Eagles Nest Camp, Redwood Park

General

Also known as

Eagles Nest Swagmen's Rest Camp

Classification

State Heritage

Register status

Entered

Date entered

26 March 2021

Types

Archaeological: Archaeological potential

Archaeological: Artefact scatter

Archaeological: Town fringe camp

Themes

3.5 Developing secondary and tertiary industries: Struggling with remoteness, hardship and failure

4.4 Working: Unpaid labour

10.2 Providing health and welfare services: Caring for the homeless and destitute

10.4 Providing health and welfare services: Caring for the aged and infirm

Construction period

1930–1939

Historical period

1919–1930s Interwar period

Location

Address

Old Toll Bar Road, Redwood

LGA

Toowoomba Regional Council

Coordinates

-27.56334649, 151.985188

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Significance

Criterion AThe place is important in demonstrating the evolution or pattern of Queensland’s history.

Eagles Nest Camp, 1930-c.39, is important in demonstrating the economic and social impact of the Great Depression in Queensland. Established with assistance from the Toowoomba community as a place of comfort and respite for itinerant unemployed men compelled to travel to seek work, the camp became self-sufficient with accommodation huts, communal structures, landscaping, vegetable gardens and stockyards. It became renowned throughout Australia during the Depression as an exemplary camp for unemployed swagmen. Located on the fringe of Toowoomba in the bushland setting of Redwood Park, the camp retains important surviving physical evidence of its occupation.

Criterion BThe place demonstrates rare, uncommon or endangered aspects of Queensland’s cultural heritage.

Eagles Nest Camp is rare as the only known example of a Great Depression-era unemployed itinerant men’s camp in Queensland with surviving fabric and layout, and is distinctive as a well-organised example, wholly constructed by its occupants.

Criterion CThe place has potential to yield information that will contribute to an understanding of Queensland’s history.

Eagles Nest Camp has the potential to contribute knowledge that will lead to a greater understanding of Great Depression-era camps in Queensland, their occupants and their associated activities and infrastructure.

Archaeological investigations of the extensive camp site – its surface remnants and potential sub-surface features and artefacts – may inform understandings of the layout and functions of the place, construction methods and the use of materials, the nature and extent of landscaping, and the social dynamics and living conditions of this ephemeral community.

Artefact scatters and deposits along the creek bank, including bone, glass, ceramic and metal items discarded during the occupation of the camp, have the potential to contribute to our understanding of the occupants and their material culture, the origins and recycling of resources, consumption activities and the day-to-day activities of camp life.

History

Eagles Nest Camp is a 2.65 hectare site, located within Redwood Park, a bushland reserve situated on the eastern side of the escarpment of the Great Dividing Range. Gazetted a sanctuary for native birds in 1911, Redwood Park soon became a valued recreational park, where Toowoomba residents and visitors could experience nature and enjoy the views over the valley below. In late 1930, a small portion of the park became a makeshift camp for unemployed men, impacted by the Great Depression. Known as the Eagles Nest, it was established by prominent Toowoomba resident and philanthropist, Dr Thomas Price, as well as other concerned residents, to alleviate the hardships experienced by these indigent men. Wholly constructed by the occupants, the camp soon became known as one of the best of its type in the country. Archaeological evidence of the camp remains in the park. Redwood Park remains a valued nature reserve for Toowoomba residents and visitors.    

European settlement of the Toowoomba area, traditional country of the Giabal and Jarowair people, commenced in 1840 when squatters occupied pastoral runs on the Darling Downs. The small settlement of Drayton evolved from 1842, but was soon surpassed by a more desirable location six kilometres to the northeast, known as Toowoomba from the 1850s. Better suited to market gardening, with a more reliable water supply, and supported by squatters and land speculators, Toowoomba was incorporated as a municipality in 1860.[1] In 1855 the Toll Bar Road was opened and the traffic that soon came to use this route facilitated the expansion of Toowoomba.[2]

Rapid economic and social development was influenced by local Toowoomba residents who strongly promoted the prospects of the town, and political representatives who successfully lobbied for government funding for civic improvements.[3] In 1871, approximately 13,500 acres (5463 ha) of land on Toowoomba’s eastern escarpment was reserved as the ‘Toowoomba Town Common’ by the colonial government.[4] By the 1880s there was a growing anxiety amongst several Toowoomba residents, concerned that a 2000 acre (809ha) portion of this land was to be alienated by the government for private sale. The bushland, a highly valued and picturesque nature reserve, extended along the escarpment’s eastern ridgeline to the base of the range and overlooked the Lockyer Valley below.[5]

