RHYLL FORESHORE ARCHAEOLOGICAL PRECINCT
BEACH ROAD RHYLL, BASS COAST SHIRE
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Statement of Significance
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RHYLL FORESHORE ARCHAEOLOGICAL PRECINCT - History
From the late 19th century into the early 20th century the jetty and foreshore were
continuously used by fishing boats, trading ketches, ferries, and people involved in cray
fishing. The area was also used for vessel maintenance. With no slipway, oral accounts
recalled that, “boats were pulled out by hand with a block and tackle made fast to a post dug
into the sand. The boats came up on long planks and wooden rollers and were held upright
by guy ropes from the mast to anchors or posts each side. Later wooden cradles with
wooden rollers attached were built.”
The settlement at Rhyll underwent various maritime infrastructure developments. In 1928,
George Dorward built a slipway to the north of the Jetty. It is said he had piles for the
slipway, “lashed together in rafts of 15 and towed to Rhyll with a 40 h.p. fishing boat.”18 The
slipway was built from timber and piled into the seabed (Figure 8) and a jetty, large workshop
and manager’s residence were built on the site. A lack of business due to economic
depression caused the area to be abandoned several years after it was built. The manager’s
residence was moved to a local farm and fisherman Jim and Ted Richardson and Frank
Jansson took over use of the jetty. Local residents recorded that the jetty was removed when
the current boat ramp was built.
RHYLL FORESHORE ARCHAEOLOGICAL PRECINCT - Interpretation of Site
The land includes prograded shoreline and because of its relatively undisturbed nature is likely to contain archaeological deposits associated with a range of maritime activities conducted from the late 1800’s to the mid 1920’s, including: fishing, oyster, farming, boat building and repair, and cargo and ferry operations. The precinct is known to contain the fragmentary remains of the passenger ferry Genista (VHR S1017) and the cargo ferry Ventnor (VHR S690). The precinct also contains artefacts associated with the former Dorwards Slipway and a former mooring dolphin used the the passenger ferry Genista. Currently the land is used as a public recreation reserve and contains car parking for the Rhyll boat ramp, a children’s playground, buildings housing the Rhyll Angling Club, a small vessel slipway and repair and maintenance yard. Although the site is a busy hub for recreational activities, the subsurface deposits, especially on the landward side are likely to be relatively undisturbed. Any archaeological deposits are therefore likely to be intact. The area below the low tide mark is subject to strong tidal flow and, in the area containing the remain of the Genista and it’s mooring dolphin, is known to have been blasted by port authorities in order to maintain navigable water depth. Any remaining archaeological deposits in this area will be framentary at best.
Heritage Inventory Description
RHYLL FORESHORE ARCHAEOLOGICAL PRECINCT - Heritage Inventory Description
The precinct includes crown land extending from Beach Road to between 80 and 100 metres to seaward. It is enclosed by and encompasses the boat ramp pier to the west and the Rhyll pier to the east. The land includes prograded shoreline and because of its relatively undisturbed nature is likely to contain archaeological deposits associated with a range of maritime activities including fishing, oyster, farming, boat building and repair, and cargo and ferry operations. The precinct is known to contain the fragmentary remains of the passenger ferry Genista (VHR S1017) and the cargo ferry Ventnor (VHR S690). The precinct is also known to contain artefacts associated with the former Dorwards Slipway and a former mooring dolphin used the the passenger ferry Genista. Currently the land is used as a public recreation reserve and contains car parking for the Rhyll boat ramp, a children’s playground, buildings housing the Rhyll Angling Club, a small vessel slipway and boat maintenance yard and the Rhyll Pier which is used to accommodate fishing vessels and a passenger ferry.
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