Brad Duncan
I am currently the State Maritime Archaeologist and Team Leader of Maritime Heritage Program with the NSW Heritage Division, Office of Environment and Heritage managing shipwrecks and historic maritime infrastructure sites.
27 Years experience in Maritime/ Historical/ Indigenous Archaeological field (since 1984) with 8 government departments and three universities in Australia and internationally on over 90 projects.
Currently undertaking academic research in:
Solomon Islands - WWII sites/ Spanish Shipwrecks/ Traditional Indigenous maritime practices in conjunction with Dr Martin Gibbs, Sydney University
Fishing communities and oral histories in NSW and Victoria
Remote sensing study of buried Victorian Prison Hulks In Conjunction with Dr Martin Gibbs)
Remotes sensing survey of under/ above water defence sites, Victoria
The evolution of coastal shorelines and the effects of anthroprogenic change
Archaeological signatures of historic maritime infrastructure sites and coastal defence batteries
Maritime cultural landscapes - refinement of a definition and methodological approach
Shipwrecks and their effects on coastal communities
The archaeology of ship breaking and salvage camps
Maritime cultural landscapes of fishing communities/ defence/ tourism destinations/ maritime coastal communities
Victorian/ NSW Coastal Defence History
The archaeological investigation of ship stranding sites.
Submerged Aboriginal sites
Deep water survey of HMAS Australia (RAN Battlecruiser)
Japanese Midget Submarine Ordnance
Norfolk Island Convict and other archaeological sites
27 Years experience in Maritime/ Historical/ Indigenous Archaeological field (since 1984) with 8 government departments and three universities in Australia and internationally on over 90 projects.
Currently undertaking academic research in:
Solomon Islands - WWII sites/ Spanish Shipwrecks/ Traditional Indigenous maritime practices in conjunction with Dr Martin Gibbs, Sydney University
Fishing communities and oral histories in NSW and Victoria
Remote sensing study of buried Victorian Prison Hulks In Conjunction with Dr Martin Gibbs)
Remotes sensing survey of under/ above water defence sites, Victoria
The evolution of coastal shorelines and the effects of anthroprogenic change
Archaeological signatures of historic maritime infrastructure sites and coastal defence batteries
Maritime cultural landscapes - refinement of a definition and methodological approach
Shipwrecks and their effects on coastal communities
The archaeology of ship breaking and salvage camps
Maritime cultural landscapes of fishing communities/ defence/ tourism destinations/ maritime coastal communities
Victorian/ NSW Coastal Defence History
The archaeological investigation of ship stranding sites.
Submerged Aboriginal sites
Deep water survey of HMAS Australia (RAN Battlecruiser)
Japanese Midget Submarine Ordnance
Norfolk Island Convict and other archaeological sites
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Books by Brad Duncan
On 12 April 1924, the former HMAS Australia, the largest warship in the Australian fleet was towed 50km east of Sydney Heads and scuttled with full military honours. Eulogies were read, strong naval men were wet eyed and public outrage flared at the loss of the first flagship of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). This highly significant vessel was Australia's only battlecruiser, was the grandmother/ centrepiece of the Royal Australian Naval Fleet, and prevented German aggression in the South Pacific during World War I. The wreck lay undisturbed for many years until its accidental discovery in 400m of water 1990. However, due to its extreme depth, a survey was not undertaken of the site until the RAN (at the request of the Heritage Branch) directed a suitable deep water ROV unit (US CURV) to undertake the first photographic survey of the site in 2007. This paper presents a potted history of this vessel which led to its sinking, along with the survey results and analyses which have documented key diagnostic elements of this, Australia's largest protected Historic Shipwreck.
Papers by Brad Duncan
On 12 April 1924, the former HMAS Australia, the largest warship in the Australian fleet was towed 50km east of Sydney Heads and scuttled with full military honours. Eulogies were read, strong naval men were wet eyed and public outrage flared at the loss of the first flagship of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). This highly significant vessel was Australia's only battlecruiser, was the grandmother/ centrepiece of the Royal Australian Naval Fleet, and prevented German aggression in the South Pacific during World War I. The wreck lay undisturbed for many years until its accidental discovery in 400m of water 1990. However, due to its extreme depth, a survey was not undertaken of the site until the RAN (at the request of the Heritage Branch) directed a suitable deep water ROV unit (US CURV) to undertake the first photographic survey of the site in 2007. This paper presents a potted history of this vessel which led to its sinking, along with the survey results and analyses which have documented key diagnostic elements of this, Australia's largest protected Historic Shipwreck.
Heritage NSW is inviting people with a recognized interest in the study and preservation of historic shipwrecks to join its Wreckspotters Program. The program aims to establish a body of trained local maritime archaeology enthusiasts to provide first-hand advice on the condition of known maritime archaeological sites and report new local discoveries. Wreckspotters will be chosen based on their local knowledge, enthusiasm and geographical spread.
