1807 hotel which was when the first hotel, the Whale Fishery, was built and then 1826 when they moved the Hobart Rivulet and changed its alignment. In 1858 they built the third iteration of what the current pub is now.” Dr Jones-Travers said a lot of women’s and children’s artefacts had been found as well as the remains of animals and fish. “We’ve got a lot of artefacts that are coming from around the world, but they’re interesting things that we don’t usually find. “There’s this sense of international goods coming through this place, which makes sense when you’re so close to a major shipping corridor and maritime trade centre that the Hobart waterfront was. We’ve excavated fish scales and egg shells, rat’s bones, and fish bones and things that are intact so we’re able to kind of get down to that really fine detail.” The materials from around the world, include a shell disc with Pacific Island motifs, carved bone pieces, Chinese export porcelain, and French ceramics. “We are seeing evidence of women’s mourning jewellery and clothing, with a proliferation of black buttons and beads suggesting use of the pub to hold wakes, possibly in association with the Coroner’s inquests often held at public houses (the ample cellars helping keep the bodies cool before examination).
More detailed examination of the artefacts will help us understand who was using different spaces at the pub and how they were whiling away their time at the public house, hotel and associated shops.” “We had no real concept of what was there. We’ve been sort of unveiling this reasure trove of artefacts and more importantly, potential Aboriginal historical things as well.” - Hope & Anchor owner John Kelly Dr Jones-Travers said the excavation works would be a very slow methodical process that would continue to evolve as the layers of history were revealed. “Work will need to be paused at times to register the identified Aboriginal heritage site and seek the necessary approvals to continue,” she said. “We’ve potentially found Aboriginal heritage, you know, reflecting the occupation, and the longstanding use of the area by the Muwinina people.” Mr Kelly took over the hotel in February 2023 after he paid $4.6m for what he described as “one of Hobart’s heritage jewels’. He said several people had volunteered to help with the archaeological excavation.
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