Tunnel – Willow Court Tasmania

Specialist to investigate tunnel in February 2015

July 29, 2014 2 Comments

Mayor Martyn Evans announces that there will be an investigation into the tunnel that runs between Willow Court and the Derwent River. The investigation will be conducted by Associate Professor Heather Burke who teaches a range of archaeology subjects at Flinders University in South Australia. Her expertise and teaching includes Australian Historical Archaeology and Heritage Management Planning.

Assoc Professor Heather Burke: Heather is an historical archaeologist with research interests in the archaeology of standing structures, social memory and the creation of cultural landscapes, as well as the public interpretation and presentation of heritage sites. She graduated with a PhD from UNE in 1996, and has worked on historical and indigenous archaeological sites throughout New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory. Her PhD looked at the construction of social identity through style in architecture and the uses of the past in the present. Heather is currently a series editor for the Global Cultural Heritage Manuals series published by Springer, New York and editor of the national, peer reviewed journal.

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DVC Mayor and GM respond to questions about Willow Court

August 7, 2013 1 Comment

The Mayor clarifies the ownership of the Willow Court Tunnel in answering Cr Bester’s questions in April’s Council meeting of the Derwent Valley Council.

The Mayor advised that he was of the view that as the tunnel is on private land Council would have minimal controls on its usage, but if it was utilised to access the tunnel in Crown or Council Land the situation may be different.

Cr. Bester who is a strong supporter of the joint production of the Paranormal Film shot at Willow Court is keen on knowing the result of the outcome with the state’s Anti-Discrimination Commissioner and the Mayor answers as follows.

The Mayor advised that he would ask the General Manager to forward a copy of the correspondence to all councillors.

The General Manager of the Derwent Council answers a question about being flexible in the re-zoning arrangements to accommodate the buildings proponents of the oval precinct.

The General Manager advised that the simple answer was yes. Also changes to the zoning and also to the Conservation Management plan were done to achieve more flexibility in regard to being able to consider a commercial development on site.

Global

Tunnel discussed in Agreement 1941

May 19, 2013 No Comments

Taken from an agreement between Local Council and the Minister for Lands and Works this document talks about joining Lachlan Park to the new New Norfolk Sewerage system and abandoning the old system which runs under Burnett Street.

“AN AGREEMENT made the 18th day of June one thousand nine hundred and forty-one between THE HONOURABLE THOMAS HENRY DAVIES being and as the Minister for Lands and Works for the time being in the State of Tasmania (hereinafter called “the Minister”) of the one part and THE WARDEN COUNCILLORS AND ELECTORS OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF NEW NORFOLK (hereinafter called” the council”) of the other part WHEREAS for many years past the sewage from Lachlan Park Hospital (hereinafter called “the hospital”) at New Norfolk in Tasmania owned and controlled and managed by the Crown under the Mental Diseases Hospital Act 1858 has flowed through a drain beneath Burnett-street (hereinafter called “the drain”) and has been emptied into the River Derwent at New Norfolk aforesaid AND WHEREAS the council has recently undertaken the construction of a modern sewerage scheme for the Town of New Norfolk and it is desirable for reasons of health and sanitation that the sewage from the hospital be emptied into the sewers so to be constructed by the council and that the use of the drain for the passage of sewage be for ever afterwards abandoned”

Government agreement, document (full) 1941

Old story Click Here

Global

Tunnel discovery announced

March 15, 2013 No Comments

Tunnel vision

Engineers are examining videos of historic underground tunnels in Tasmania’s Derwent Valley.

Further investigations revealed tunnels about six metres below the surface.

Derwent Valley Mayor Martyn Evans says the tunnels have now been filmed.

It is believed the tunnels date back to the 1830s and could have been used to transfer convicts and patients to the mental health hospital at Willow Court.

The council has announce the video and investigation after discovering last year a suspected air shaft, which was announced by Cr Bromfield at the Frascati Open day in January 2013.

Just examining the video footage it is clear that while there are older building materials used, there are also some more modern materials in use as well. There is also clear evidence of a drain, either storm water of sewage entering the tunnel.