This project will focus on Clarence (1850), a historically significant colonial wooden trading vessel located in Victorian internal waters near St Leonards in Port Phillip. The overarching theoretical focus will be on shipwreck site formation models and the project brings together the disciplines of behavioural archaeology, maritime archaeology, conservation sciences and maritime object conservation.
The project aimed to collate an inventory of Victorian Historic Maritime Infrastructure sites to allow the location, identification, management, utilisation and interpretation of these sites and features, including: piers, jetties, wharves, anchorages, navigational aids and structures, shipbuilding facilities, bathing and recreational amenities, and other maritime related services. Short histories and/ or site inspections were undertaken of those places identified as of potential cultural significance under the terms of the Victorian Heritage Act 1995.
The study identified 254 new maritime heritage sites, ranging from cargo transferral structures such as piers, jetties and wharves; recreational and bathing facilities; shipbuilding amenities; navigational and harbour infrastructure; defence networks; and land reclamation areas. Inspections revealed many maritime infrastructure sites demonstrate archaeological signatures, most of which were evident in the intertidal/ littoral/ shallow water zones, or have been buried by land reclamation projects.
The community of Queenscliff (Victoria) is used to explore the problem of how to understand the archaeology of non-indigenous communities living and working across the land/sea divide. It is argued that maritime communities do not necessarily perceive a discontinuity between marine and terrestrial areas, even though each region may be differentially experienced and participated in. Consequently, to fully understand how a maritime community operates, it is necessary to investigate the complex relationships that exist between mariners and terrestrial-oriented community members, and in particular how each group occupies and utilizes the water and land. To this end, a cultural landscape approach will be developed which allows us to overcome the traditional disciplinary and environmental boundaries of historical and maritime archaeology.
The dissertation investigates a variety of methods for collecting and integrating the disparate documentary, oral and archaeological data sets available to the researcher of the Australian colonial period. In particular it seeks a broader understanding of the archaeological expressions of maritime activity in this community, situated both above and below the waterline. The adoption of a thematic approach to distinguish between maritime industries recognised the disparities/similarities in the way various groups experience and create landscape. Observations of social and practical behaviour were linked to relict material cultural remains through the innovative use of GIS technology that facilitated thematic comparative analysis of multiple incongruent data sets. The subsequent ethno-archaeological observations that linked maritime culture with archaeological sites have great utility in other analogous nautical cultures.
The methodological application of the amalgamated theoretical paradigm using a thematic approach proved successful in the case study area and several key outcomes are addressed. Maritime cultural landscapes are only be accessible by accessing disparate data sources, which varied widely in both their type and availability between maritime themes. Alternative data sets provide significant insights into maritime culture that may not be accessible in traditional documentary sources, and GIS data representation proved to be essential for management and interpretation of the ethno-archaeological interrelationships between thematic landscapes. The cognitive driving mechanisms of several common types of maritime thematic landscapes in Colonial Australia are now better understood, as are their potential data sources and archaeological characterizations. These observations have great utility in other contemporary areas where one or more of the data sets might be missing or incomplete. The successful utility of this approach is dependent upon undertaking manageable levels of thematic investigation, and their subsequent comparative examination. Final analysis of the implications and effectiveness of this new amalgamated methodological approach and theoretical paradigm is used to provide recommendations for future directions in cultural landscape research. The thesis has developed and demonstrated a new methodology that enables wider analysis of behavioural and social aspects of maritime heritage sites within a broad regional framework, has demonstrated the range of themes available for investigation, and outlined new ways of accessing cultural meanings imbued in landscape, to provide better understandings of maritime communities..
The NSW Office of Environment and Heritage in collaboration with the Marine National Facility have been actively searching for the wreck. Once located, the site will be nominated as a Historic Shipwreck for its social values under the NSW Heritage Act 1977. More significantly, the wreckage sites will form a focal point for relatives and friends to grieve and acknowledge the service and sacrifice of those onboard. This incident highlights that the social significance of a wreck is often as important as its archaeological remains.
in removing the German threat from the Pacific during WWI. On 12 April 1924, as part of post-war international naval arms reduction,
the 179m long vessel was scuttled with naval honours approximately 50km east of Sydney, and came to rest in 400m of water.
The wreck was accidentally discovered by Fugro Australia Pty Ltd during a telecommunications survey in 1990.
The Heritage Division (Office of Environment and Heritage) is leading archaeological investigations of the wreck. With the assistance
of the Royal Australian Navy, Defence Maritime Services and Australia’s Marine National Facility, surveys of the wreck have been
undertaken using ROV (2007) and multi-beam (2013) technology to document the extent and nature of this highly significant site.