Having determined that there would be no new trenches dug, people were put into teams and assigned different trenches. There were also things to do to finalise the dig such as drawing up the stratigraphic layers, doing the paperwork and for the resident film crew to get those final interviews

It was decided by Jon that the ‘sandy’ layer was the main layer to dig in. India began the day by helping Glenys dig a section of the trench that was between the wall and a clay channel which most likely delineated the edge of a sewer pipe channel. Linda took on the trench that had the post hole and was joined by Pam, and later India. April, Noel and Joan took on the uppermost trench (up the hill) in the north-east corner that had been excavated in the first couple of days of the Dig.

India and Glenys	Linda and Pam	April, Joan and Noel

One of the first finds was by Noel. It was in the north-east corner of the trench and was identified as a 1940s, possibly Army, bottle dump. As it was on the very corner of the trench and not our main target period, after enough bottles were removed to identify the date it was left for another time. Glenys’s trench was not to reveal anything of significance.

What is it?	Army bottle dated 1945	The bottle cavity – top right corner

In addition to the post hole in Linda’s trench, she also discovered a rectangular shape. Because this was clearly man made but did not appear to be a post hole it was excavated around, rather than dug out. But it did not reveal its secret. Just on the edge of the hole, Linda found a piece of 19th Century ceramic – another indication that we were digging at the Early Redcliffe level! We have to wait for further research on the makers stamp, a partial of which, fortunately, was on the back of the ceramic.

Another project by the QU Archaeological Services Unit is to collect and identify as many 19th Century makers marks as possible to assist in dating such pieces of crockery. If anyone has a large collection of crockery and/or ceramics that they think might assist the team, please contact the museum on 3883 1898.

A ‘hole’	The ‘hole’ revealed by digging around it	Piece if 19th Century ceramic!

The day finished up with the knowledge that Corscadden Park was definaltey used by the early Redcliffe settlers. We are still yet to determined whether this was from the 1824 period or later on in the 19th Century – after 1860 when Redcliffe was resettled.

“Now I know that we do have some of that old surface there, the chances are that some evidence from the convict period has survived and these items could be a breakthrough in our investigations… The sediment that we’ve found indicates people have been here doing things on this surface. It indicates human activity. I haven’t given up hope of finding the brick kiln. We have a better chance than ever of uncovering Redcliffe’s first settlement heritage.” Dr Jon Prangnell

I would like to conlude that although we did not find any definitive evidence of the First Settlement community of convicts, soldiers and other free settlers, we did find evidence of activity in this park dating back to the 19th Century. So we look forward to more digs being undertaken in the area!

The Dig Team: Joan, Linda, Dr Jon, April, Noel, India and Pat – minus Glenys and Pam	The Film makers Chris and James

In the meantime I would like to thank the Moreton Bay Regional Council for their ongoing support for the archaeological digs in Redcliffe, and to all the individual departments that helped us out such as Parks & Gardens, Roads and Drains and Works.

I would also like to thank the Staff and Volunteers of the Redcliffe Museum. Volunteers were on hand throughout the Dig to assist the Archaeologists and visitors to the site and especially those who were on site before during and after, putting signs up, setting up, packing up – thanks Bob!

The site was visited by Mayor, Allan Sutherland, Councillors Frawley and Houghton, a team from the Department of Environment and Resource Management, and visitors from the QU Archaeological Services Unit.  Daily visitors included Pat Gee from the Local History Room at the Redcliffe Library who was on hand to answer any questions from the archaeologists, Chris Teitzel, Director Cultural Services, and Pam Armstrong, Senior Manager Cultural Services who, toward the end of the Dig, became part of the digging team. In addition to the ‘official’ visitors, we had approximately 200 interested locals –  and non-locals – who came to view the dig through the fence.

With the joy lingering of finally reaching the natural layer the day before, the morning started with a new trench being dozed so that a clear view through the natural layer could be seen. The first part of the morning was spent cleaning out the trench – removing excess soil and straightening up the sides – good archaeological practice which helps to see the changes in the walls of the stratagraphic units. There was a large piece of wood across the ditch and this had to be dug around. Unfortunately this piece of wood was nothing to get excited about.

Dozing the new trench	Finding the Log of wood	Examining the Log of wood

The first Feature found in this trench was another post hole. The post holes are believed to be from the Put-Put course that was in this area until the mid 1990s. As in previous days this Feature was marked with pink flags.

