The NSW historical themes are outlined below with examples and notes to clarify their use.
Each NSW theme is equally important. Significant places and objects often relate to more than one theme. Places with Aboriginal significance can be linked to any relevant themes in addition to 'Aboriginal cultures and interactions with other cultures'.
The development of local historical themes can also fit within this framework.
Environment – naturally evolved
There are 2 aspects to this theme:
- features occurring naturally in the physical environment which have significance independent of human intervention
- features occurring naturally in the physical environment which have shaped or influenced human life and cultures.
Examples
A geological formation, fossil site, ecological community, island, soil site, river flats, estuary, mountain range, reef, lake, woodland, seagrass bed, wetland, desert, alps, plain, valley, headland, evidence of flooding, earthquake, bushfire and other natural occurrences.
Aboriginal cultures and interactions with other cultures
Activities associated with maintaining, developing, experiencing and remembering Aboriginal cultural identities and practices, past and present; with demonstrating distinctive ways of life; and with interactions demonstrating race relations.
Examples
Placename, camp site, midden, fish trap, trade route, massacre site, shipwreck contact site, missions and institutions, whaling station, pastoral workers camp, timber mill settlement, removed children’s home, town reserve, protest site, places relating to self-determination, keeping place, resistance and protest sites, places of segregation, places of indentured labour, places of reconciliation.
Convict
Activities relating to incarceration, transport, reform, accommodation and working during the convict period in New South Wales (1788-1850). Does not include activities associated with the conviction of persons in New South Wales that are unrelated to the imperial ‘convict system’: use the theme of 'law and order' for such activities.
Examples
Prison, convict shipwreck, convict system document, ticket-of-leave and probationary living quarters, guards uniform, landscapes-of- control, lumber yard, quarry, gallows site, convict-built structure, convict ship arrival site, convict barracks, convict hospital, estate based on convict labour, place of secondary punishment.
Ethnic influences
Activities associated with common cultural traditions and peoples of shared descent, and with exchanges between such traditions and peoples.
Examples
Blessing-of-the-fleet site, ethnic community hall, Chinese store, place or object that exhibits an identifiable ethnic background, marriage register, Coat of Arms, olive grove, date palm plantation, citizenship ceremony site, POW camp, register of ship crews, folk festival site, ethnic quarter in a town.
Migration
Activities and processes associated with the resettling of people from one place to another (international, interstate, intrastate) and the impacts of such movements.
Examples
Migrant hostel, customs hall, border crossing, immigration papers, bus depot, emigrant shipwreck, Aboriginal mission, quarantine station, works based on migrant labour, detention centre.
Agriculture
Activities relating to the cultivation and rearing of plant and animal species, usually for commercial purposes, can include aquaculture.
Examples
Hay barn, wheat harvester, silo, dairy, rural landscape, plantation, vineyard, farmstead, shelterbelt, silage pit, fencing, plough markings, shed, fish farm, orchard, market garden, piggery, common, irrigation ditch, Aboriginal seasonal picking camp.
Commerce
Activities relating to buying, selling and exchanging goods and services.
Examples
Bank, shop, inn, stock exchange, marketplace, mall, coin collection, consumer wares, bond store, customs house, trade routes, mint, Aboriginal trading places, Aboriginal ration/blanket distribution points, Aboriginal tourism ventures.
Communication
Activities relating to the creation and conveyance of information.
Examples
Post office, telephone exchange, printery, radio studio, newspaper office, telegraph equipment, network of telegraph poles, mail boat shipwreck, track, airstrip, lighthouse, stamp collection.
Environment – cultural landscape
Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings.
Examples
A landscape type, bushfire fighting equipment, soil conservation structures, national park, nature reserve, market garden, land clearing tools, evidence of Aboriginal land management, avenue of trees, surf beach, fishing spot, plantation, place important in arguments for nature or cultural heritage conservation.
Events
Activities and processes that mark the consequences of natural and cultural occurrences.
Examples
Monument, photographs, flood marks, memorial, ceremonial costume, honour board, blazed tree, obelisk, camp site, boundary, legislation, place of pilgrimage, places of protest, demonstration, congregation, celebration.
Exploration
Activities associated with making places previously unknown to a cultural group known to them.
