Scheyville National Park

Item details


Name of item:	Scheyville National Park
Other name/s:	Pitt Town Common, Pitt Town Village Settlement, the Casual Labour Farm, Scheyville Government Agricultural Training Farm, the Dreadnought Farm
Type of item:	Landscape
Group/Collection:	Parks, Gardens and Trees
Category:	National Park
Location:	Lat: -33.6028176370 Long: 150.8883177130
Primary address:	Scheyville Road, Scheyville, NSW 2756
Parish:	Pitt Town
County:	Cumberland
Local govt. area:	Hawkesbury
Local Aboriginal Land Council:	Deerubbin
Hectares (approx):	590

Property description

Lot/Volume Code	Lot/Volume Number	Plan/Folio Code	Plan/Folio Number
LOT	126	DP	1185968
LOT	127	DP	1185968
LOT	128	DP	1185968
LOT	129	DP	1185968
LOT	130	DP	1185968
LOT	131	DP	1185968
LOT	1,2 & 6	DP	420280
LOT	1 & 2	DP	530013
LOT	5	DP	814722
LOT	1, 2, 3, 4	DP	814723

Boundary:

National Park cadastral boundary as gazetted

All addresses

Street Address	Suburb/town	LGA	Parish	County	Type
Scheyville Road	Scheyville	Hawkesbury	Pitt Town	Cumberland	Primary Address

Owner/s

Organisation Name	Owner Category	Date Ownership Updated
National Parks and Wildlife Service	State Government

Statement of significance:


	Scheyville National Park is of State heritage significance as it demonstrates a continuous history of significant use since pre European settlement when the area supported the Dharug people with plentiful food supplies. The park also contains a number of historic features and places which demonstrate the early settlement of the Cumberland Plain, farming, defence and migrant uses of the area, and is significant as a relatively large surviving element of the first commons declared in the colony. The ongoing use and development of the area closely reflects and articulates the economic and agricultural development of the colony and later the development of the nation in relation to its autonomy, defence and populating the land. It is a rare example of a site demonstrating the continuous layers of history which reflects the history of the State and the Nation. In addition to its culturally historic values, the Scheyville National Park's natural values demonstrate a significant phase of evolution in the natural history of the Hawkesbury area. The park contains the largest and most intact remnants of Cumberland Plain native plant and animal communities which once dominated Western Sydney. As such it offers a living snapshot of the early natural hsitory of Western Sydney and the State. The State heritage significance of the Scheyville National Park is enhanced through its close association with a number of people important to the history and development of the colony and later State and Nation such as Governor Phillip King, William Francis Schey, Sir John Overall, Brigadier Ian Geddes, Tim Fischer and Jeff Kennet. The Park has aesthetic significance at a State level as an extensive landscape of woodlands and wetlands with many birds and wildlife. The place retains significant and special associations to a number of identifiable groups of people located through the State such as the former Dreadnought Boys, members of the 73rd Searchlight Company and 1st Parachute Battalion , a number of post WWII migrants to Australia and former Officer Training Unit cadets. It is of State heritage significance for these strong social associations. The site has State heritage significance for its potential archaeological evidence of Aboriginal occupation as well as potential archaeological resource relating to all layers of the site's rich history as a Common, a farming concern, military uses and migrant hostel. This potential resource is capable of delivering a deeper understanding of the history of the site and the way in which it was used over time. The site is of State heritage significance as a rare and unique site containing evidence of all layers of significant historical use which closely reflects the history of the State and the Nation. It is also rare as a site containing the most extensive remnant vegetation on the Cumberland Plain and providing habitat for endangered vegetation and birdlife. The park is significant as a representative example of all its land uses overtime including its most recent use as a National Park. It is representative of the national park concept that was introduced into Australia through the establishment of the (Royal) National Park in 1879.
	Date significance updated: 28 Feb 03
	Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and State government agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies as new information becomes available. Read the Department of Premier and Cabinet copyright and disclaimer.

