Fears Fremantle freight corridor will affect dig site

<p>Archaeologists are concerned that a proposed road and rail connection to a new container port south of Perth could disrupt evidence of early European settlement.</p> <p>Some of port of Fremantle’s container trade is expected to divert to Kwinana, about 20 km south, in five to seven years.</p> <p>Western Australia’s new Liberal-National Government has also reiterated its policy that all of Fremantle’s trade will move south, vacating the two quays for other development.</p> <p>There are fears that one of two possible road&#47rail corridor corridors mooted as part of the Kwinana plan could affect the 170-year-old evidence of early settlement around Beeliar Regional Park.</p> <p>The site is protected by the Heritage Council until 2013, about the time the new Kwinana Quay development is expected to go ahead.</p> <p>An excavation of the site was expected to take about 10 years.</p> <p>Fremantle Ports told <em>Lloyd’s List DCN</em> that it had discussed the issue with the Heritage Council of Western Australia and archaeologist Dr Shane Burke, whose site is considered &#8220well to the north&#8221 of the proposed corridor.</p> <p>&#8220Fremantle Ports understands that Dr Burke’s area of interest for further exploration in relation to the Peel settlement extends further south beyond Mount Brown and that a small portion of this area would be traversed by one of the two transport corridor options being considered,&#8221 Fremantle Ports said in a statement.</p> <p>&#8220It is our understanding that Shane Burke also indicated that the area affected by the transport corridor was most likely the least significant of the entire site and if something of significance was found we could work together to find an agreeable outcome.&#8221</p> <p>The port authority said it was working with Dr Burke to have any excavation work completed before the construction of the corridor begins around 2012.</p> <p>The two parties hope to meet next week.</p> <br />