Examples
Explorers route, marked tree, camp site, explorer’s journal, artefacts collected on an expedition, captain’s log, surveyor’s notebook, mountain pass, water source, Aboriginal trade route, landing site, map.
Fishing
Activities associated with gathering, producing, distributing, and consuming resources from aquatic environments useful to humans.
Examples
Fishing boat, whaling station, marine reserve, fisher camp, seafood factory, fish shop, oyster lease, artificial reef, fishing boat wreck, mooring, dock, marina, wharf, fish farm, fish trap.
Forestry
Activities associated with identifying and managing land covered in trees for commercial timber purposes.
Examples
Forested area, forest reserve, timber plantation, forestry equipment, saw mill, mill settlement, arboretum, charcoal kiln, coppiced trees, forest regrowth, timber tracks, whim.
Note: The NSW theme of ‘forestry’ can be used for the active management of natural and regrowth trees for timber production while the theme of ‘agriculture’ can be used for the intensive cultivation of exotic trees for purposes other than timber production.
Health
Activities associated with preparing and providing medical assistance and/or promoting or maintaining the wellbeing of humans.
Examples
Hospital, sanatorium, asylum, surgical equipment, ambulance, nurses quarters, medical school, baby clinic, hospital therapy garden, landscaped grounds, herbalist shop, pharmacy, medical consulting rooms.
Industry
Activities associated with the manufacture, production and distribution of goods.
Examples
Factory, workshop, depot, industrial machinery, timber mill, quarry, private railway or wharf, shipbuilding yard, slipway, blacksmithy, cannery, foundry, kiln, smelter, tannery, brewery, factory office, company records.
Mining
Activities associated with the identification, extraction, processing and distribution of mineral ores, precious stones and other such inorganic substances.
Examples
Mine, quarry, race, mining field or landscape, processing plant, manager’s office, mineral specimen, mining equipment, mining licence, ore laden shipwreck, collier, mine shaft, sluice gate, mineral deposit, slag heap, assay office, water race.
Pastoralism
Activities associated with the breeding, raising, processing and distribution of livestock for human use.
Examples
Pastoral station, shearing shed, slaughter yard, stud book, photos of prize- winning stock, homestead, pastoral landscape, common, fencing, grassland, well, water trough, freezer boat shipwreck, wool store.
Science
Activities associated with systematic observations, experiments and processes for the explanation of observable phenomena.
Examples
Laboratory, experimental equipment, text book, observatory, botanical garden, arboretum, research station, university research reserve, weather station, soil conservation area, fossil site, archaeological research site.
Technology
Activities and processes associated with the knowledge or use of mechanical arts and applied sciences.
Examples
Computer, telegraph equipment, electric domestic appliances, underwater concrete footings, museum collection, office equipment, Aboriginal places evidencing changes in tool types.
Transport
Activities associated with the moving of people and goods from one place to another, and systems for the provision of such movements.
Examples
Railway station, highway, lane, train, ferry, wharf, tickets, carriage, dray, stock route, canal, bridge, footpath, aerodrome, barge, harbour, lighthouse, shipwreck, canal, radar station, toll gate, horse yard, coach stop.
Towns, suburbs and villages
Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages.
Examples
Town plan, streetscape, village reserve, concentrations of urban functions, civic centre, subdivision pattern, abandoned town site, urban square, fire hydrant, marketplace, abandoned wharf, relocated civic centre, boundary feature, municipal Coat of Arms.
Land tenure
Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal.
Examples
Fence, survey mark, subdivision pattern, land title document, boundary hedge, , stone wall, shelterbelt, cliff, river, seawall, rock engravings, shelters and habitation sites, cairn, survey mark, trig station, colonial/state border markers.
Utilities
Activities associated with the provision of services, especially on a communal basis.
Examples
Water pipeline, sewage tunnel, gas retort, powerhouse, County Council office, garbage dump, windmill, radio tower, bridge, culvert, weir, well, cess pit, reservoir, dam, places demonstrating absence of utilities at Aboriginal fringe camps.
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.
Examples
Terrace, apartment, semi-detached house, holiday house, hostel, bungalow, mansion, shack, house boat, caravan, cave, humpy, migrant hostel, homestead, cottage, house site (archaeological).
Labour
Activities associated with work practices and organised and unorganised labour.