Description


Physical description:	Scheyville National Park is located in the Hawkesbury region on the edge of the Cumberland Plain near the Hawkesbury River and Pitt Town Bottoms. The park comprises an area of 954 hectares and is bound by Midson Road and Scheyville Road to the east, Old Pitt Town Road and Old Stock Route Road to the West, Pitt Town Dural Road to the north and residential properties facing Saunders road to the south and boundaries with properties along Avondale, Whitmore, Greenfiled, Phipps and Old Stock Route Roads in the lower Longneck Catchment. The park contains the largest remnant of Cumberland Plain Grey Box/Ironbark Woodland in the region. To the north west of the site on a ridge between Pitt Town and Avondale roads is a small area of Castlereagh Scribbly Gum Woodland which is considered as vulnerable. Between Llewellyn Creek, Longneck Lagoon and Avondale road there is Shale /Gravel Transition Forest vegetation containing 2 vulnerable species, Dilwynia tenuifolia and Acacia pubescens. The park also contains Longneck Lagoon, part of the Hawkesbury wetlands which is home a wide variety of birdlife and a number of threatened and endangered species. Much of the Scheyville National Park has been cleared since European settlement and supports species of introduced grasses such as paspalum, Kikuyu, Couch and African Love grass and regenerating Cumberland Plan Woodland. Within the larger curtilage of the Park there are 4 main areas each of which contains remnant evidence of structures, buildings and evidence of land use from all stages of the history of the Scheyville National Park. The four areas are the Longneck Lagoon area, the Scheyville Camp area, the Dreadnought Farm area and the Sewage works/Military training area. AREA 1. Long Neck Lagoon The Longneck Lagoon area is located in the north west corner of the park and surrounds Long Neck Lagoon. Aside from its important natural values as a wetlands and vegetation reserve containing endangered and vulnerable species, the area contains earliest evidence of one colonial use associated with the park when it was still the Pitt Town Common. The large sandstone quarry located between the end of Phipps Road, Cattai Road and the Longneck Lagoon Field Studies Centre commenced operation in the mid 19th Century and continued well into the 20th Century after the Common was decommissioned. Stone from the quarry was used in local buildings such as St James Anglican Church and Bona Vista Homestead at Pitt Town. AREA 2. The Scheyville Camp Area The area lying between Midson Road, Old Pitt Town Road, Scheyville Road and Dormitory Hill Road. This area was the site of the Pitt Town Village Settlement and was later used by the Scheyville Government Training Farm, WWII military uses, post WWII Migrant Holding Centre and the Vietnam War era Officers Training Unit. It contains the majority of structures and archaeological remains at Scheyville. The earliest remnant farm structures are generally located in a basin near Longneck Creek to the south east of the quadrangle buildings. Remnants and archaeological sites in this area include; - Allotments site and former roadway relating to the Pitt Town Settlement Village period 1893 - 1896; - Site of the old dairy and silo relating to the Pitt Town Settlement Village period, and the early Dreadnought farm period 1911 - 1929; - Underground concrete tank relating to the last phase of the Scheyville Government Agricultural Training farm 1930 - 1939; - Single silo, relating to the early Scheyville Government Agricultural Training farm period; - Old dairy, Scheyville relating to the Pitt Town Settlement Village and Government Agricultural Training farm periods; - Ruins of barn and sheep dipping area, relating to the early Scheyville Government Agricultural Training farm period; - Supervisors Cottage and Post Office, Scheyville Government Agricultural Training farm period; - Group of archaeological sites, relating to early Scheyville Government Agricultural Training farm era; - Log bridge over the Longneck Creek, relating to the early Scheyville Government Agricultural Training Farm period; - The Avenue, relating to the early Scheyville Government Agricultural Training farm era; - Site of the social hall and tennis court, relating to the early and later Scheyville Government Agricultural Training farm era; - Farm Manager's house, relating to the early and later Scheyville Government Agricultural Training farm era; - Site of orchard adjacent to the Farm Managers house, second phase of the Scheyville Government Agricultural Training farm 1919 - 1929 - New Dairy, relating to the third phase of the Scheyville Government Agricultural Training farm; - Double Silos, relating to the third phase of the Scheyville Government Agricultural Training farm; - Site of vegetable garden, pump house and existing dam, relating to the Scheyville Government Agricultural Training Farm; - Sites of Orchards, relating to the Scheyville Government Agricultural Training farm; - Site of poultry yards, relating to Scheyville Government Agricultural Training farm, In 1929 the establishment of the quadrangle accommodation and facilities on the ridge marked the reorientation of the farm and relocation of land use in the area. There are a number of buildings in the ridge top location, often known as the Scheyville camp because of its military uses, that are still extant. These include; - The Inter war Mediterranean style quadrangle buildings with Georgian Revival elements, (roof lanterns, door fanlights and 12 panelled windows). Designed by the Government Architects Office in 1928, these buildings use architectural elements such as the gabled rooves, long, deep verandahs which were the trademark of the Government Architect's Office at the time. An important feature of the buildings is the rainwater recovery system with gutters connected into standing water tanks and underground storage tanks. The central courtyard contains its original path layout and the walkway connecting the dormitory with the kitchen/dining room block. The courtyard still retains the Phoenix palms which are remnant original planting and also the cypress planted in 1936. The administration block is located at the northern end of the quadrangle complex. It accommodated the administration of the later phase of the Government Training Farm, the WWII military uses, the Migrant Holding Centre and the Officer Training Unit. It currently houses the administrative offices for the National Park. The east and west flanks of the quadrangle complex were originally two dormitories for the Dreadnought Migrant Boys training at Scheyville Government Agricultural Training Farm. They have since been adapted to single person accommodate for Officer accommodation during WWII, post WWII Migrant Holding Centre staff and later Training Officers for the Officer Training Unit. The Kitchen and dining room stand at the southern end of the quadrangle to the administration block. This was first used by the Government Training Farm boys and staff and later by the Officers of the 73rd Australian Search Light Company and Paratroops Battalion and later staff of the Migrant Holding centre. During the Officer Training Unit period this building was the Officer's Mess for the Officer Training Unit. - Two large SAARS Huts sit to the south of the Officer's Mess/ Dining Hall. SAARS huts are prefabricated semi circular structures commonly mistaken for "Nissen Huts". SAARS huts are also known as Quonset huts and the two at Scheyville are the very large Quonset warehouse type huts. These two structures were installed to provide dining facilities for the Migrant Holding Centre. Timber kitchens were attached to the north end of the hut and the hut proper was for dining and recreation. In fact the whole of the western hut was used for dining and the eastern hut was a combination dining room, Adult Education Centre and recreation area. Later this area became a kindergarten. A garden/playground lay between the two huts and a boiler house was situated at the northern end of the garden. During the OTU period, the Eastern SAARS hut was divided in two and the northern end used as a Mess for regular army Other Ranks and the other end became the gymnasium. The western hut was the Cadet's Mess and recreation area complete with bar. The garden was divided in two to provide outdoor recreation areas for the Other Ranks and the Cadets. - The concrete foundations for the 'lines' of prefabricated accommodation are situated on the slope to the east of the quadrangle buildings. These accommodated the migrant families at the Holding Centre and later were adapted for use by the Officer Cadets. Two ablution blocks originally constructed for the Migrant Holding Centre and later used by the army are still in situ. -On the western side of Ridge Road across from the administration building are situated three Nissan Huts which operated as a store for the Migrant Holding Centre and as stores and quartermaster's stores during the OTU period. - There is also an area known as Transport Compound No C situated on the western side of Ridge Road and a little south of the end of the SAARS huts. This was established by the Officer Training Unit. - The Parade Ground area is situated on the south western side of the quadrangle building and comprises a large, level area of tarmac. This feature was constructed during the Officer Training Unit period. - An area near the water tanks are the remains of the of the OTU challenge course. This was established during the Officer Training Unit period. - The front gates on Scheyville Road and the monument in front of the Administration building. The gates were constructed during the OTU period and the Monument was established in recent years to commemorate the various military uses of Scheyville and marking the death in the Vietnam hostilities of 8 officers who trained at Scheyville. AREA 3. The Dreadnought Farm Area The area lying between Dormitory Hill Road, Midson Road, and Scheyville Road. This area was the central to the Dreadnought Farm and may contain archaeology pertaining to that use. AREA 4. The area between Scheyville Road, Pitt Town Dural Road, Avondale Road and Schofields Road. This area contains the sewage treatment works installed during the Migrant Holding Centre period. It also contains remnant structures relating to the Officer Training Unit period such as the rifle range and the obstacle course.
