site-logo

Ecology | Environment | Heritage

Eagle’s Nest Depression Camp Heritage Survey

« News 
01 September 2021

Eagle’s Nest Depression Camp Heritage Survey

Redleaf’s archaeologists conducted a heritage survey on the 1930s Eagle’s Nest Depression camp in order to investigate the material remains still present at the site. As one of the few surviving Depression-era camps, the Eagle's Nest Camp was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register in 2021.

The Mess Hall 1930s (Barker & Lamb 2009)

The Mess Hall today (T. Menkins 2021)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the 1930s, the camp quickly grew into a small settlement, comprising a mess hall with kitchen, showers and latrines, sleeping quarters for up to 50 people, as well as temporary huts, tool shed, vegetable garden, fowl house, cow shed, and pig sty. An impressive vegetable garden grew beans, cabbages, carrots, cauliflowers, potatoes, pumpkins, turnips, lucerne and oats. The camp was supplied with water from a nearby spring for the men as well as for the pigs, fowl and four cows.

Vegetable garden today (A. Lester 2021)

Vegetable garden 1930s (Barker & Lamb 2009)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Significant remnants of the camp still exist today in Redwood Park. The vegetable garden currently exists as a large clearing, hut foundations with dry-stone stairs dot the hillside, a 1930s-era shipping tank with ceramic plumbing still stands in the kitchen, and evidence of animal pens can be found, along with troughs for stock.

Two of the itinerant workers in front of their Shelter & a tree (Barker & Lamb 2009)

The same tree today. Photo taken from opposite direction (A. Lester 2021)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cobblestone paths, flower beds, pathways and more still wind their way through the wilderness, with some trees photographed in the 1930s able to be identified today. It's always great to conduct heritage surveys in places like this with such interesting history.

Ship’s tank plumbed and repurposed in the kitchen area (Madden 2020)

Stone stairs and terracing from building foundations (Madden 202

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Want to receive the latest news from Redleaf? Sign up now!