Archaeological investigations for Blue Mountains City Council’s Station Street Active Transport Link project have uncovered significant evidence of the former Blackheath Stockade beneath Station Street.
The investigations, carried out ahead of construction, have identified archaeological features including postholes believed to be from two former stockade buildings and the remains of a fireplace from the former medical quarters.
Blue Mountains Mayor Mark Greenhill said these discoveries provide valuable new insight into one of the Blue Mountains’ earliest government settlements.
“Every layer that we uncover adds to our understanding of Blackheath’s early history and the lives of the convicts who lived and worked here while maintaining the Great Western Road," he said.
“These discoveries also remind us that this period of colonial expansion came at the expense of Aboriginal people, whose connection to Country stretches back thousands of generations and continues today.”
Built during the 1840s, the Blackheath Stockade housed convict road gangs responsible for constructing and maintaining sections of the Great Western Road.
The stockade is one of the Blue Mountains’ most significant convict-era archaeological sites and is considered one of the last roadside stockades established, and the last to operate, in New South Wales.
The site forms part of a series of surviving convict road sites along the former Great Western Road that collectively tell the story of early transportation and the expansion of the colony over the Blue Mountains.
Council has worked closely with heritage specialists to ensure all significant archaeological findings are carefully documented and protected in accordance with best practice heritage requirements and legislation.
The archaeological features will be protected below a layer of geofabric and sand, which will form the bedding for the new pavement, conserving the archaeology below.
The excavation has attracted strong interest from residents and visitors, with many stopping to learn more about the history being uncovered beneath the street.
Archaeological excavations of the former Blackheath Stockade last occurred in 1994, at the site of the Blackheath Public School.
Council is exploring opportunities to incorporate heritage interpretation into the completed project so the site’s history, including its relationship to the broader story of the Blue Mountains, can be shared with the community.
The Station Street Link is funded by the NSW Government and forms part of Council’s broader Active Transport Links program, which is improving safety, connectivity and accessibility for walkers and bike-riders across the Blue Mountains.
The program identifies priority projects across the Blue Mountains and aims to deliver more than 30km of new active transport infrastructure for the city.
