Tunnelling spurs major archaeological dig in Victoria
9 May 2018Australia - The largest transportation project in Victoria will result in one of the state’s most impressive archaeological programmes. The Metro Tunnel project has seen surface structures demolished, but tunnelling through the CBD will be held until the historical subsurface has been fully explored.
A spokesperson for the state government said of the works, “Preparations for the big dig include initial archaeological assessments of ground conditions to determine the digging approach and predict what might be found below ground. Work will soon get underway across seven sites in the CBD, with digs at a further three sites on Little La Trobe Street also expected to start later this year.
“Archaeologists and historians expect to find a large collection of artefacts at each site dating back more than 180 years, when John Batman first settled Melbourne.
In the 1880s, the future State Library Station site was home to the manufacturing of horse drawn carriages with buggies regularly parked along this section of Swanston Street.”
