Dig This

Date posted: 16 January 2011

Beneath one of Adelaide Gaol's oldest cells is a story more than 150 years in the making.

DEH is working with the South Australian Museum (SAM) to uncover secrets from the past, including some of the earliest surviving evidence of life along the River Torrens at the time of European settlement.

Led by Keryn Walshe, Senior Collections Manager for SAM's Aboriginal and Archaeology Collections, an investigation at the original Women's cell block has exposed the changing nature of the space and prisoner activities.

The dig got underway after volunteers discovered a cement slab had fallen through the wooden floor, revealing what they thought could be a secret passage. DEH called in the SAM experts to investigate.

As well as evidence of earlier construction, many fascinating finds were unearthed during the dig, including 19^th century bottle glass, glazed pottery, coke (a high quality form of coal), clay pipes, buttons, jewellery and an infant's tooth. But one of the most exciting discoveries was a pointed tool made from sheep bone.

"This offers new insights on the interactions between the Aboriginal custodians, who used bone tools, and the new settlers who brought exotic animals and camped along the banks of the Torrens while they waited for housing," Keryn said.

Keryn describes archaeology as the key to filling the gaps and informing us in a way that archival records can't.

"We know so little about those early years in Adelaide that to uncover even a bit more is enormously significant for our understanding of the dynamics of settlement in South Australia," she said.

Due to extensive modifications and soil disturbance over time, there is nowhere else along the Torrens with the kind of access to settlement history as that found under the Gaol.

DEH Project Manager for Adelaide Gaol, Peter Miller says the dig findings showcase the importance of the site to South Australia's heritage.

"The archaeological investigation offers new reflections on how things were at the time of the Gaol's construction and the many changes thereafter," he said.

"We anticipate the dig site will be open to the public in early 2009. This cell block is undergoing extensive conservation works, which we expect will be completed by mid 2009."

Managed by DEH, Adelaide Gaol is one of South Australia's oldest and most intriguing public buildings. It operated from 1841 to 1988, housing approximately 300,000 prisoners.