Physical condition and/or Archaeological potential:	The long history of European occupation and use of the area has heavily disturbed some areas and is likely to have destroyed many Aboriginal sites, however a total of 16 sites have been recorded on the national park (Dallas and Navin, 1990). The highest number of sites were found on the margins of Longneck Lagoon and along Longneck and Llewellyn Creeks. The sites, which include stone cores and occupation sites, have generally been heavily disturbed by previous farming activities and floods and are not easily recognisable or interpreted to visitors. No Aboriginal sites have been found on Pitt Town Nature Reserve, however it is possible that sites and artefacts are buried beneath alluvial deposits. A conservation plan prepared by Edds (1991) identified a number of structures in the that park were badly vandalised and many structures that could be demolished. These dated mainly from the migrant hostel period and most have since been removed, although the cement slabs on which the buildings were constructed remain as in situ evidence. The conservation plan also identified the following sites and structures as being of considerable to high significance and that consequently should be retained as archaeological sites relating to use of the area prior to 1929; the twin silos from the Dreadnought era (built around 1930); the 1929 Georgian revival style masonry buildings and quadrangle; the palm trees and avenue of pine trees to and around the buildings, which may have been part of the architect's design for the buildings; the two large Nissen huts used during the migrant period; the 1929 electrical sub-station; and the small water storage tank built in 1911. Gates erected during the Officer Training period remain as evidence of the involvement of the place with the Vietnam War. The areas now Scheyville National Park and Pitt Town Nature Reserve, like much of the fertile Cumberland Plain, have been subject to vegetation clearing since the early days of European settlement in Australia. Approximately 30% of Scheyville National Park and the majority of Pitt Town Nature Reserve are still covered with introduced and native grasses. Most introduced plants within Scheyville National Park occur in the previously cleared areas of the park. Species include African love grass (Eragrostis curvula), blackberry (Rubus fruticosus), lantana (Lantana camara), bridal veil creeper (Myrsiphyllum asparagoides), mother-of-millions (Bryophyllum syksii), prickly pear (Opuntia stricta), paspalum (Paspalum dilatatum), kikuyu (Pennisetum clandestinum), common couch (Cynoddon dactylon), willow (Salix spp.), oleander (Nerium oleander) and liquidambar (Liquidambar styraciflua). Blackberry is of particular concern, with large clumps occurring in cleared areas and along Longneck Creek. Introduced animals can destroy native vegetation, compete with and prey on native animals, adversely affect the breeding and feeding of native animals, and can detract from the experience for people visiting natural areas. The use of Scheyville National Park and Pitt Town Nature Reserve as commons mean that both have been grazed by domestic stock for long periods of time. Grazing ceased in the nature reserve in 1991 and in the national park in 1997. Introduced animals observed in the national park and nature reserve include the red fox (Vulpes vulpes), cat (Felis catus), dog (Canis familiaris), rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), brown hare (Lepis capensis), black rat (Rattus rattus), house mouse (Mus musculus), starling (Sturnus vulgais), sparrow (Passer domesticus) and Indian myna (Acridotheres tristis). In addition, sheep and cattle from neighbouring properties have been occasionally observed in the national park and nature reserve. European carp (Cyprinus carpio) are present within both Longneck and Pitt Town Lagoons. Carp are of concern as they are believed to compete with native species and contribute to muddiness of the water and loss of aquatic vegetation.
	Date condition updated:21 Feb 03
Modifications and dates:	-1804 Gazetted as a Common and subject to clearing and grazing - From 1850s to 1930s sandstone quarrying - 1893 a central portion of the old Common was established as a cooperative farm - 3 dams established on Longneck Creek and a well dug. erection of timber housing, farm buildings and other amenities including a schoolhouse in 1894. - 1896 the area became a Casual Labbour farm - 1911 The farm taken over by the the Scheyville Governemet Agricultural Training Farm and while retaining some existing facilities developed many new buildings including dormitories, dining room, ablutions blocks, recreation facilities, farm manager's residence and many new farm buildings. The Avenue was established as the main roadweay into the farm. - 1928 - 1929 coonstruction of the quadrangle buildings containing two large dormitories and administration wing and a kitchen dining room - reorientation of farming activities out of the area around Longneck creek to the ridgetop. Many new farm buildings erected including the double silos new dairy and piggery. Importantly a new entrance and roadway was constructed ( Ridge Road) superceding the Avenue as the way into the farm. - WWII Quadrangle buildings adapted to provide accomodation for Officers and an Officers Mess and a Sargents Mess. - In 1949 in preparation for the use of Scheyville as a Migrant Holding Centre a substantial number of prefabricated huts were installed on site for use as accomodation. Two SAARS huts were installed and adapted as dining and recreation accomodation and later to house a kindegarten. -1949 quadrangle buildings further modified to meet need of Migrant Holding Centre Staff - All these buildings were again adapted to suit the needs of the Officer Training Unit when it took up residence in 1973. The Farm manager's residence was at this time refurbished to house the Commandant. Physical training courses and small firearms ranges were set up in the paddocks surrounding the Scheyville camp. - In 1977 - 1978 the quadrangle buildings and prefabricated hut accomodation was refurbished for use by the Hawkesbury CAE. - During the later half of the 1980s the Police Tactical Response Group used of the site a number of the buildings in this area were damaged. -In the initial years of NPWS management of the site (from 1996) a number of the hut buildings were demolished.
Further information:	AREA 1. The sandstone quarry is a substantial feature of this area and demonstrates quarying techniques dating from the mid 19th Century to the 1930s. AREA 2. Archaeological evidence and remnants of the Pitt Town Village Settlement, Casual Labour Farm and the early phase of the Scheyville Government Agricultural Training School are found in the basin near Longneck Creek to the southeast of the quadranle buildings. Fabric relating to the later phase of the Scheyville Government Agricultural Training Farm, the WWII uses, post WWII Migrant Holding Centre and OTU periods is in varying condition. The quadrangle buildings have been subject to termite activity but they still stand and are undergoing conservation works with plans to reuse these buildings. The Administration building is in good condition and is used as the Scheyville National Park Central Office. The SAARS Huts are in disrepair but are still standing as are the Nissan Huts. The garden adjoining the SAARS huts is overgrown but evidence relating to its use remains. The boilers located near the SAARS huts remain standing in a state if deterioation due to the destruction of the building originally containing them and their subsequenbt exposure to the elements. The 'lines' of prefabricated accomodation and ablutions blocks for the migrant and OTU period have been demolished ( except for one abolution block) but the concrete foundations remain which clearly demonstrates the layout and function of the 'camp' area over all. The Parade Ground is in a state of disrepair but still an im,portnat and eminently readible part of the landscape The challenge course is still evident although not completely intact. The are a number of plantings, roadways and features such as the obelisk,and entrance gates that are in good condition. AREA 3. This area has archaeological potential relating to the Scheyville Government Agricultural Training Farm. AREA 4. The sewage works for the Migrant Holding Centre and OTU periods is still in situ although deteriorating. Remains of the obstacle cource are to be found although they are in poor condition. Integrity/Intactness While much of the fabric demonstrating the history and development of the site is archaeological, ruins or in poor condition, there is a range of evidence that clearly demonstrates the way the place used and functioned through all its phases of development


