Archaeology of the Picton Road Station

Following the identification of a possible archaeological site near Kempton in 2012 investigations confirmed that it was the Picton Road Station. In 2019 and 2020, Southern Midlands Council, in conjunction with the University of Tasmania, ran two week archaeology field schools to undertake a refined archaeological testing program as accredited tertiary training.  This work provided a much clearer indication of the nature of the site and its associated artefacts.  This talk will provide an overview of the process to identify the site, the results of the test excavations, intended preservation of the site, and how sites such as this provide a wealth of training grounds for archaeological training through collaborative partnerships between property owners, government and universities.

Brad Williams is an historical archaeologist and heritage practitioner, having studied at the Australian National University, Flinders University, Deakin University and the University of Tasmania.  During the last twenty years Brad has worked as a Research Officer for Heritage Tasmania, Cultural Heritage Officer for Glenorchy City Council, Heritage Projects Manager for Southern Midlands Council and Heritage Manager for the Heritage Education and Skills Centre (Oatlands).  He served four years as a member of the Tasmanian Heritage Council, and six years as Archaeological representative on Council’s Works Application Assessment Committee, as well as chairing the Council’s Archaeological Advisory Panel.  He has served as a member of Arts Tasmania’s Cultural Heritage Advisory Panel and is currently Chair of the Tasmanian Wool Centre (Museum) Board.