  It was determined that the development site is located on the margins of a wetland with a brook that ran through its centre.  Significantly, it was found that alluvial deposits were present at a depth of 4m.  Similar nearby alluvial soils have been found to contain Aboriginal stone tools; thus UTS’s site was determined to have a level of archaeological potential for similar deposits. 

The importance of the investigation was twofold.  Firstly, it provided the Aboriginal community with the opportunity to further understand and consequentially investigate their heritage.  Secondly, it provided UTS with the ability to meet their statutory obligations and compliance with the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 (NSW). 

Location: Ultimo, Sydney, NSW
Client: UTS
Project Type: Due diligence report to determine whether the site had potential Aboriginal heritage sites, places, objects and/or values.