Workers ‘dig up’ lost town west of Geelong

JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
CONTRACTORS working on duplication of the Princes Highway west of Geelong have uncovered the remnants of a small town dating back to the 1850s, according to VicRoads.
VicRoads project director Tony Hedley said the discovery had attracted the interest of Heritage Victoria.
He said the town of Clifford was established as early as 1853 on the Colac Road near Cape Otway and Devon roads, Mt Moriac.
“It soon had a school, church, hotel, store, post office and a smithy. By the year 1890, all of the people living in the town were listed as farmers,” Mr Hedley said.
“Current conditions indicate that the Princes Highway in this location has altered considerably from the small road it would have been in the 1870s.”
Mr Hedley said the works had uncovered the remnants of four buildings near the intersection: a Church of England dating from establishment in 1853 to 1875; the store and post office (1869); the hotel (1871 to 1877), which was destroyed in a fire; and a blacksmith station (1872).
Mr Hedley said VicRoads had consulted Heritage Victoria during investigations of the sites.
“Archaeologists remove artefacts of significance for cataloguing during this process. Permits have been granted to remove the remains as required to enable construction of the new highway.”
Mr Hedley said VicRoads did not expect the discoveries to delay work on the highway duplication.
The project remained scheduled for completion in 2014, he said.
Contractor BMD Constructions has been working on the $220 million duplication between Waurn Ponds and Winchelsea.
State and federal governments have committed a further $515 million to continue the highway duplication beyond Winchelsea to Colac.
Mr Hedley said planning studies, site investigations and concept design works for the Winchelsea to Colac work would begin later this year.