In 1888 a petition, signed by more than 250 of Toowoomba’s male residents, was sent to the Minister of Lands, Henry Jordan, requesting the 2000 acre (809ha) site be given to the municipal authorities in trust to ensure its continued use as a recreational and natural public park.[6] The requested land to be placed in trust encompassed what was to become Redwood Park, Picnic Point and Adjacent Parkland (QHR 601205) and Jubilee Park. The petition appears not to have been acted on and the bushland remained Crown Land.[7]

In October 1910, the Queensland Government declared a 500 acre (202ha) bushland site, previously part of the Toowoomba Town Common reserve (which would become Redwood Park), a ‘Reserve for the Protection and Preservation of Native Birds’, under the Native Birds Protection Acts, 1877 to 1884.[8] This was followed by the reserve being proclaimed a park in early 1911 and subsequently named Redwood Park by the Toowoomba City Council.[9] At the same time, Picnic Point and Jubilee Park were also declared reserves for birds.[10] Ten years later, as further legislation was introduced in relation to the protection of both birds and animals, under the Native Birds Protection Act 1921 and the Animal and Birds Act 1921, stricter rules concerning the safeguarding of vulnerable fauna ensured Redwood Park’s reputation locally as a haven for native wildlife, ‘the penalty for anyone killing or capturing native birds and animals in these reserves is up to £20’.[11] Under these acts, honorary rangers/officers were appointed by the government to patrol the reserves.[12] Several were appointed for the Toowoomba region including two prominent Toowoomba residents, EC Bernays (solicitor) and Dr Thomas Price (medical specialist, philanthropist, aldermen and mayor from 1918-19), both of whom were committed to the preservation and protection of Toowoomba’s flora and fauna.[13]

Bernays proved to be a keen advocate for the establishment of a fauna sanctuary in Redwood Park, believing it could become the premier example of this type of tourist attraction in Queensland. He proposed that the 500 acre park be surrounded by a chain-wire fence for the protection of the native fauna within the park.[14] The council was supportive of this scheme in principle, and several examples of marsupial release in Redwood Park were reported in the local newspapers. Funding for the fence, however, did not eventuate at this time.[15]   

Eagles Nest Camp

During the interwar period Toowoomba was the regional centre of the Darling Downs. The impacts of the Great Depression emerged in the early 1930s as unemployment rates escalated. An increasing number of unemployed, itinerant men travelled either on foot, or by rail, across the state looking for employment. Between 1929 and 1933 Queensland Government policy stipulated unemployed single men, not working on relief projects, would not be able to draw state government funded emergency rations from the same centre in successive weeks. This forced them to move onto the next town, often many miles away, in order to demonstrate they were seeking work.[16] The term ‘swagmen’, used to describe itinerant men walking around the country, or ‘waltzing Matilda’, seeking work in nineteenth and early twentieth century Australia, was applied to these men who were compelled to travel long distances. Once in regional towns they would sometimes be provided with a meal (generally from charitable groups), sign up for intermittent relief work, or receive their meagre rations. In 1930 there were 1920 itinerant ‘travellers’ receiving rations in Toowoomba which soon became known to these men as a ‘good town’, referring to the services available to them and the reception from towns’ people.[17] Makeshift camps sprung up in some of the town’s parks and under bridges, prompting concern from residents and local government, anxious, not only about the safety and health of citizens, but also the welfare of the men, especially when they had to contend with Toowoomba’s cold winter nights.[18]  

The hardships experienced by the ‘swagmen’ was described in the local newspaper, ‘suffering intensely for want of sufficient and proper food, with rags for clothes, boots falling to pieces and no shelter; dejected from the endless search for work they could not find, most of them a few years ago were our heroes in Flanders and on Gallipoli’.[19] Several leading Toowoomba citizens, including Dr Thomas Price, empathised with the men and endeavoured to assist them. In March 1930, a small group of swagmen camping beside an old cattle dip, close to the Toll Bar Road, were moved on by authorities due to a tick infestation. ‘Hungry, dejected, poorly clad and shelterless’, a large canvas tent was loaned to them by the 1st Toowoomba Girl Guides, under the direction of Dr Thomas Price’s wife, Hester, providing them with temporary shelter.[20] Food was also supplied to the men, ‘they were obviously going to pieces because of bad and insufficient food and exposure … some were breaking out into sores – evidence of scurvy’. [21] More was needed to help the swagmen. Dr. Price, with the help of other locals, offered assistance to set up a camp for the unemployed men. Ideally, it was to be self-sufficient, where they could rest, have decent meals, and be given work to restore spirits.[22]

