ASSESSMENT OF CULTURAL
HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE AND
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
RECOMMENDATION TO THE
HERITAGE COUNCIL
NAME: Former Golden Point Primary School Reserve
LOCATION: Magpie Street Golden Point, Ballarat City
HERITAGE OVERLAY NO: NA
FILE: 14/002783
HERMES NUMBER: 197074
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RECOMMENDATION TO THE HERITAGE COUNCIL:
 That the place NOT be included in the Victorian Heritage Register [Section 32 (1)(b) of the
Heritage Act 1995].
TIM SMITH
Executive Director
Recommendation Date: 19 September 2014
NOMINATION
Heritage Council Criteria
This place was nominated on the basis that it satisfies Criteria A, B, C, G and H of the Heritage Council of
Victoria's Criteria for Assessment.
The nomination is provided as Attachment 1 to this document.
ASSESSMENT OF CULTURAL HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S ASSESSMENT OF CULTURAL HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE [s.34A(2)(d)]
It is the view of the Executive Director that the Former Golden Point Primary School Reserve should not be
included in the Victorian Heritage Register.
RECOMMENDATION REASONS
REASONS FOR NOT RECOMMENDING INCLUSION IN THE VICTORIAN HERITAGE REGISTER [s.34A(2)(c)]
Following is the Executive Director's assessment of the place in the context of the Heritage Act 1995 and
against the tests set out in The Victorian Heritage Register Criteria and Thresholds Guidelines (2012).
1. INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE OF LOCATION
Section 21(1) of the Heritage Act states that the Executive Director ‘must include in the Heritage Register
sufficient details to identify the places or objects included in the Heritage Register.’ Section 46 (4) states that
all notices of registration ‘must include sufficient information to provide reasonable identification of the
place or object’.
The nominator states that the Former Golden Point Primary School Reserve was the location of the Gold
Commissioner’s Camp established in September 1851. Yet the available historical evidence is unclear about
the location of this Camp. Historian Weston Bate is quoted by the nominator: ‘Gradually the government
camp took shape and its routines developed on the quartz hill, later Post Office Hill, overlooking the
diggings’ (extract from Lucky City, p.14). Post Office Hill is a large area (see survey map on p.6). Extant
archival records are not precise about the location of the Gold Commissioner’s Camp within this area.
The Former Golden Point Primary School Reserve may or may not contain the entirety, or part of the
location of the Gold Commissioner’s Camp. The Gold Commissioner’s Camp may have been located fully or
partially on nearby freehold land now occupied by housing.
It is the view of the Executive Director that a place known as the Gold Commissioner’s Camp existed in
September 1851, but that there is insufficient evidence of its precise location for consideration for the
Victorian Heritage Register at this time.
Under the Heritage Act, there is statutory protection for all historical archaeological deposits in Victoria
(s.127). If any historical archaeological remains are exposed at any time during works on Post Office Hill, it is
an offence for them to be disturbed without consent from the Executive Director.
Criteria A, B, C & G
It is inappropriate to assess this place under criteria A, B, C as the nominator’s claims about the significance
under these criteria largely depend on the association of this place with the Gold Commissioner’s Camp.
Name: Former Golden Point Primary School Reserve
Hermes Number: 197061
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2. CRITERION H
Special association with the life or works of a person, or group of persons, of importance in Victoria’s history.
The Former Golden Point Primary School Reserve has been nominated on the basis of its association with
William Dunstan, a winner of the Victoria Cross in 1915 and former student of the Golden Point Primary
School.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S ASSESSMENT
 The Former Golden Point Primary School Reserve is known informally by some in the community as the
‘William Dunstan Reserve’.
 This place has a direct association with the community member William Dunstan.
 William Dunstan was a former student at the Primary School and was awarded the Victoria Cross for his
service at Gallipoli in 1915.
 William Dunstan, as an individual, did not make a strong and influential contribution to the course of
Victoria’s history.
 William Dunstan was one of hundreds of students from that Primary School and one of 77 members of
the First AIF who were awarded Victoria Crosses during World War I.
STEP 1: A BASIC TEST FOR SATISFYING CRITERION H
The place/object has a DIRECT ASSOCIATION with a person or group of persons who have made a strong or
influential CONTRIBUTION to the course of Victoria’s history.
Plus
The ASSOCIATION of the place/object to the person(s) IS EVIDENT in the physical fabric of the place/object
and/or in documentary resources and/or oral history.
Plus
The ASSOCIATION:
directly relates to ACHIEVEMENTS of the person(s) at, or relating to, the place/object; or
relates to an ENDURING and/or CLOSE INTERACTION between the person(s) and the place/object
It is the view of the Executive Director that Criterion H is not likely to be satisfied.
