Rylstone Shire Community Heritage Study - existing studies

Rylstone Shire Community Heritage Study
The Report April 2003 by Christo Aitken & Associates

SECTION 3 CONTEXT

3.1 Introduction

This section discusses the existing studies that provided some supporting material for the heritage study. The studies completed for Rylstone Shire are few. There is an urgent need for considerably more planning work to occur in order to guide the future direction of the Shire. For instance there are many good examples elsewhere in NSW of development control plans that could be readily adapted to suit the needs of the towns and villages if funds and resources permitted. Rylstone Shire is more fortunate than other areas in NSW where the pressures of development and consequent pressures of time have sometimes resulted in less than appropriate decisions, loss of character and lost opportunities. Rylstone does not yet have this pressure and therefore has the time and precedent to learn from, apply and prepare itself for the future.

3.2 Aspects of Significance of Rylstone Shire

Rylstone is a relatively large local government area which became a municipality in 1906. The shire has been shaped by a number of significant forces which are outlined in this study. Rylstone shire retains evidence of many of the themes which have been significant in its history, including early pastoral settlement, mining and quarrying of coal and limestone for a major cement industry, and the growth of towns and villages as service centres throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. There has been little change in many aspects of the shire since its settlement.

Pastoralism has been a significant theme in Rylstone shire since the 1820s, with early graziers such as Richard Fitzgerald, Edward Cox, John Thompson and the Suttor family among others, establishing large pastoral properties. The descendants of many of these early pioneering families still live in the Rylstone area, and until recent years, some of these properties remained in original family ownership. Associated with these with these large pastoral holdings were many fine homesteads with their related working buildings, many of which remain intact and in use, and thus retain their significance to the region.

Unlike many other areas in the NSW Central West, Rylstone did not directly experience a gold rush in the mid 19th century (although the busy goldfields at Sofala and Hill End were close to the shire’s present boundaries). Significant deposits of limestone and coal, however, allowed for the later development of a cement industry in the early 20th century, which continues to be an important aspect of the shire’s economy today.

The town of Rylstone, established 1842 as a service centre for the surrounding pastoral properties, retains important aspects of a mid 19th century Australian village which is in many ways unchanged today. It incudes a number of significant vernacular buildings dating from the 19th century, and constructed from the local rubble stone which gives the town a unique and cohesive architectural character.

Kandos, by comparison, was established in 1913 as a service centre for the cement works which is integral to the town. Kandos has a predominate Interwar architectural character, and is set dramatically against the backdrop of the stark and imposing Cumber melon Mountain.

Rylstone and Kandos are the major urban centres in Rylstone Shire: each is significant in its own right, having retained its original character as a result of relative isolation until recent years. Compared to other towns in the Central West, both towns can still be considered to be isolated; the major road south to Bathurst has only been sealed in the last five years, while the major road north to Muswellbrook remains unsealed today.

Rylstone Shire has considerable natural significance, with approximately 80% of its total area covered in native vegetation. Both the Wollemi and Goulburn River National Parks extend into the shire. The Wollemi National Park covers almost half a million hectares and is the largest intact wilderness area in southeastern Australia. It now has World Heritage status. A large number of Aboriginal sites are known to exist in Rylstone Shire.

The national parks increasingly provide a major opportunity for cultural tourism within the shire. Other growing economic opportunities within Rylstone in recent years include the growth of the wine and olive industries.

By the considered preservation of the significant historic, natural and cultural aspects of the shire, Rylstone can accommodate future growth while reinforcing its unique history and character to the benefit of the local community and visitors to the area.