Archaeological Dig Excursion

St Agnes Rooty Hill

On the 16 September, 52 Elective History students, three teachers and two practicum teachers visited the YHA as part of an educational tour, run through the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority.

For many of us, this was the first time we had visited an archaeological site and were delighted to learn about our immediate past. Students were educated about the first fleet settlers, looked at primary historical paintings to get a better understanding of the living conditions and how they changed as more people arrived in the colony.

We were all surprised to learn that our beliefs about how convicts lived during this period was completely changed, thanks to the archaeological evidence found at this site.

Students learned about a womanising convict named George Cribb, who left a wife in England and married his partner in crime,only to ship her off back to England when his first wife wrote to tell him saying she would be sailing to the colony after hearing about his new found wealth.

During his lifetime Cribb amassed a large fortune and was wealthy enough to buy a butcher shop, a slaughterhouse and two pubs. The students were intrigued by the story of the poisoned well in Cribbs backyard and the artefacts found in the well which changed our perception of how convicts actually lived during this period.

Although disappointed that they were not permitted to actually dig for artefacts, students were given the opportunity to undertake inquiry-based investigation into the lives of the fascinating people who lived, worked and died in The Rocks in the 19th Century.