Harkaway Township
Hessell Road and King Road HARKAWAY, CASEY CITY
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Statement of Significance
Harkaway township.
How is it significant?
Harkaway township is of local historic and aesthetic significance to the City of Casey.
Why is it significant?
Historically, Harkaway Township precinct is significant as evidence of its important role as a small service centre for the surrounding early farm settlements. Although it has been subdivided recently into residential allotments, key buildings remain, with significant relationships to one another, demonstrating the role of this small village in providing basic services for a rural community.
Aesthetically, the intersection of King and Harkaway Roads is marked by significant hawthorn hedge plantings, a historic characteristic of many boundary plantings but now becoming rare in the area. Key characteristics of the Harkaway Township precinct which contribute to its heritage significance are:
- The informal streetscape of King Road, east of Harkaway Road, with deep set backs of residential buildings and wide roadside verges with no concrete kerb and guttering, creating a vision of the streetscape as a rural road.
- The low scale or lack of fencing along King Road, lending an informal or semi-rural quality to the streetscape.
- The visual relationship between the Harkaway Primary School and the two old residences opposite, this cluster representing the historical community centre.
- The close proximity of residential development in King Street in relationship to the road boundary, creating a sense of a town centre, which has only recently been consolidated.
- The relationship of the Harkaway Hall to the road and its immediate context of mature plantings, including the drainage reserve to the rear and the natural vegetation in Dalton Reserve opposite.
- The Avenue of Honour on the northern side of King Road, along Harkaway Road, composed of eucalypts and oaks.
On this basis, the following places contribute to the significance of Harkaway Township precinct:
- Avenue of Honour, Harkaway Road
- Harkaway Hall, 56-58 King Road
- Nichol House, 63 King Road
- Harkaway Primary School, 67 King Road
- House (Former Post Office), 68-70 King Road
- Kilfera, 72-92 King Road
- King & Robinson Roads hawthorn hedges
Other landscape features include the Dalton Reserve and Jessie Traill Reserve, both demonstrating a local recognition of the value of natural vegetation.
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Harkaway Township - Physical Description 1
The heritage precinct of the Harkaway township can be defined as the intersection of Harkaway and King Roads including the section of King Road extending eastwards to the cluster of significant buildings surrounding the Harkaway Primary School. The historical importance of these roads is evident in their hawthorn hedge plantings and their links with main routes to Berwick. East of the township, King Road connects with the Old Coach Road and to the west, with Hessell Road, and the Cemetery, bell-tower and site of the church. The Avenue of Honour composed of eucalypts and oaks signifies the importance of Harkaway Road to the settlement in the 1920s.
The townscape itself is relatively obscure, but can be defined as a cluster of buildings representing the very basic community functions of school, (former) post office and hall. There is a new store today in the vicinity of these buildings which may have been built on the site of an older store (although no mention of this function was found in historical research).
The pair of early residences (both used as a post office at different times) are located on King Road immediately opposite the school. A block to the east, the community hall is sited opposite Dalton Reserve, a section of mostly natural vegetation with barbeques and playground equipment. Between these two points a subdivision of small residential blocks, serviced by a road either side of King Road, constitute the township of Harkaway today.
The small cluster of historically significant buildings is a reflection of Harkaway's tradition as a small service centre, as opposed to a residential core, for the surrounding, mainly German, farm settlements. The importance of the intersection of Harkaway and King Roads is evident in the Avenue of Honour and in the established nature of the hawthorn hedge plantings which abound along the road sides.
The Harkaway Township precinct is defined as:
- The streetscape of King Road between the Harkaway Road intersection and the eastern border of Harkaway Primary School, including all allotments and reserves fronting this road.
- The streetscape of Harkaway Road from the northern extremity of the Avenue of Honour and adjacent drainage reserve, to the southern extremity of the adjacent Jessie Traill Reserve.
- The segments of hawthorn hedge along King Road and Hessell Road along the route between the cemetery and bell tower and the Harkaway Road intersection.Harkaway Township - Historical Australian Themes
Building settlements, towns and cities
Heritage Study and Grading
Casey - Casey Heritage Study
Author: Context Pty Ltd
Year: 2004
Grading: LocalCasey - Heritage of the City of Berwick
Author: Context Pty Ltd
Year: 1993
Grading:
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