Author Archives: laurengdavison

Gold Coast Wreck Conservation Project – Maritime Archaeology Field Practicum.

The last day of fieldwork and as usual full of excitement. We woke up to find ourselves on the front page of the Gold Coast Bulletin (Figure 1 and 2).

Figure 1: Front page of the Gold Coast Bulletin (Photo Lauren Davison).

Figure 2: Gold Coast Bulletin (Photo Lauren Davison 2014).

The team then split into two again with a small group heading to the council depot at Tugun and the rest staying at the Tallebudgera Creek Caravan Park to process data, undertake research (Figure 3), and draw out the anchors that had been recorded (Figure 4).

Figure 3: Wendy and Isabelle researching the Heroine (Photo Lauren Davison 2014).

 

Figure 4: Mark and Dana drawing anchors (Photo Lauren Davison 2014).

At the council yard the work involved scale drawings of frames (Figure 5) and an articulated section including ceiling planking, stringer, frames and fasteners (Figure 6) as well as taking timber samples (Figure 7).

 Figure 5: Lauren doing a scale drawing of a frame (Photo Amelia MacArthur Lacey 2014).

Figure 6: Brad and Trevor recording the articulated section (Photo Lauren Davison 2014).

Figure 7: Lauren taking timber samples (Photo Amelia MacArthur Lacey 2014).

The group that had stayed behind at the caravan park came for a visit to the council yards in the afternoon. With the extra hands we were able to turn to articulated section over and have a look on the exterior side. Planking, wale and a small section on sheathing were found on the exterior (Figure 8).

 

Figure 8: Paddy and Lauren cleaning the exterior surface of the articulated section (Photo Wendy van Duivenvoorde 2014).

To end I would like to thank a wonderful group of people that helped with this project. The Gold Coast City Council, Kevin Rains and Jane Austen; the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Paddy Waterson, Amelia MacArthur Lacey, and Toni Massey; the Gold Coast and Hinterland Historical Society, John Burns and Bob Nancarrow, local residents, John Strano, Fred Lang Junior, and John Hogg; Cosmos Archaeology, Cos Coroneos, Dani Wilkinson, and Gina Scheer, Trevor Winton, Mark Polzer, Wendy van Duivenvoorde, baby Isabelle, Brad Guadagnin, Peta Fray, Dana Gilmore and Kate Greenwood.

And finally a last thank you to all the local residents of the Gold Coast who were very helpful and friendly.

Gold Coast Wreck Conservation Project – Maritime Archaeology Field Practicum.

Today we visited the beach at Coolangatta Creek where the shipwreck was recovered in 1974 to undertake a magnetometer survey (Figure 1) and metal detector survey (Figure 2) of this area. Guests from Cosmos Archaeology, Cos Coroneos, Danielle Wilkinson, and Gina Scheer, came along for the day to help investigate the site.

Figure 1: Danielle, Cos, Dana and Kate undertaking the magnetometer survey (Photo Gina Scheer 2014).

Figure 2: Trevor, Amelia and Kate completing the metal detector survey in Coolangatta Creek (Photo Gina Scheer 2014).

 After setting up the grid from the magnetometer survey (Figure 3 and 4) the team split with a group returning to Queen Elizabeth Park, Coolangatta to continue recording the shipwreck remains. Detailed drawings (Figure 5), timber recording forms (Figure 5) and timber samples (Figure 6) were taken.

Figure 3: Toni and Amelia setting up the grid at Coolangatta Creek (Photo Lauren Davison 2014).

Figure 4: Dana, Trevor and Danielle setting up grid at Coolangatta Creek (Photo Lauren Davison 2014).

Figure 5: Mark, Toni and Jane doing a detailed drawing and Brad completing a timber recording form (Photo Lauren Davison 2014).

Figure 6: Brad, Mark, Lauren and Jane taking timber samples (Photo Toni Massey 2014).

Gold Coast Wreck Conservation Project – Maritime Archaeology Field Practicum.

Today was the third day of work, or the middle of our field practicum and we recorded another section of shipwreck, this time at the Gold Coast and Hinterland Historical Society, Bundall. The shipwreck remains are part of a sculpture (Figure 1 & 2) constructed from what was thought to be Coolangatta. The work today would not have been possible without access to the remains provided by the Gold Coast and Hinterland Historical Society and help from president John Burns and volunteer Bob Nancarrow.