Current use:	National Park
Former use:	Common, Workplace, Refuge, Agricultural Training, Military Training, Migrant

History

Historical notes:

The land now known as Scheyville National Park and Pitt Town Nature Reserve was originally Dharug land. The Cattai clan of the Dharug people inhabited the area around Cattai Creek and Pitt Town at least 30,000 year ago. The area along the Hawkesbury Rivers and its tributaries provided fertile alluvial soils sustaining consistent supplies of food for the local Aboriginal people from the fish and wildlife stock and edible vegetation.

On two occasions, one in 1789 and the 1791, the earliest contact with the Dharug of the Hawkesbury area was made by Governor Phillip and his party. By 1794 the first European settlers had established themselves in the area, carving out farms on the same rich soils that had sustained the Aboriginal population for thousands of years. First interactions between the Dharug and European settlers were cordial, but soon deteriorated as land was cleared for farming, trees were cut down for fuel and firewood, and the Dharug were denied access to their traditional hunting, fishing and gathering areas along the Hawkesbury River and other watercourses by European settlers.

As settlement in the area continued and spread further inland along the river, the local Aboriginal population began to diminish. This was due to a number of reasons most significantly, mortality from introduced diseases and migration of the Dharug out of the area because of the disruption to traditional lifestyle and competition for natural resources. This pattern continued and by 1851 it was reported that there were no Aboriginal people living in the Pitt Town area.

The white settlers in the area were granted small allotments on which they grew maize and wheat and those who could afford to do so bought stock to breed. Governor King, recognising the need to breed livestock for the Colony's meat supply introduced a system of lending small farmers government owned livestock to build their own herds. Yet the small size of the allotments in the Hawkesbury meant that an individual farmer could not feed any more than a couple of livestock, thus hindering the increase of herds.

In 1804, to provide sufficient land for farmers to graze their animals and to prevent the monopolisation of the land by wealthy farmers, Governor King created six Commons in the colony including three in the Hawkesbury area. Pitt Town Common, was one of these and its central area included all the land now known as Scheyville National Park. Farmers in the district were free to graze their animals on this Common land. Pitt Town Common remained a public Common until 1893.

In 1810 Governor Macquarie established 5 towns in the Hawkesbury area one of which was Pitt Town which was initially located to the east of the Old Stock Route and thought to be inside the boundaries of the Scheyville National Park. The location was unpopular and was relocated in 1815 to its current location (Beaver D, Edds C&G, Jack I 2006 Draft Conservation Management Plan for Scheyville National Park).

The Common was used for grazing up until the late 1880s. Sandstone and gravel were also extracted from the common for use in the construction of local buildings and roads. Remains of the stone quarry at Long Neck Lagoon are still evident and part of the Scheyville National Park. In 1889 the Common was decommissioned. In 1893 the central portion of the Common, the area now known as Scheyville National Park, was declared the Pitt Town Village Settlement, a cooperative farm, established to allow the unemployed and their families to make a living during the economic depression of the 1890s. Each family was expected to work the common land, clear and tend their own small allotment and contribute to the construction of community facilities in exchange for a set ration of food. By 1896 the settlement had failed due to the difficulties of farming the country.

Despite the paucity of the soils for agriculture, the government persisted with endeavours to assist the needy by putting them to work on the farm at Pitt Town and in 1896 a Casual Labour Farm was established on the site of the Cooperative Farm. Here the poor and unemployed worked collecting firewood or tending pigs, for a small wage, for a limited term of three or four months. In 1905, dairy cattle were added to the farm's livestock. A scheme was introduced to train young men in the skills of raising livestock and farming. The Pitt Town Village Settlement and later Casual Labour Farm. tell a resonant and significant story in the history of NSW as they were radical and often controversial government responses to social problems experienced by families and individuals in the economic depression of the 1890s. As such they were a significant early example of government intervention in the welfare of its constituents.

The Farm Training for Australian Boys scheme ran until 1910 when under the vision and management of William Schey, Director of Labour and Industry in the first years of the Federation, the farm was established as a training farm for young British Migrants who arrived in Australia under the Dreadnought Child Immigration Scheme. The scheme was a State government incentive and offered the boys 13 months of training in all aspects of farming, dairying, livestock care, care and use of farm equipment orcharding and cropping. After the training the boys were placed with a NSW farmer. Many of the existing facilities were retained to accommodate the boys and facilitate the training and farming activities although Schey oversaw the construction of a number of new buildings. his was the first of several youth migration schemes in Australia established with the sole focus of bringing youth to Australia for training in areas of skills shortage such as agriculture and domestic work. Later schemes included the Fairbridge Farm scheme, the Barwell Boys scheme and the Big Brother scheme.

The Dreadnought scheme at Scheyville ran from 1911 to 1915 when the outbreak of WWI saw a reduction in number of trainees at the farm from 800 in 1913 to 30 in 1915.

By this time the agriculture sector, like other sectors of the workforce in NSW was experiencing a serve lack of skilled workers due to the enlistment of many men in the armed forces and their engagement in active service in the European theatre of war. The government decided to call on the women of Australia to fill the skills shortage. To address these problems in the agricultural sector the facilities and training course at Scheyville were opened to the women of NSW in 1915. While there was a significant increase in women entering the workforce between 1914 and 1918 ( from 24% to 34%) these were mainly into areas women traditionally worked in, clothing, footwear, food industries with some increases in clerical, retail and teaching. This resistance to stretching gender roles and taking on work outside the traditional areas was reflected in the noticeable lack of interest among NSW women in taking up the offer of training in agricultural skills at Scheyville. Between 1915 and 1917 when the incentive was abandoned, about 25 women had trained at Scheyville.

At the close of the war when the thousands of soldiers returned home many found that there were no longer jobs for them. In recognition of their service to the nation and to give them a helping hand the Commonwealth and State governments joined forces to put in place a soldier settlement scheme where by on application, returning soldiers were allocated by or leased land from the State Government and financially assisted to establish farms by the Commonwealth government. Many of the returnees had no previous farming experience and so during 1917 and 1918, the Government Agricultural Training Farm at Scheyville was opened to returned soldiers who received basic agricultural training there.

In 1919, the Dreadnought training scheme restarted and it continued to run up until 1929. The last five years of the scheme were funded jointly by the Commonwealth and State governments and also the British government.

In 1928 plans were drawn up by the Government Architect's Office for a handsome set of buildings in the Georgian Revival and Inter War Mediterranean style. These building formed the 'Quadrangle Precinct' and comprised an administrative block, kitchen dining room and two dormitories.

While the Scheme was officially suspended in 1929 due to the looming economic crisis of the Great Depression, the farm continued to train both Australian and Immigrant boys through the 1930s when it was known as the Government Training Farm. During the 1930s many changes were made to the farm facilities including the construction of the of a double silo, and a new dairy and tank base.

With the outbreak of World War II, the farm was commandeered by the Military. Initially it was intended to use the farm for artillery and anti-tank warfare training but little record of this is available. In early 1942 the Scheyville Dreadnought Farm became the home of the newly formed 73rd Anti-Aircraft Searchlight Company.

The new and highly specialised force was an essential element in the defence of Australia particularly after the Japanese surprise air attack on Pearl Harbour on 7 December 1941. The 73rd Company used the land at Scheyville to carry out basic training while waiting for its ranks to fill. .