Examples
Trade union office, bundy clock, time-and- motion study (document), union banner, union membership card, strike site, staff change rooms, servants quarters, shearing shed, green ban site, brothel, kitchen, nurses station, hotel with an occupational patronage.
Education
Activities associated with teaching and learning by children and adults, formally and informally.
Examples
School, kindergarten, university campus, mechanics institute, playground, hall of residence, text book, teachers college, sail training boat wreck, sportsfield, seminary, field studies centre, library, physical evidence of academic achievement (e.g. a medal or certificate).
Defence
Activities associated with defending places from hostile takeover and occupation.
Examples
Battle ground, fortification, RAAF base, barracks, uniforms, military maps and documents, war memorials, shipwreck lost to mines, scuttled naval vessel, POW camp, bomb practice ground, parade ground, massacre site, air raid shelter, drill hall.
Government and administration
Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the state and the nation, and the administration of public programs – includes both principled and corrupt activities.
Examples
Municipal chamber, county council offices, departmental office, legislative document, symbols of the Crown, state and municipal flags, official heraldry, ballot box, mayoral regalia, places acquired/disposed of by the state, customs boat, pilot boat, site of key event (e.g. federation, royal visit), protest site, physical evidence of corrupt practices.
Law and order
Activities associated with maintaining, promoting and implementing criminal and civil law and legal processes.
Examples
Courthouse, police station, lock-up, protest site, law chambers, handcuffs, legal document, gaol complex, water police boat, police vehicle, jail, prison complex (archaeological), detention centre, judicial symbols.
Welfare
Activities and process associated with the provision of social services by the state or philanthropic organisations.
Examples
Orphanage, retirement home, public housing, special school, trades training institution, employment agency.
Domestic life
Activities associated with creating, maintaining, living in and working around houses and institutions.
Examples
Domestic artefact scatter, kitchen furnishings, bed, clothing, garden tools, shed, arrangement of interior rooms, kitchen garden, pet grave, chicken coop, home office, road camp, barrack, asylum.
Note: The NSW theme of 'domestic life' can be used to explore the historical contexts for interior or private, domestic spaces and objects.
Creative endeavour
Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.
Examples
Opera house, theatre costume, film studio, writer’s studio, parade tableau, manuscripts, sound recording, cinema, exemplar of an architectural style, work of art, craftwork, and/or public garden, bandstand, concert hall, rock art site, rotunda, library, public hall; and/or a, particular place to which there has been a particular creative, stylistic or design response.
Leisure
Activities associated with recreation and relaxation
Examples
Resort, ski lodge, chalet, cruise ship, passenger rail carriage, swimming pool, dance hall, hotel, caravan park, tourist brochures, park, beach, clubhouse, lookout, common, bush walking track, Aboriginal Christmas camp site, fishing spot, picnic place, swimming hole.
Religion
Activities associated with particular systems of faith and worship
Examples
Church, monastery, convent, rectory, presbytery, manse, parsonage, hall, chapter house, graveyard, monument, church organ, synagogue, temple, mosque, madrasa, carved tree, burial ground.
Social institutions
Activities and Organisational arrangements for the provision of social activities.
Examples
CWA Room, Masonic hall, School of Arts, Mechanic’s Institute, museum, art gallery, RSL Club, public hall, historical society collection, public library, community centre, Aboriginal mission hall or school room.
Sport
Activities associated with organised recreational and health promotional activities.
Examples
Oval, race course, swimming pool, bowling club, bowling green, trophies, calendar of fixtures, cricket set, yacht pens, tennis court, rugby field, speedway, sporting equipment, bocce court.
Birth and death
Activities associated with the initial stages of human life and the bearing of children, and with the final stages of human life and disposal of the dead.
Examples
Birth control clinic, maternity hospital, nursery, baby clinic, baptism register, circumcision equipment, and Hospice, nursing home, funeral parlour, grave furnishings, cremation site, cemetery, burial register, disaster site, memorial plantings, shipwreck with loss of life.
Persons
Activities of, and associations with, identifiable individuals, families and communal groups.
Examples
A monument to an individual, a family home, a dynastic estate, private chapel, a birthplace, a place of residence, a gendered site, statue, Coat of Arms, commemorative placename, place dedicated to memory of a person (e.g. hospital wing).