In the meantime, across the creek, outside the Redcliffe Museum another Trailer Dig was going on.  A second group of Clontarf Beach High School Year 8 students had descended on the Trailer known to contain exotic Egyptian relics. Once again, Museum volunteers trained by Abbey Museum staff were guiding the students through their first ‘Dig’.

After a two hour dig session, the students made their way over to the ‘real’ dig and were taken on a tour of the site by Lead Archaeologist, Jon Prangnell.

 Meanwhile, it was determined that the fire pit found on the Day One was sitting on top of the natural layer. Fire can be recognised by charcoal and earth that has been burnt an orange colour. This can clearly be seen in the stratagraphic layer below.

The natural layer, running across the trench,  was bound on two sides with layers of clay ‘fill’ from sewer works so it was decided to extend the trench to the south. This can just be seen in the middle photo below, outlined in yellow paint extending left of the front edge of the trench. At the same time soil tests were being undertaken. Soil samples are mixed with water and the consistency then helps to determine what type of soil it is.

Fire layer seen in stratigraphy	The next trench – yellow line	Testing soil

After lunch, the new trench was dozed.

During the afternoon, Pam Armstrong, Senior Manager Cultural Services, was invited to dig out the post hole uncovered in the morning. In the 15 minutes that Pam was on site she discovered the oldest artefact found so far – a green bottle neck dated 1870 – 1910. According to Jon, the style of the lip, which was hand formed onto a machined moulded bottle, dated the bottle closer to 1870 than to 1910.

Eureka! we are in early Redcliffe.  But not quite First Settlement which is dated 1824 -182.

Yet another extension to the trench is made, forming an ‘L’ shape to the new section. This is crossed by water pipes that presumably fed the water pond in the Put Put.  The trench also revealed another post hole. The rest of the afternoon was spent cleaning up the new trenches ready for some ‘real’ excavation work on Day 5 – our last day.

I was at the dig in Corscadden Park on Wednesday 9 June, the third day of searching for evidence of a brick kiln connected with the first European settlement in the Redcliffe area. It was a great opportunity to watch archaeologists at work in the field, because it is not very often that you get a chance to get a close up view of what they actually do. Some small trenches revealed very sandy soil or very clay soil. There was a round post hole indicating where a post had once been, and a couple of small squarish trenches, one of which contained a length of fairly recent plastic pipe. Another deeper trench which was largely clay, contained a mysterious blackish coloured object that was the subject of some speculation. It may be a piece of old bitumen, or it may turn out to be something much more exciting – another day or two will tell.

Looking for the natural layer

Quite a few people dropped by the site during the day, interested in what was going on and whether anything interesting had been found. Many people commented on the putt-putt or miniature golf course that had once been on the site, and others mentioned the PCYC that once stood adjacent. Several people were interested because they had observed the previous digs around the creek and were curious to see whether anything had been found this time around.  Unfortunately no significant artefacts were found on this day. With two more days to go here’s hoping.

Jo Anne Pomfrett

Casual Museum/Gallery Assistant

At the end of the day it was decided that the various pits that had been dug in SU3 had been dug to a depth that suggests that SU3 is, in fact, the ‘natural layer’. The natural layer is considered to be the bottom most  layer ie with no land fill on top of it. After three days of digging through land fill, Jon Prangnell, Lead Archaeologist,  thinks we are getting somewhere.

The first test pit was dug into Feature 3 (the one that indicated a fire on Day One). Two other pits were dug either side – one on the east side of the main pit, and one on the south -  to try and determine the size of the fire. Evidence of fire was found across all three pits.  Below the fire level there was sand. What could be more typical of Redcliffe than sand? Apart from red rocks of course! We may have found the natural layer – beneath all the land fill.

The three test pits are located around the south east corner of the current major Dig area. So the end of the day posed several major questions: whether to dig deeper, whether to dig a ditch that would join up the pits and more clearly show what is happening in this level, or whether to extend the current dig area.

Stay tuned!

Trench 1A

The day began with an examination of the Features found on Day One.  After digging a test hole on the edge of SU II  and III , it was determined that both these layers were land fill ie  recent layers of soil deposited on top of the ‘natural’ layer.

After lunch the Digger came in and dug a deeper pit at the creek end to remove the ‘fill’. This new pit revealed that there had been five or six layers of fill deposited at this end over the preceeding decades.

Digging more dirt

Straighten that wall!

In the trench

SU I and II were therefore also considered to be land fill so Features found in these layers were discounted.

Lying in SU III - the section furthest up the hill -  the fire site, Feature 3, is still of interest. The ‘pet burial site’ turned out to be the remains of a post hole. The yellow patch is still a mystery.

