All Tours will depart from Old Parliament House (the conference venue) at 1.00pm (immediately after the conference) on Sunday 3 November 2013 and will return at the nominated times.
Download the Post Conference Tours information sheet.
HERITAGE AND TERROIR TOUR
Cost – $60 per person, covering food, wine and transport.
The tour will return to Canberra at around 6.00pm. Airport drop offs will also be possible.
The Yass Plains lie 30 minutes north of Canberra. Historically dependent on wool and beef, the Murrumbateman/Gundaroo area has recently emerged as a destination for gourmands among its cool climate vineyards, wineries, cafes and restaurants.
Winemaking originally began in the Yass area in the 1850s before declining in favour of wool production by the early 1900s. The area then became the basis of a superfine wool industry up until the late 1950s. In the 1960s vineyards began re-establishing in the region. Murrumbateman/Gundaroo is now home to vineyards producing quality wines from Riesling, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and other classic grape varieties.
The ICOMOS Conference ‘Heritage and Terroir’ tour will take in two famous centres for local wine and food: Poacher’s Pantry and Grazing/Cellar Door Café. Both combine the adaptation of historic properties with regional produce.
Tour Leader: Neil Urwin
The tour will be lead by Neil Urwin, a natural heritage specialist and Australia ICOMOS member, based in the region. Neil has over thirty years international experience in environmental impact assessment, natural resources and natural heritage management. His interest in heritage, travel, food and wine has coincided with his professional life to a degree where they are now almost indistinguishable – a situation which he professes to have always been aiming for.
GRAVES AND BRIDGES – A TOUR INTO CANBERRA’S PAST
Cost – $40 covers transport and boxed lunch (tour depends on good weather).
Will return to Canberra at approximately 5.30pm.
Cuppacumbalong (De Salis) Cemetery is one of the very few intact nineteenth century cemeteries in the ACT. It is situated on the formerly isolated homestead property of Cuppacumbalong station. The cemetery, overlooking the Murrumbidgee River, is formed by an elliptical, mortar-free stone wall with earth infill from the river banks. Earlier this year part of the stone wall collapsed and urgent work was required to stabilise the earth and preserve the graves. A ground penetrating radar survey was done to locate the position of the graves prior to excavating and rebuilding the wall.
This tour will discuss the formation of the cemetery on-site and the sensitive conservation work required to carry out the stabilisation work. Weather permitting we will also have lunch by the heritage listed Tharwa Bridge, a gentle walk along the Murrumbidgee and visit the heritage listed site of Hon Yong, an Aboriginal man well-known to the early settlers.
Tour Leader: Dr Peter Dowling
Peter studied archaeology, history and biological anthropology at ANU, Canberra. He is the national heritage officer for the Australian Council of National Trusts. Peter was the archaeologist overseeing the conservation works on-site at the Cuppacumbalong Cemetery – one of the most nerve-wracking jobs he has done!
FLUID HERITAGE LANDSCAPES – IMPLICATIONS OF THE NATIONAL HERITAGE LISTING OF CANBERRA’S LANDSCAPES
Cost – $30 per person – covers transport. The tour will start with lunch (at own expense) at the National Portrait Gallery. Will return to Canberra at approximately 5.30pm.
On this field trip Dr Andrew MacKenzie will be exploring the National Heritage Listing (NHL) nomination for Canberra with a lens on three very different landscapes. The trip will visit Haig Park in Turner, Goorooyaroo and Mulligans Flat Nature reserve in Gunghalin, the Majura Valley and finish atop Mt Ainslie. At each of these sites Andrew will present the challenges and opportunities in accommodating the NHL with respect to its application to the urban and peri-urban landscapes lived in and loved by the Canberra community.
Tour Leader: Dr Andrew MacKenzie
Dr Andrew MacKenzie is a landscape architect and Assistant Professor of Design at the University of Canberra. Andrew is the co-editor of the 2013 collection of essays; Canberra Red- Stories from the Bush Capital and Contributor to the 2113 A Canberra Odyssey Exhibition at the Canberra Museum and Gallery open from July to September this year. He is also a visiting fellow at the ANU Fenner School of Environment and Society.