An odd one from 06-JUN-05, the Federal Minister for the Environment, Senator Ian Campbell, has put out a media release informing us that two sites in Canberra have been placed on the National Heritage List.
CANBERRA’S ANCIENT AND MODERN HERITAGE
Two of Canberra’s heritage places, an ancient geological site dating back more than 450 million years and a 20th century office building, will be included on the Commonwealth Heritage List.
Senator Campbell said the State Circle Cutting and the Edmund Barton Building represented two very different faces of Canberra’s heritage.
“The State Circle Cutting is a geological snapshot in time, showing us how the Canberra region has formed and changed over hundreds of millions of years,” Senator Campbell said.
“The area was originally covered by sea and the rocks of the State Circle Shale were folded by powerful tectonic forces, lifting them above sea level. Over millions of years erosion gradually wore down the land and shaped its surface.
“The land was then once again covered by a shallow sea, and the Camp Hill sediments were deposited on top of the older land surface, creating the geological features known as an ‘unconformity’, that makes the site so significant.
“Excavation of the site in the early 1970s led to a major re-assessment of how geological events impacted on the Canberra region. Today it is an important teaching site, providing evidence of ancient geological landscapes and habitats of now extinct fauna.”
Senator Campbell said the Edmund Barton Offices on Kings Avenue, representing far more recent history, were an acclaimed example of modern Australian architecture and the largest example of the late 20th century international style in the ACT.
“The design is the work of Harry Seidler, one Australia’s leading architects of the modern architectural movement, and is renowned for its innovative aesthetic, technical and design features,” he said.
A cutting is a site of National Heritage significance? A good geologist and a digging crew should be able to knock out any number of them you care for!
Loading ...