73rd Company administration was carried out in the former farm administration building of the Quadrangle Precinct. Officers were housed in the Quadrangle dormitories suitably adapted as single person rooms. The dining room became the Officer's mess. Other ranks were housed in tents pitched to the southeast of the quadrangle buildings. The Company moved out of Scheyville in November 1942 . They first moved to a Staging Camp in Brisbane and then to Townsville where on 29 December 1942 they boarded the MV Duntroon and were shipped to New Guinea where they served at Port Moresby, Nadzab and Lae during 1943 and 1944. Initially illuminating anti aircraft artillery they soon were also employed illuminating enemy aircraft. Their most commended function by both the Australian and American forces was their work guiding allied aircraft, damaged in battle, back to their bases in Port Moresby and Lae. Often these aircraft had lost radar and radio contact and the lives of those airmen depended on the assistance provided by the 73rd Company men.

At the outset of the war the allied nations had no effective paratrooper forces. They were quickly convinced of the necessity to train paratroopers as Germany successfully deployed paratroopers in battles to annex Austria, Norway, the Netherlands and Crete. As part of Australia's contribution to the defence of the Empire and our own shores then under threat by the Japanese, the 1st Parachute Battalion was formed in late 1942 and was the first airborne combat battalion to exist in the Australian armed forces. The members of the Battalion were recruited from the ranks of the army and most of the men had already seen active service in other theatres of war. A number of those who joined the Battalion were decorated and there were ten soldiers who had earned the Military Cross for their war service.

Extensive training was required for those volunteering to join the new force. They began training with Australia's first Parachute Training Unit at Tocumwal Airbase under the command of Wing Commander P Glasscock (RAAF). Training at Tocumwal was in specific aspects of airborne combat and culminated in their first parachute jump. The paratroopers continued training for a short period of time at Richmond Airbase. During flight training members of the Battalion had to qualify for the winged insignia and the "Red Beret" by performing a total of seven jumps. Once flight training was completed the men were then marshalled at Scheyville where, while waiting for their Battalion ranks to fill, they received general combat and fitness training.

Like the Searchlight Company before them the Parachute Battalion took over the facilities at the "Scheyville Camp", utilising the quadrangle buildings for administration, officer accommodation and the slopes to the south-east of the quadrangle.

Under the command of Lt. Col. Sir John Overall CBE, MC & Bar, a seasoned and distinguished Officer, the Company moved out of Scheyville in late 1944 eventually arriving at Canungra where they received training in jungle combat. The Battalion finally moved to Mareeba Airstrip in northern Queensland to await orders. This was where the Battalion spent the final months of the war.

In the immediate post war years there was a huge influx of migrants from Europe, people traumatised and left homeless and with few resources for survival. By 1950 Australia had received 153,685 assisted migrants who were initially housed in government run migrant accommodation. In 1949 as the need for migrant accommodation continued to grow, it was decided that the facility at Scheyville would be established as a Migrant Holding Centre. Between 1950 and 1964 thousands of migrants had passed through Scheyville Migrant Holding Centre which was largest of the migrant centres in Australia during those years.

The Quadrangle buildings were adapted to accommodate the Centre's staff and administration and prefabricated huts were located on site to house the migrants. Two large SAARS huts were installed on site, one of which contained kitchen facilities to augment those in the quadrangle building. The other huts and some new buildings housed many other heath and amenity facilities including a community hall. A large number of prefabricated huts were installed on site to accommodate the migrants. A sewage treatment works was constructed on site in 1949. The installation of a sewage plant and electrical network during the post WWII phases of use allowed the migrant camp and the later Officer Training Unit to operate as an almost self sufficient community. The Scheyville Migrant Holding Centre accommodated new migrants up until 1964.

In 1965 Scheyville was once again commandeered for military uses, specifically to house an Officer Training Unit. The OTU provided and intensive 22 week program of training in military leadership skills for select National Servicemen. The Unit was the first of its kind in Australia as previously Officers were traditionally educated and trained in the elite military schools such as Duntroon and not selected from those drafted into National Service.

Between 1965 and 1973, and under the command of the noted soldier and military educationist Ian Geddes, 1871 conscripts passed through Scheyville OTU making use of the classroom based training as well as the extensive field exercises and physical fitness training.

Once again the quadrangle buildings formed the nexus of the site's activities. The administration block on the southern end of the quadrangle housed the Commanding Officer's and Sergeant Major's administrative quarters The dormitory buildings on the east and west sides were further adapted to house the Officers who provided the training, and the dining room and kitchen was the Officer's Mess.

The Commandant and his family were housed in the old farm managers house and the Sergeant Major and family in the overseers cottage. The prefabricated buildings, a legacy of the Migrant Holding Centre period accommodated the Officer Cadets. The SAARs huts were converted to provide gymnasium facilities and the Officer Cadet's dining and recreation facility. A parade ground was established to the north east of the quadrangle and adjacent to that on the west of the parade ground, a 't' shaped teaching facility was constructed.

In addition to reusing existing buildings, the OTU made extensive use of the surrounding farmlands and scrub, establishing obstacle courses, a small arms range, challenge courses and a tough rout march trail.

The Officer training was tough physically, emotionally and mentally. It was intended to remake, remould and train the potential Officer "in a way that was similar to tearing the insides out of an old factory and completely renovating the insides." ( Donnelly, The Scheyville Experience).

330 graduates of the Scheyville Officer Training Unit served in the Vietnam War, eight of whom died in action. Other graduates did not see active service in Vietnam but went on to other areas of the Army where 130 became Lieutenant Colonels and 13 Brigadiers. Many who trained at the OTU, such as Tim Fischer and Jeff Kennet have achieved positions of importance in civilian life and attribute their success to their training at Scheyville.

In 1973 the OTU left Scheyville and it was left vacant for some years. In 1977 the facility was rented from the Commonwealth by Hawkesbury College of Advanced Education which was in need of residential facilities for its students. The Scheyville residential campus began operating in 1978 and closed down in 1983.

In 1985 the NSW Police Tactical Response Group used the site at Scheyville to train and practise tactical response skills. Since this time there have been plans to develop the site as an international airport, a maximum security prison and a large housing development. These plans did not reach fruition and in 1996 the land was put under the care of the National Parks and Wildlife Service when the Scheyville National Park was gazetted.

Early management practises of the National Parks and Wildlife Service reflected the organisations primary concern at the time, the conservation of natural values of items under its care. Because of this NPWS allowed the demolition of a number of structures damaged by the police and military uses of the property. Since that time there has been a growing awareness of the importance of conserving all the values, including cultural heritage and natural heritage values in National Parks and the Department of Environment and Climate Change has taken up this challenge.