Figure 1: The team in front of sculpture at the Gold Coast and Hinterland Historical Society (Photo Kate Greenwood 2014).

Figure 2: Sculpture of shipwreck material (Photo Wendy van Duivenvoorde 2014).

Timber recording forms and photographs of the ten individual elements (both planking and frames) were used to record the remains (Figure 3) before samples were taken (Figure 4) and tracings and scale drawings (Figure 5) completed.

Figure 3: Lauren Davison recording a frame fragment (Photo Toni Massey 2014).

Figure 4: Wendy van Duienvoorde and Paddy Waterson taking timber samples (Photo Toni Massey 2014).

Figure 5: Brad Guadagnin and Trevor Winton undertaking a scale drawing of Frame 2 (Photo Wendy 2014).

Completed at the same time as the shipwreck recording, with the help of Ashley Parker, was the entering of the shipwrecks artefacts at the historical society into a database, the Queensland Historic Shipwreck Relics Project, designed by Ashley himself to complete a register of the shipwreck artefacts at Bundall.

Gold Coast Wreck Conservation Project – Maritime Archaeology Field Practicum

Day two and we headed to Queen Elizabeth Park, Coolangatta to record an intact section of the shipwreck recovered in 1974 containing a wale, three hull planks, frames, fasteners and sheathing (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Kevin Rains, Jane Austen, Wendy van Duivenvoorde, Peta Fray, Amelia MacArthur Lacey, Dana Gilmore with the intact section in Queen Elizabeth Park, Coolangatta (Photo Lauren Davison 2014).

Overall pictures and detailed photos of individual features were completed (Figure 2) and a scale drawing of the shipwreck section was completed using baseline offset survey (Figure 3). Patent marks were found on the sheathing with these features being recorded through rubbings (Figure 4) and photographs. Tracings were also taken of the sheathing and upper planks to find patterns in the holes (Figure 5).

Figure 2: Kate Greenwood photographing the back of the section (Photo Lauren Davison 2014).

Figure 3: Peta Fray and Lauren Davison baseline offset survey (Photo Toni Massey 2014).

Figure 4: Dana Gilmore taking rubbings of the patent marks (Photo Lauren Davison 2014).

Figure 5: Dana Gilmore and Kate Greenwood tracing copper sheathing and Brad Guadagnin, Peta Fray and Lauren Davison baseline offset survey (Photo Toni Massey 2014).

A slight change in staff for the afternoon. Paddy, Kate and Dana went to the Tweed Heads Historical Museum for historical research while Mark joined the group in Queen Elizabeth Park. Activities were similar to the morning with the scale drawing, tracing of timbers with the addition of recording the frames and fasteners undertaken by Mark and Brad (Figure 6).

Figure 6: Brad Guadagnin and Mark Polzer recording frames (Photo Lauren Davison 2014).

The day ended with Trevor Winton from Jacobs Consulting and MAAWA joining us to help for the rest of the week.

Gold Coast Wreck Conservation Project – Maritime Archaeology Field Practicum.

The Maritime Archaeology Field Practicum for 2014 is taking place on the Gold Coast, Queensland, where five students – Brad Guadagnin, Kate Greenwood, Peta Fray, Dana Gilmore and Lauren Davison – and two Flinders staff members, Wendy van Duivenvoorde and Mark Polzer (along with assistance from baby Isabelle), are recording and investigating a section of a shipwreck recovered in 1974. While popularly believed to be Coolangatta that wrecked in 1846, it has also been suggested that the remains are Heroine which wrecked in 1897.

Day one consisted of the usual introductory meeting and site induction where we met our partners from the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, Paddy Waterson, Amelia MacArthur Lacey and Toni Massey, and the Gold Coast City Council (GCCC), Kevin Rains and Jane Austen without whom this field practicum would not be possible.

A trip to the GCCC Depot was the order of the afternoon where we were given access to shipwreck remains which included frames, planking, anchors, and fasteners (Figure 1). Once familiar with the remains we soon got to work undertaking baseline offset survey (Figure 2), photography, and anchor recording (Figure 3).

Figure 1: Shipwreck remains at the Gold Coast City Council Depot (Photo Lauren Davison 2014).

Figure 2: Brad Guadagnin and Toni Massey undertaking Baseline offset survey (Photo Lauren Davison 2014).

Figure 3: Recording anchors at GCCC Depot, Wendy van Duivenvoorde and Dana Gilmore (Photo Lauren Davison 2014).