Redcliffe has had an exciting time over the past few weeks. Between the 10th and 15th of September the Redcliffe Museum in conjunction with the University of Queensland embarked on an archaeological dig seeking the remains of the convict built brick kiln from the first British settlement in Queensland. The first settlement ran from September 1824 to May 1825 and up to now there has been no archaeological evidence found due to the large amount of development that has occurred on the Peninsula over the years.
The dig was a success!
On Sunday morning, 13 September 2009, (exactly 185 years since first landing) the archaeologists unearthed a piece of worked wood approximately 32cms long. Associated with the wood was a pile of charcoal and stone fused together by high heat. It was obvious that this was the sort of heat associated with a kiln rather than a normal campfire. No other wood or similar material was found in the layer so the assumption is that this is not the result of a flood event. The layer in which the material was discovered was undisturbed creek bank indicating no association with later activity in the area. It was almost certainly the residue from a kiln and associated with the earliest British colony. While further tests are required the archaeologists are quietly confident that we have found evidence of the first British settlement in Queensland. Furthermore this is the first archaeological evidence of the 1824 settlement ever found so everything about this is unique.
The next step will be a follow-up dig concentrating on the area around and east of the original find. This dig will not be open to the public but the public will be kept informed and they will be able to view the activity through the fence as with the last dig. Exactly when the next dig will be is still uncertain.
You may have seen media that alluded to a dig in November 2009. This is far from confirmed and there is no confirmation of funding at this time.
Should the next dig go ahead it will be a highly controlled dig and there will be no volunteers or school children on the site. Now that there is a clear understanding of the site and where to look it is important that the follow up dig is tightly controlled and undertaken by professional archaeologists.
Currently the exhibition on show at Redcliffe Museum is “1824 – The Archaeology of First Settlement” and now we have a brand new chapter to add. Redcliffe Museum is looking forward to the next installment of this fascinating 1824 First Settlement story.
[...] 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 [...]