A centennary celebration for Scheyville National Park is planned for sunday 15/5/2011. This comprises:
Scheyville Centenary Celebration for past residents
Sunday 15th May
2011, 10am till 3pm
Event description: A celebration of the diverse groups associated with the historic site Scheyville (named 1911).
During Scheyville's one hundred-year history, it has hosted a range of uses, the most important spanning socially, culturally and politically significant phases of Australian history.
Join us for a trip down memory lane, as Scheyville's past will be brought to life in an exhibition of photographs, documents and recorded histories of the site. You will have opportunity to tell your story and listen to other stories, to browse through the memorabilia collected so far and to contribute to the collection. Visitors are asked to bring along photographs preferably digitised (ie. Saved on to a compact disc or memory stick), memorabilia or personal belongings relating to their stay at Scheyville and for many, their life-changing journey to Australia. We are interested in obtaining records or copies of this information to help explain the site's rich history.
Scheyville is now listed on the State Heritage Register and National Parks are now engaged in the process of restoring the remaining buildings for reuse (Bennet/NPWS, 2011).

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Parks-
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Other open space-
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Cultural: Natural landscapes valued by humans-
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Cultural: Lakes and wetlands supporting human activities-
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Cultural: Rivers and water bodies important to humans-
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Cultural: Conserving and protecting natural features-
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Scientific: Environments important for birdlife-
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Scientific: Environments important for plant life-
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Scientific: Environments important for animal life-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent	Aboriginal cultures and interactions with other cultures-Activities associated with maintaining, developing, experiencing and remembering Aboriginal cultural identities and practices, past and present.	Daruk Nation - massacre and battle sites-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent	Aboriginal cultures and interactions with other cultures-Activities associated with maintaining, developing, experiencing and remembering Aboriginal cultural identities and practices, past and present.	Daruk Nation - suffering invasion by disease-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent	Aboriginal cultures and interactions with other cultures-Activities associated with maintaining, developing, experiencing and remembering Aboriginal cultural identities and practices, past and present.	Daruk Nation - welcoming visitors-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent	Aboriginal cultures and interactions with other cultures-Activities associated with maintaining, developing, experiencing and remembering Aboriginal cultural identities and practices, past and present.	Daruk Nation - sites evidencing occupation-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent	Aboriginal cultures and interactions with other cultures-Activities associated with maintaining, developing, experiencing and remembering Aboriginal cultural identities and practices, past and present.	Eora nation - places of contact with the colonisers-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent	Migration-Activities and processes associated with the resettling of people from one place to another (international, interstate, intrastate) and the impacts of such movements	Settling child migrants in institutions-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Agriculture-Activities relating to the cultivation and rearing of plant and animal species, usually for commercial purposes, can include aquaculture	Sharing resources through commons-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings	Landscapes of urban and rural interaction-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Science-Activities associated with systematic observations, experiments and processes for the explanation of observable phenomena	Researching native fauna-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Science-Activities associated with systematic observations, experiments and processes for the explanation of observable phenomena	Researching native flora-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Accommodation-Activities associated with the provision of accommodation, and particular types of accommodation – does not include architectural styles – use the theme of Creative Endeavour for such activities.	Accommodating migrants in hostels and camps-
5. Working-Working	Labour-Activities associated with work practises and organised and unorganised labour	Working in a co-operative labour settlement-
5. Working-Working	Labour-Activities associated with work practises and organised and unorganised labour	Operating government relief programs-
7. Governing-Governing	Defence-Activities associated with defending places from hostile takeover and occupation	Involvement with the Vietnam War-
7. Governing-Governing	Defence-Activities associated with defending places from hostile takeover and occupation	Training military personnel-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Leisure-Activities associated with recreation and relaxation	Enjoying public parks and gardens-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Leisure-Activities associated with recreation and relaxation	Going bushwalking-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	Associations with Governor (Rt.Hon.) Somerset Lowry-Corry, Earl of Belmore, GCMG, 1868-1872-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	Associations with William Francis Schey, M.P. for Redfern/Darlington and later Director of Labour and Industry-
9. Phases of Life-Marking the phases of life	Persons-Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups	Associations with C. (Charles) Bruce Dellit, architect-

