Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2016L01891:body:0:p61
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2016L01891
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 176083–179223

earliest and most successful agricultural production. It retains an imposing collection of convict-
built buildings, ruins, archaeological remains, and elements which physically demonstrate colonial regimes
of penology as they were transported and transposed across the globe to the Australian colonies. The
governance arrangements and settlement patterns are evident in the existing street layout and spatial
arrangement of the buildings. The spatial relationships between the Government House, the streetscape
of pre-1850 cottages and fortified barracks complexes, combined with the convict precinct and Gaol,
articulate and reinforce the hierarchy and regime of power and surveillance. The role of punishment
through harsh labour is evident in features such as archaeological remains, the landing pier, Bloody
Bridge and the sea wall, as well as buildings such as the New Gaol, the Prisoners' Barracks and Crankmill
within the convict establishment, and civil engineering structures throughout the area. The development of
penal philosophies and the possibility of reform is evident in the cemetery, Protestant and Catholic
Chapels and the clergyman's quarters. The use of calcarenite, lime and timber in the construction of
buildings and other settlement infrastructure demonstrates the adaption of techniques and the evolution of

Kingston and Arthur's Vale Historic Area—Heritage Management Plan, April 2016
Authorised Version F2016L01891 registered 09/12/2016

Jean Rice Architect | CONTEXT | GML Heritage

technology in response to the local environment and its natural materials. These features remain as a
compelling reminder of the gruelling physical labour that convicts endured.

The KAVHA site is significant for its association with Lieutenant Philip Gidley King RN who established the
colonial settlement on the Island; this contributed to the survival of the New South Wales colony. During
the Second (Penal) Settlement 1825-1855 period, Alexander Maconochie formulated and applied the
principles of modern penology, transforming the KAVHA site from 'hell on earth' to a 'productive and
orderly convict population.' The KAVHA site has an enduring association with the Pitcairn Islanders who
landed here in 1856, occupying, adapting and reworking the convict-era buildings, and building a new
community that remains today a foundational element of Norfolk Island culture.

The distinctive settlement periods evidenced at the KAVHA site through the maritime and terrestrial
archaeology resources, as well as the historical collections of maps, imagery, written records and the
extensive collections of objects, have potential to yield information on pre-European Polynesian culture,
convict era living and working conditions, and changes in penal practice and philosophy during the convict
period and the Pitcairn period from 1856. The cemetery is in continuing use and has a significant and
unique collection of headstones and other features, dating from the earliest period of European settlement
through to today. The collection includes headstones and graves with outstanding family history research
potential.

The KAVHA