The Journeys exhibition, at Pine Rivers Heritage Museum until Sunday 27 July, tells the story of what life was like in colonial Queensland.
Archaeologist Christopher van der Westhuizen said six items from the Morayfield Plantation site, where Unitywater’s Caboolture River Nutrient Offset Project is, were on display in the exhibition.
“Artefacts on display include brick fragments, roof tile fragments and ceramic fragments that were possibly drainage pipes,” Mr van der Westhuizen said.
“These artefacts relate to the sugar cultivation period at Morayfield Plantation between 1866 – 1889. Morayfield was one of the first plantations making extensive use of Australian South Sea Islander labour. The uncovered brick fragments are sandstock cast, and similar in appearance to those found at the extant staircase of the Morayfield Plantation House.
“It’s important to preserve these artefacts as they tell an interesting part of Queensland's early sugar growing history. Heritage education, especially through museums, raises awareness about the importance of preserving cultural heritage,” he said.
Unitywater Executive Manager Strategic Engagement, Joshua Zugajev, said the artefacts were found on one of the first major sites of Unitywater’s Caboolture River Nutrient Offset Project, on land within the North Harbour development.
"North Harbour has been a supportive partner on this project and enabled our teams to work and access sites through their land," Mr Zugajev said.
“We have indigenous and non-indigenous monitors working on our projects to preserve the region’s cultural heritage.
“We’ve worked to understand the heritage of this site, its significance to First Nations peoples for thousands of years, and more recent history, including the Morayfield Plantation.”
Mr Zugajev said the Caboolture River Nutrient Offset Project was one of Australia’s largest nutrient offsetting river rehabilitation projects in an estuarine environment.
“We’re stabilising and revegetating about 2.4km of the lower Caboolture River to reduce nutrient input by preventing riverbank erosion with earthworks to create a stable bank profile,” he said.
“It’s one of our environmental projects that will balance the impact of nutrients being released to the river after treating the community’s wastewater and help us achieve our commitment to net zero nutrients to waterways by 2040.”
City of Moreton Bay Mayor Peter Flannery said it was important to remember the legacy of our city’s past.
“We’re delighted Unitywater preserved these historical objects and have shared them with us for future generations to understand City of Moreton Bay’s past.
“I’d encourage people to visit the Journey’s exhibition before it closes on 27 July to experience a slice of where we’ve come from.”
Find out more about the exhibition here and the Caboolture River Nutrient Offset Project.