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	Scheyville National Park is of State heritage significance as it demonstrates a continuous history of significant use since pre European settlement when the area supported the Dharug people with plentiful food supplies. The park also contains a number of historic features and places which demonstrate the early settlement of the Cumberland Plain, farming, defence and migrant uses of the area, and is significant as a relatively large surviving element of the first commons declared in the colony. The ongoing use and development of the area closely reflects and articulates the economic and agricultural development of the colony and later the development of the nation in relation to its autonomy, defence and populating the land. It is a rare example of a site demonstrating the continuous layers of history which reflects the history of the State and the Nation. The park is of historic significance at a state level as a number of the Parks boundaries are those of the Nelson (later Pitt Town) Common declared in NSW by Governor King in 1804. The 6 commons declared at that time were the earliest officially declared in the Colony and the 954 ha Scheyville National Park is the largest unsettled remnant of those Commons. In addition land uses of the colonial common such as quarrying are still evident. Scheyville National Park is of State heritage significance as the site of three rare and often controversial social and agricultural ventures in the late 19th and early 20th centuries: the Pitt Town Co-operative Labour Settlement for the unemployed; a Casual Labour Farm for men who could not find work through ill health; and the Scheyville Government Agricultural Training Farm, a Dreadnought Farm for English boys, the earliest of the child immigrant training farms to operate and an agricultural; training farm for women during WWI. It was also one of the major migrant reception centre in Australia during the 1950s and early 1960s. Scheyville National Park is historically significant at a State level for its long associations with the military forces, being used as a military training camp during World War II for Australia's first parachute battalion and the 73rd Search Light Company which saw distinguished Service in New Guinea during WWII. It was also the first officer training School for National Servicemen during the Vietnam War. In addition to these culturally historic values, the Scheyville National Park's natural values demonstrate a significant phase of evolution in the natural history of the Hawkesbury area. The park contains the largest and most intact remnants of Cumberland Plain native plant and animal communities which once dominated Western Sydney. As such it offers a living snapshot of the early natural history of Western Sydney.
SHR Criteria b) [Associative significance]	Scheyville's historic significance at a State level is enhanced through its association with a number of groups and individuals important in the history of NSW. Scheyville National Park is significant for its association with the Dharug Nation who occupied the area for at least 13,000 years prior to colonial settlement, and for the ongoing associations between contemporary Dharug communities and the parklands (HO) The first important figure associated with the site is Governor King who reserved an area which includes the Scheyville National Park as a Common in 1804. The driving force in establishing the Dreadnought scheme and Scheyville Agricultural training farm for young British migrants was William Schey. Schey was keenly involved in the politics of labour and industry from late 1877 through to the early decade of the 20th century. He was a pioneering unionist with the Railways and Tramways Employees Association, a parliamentarian tirelessly campaigning for the 8 hour day. He became Chief Labour Commissioner in the late 1890s and Director of State Labour Bureau in the first years of the new Federation. The Commander of the 1st Parachute Battalion, the first airborne combat troop in Australia which was encamped at Scheyville was Lt. Col. Sir John Overall who had received the Military Cross and Bar for distinguished Service in WWII. In civilian life he returned to his work as a distinguished architect where his work with the National Capital Development Commission made a significant contribution to the development of Canberra. He was awarded the RAIA Gold Medal in 1982 and played an important part in the development and oversight of the construction of the new Parliament House. The first and longest Commandant of the OTU at Scheyville was Brigadier Ian Geddes, a soldier with a long and distinguished record of active service during WWII both in Europe and Asia, during the Malayan Emergency and finally in Vietnam. In Vietnam he headed a team of 128 members of the Australian Assistance Group whose task it was to instruct South Vietnamese and Cambodian Troops before the ceasefire discussion were concluded. Geddes also had a long and influential career in military education at the Joint Services Staff College in Canberra, Scheyville OTU and has several achievement awards in his honour and also a number of military educational facilities named after him. The leadership training offered by the Officer Training Unit at Scheyville produced many strong and well equipped leaders who used their skills during the Vietnam war and well after, two significant graduates who have gone on to influence the direction of the State and Nation are Jeff Kennet and Tim Fischer. Scheyville National Park is significant for its associations with community groups involved in the environmental conservation movement in western Sydney during the late 20th century, including the National Parks Association and Concerned Residents Against Development of Longneck Lagoon (CRADLE).
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	Scheyville National Park is of state significance as an extensive landscape of woodlands and wetlands that crown the high land above the rural and village countryside of the Pitt Town Bottoms and the Hawkesbury Valley. Within the park the landscapes have aesthetic value for the combinations of eucalypt woodlands, open grasslands and shady glades with reedy water bodies and many evident birds and other wildlife. Because of its height above the surrounding plains and valleys there are clear views over the Hawkesbury River and villages such as Pitt Town and Windsor towards the rugged escarpments and peaks of the Blue Mountains. It is an increasingly rare example of such landscape combinations on the western Cumberland Plain. The inter-war period built complex in the centre of the national park has aesthetic significance as an example of institutional design in a Mediterranean style, with all the principle buildings hierarchically arranged around a central courtyard on top of a commanding knoll. The complex design is supported by the arrangement of the central driveway which features sandstone gateways from the Officer Training establishment and a central memorial stone obelisk that commemorates the various military forces previously stationed in the complex (HO)
SHR Criteria d) [Social significance]	Scheyville National Park is of local and regional significance for its associations with contemporary Aboriginal communities in Western Sydney for whom it retains memories and physical evidence of historical settlement by the Dharug people, and of their resistance and adaptation to colonial settlement of the Hawkesbury Valley and Cumberland Plain. Scheyville National Park meets this criterion of State significance because it retains a significant and special association to a number of identifiable groups of people who are now located throughout NSW and beyond. While their number is diminishing the place has a special association for the surviving former Dreadnought boys who trained there and later went onto work on farms throughout NSW. Those surviving are mainly from the period 1919 to 1939 and their oral testimony evidences the lasting association they have with Scheyville as a significant formative experience in their lives and careers. Similarly the place is held in regard by the members of the 73rd Searchlight Company and the 1st Parachute Battalion who camped and trained in the fields surrounding the "Scheyville camp". The buildings and surrounds at Scheyville hold particular special meanings and memories for thousands of migrants who made Scheyville their home when they first settled in Australia. A demonstration of the lasting association many migrants have with the place was the very well attended "Back to Scheyville Day" held in 2005 where many people revisited their experience of first settling in Australia and reconnected with old friends and acquaintances. Scheyville has enduring association with the former officer cadets who trained there. The nature of the training at Scheyville was so dramatic that all cadets who have contributed to the oral history of their time at Scheyville note their time there as profoundly character and life changing. The OTU regularly holds reunions at the site and have established a monument at Scheyville to commemorate their fellow Officers who died in action in Vietnam as well as those associated with the earlier military uses of the site, the 73rd Searchlight Company and the 1st Parachute Battalion.
SHR Criteria e) [Research potential]	Scheyville National Park is of significance for the research potential of the archaeological evidence of Aboriginal occupation found on the margins of Longneck Lagoon and along Longneck and Llewellyn Creeks, including stone cores and occupation sites. It also contains significant archaeological potential, known archaeological resources and remnant fabric which can provide an understanding of the layout and functioning of the place during all its periods of use including its earliest European use as a Common and then later when it accommodated the Pitt Town Settlers. There is archaeology and remnant fabric relating to its 3 phases of use as a Government Agricultural Training Farm for British youth and also of its periods of military use and as a Migrant Holding Centre. In addition the Park as the largest intact area of Cumberland Plains vegetation the area is an important research resource to study and protect several rare and endangered species of fauna and flora .The natural areas of the national park are becoming increasingly significant as areas for researching the impacts of changing flora and fauna composition and ecological communities in response to urbanisation and other human-induced environment changes (HO).
SHR Criteria f) [Rarity]	It meets this criterion of State significance because as it is a site unique in its ability to demonstrate all the layers of its significant historical use which closely reflect and articulate the history of the state and the nation. Scheyville National Park is of State significance for the rarity of several of its constituent elements. The naturally vegetated areas of the national park represent the most extensive remnant of vegetation on Wianamatta Shale remaining on the Cumberland Plain, notably the Cumberland Plain Grey Box/ Ironbark Woodland (listed as an endangered community under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995), as well as Castlereagh Scribbly Gum Woodland and Shale/Gravel Transition Forest. The national park protects three threatened native plants and a number of regionally rare plant species. Ten birds listed under the Threatened Species Conservation Act have been recorded in the national park (PoM).
SHR Criteria g) [Representativeness]	The Park is of significance as a representative example of all its land uses over time; as a colonial Common, a cooperative farming concern and agricultural training farm, as an encampment site for the military forces during WWII, as a migrant holding hostel for displaced persons at the end of WWII and as an Officer Training Unit specifically set up for National Servicemen during the Vietnam War. Scheyville National Park is of local and regional significance for its flora and fauna communities that are representative of the native ecologies of the Cumberland Plain. The park itself is representative of the national park concept that was introduced into Australia through the establishment of the Royal National Park in 1879, as evidenced by its establishment in 1996 as one of the most recent metropolitan national parks gazetted in New South Wales .
Integrity/Intactness:	The national park retains its ability to demonstrate the reasons for its natural and cultural significance, and the interplay between the values for which it was established.
Assessment criteria:	Items are assessed against the State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of significance. Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection.