By the end of the day we were all a little disheartened – but with three days to go there is still plenty of time to find what we are looking for…

Noel, India and Linda digging

Post Hole

Linda and Noel Digging

 TRAILER DIG!

On a lighter note, The Abbey Museum has loaned us their ‘Trailer Dig’. The Trailer Dig is a recreated miniature archaeological dig in a trailer. There are four corners which allows four students each corner to take part in the ‘Dig’.

12 Clontarf Beach High School Year 8 students took part in the Trailer Dig today and uncovered lots of Egyptian treasure! The Clontarf students were assisted by trained Museum volunteers who are enjoying the dig as much as the students!

Please feel free to leave a comment.

June 7-11, 2010

Corscadden Park 

Hunting for the Brick Kiln Part II

Hunting for the Brick Kiln – Part 2 is currently taking place between 7-11 June, 2010.  Where the 2009 Dig began in the north-west corner of Corscadden Park (in the corner where the creek passes under Anzac Avenue) and ran south along Humpybong Creek, this time the Dig has started in the same place but is running up the hill toward the Bay. Day One – Monday 7 June, 2010. 

 The day started well with the location marker from the last dig being found almost immediately.  This was quickly expanded into a 15m x 5m pit.        

Digging the Pit	Measuring the Site

 By lunch, several ‘features’ had been found. A feature is an indication in the soil that it has been disturbed by human activity and is indicated by the letter ‘F’.  Three stratagraphic layers, or units, had also been determined. Stratagraphic Units (SU) are numbered ‘I’ (one) for the topmost layer and then sequentially numbered as they are lower beneath the surface layer of SUI. Generally speaking, in arcaheology, the lower the layer, the older it tends to be. In the case of this pit, the ‘top’ layer has proven to be land fill and to be the section closest to the creek.          

In this case Feature I was recognised as being a defunct service trench in SU I, which runs in a line between two electricity poles which are no longer in use. F2, in SU II (two), is a patch of earth that includes yellow and black bits – indications that it has possibly been burnt . F3, in what is thought to be SU III (three), is definitely burnt earth which contains charcoal and burt clay – exactly what was being searched for!         

F4, in SU III, was a small square of loose white soil which was suggested to be a pet grave, and F5 was another patch of orange soil nearby.   

Could this be a discovery?	”Too much glass….”

Further investigation of F3 in the afternoon, however, included too many pieces of glass to match our time frame of 1824.    

Leading Archaeologist, Jon Prangnell, assessed the glass as being too recent, and, additionally, said it was unlikely that the amount of glass, and type of glass, found would have been present at a convict kiln.         

 At the end of Day One there are more questions than answers… stay tuned for another exciting day in Corscadden Park!         

 If you would like to see the Dig in progress feel free to come down to the Park between 9am  and 4pm where you are welcome to view the Dig from outside the fence line.

The non-invasive investigation of selected first settlement sites was carried out in Archaeology Week 2008 over two full days, May 18, 19. Site work was supervised by Dr Jon Prangnell, UQ, and Pat Gee, Redcliffe Local History librarian. Using Ground Penetrating Radar and Magnetic Gradiometry, two Georadar engineers undertook the investigation the aim of which was to find evidence of footings of the first settlement buildings at the Peninsula Eye Hospital site and a backyard on Anzac Avenue, and evidence of a kiln in Corscadden Park.

Identify sites
J G Steele’s conjectural map from his book Brisbane Town in Convict Days 1824-1842 was used as a guide. Steele’s map was superimposed over a modern day map of Redcliffe to identify the properties that could be supposed to have first settlement remains.

Target sites
• Peninsula Eye Hospital car park Sutton Street: Possible site of convict barracks
• An Anzac Avenue back yard: Possible site of commandant’s house
• Corscadden Park: Possible site of convict kiln

While this dig failed to uncover pieces of Redcliffe’s past, a drain believed to date back as far as the early 20th Century was unearthed.

This blog charts the progress of the next stages of the project and documents the results from the investigation so far.

 Pictured – GPR near the creek

In September 2009, an archeological dig commenced in Corscadden Park at Redcliffe to locate the remains of the convict kiln. Archaeologists unearthed a piece of worked wood, a pile of charcoal and stone fused together by high heat.  

 The next step is a follow-up dig concentrating on the area around and east of the original find. As it is expected to be a highly controlled dig, no volunteers or school children will be allowed on site as it is esential that it be undertaken by professional archaeologists.