Series: Studies in Australasian Historical Archaeology

The archaeological assemblage from the Hyde Park Barracks is one of the largest, most comprehensive and best preserved collections of artefacts from any 19th-century institution in the world. Concealed for up to 160 years in the cavities between floorboards and ceilings, the assemblage is a unique archaeological record of institutional confinement, especially of women. The underfloor assemblage dates to the...

This revised and updated edition of Dr Neville Ritchie's 1986 PhD dissertation explores the history and archaeology of the 19th century Chinese mining community of Arrowtown, New Zealand. Lavishly illustrated with black-and-white line drawings of Chinese domestic and industrial sites, and of the artefacts excavated from them, this study offers unprecedented insight into the life and material culture of these...

For more than 30 years, archaeologists have recorded and studied the colonial past of Parramatta, the second-oldest European settlement in New South Wales. Archaeological investigations provide a wealth of information that contributes to the interpretation of the landscape, the history of the town's development, and our understanding of the people who lived there. Cleanliness is Next to Godliness uses archaeological...

Against the backdrop of embryonic Melbourne, John Thomas Smith, publican and builder, left behind his currency roots to become an influential member of society. A widely recognised figure about town, smoking a cutty pipe and wearing a white top hat, in 1851 he became Lord Mayor of Melbourne; he went on to be re-elected seven times. His scandalous marriage to...

In 1966, Jim Allen undertook the first professional excavation of a European site in Australia. The 1840s military settlement of Victoria was established at Port Essington, the northernmost part of the Northern Territory, and served as the endpoint of Ludwig Leichhardt's epic journey in 1844-45. This settlement was the longest-lived of three failed attempts by the British to establish a...

The World Heritage-listed Port Arthur penitentiary is one of Australia's most visited historical sites, attracting over 400,000 visitors each year. Designed to incarcerate 480 men, between 1856 and 1877, thousands of convicts passed through it. In 2016, archaeologists began one of the largest ever excavations of an Australian convict site. Recovering Convict Lives: Historical Archaeology of the Port Arthur Penitentiary...

For much of the 19th and 20th centuries, Melbourne's Little Lonsdale—locally known as 'Little Lon'—was notorious as a foul slum and brothel district, occupied by the itinerant and the criminal. The stereotype of 'slumdom' defined 'Little Lon' in the minds of Melbournians and became entrenched in Australian literature and popular culture. The Commonwealth Block, Melbourne tells a different story. This...

During the 1850s and 1860s, Chinese immigrants played a major role in the development of the fishing industries in Australia. Prior to their involvement, the industry was hampered by the problems posed by the transportation of fish to market. It was common for whole catches of fish to putrefy before they could reach their destination. The influx of Chinese gold...

Every winter between 1836 to 1879, small wooden boats left the bays of southwest Western Australia to hunt for migrating Humpback and Right whales. The Shore Whalers of Western Australia by Martin Gibbs delves into this fascinating period of maritime history, offering readers an in-depth look at the rituals, challenges, and lives of those who participated in this seasonal hunt....