CORIYULE ESTATE HISTORICAL SITE

CORIYULE ROAD AND MCDERMOTT ROAD DRYSDALE, GREATER GEELONG CITY

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Victorian Heritage Inventory

Statement of Significance

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  • History

    CORIYULE ESTATE HISTORICAL SITE - History

    The site is part of Lot 3, Parish of Bellarine and lies within the former "Coriyule Estate", established by "The Lady Squatters" Caroline Newcombe and Ann Drysdale in 1843. The 1922 subdivisional sale notice for "Coriyule Estate" shows the orchard being cut by McDermott Road. The eastern half of the orchard lies within the current survey area. The 1978 1:25,000 topo. map (Drysdale 7821) clearly shows the tree line border of the orchard and a building at the south-east corner. The 1990 aerial photograph shows the tree lined boundary of the orchard paddock and a building at the south-east corner.SiteCard data copied on 21/02/2025:Prior to the colonial settlement of the land, the area was inhabited by the Wadawurrung people. The presence of stone tools found across the site suggests that the area was extensively occupied. The land on which the artefact scatter is located was settled by colonists in 1841 by Edmond Steele. It was later bought by Ann Drysdale and Caroline Newcombe in July 1843 as an addition to their 10,000-acre sheep farm across Geelong. In 1849 Drysdale and Newcombe built Coriyule Homestead (H0272), a gothic sandstone house. The homestead has since been included on the Victorian Heritage Register for its architectural and historical significance as a site of early women squatters across Victoria (VHD 2024a). The estate was subdivided and sold as twelve separate allotments in 1922, ranging in size from 30 to 300 acres (Richardson 1986, 46). It has been used for growing crops and grazing up until the present. Most recently the site has been used as a rapeseed farm. A former shed and well located to southeast of the estate is also registered on the Heritage Inventory (H7821-0113). The site is registered for its apparent association with Coriyule Estate and as an example of early agricultural use in the settlement of the Bellarine Peninsula (VHD 2024b).

    Interpretation of Site

    CORIYULE ESTATE HISTORICAL SITE - Interpretation of Site

    The "Conriyule Estate" shed & well is only a small part of the property story. The site is located at the very eastern edge of the original property and probably could not reveal much information about the property except for its construction and use. SiteCard data copied on 21/02/2025: It is most likely that these artefacts are associated with the 1849 Coriyule Homestead (H0272) rather than the extant shed and well (H7821-0113), despite being located within the same field. There are artefacts within the assemblage that can be dated through means of seriation. The near complete smoking pipe collected (see Plate 1 and Plate 2 attached) features a pointed spur with Prince of Wales feathers on the back of the bowl and a repeating leaf motif along the seam front of the bowl. A finer leaf motif is also present on both sides of the stem from the bowl, next to inscriptions. The manufacturer is noted as “WILLIAMS”. The style of the bowl, type of spur, and the presence of a maker’s mark on the spur can be dated between 1820 and 1860 (Atkinson & Oswald 1969). Unfortunately, however, the surface of the pipe has worn and resulted in loss of the moulded marking, obscuring the manufacture location and maker’s mark or initial on the spur. Another historic artefact that can offer a date of manufacture comprises an earthenware lid fragment for Russian Bears Grease (see Plate 4 attached). This was known as a product for the treatment of hair loss, particularly targeted towards men, from the mid-17th century up until World War One (University of Melbourne 2024). The wording on the lid suggests an earlier Victorian iteration that was employed by two manufacturers: Price and Co., and Fawcett and Son (see Plate 4 attached), both of which can be dated collectively from c.1800 1870 (University of Melbourne 2024), dependent on the manufacturer. Other artefacts that were manufactured from the early 20th century include earthenware featuring known transfer print underglaze (TPUG) patterns used for food service, such as Willow, Asiatic Pheasant, Fibre, Sprigged, and Ancona. Plate 5 (attached) depicts all ceramic fragments collected, inclusive of the patterns identified above. The remaining finds of the assemblage that can only be identified for material type are demonstrated in Plate 6 and Plate 7 (attached). It is likely that this historic artefact assemblage has been displaced by ploughing and bioturbation in the area. However, it may be that there is an archaeological site nearby.

    Heritage Inventory Description

    CORIYULE ESTATE HISTORICAL SITE - Heritage Inventory Description

    Near the intersection of Coriyule Road and McDermott Road on Coriyule Road lies the delapidated remains of a timber and corrugated iron shed with obvious cement rendered domed brick well to the south of the shed. The shed consists of timber and pressed metal/iron sheets (the latter along the southern wall at least). The shed is closed on the western side and open on the eastern side. At present the shed garages farm equipment. There are several yards located on the eastern side of the shed, possibly for movement of sheep or cattle. The cement rendered domed brick well is located within metres of the southern wall of the shed. The shed is within 30 metres of Coriyule Road, against the southern fenceline of the former orchard.

    Shed and well.

    Physical Conditions: Fair-Poor

    SiteCard data copied on 21/02/2025: The site is located approximately 145 m east of Coriyule Homestead (H0272) and approximately 260 m to the north of Coriyule estate shed and well (H7821-0113). This area is located within a field that has, up until October 2023, been used to harvest canola. The site is recognised as an Aboriginal Place and is currently in the process of a Cultural Heritage Management Plan (16286). Historic artefacts were recently discovered during the sub-surface salvage program of the CHMP between depths of 0- (topsoil) and 700 mm. These finds comprise ceramic fragments (n=53) including transfer print earthenware (n=35) and a near-complete smoking pipe (n=1), a copper alloy button (n=1), small glass fragments (n=6), and a rabbit mandible (n=1).
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