It is noted that there is a plaque dedicated to William Dunstan located in Sturt Street Ballarat which was
unveiled in 2013.
DESCRIPTION SUMMARY
The Former Golden Point Primary School Reserve is a 1.2ha reserve with frontage onto Magpie and
Bradshaw Streets. There is an access track and gate onto Wainwright Street. The reserve is predominantly
grass and is ringed by native plantings. There is a rough asphalt area in the southern section, two cricket
practice nets in the southeast section, and two remnant asphalt tennis courts at the northwest section.
HISTORY SUMMARY
The Former Golden Point Primary School Reserve is located in the area known as Post Office Hill. Gold was
discovered at Buninyong on 8 August 1851 and at Poverty Point on or about 21 August 1851. The richness of
Name: Former Golden Point Primary School Reserve
Hermes Number: 197061
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the gold sparked the State’s first major rush. On 19 September 1851 the Commissioner Doveton arrived at
Golden Point. He set up a government camp (Gold Commissioner’s Camp) in the Post Office Hill area, and
announced his attention to issue licences and restrict the size of claims to eight feet square. By the middle of
October 1851 it was estimated that there were some 2,000 tents near Golden Point, and 10,000 men at
work with 1,200 to 1,300 cradles in operation. For several weeks fantastic yields were obtained, but the
shallow deposits on the hill side could not withstand the furious rate of extraction. By the end of the year,
Ballarat was nearly deserted for new rushes to Forest Creek and Bendigo. In July 1852 (some ten months
later) a more substantial Government Camp was established at Camp Hill between Lydiard Street and Camp
Street, in the area of the current site of the Art Gallery of Ballarat. By 1855 the Post Office Hill area became
an open cut quartz mine. It is understood that a pine plantation was established on this site during the early
to mid-twentieth century.
In 1971 this place was gazetted as a State School Purposes Reserve (Temporary) Crown Reserve. It was used
by the nearby Golden Point Primary School for student sport and recreation purposes. In 1994 the Golden
Point Primary School was closed and the Reserve was deemed surplus to requirements by the Department
of Education. The Reserve was purchased as freehold land by the Sovereign Hill Museum Association.
Between 1997 and 2012 it was used as an overflow car park by Sovereign Hill during peak times. In June
2014 the Reserve was sold to the current owner. The place is known informally within the community as the
William Dunstan Reserve after a former student and Victoria Cross recipient from World War I.
VICTORIAN HISTORICAL THEMES
4.0
Transforming and managing land and natural resources
4.5 Gold mining
8.0
Building Community Life
8.2 Educating people
9.0
Shaping Cultural and Creative Life
9.1 Participating in sport and recreation
INTEGRITY/INTACTNESS
This place has been disturbed by extensive mining activities and other land development activities (such as
levelling for the sports ground) since the 1850s. As a result of this the likelihood of extant archaeological
deposits is extremely low.
CONDITION
The grounds (turf) – good condition
The tennis courts – poor condition
Cricket pitch – good condition
Trees – good condition
COMPARISONS
 It is unclear whether this place was the site of the Gold Commissioner’s Camp of September 1851.
Therefore it cannot be compared with other places with a similar association.
 This place was used for gold mining in the 1850s and as a primary school reserve in the 1970s. It can be
compared with thousands of places across Victoria with substantially the same association.
KEY REFERENCES USED TO PREPARE ASSESSMENT
Nomination material
Victorian Heritage Database
ATTACHMENTS
Nomination material
Name: Former Golden Point Primary School Reserve
Hermes Number: 197061
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IMAGES
Former Golden
Point Primary
School Reserve
Ballarat Gold
Museum
Sovereign Hill
Museum
Former Golden Point Primary School Reserve with proximity to Sovereign Hill and the Ballarat Gold
Museum (Google Maps).
Former Golden Point Primary School Reserve Aerial Photo.
Name: Former Golden Point Primary School Reserve
Hermes Number: 197061
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Post Office Hill (Contour Map) with the Former Golden Point Primary School Reserve highlighted in pink.
Name: Former Golden Point Primary School Reserve
Hermes Number: 197061
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Remnant tennis courts in the north section (2014).
Eastern access to Wainwright Street (2014).
View towards the northern section (2014).
Name: Former Golden Point Primary School Reserve
Hermes Number: 197061
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View towards the southern section showing cricket practice cages (2014).
Name: Former Golden Point Primary School Reserve
Hermes Number: 197061
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