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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1998 Week 7 Hansard (22 September) . . Page.. 2016 ..

MR SMYTH (continuing):

value of the place and help to unify the church and associated building complex by providing a leafy backdrop within the suburb of Reid. It is an important townscape element in the Reid housing precinct. The church is associated with its architect, J.C.R. Mills, who was a prolific designer of churches in New South Wales and an eminent architect of his time. Important features of his work in this church are the Norman tower and its Gothic arches.

The Tharwa Bridge and its site are historically and technically significant because of the Allan truss structure, having form and structural integrity which have survived virtually intact. It is the oldest standing bridge structure in the ACT. It is the archetypal example of the application of the new technology by Percy Allan to the construction of timber road bridges in New South Wales during a major development phase for bridge and road construction during the last decade of the nineteenth century. Tharwa Bridge is highly valued by the local community as an integral part of the village of Tharwa. It continues to contribute in social, economic and aesthetic terms to the community. The bridge and its site have associative significance with the period of nineteenth century European settlement and development of the region. The bridge has provided a high-level crossing point adjacent to Tharwa village, allowing the Murrumbidgee River to be traversed even when in flood. The bridge is significant in its contribution to the landscape and its relationship with the river, the village of Tharwa and the hills beyond.

Mr Speaker, following the public consultation process, the draft variation was revised for the Lennox House listing in response to a submission from the Australian National University. The submission pointed out that blocks J, K and M were demolished in 1996 with the approval of the National Capital Authority and the Australian Heritage Commission. The preamble to the specific requirements for the Lennox House listing has also been clarified to reflect the arrangements for the Territory land in designated areas.

The Standing Committee on Urban Services considered the draft variation and, in report No. 6 of September 1998, endorsed it. I now table variation No. 66 to the Territory Plan for the Heritage Places Register.

Mr Speaker, variation No. 79 to the Territory Plan proposes to add seven additional places to the Heritage Places Register. These places are Aboriginal rock art sites in Namadgi National Park, Cuppacumbalong woolshed complex, the Duntroon dairy, the Duntroon woolshed, Gungahleen school, the Manuka swimming pool and the Tocumwal housing precinct in O'Connor.

The Aboriginal rock art sites in Namadgi are representative of a rare site type within the local region and are invaluable at a popular and academic level in understanding the human history and culture of the original inhabitants of this region. The art contained in these sites is crucial to any regional and national understanding of Aboriginal rock art. The art is valued by the local Aboriginal community because of its tangible and evocative connection with their ancestors.

The Cuppacumbalong woolshed complex presents a clear example of the self-contained nature of a shearing complex and illustrates the facilities provided for shearers and their way of life on a large grazing property. The woolshed construction is a good example of balloon framing and bush carpentry still retaining its original integrity. The woolshed

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