The Sunshine Coast will host a team of archaeologists for the next two weeks as they begin their second year of fieldwork at historic Mill Point on the shores of Lake Cootharaba, just north of Noosa.
The public is invited to view the experts at work as they survey and record the site of one of the earliest timber milling settlements in Queensland.
The sawmill operated at Mill Point between 1869 and 1892, employing up to 200 men in its heyday.
The surrounding settlement included houses, a school, shops, a cemetery, and an extensive tramway complex for transporting timber from the hinterland.
Project coordinator Dr Sean Ulm, from The University of Queensland, said the ongoing investigations at Mill Point aim to inform management plans for the future preservation of the site as well as enhancing our understanding of colonial life in a rural setting.
“This site is an important archaeological resource with the potential to provide significant insights into the daily lives of early European settlers in the area,” he said.
During last year’s field season, the archaeologists identified and recorded a vast range of artefacts dating to the sawmill period and began mapping material remains of the settlement.
Surveying and recording activities will continue this year with the goal of locating various structures, including workers’ houses and the school.
“Owing to the extensive vegetation growth across the site, particularly lantana, our initial visibility was fairly low,” Dr Ulm said
“One of our main tasks has been to clear the area so we can get a better look at things. Once we have a handle on the layout and extent of the site we can start asking some more specific questions.
“In the coming years we hope to answer some of those questions with test excavations.”
A public open day will be held each Friday during the field season. The open days will provide an opportunity to tour the Mill Point site and learn more about the work of Australian archaeologists.
Those interested in seeing the archaeologists at work should meet at the Elanda Point Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service office at 8.30am on either Friday, February 11 or Friday, February 18.
Media: For further information contact Dr Sean Ulm (telephone 0417 792 191, email s.ulm@uq.edu.au or visit www.atsis.uq.edu.au/millpoint).
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