Recommended management:


	Scheyville National Park and Pitt Town Nature Reserve Plan of Management September 2000 and endorsed Conservation Management Plan for the site

Recommendations

Management Category	Description	Date Updated
Recommended Management	Review a Conservation Management Plan (CMP)
Recommended Management	Prepare a maintenance schedule or guidelines
Recommended Management	Carry out interpretation, promotion and/or education

Procedures /Exemptions

Section of act	Description	Title	Comments	Action date
57(2)	Exemption to allow work	Heritage Act - Site Specific Exemptions	DIRECTION PURSUANT TO SECTION 34(1)(a) TO LIST AN ITEM ON THE STATE HERITAGE REGISTER Scheyville National Park SHR No 1817 In pursuance of Section 34(1)(a) of the Heritage Act, 1977, I, the Minister for Planning, having considered a recommendation of the Heritage Council of New South Wales, direct the Council to list the item of environmental heritage specified in Schedule A on the State Heritage Register. This listing shall apply to the curtilage or site of the item, being the land described in Schedule B. The listing is subject to the exemptions from approval under Section 57(2) of the Heritage Act, 1977, described in Schedule C and in addition to the standard exemptions. TONY KELLY, M.P., Minister for Planning Sydney, 29 Day of March 2010 SCHEDULE A The item known as Scheyville National Park, situated on the land described in Schedule B. SCHEDULE B All those pieces or parcels shown on the plan catalogued 2295 in the office of the Heritage Council of New South Wales. Parish of Ham Common, County of Cumberland. SCHEDULE C 1. All Standard Exemptions 2. Works and activities clearly identified in the maintenance schedule and schedule of works incorporated in the Conservation Management Plan (CMP) endorsed by the Heritage Council with the exception of; (a) any works involving earth excavation in the quadrangle building and the construction of ramp approaches for camp bridges and footbridges as these are areas of potential archaeology (b) the removal of “unsympathetic additions” to the farm managers cottage as these additions are not fully identified in the current Conservation Management Plan 3. Activities associated with the Scheyville Festival and other major events that are in accordance with the Plan of Management and Conservation Management Plan; 4. Fire management, bush regeneration, threatened species recovery and pest management activities except where there is a conflict with the Conservation Management Plan. Such activities may include controlled burning, weed and feral animal eradication, spraying and research in accordance with relevant fire management plans, recovery plans, bush regeneration and pest management plans; 5. Construction of a new Fire Shed (a Rural Fire Service facility) subject to Review of Environmental Factors approval which includes a Heritage Impact Statement and consideration of archaeological features; 6. Track maintenance, upgrades and improvements including the current regime of slashing new access tracks on the routes of old roads and tracks subject to Review of Environmental Factors approval which includes a Heritage Impact Statement and consideration of archaeological features; 7. Infrastructure maintenance and enhancement including energy saving works and the installation of sustainable technologies (solar power, water tanks etc) subject to Review of Environmental Factors approval which includes a Heritage Impact Statement and consideration of archaeological features. 8. Activities identified in a carbon sequestration plan, except where there is conflict with the Conservation Management Plan. 9. Manipulation of water levels in Longneck Lagoon through use of a sluice gate mounted within a weir.	Apr 9 2010
57(2)	Exemption to allow work	Standard Exemptions	HERITAGE ACT 1977 ORDER UNDER SECTION 57(2) TO GRANT STANDARD EXEMPTIONS FROM APPROVAL I, Penny Sharpe, the Minister for Heritage, on the recommendation of the Heritage Council of New South Wales and under section 57(2) of the Heritage Act 1977: revoke the order made on 2 June 2022 and published in the Government Gazette Number 262 of 17 June 2022; and grant an exemption from section 57(1) of the Act in respect of the engaging in or carrying out the class of activities described in clause 2 Schedule A in such circumstances specified by the relevant standards in clause 2 Schedule A and General Conditions in clause 3 Schedule A. This Order takes effect on the date it is published in the NSW Government Gazette. Dated this 29th day of October 2025 The Hon Penny Sharpe MLC Minister for Heritage For more information on standard exemptions click on the link below.	Nov 7 2025

Standard exemptions for engaging in or carrying out activities / works otherwise prohibited by section 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Heritage Act - State Heritage Register		01817	09 Apr 10	51	1853
State Environmental Planning Policy	Plan No. 20 (Hawkesbury-Nepean)
Register of the National Estate - Interim	19033

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title
Written		2009	Paratrooper
Written		2009	Soldier Settler Scheme
Written		2009	WWI Women's Role and Place
Written		2009	Archives Investigator Person Detail Willian Schey
Written		2009	1st Parachute Batallion
Written			Paratroopers
Written	Architecture Australia	2001	John Overall Obituary
Written	Baskerville B	2006	The Hawkesbury Commons
Written	Baskerville B	1994	Talking About National Parks
Written	Baskerville Bruce	1995	The Commons of Colonial NSW
Written	Beaver David; Edds, Carol & Graham; Jack Ian; and Brennan, Wayne	2009	Conservation Management Plan for Scheyville National Park
Written	Bennett, Phil	2011	Scheyville National Park Centennary Celebration (15/5/2011)
Written	Donnelly R	2001	The Scheyville Experience
Written	Guide to records		Good British Stock - The Dreadnought Scheme
Written	Hamilton M and Andersen S	2008	History of the WWII Uses of Scheyville National Park
Written	Hamilton M and Andersen S	2003	The History of the Officer training Unit at Scheyville
Written	Hamilton MA and Andersen S	2007	History of the Dreadnought Farm at Scheyville
Written	Hamilton MA and Andersen S	2005	History of the Migration Holding Centre at Scheyville
Written	Hill N	2005	Expose - A history of Searchlights in WWII
Written	IrvineA, Kelly J, O'Brian F, SingerM	2002	Conservation Management Plan for the Quadrangle Precinct Scheyville National Park
Written	Leo McLeay	2002	Address to NSW Parliament by Leo McLeay
Written	Lieutenant Colonel John Robinson - cinematographer	-1	Looking for Trouble: with the searchlights in New Guinea - film
Written	Military College of Australia	2001	John Overall
Management Plan	NPWS	2000	Scheyville National Park and Pitt Town Reserve Plan Of Management
Written	Planning Institute of Australia	2003	Planning Institute of Australia Newsletter Issue 4 2003
Written	Sir John Overall 1982 RAIA Gold Medalist	1982	AS Hook Address
Written	Sonneveld T	2008	Ian Geddes, An Officer and a Gentleman

Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images.

(Click on thumbnail for full size image and image details)

Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	Heritage NSW
Database number:	5053634
File number:	EF10/1045; H02/288

Every effort has been made to ensure that information contained in the State Heritage Inventory is correct. If you find any errors or omissions please send your comments to the Database Manager.

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