A former Tasmanian senator and current chair of one of the states five UNESCO listed convict sites has backed calls for the release of findings from a recent council-supported archaeological study at a Kings Meadows site.
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Drawing comparisons to those listings, the Australasian Society for Historical Archaeology this week suggested the site would have significance on a state and most likely national level and recommended further investigation.
This comes after City of Launceston Council and the state government offered spare and conflicting accounts of consultation throughout the study.
Peter Rae served as a Tasmanian Liberal senator for 18 years between 1968 and 1986, followed by a term as a Bass MHA until 1989 and an 11-year run as chairman of Hydro Tasmania.
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He is now the chair of the Woolmers Foundation responsible for managing the World Heritage listed Woolmers Estate and said the timely release of findings from the study was important.
I understand it probably needs to be considered first. But it should be available to the public as soon as possible, he said.
Its of limited value unless its made available to all people interested in the history of the state.
The Launceston Historical Society has also called for the report to be made publicly available.
Constructed in 1837, the Kings Meadows Road Station is thought to have operated for a short period until the early 1840s to assist with the unsuccessful Evandale to Launceston Water Scheme and the construction of the Midlands Highway.
Mr Rae thought the recently discovered site seemed to be one of historical significance and even if there was not much left, should be investigated further.
Its important for us as a state to do the best we can, he said.
We need to be careful with [sites] that are both pre or post-white settlement and the stories they can tell.
Woolmers Estate was occupied by the Thomas Archer family from 1817 to 1994, and is acknowledged as one of the most outstanding examples of 19th century rural settlements in Australia.
The estate, along with the other 10 places comprising the Australian Convict Sites, were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2010.
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