With the support of the Toowoomba City Council, a 2.5 ha section of land on a slope in Redwood Park was transformed into the ‘Eagles Nest’ camp. A sign was erected on the Toll Bar Road pointing to a bush track leading to the camp which read ‘Eagles Nest Swagmen’s Rest Camp’.[23] Materials, tools and other helpful supplies were given to the men by Dr Price and supporters, and by mid-1931 they had erected a small group of huts including ‘the sleeping hut, with 16 bunks, dining shed, galley, shower, meat safe, water supply, and so on … built by the swagmen’.[24] A large vegetable garden was also cultivated as part of the camp. Over the months the camp expanded with the erection of separate accommodation huts built from old flattened kerosine tins and cornsacks. By June 1933, six had been erected and in November there were a dozen accommodation huts housing one, two and four bunks. In December 1933 the camp was described in Truth: ‘The huts comprise two kitchens, dining rooms, showers, workshop, and a fly-proof closet – with a dozen sleeping huts ... Water is laid on from a mountain spring and gives a plentiful supply to kitchen, showers, gardens and water trough’.[25]

A large galvanised iron shelter shed was moved into the Eagles Nest camp in January 1933. It had been erected by the council and the Social Service League in Bridge Street outside Toowoomba’s CBD in July 1932, to provide more shelter for homeless men.[26] The relocation of the shed followed complaints about a rise in petty crime, attributed to the itinerants in town; the shelter was unsightly; and too many of the men were remaining in the city for too long, ‘they were coming in droves and for the welfare of the city they should be made to go further on’.[27] Once relocated to the Eagles Nest, this shelter shed became the mess/dining hall. Many of the men housed in the Bridge Street shelter then moved to the Eagles Nest camp.[28]   

The contrast between the town’s attitude toward the men staying at the Eagles Nest Camp and the problematic camps in town is reflective of society’s attitudes at the time of the ‘deserving poor’. These were unfortunate people who wanted to work but were unable, as opposed to the ‘undeserving poor’ who were able to work but chose not to.[29] In 1933 the Daily Standard stated that the Eagles Nest ‘camp works because of its friendly spirit and comradeship, and because of the recognised principle that a man should work for what he gets’.[30] The camp was seen as a worthy endeavour, as reflected in the many newspaper features touting its merit, and the respectability of its occupants. The self-constructed, self-sufficient, temperate, clean camp was viewed favourably - and it was just far enough away from the centre of town to alleviate uneasiness.

Camps for the unemployed were not a rarity in Australia during the Great Depression. The almost unsolvable problem of providing shelter to homeless, unemployed men was often left to the men themselves, who would establish unofficial makeshift camps in public parks, showgrounds, under bridges, or in dilapidated and vacant buildings. Often the camps were seen by residents and local authorities as an unfortunate eyesore, but one that was usually tolerated due to the sad situation those in the camps found themselves. Occasionally, however, the camps would be disbanded by the authorities following complaints. Throughout Queensland there were many of these camps. In Brisbane there were large camps housing several hundred people in shacks, humpies and lean-tos including in Victoria Park, Dutton Park, Moorooka, Tarragindi, and Mayne Junction. There were camps in Townsville, Charters Towers, Cairns, Gympie and Warwick. Often they would have a co-ordinated camp committee to organise food, cleaning and discipline.[31] The squalid and temporary nature of the camps, vacated once better times arrived, have consequently left little remaining evidence of this fragment of history.[32]

Dr Price stated that the men at the Eagles Nest Camp came from all echelons of society, even university academics, who, due to the economic crises could find no work. He stressed that most of the men were returned servicemen, ‘ordinary decent men just hungry for work’.[33] For Toowoomba residents, keen to help the deserving swagmen, Eagles Nest proved itself worthy of receiving charitable gestures, unlike the troublesome camps in town.[34] Community support and donations for the camp came from groups including the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides (of which Dr and Mrs Price were leaders of respectively); local businesses such as cafes and butchers; and charity organisations, often including the Social Service League. Local farmers also loaned several cows and donated a few pigs and chickens.[35]

There were strict procedures to adhere to if staying at the camp. Firstly, men could only stay at the camp for a fortnight or so and then had to move on. Whilst at the camp they were given shelter and food and could rest. Each man would give a portion of his ration order to the camp. They were expected to contribute to the running of the camp by working in the garden, kitchen or generally around the camp. If someone was given intermittent work, a fraction of the earnings would go back into the camp. A notice board outside the dining mess stated the three rules:

1.    Men staying must abide by the man in charge.

2.    No intoxicants are allowed to be brought into the camp.

3.    Be sanitary and clean, and keep camp tidy.[36]

There were comforts such as hot showers and fresh running water, pumped in from a nearby stream. A library and a gramophone with records were donated by community members, as well as clothing and boots. A site manager oversaw the running of the camp and was one of only two permanent residents at the camp; the other was the secretary; both were invalid ex-servicemen. Approximately 35 men could stay at the camp at any one time, however, this fluctuated.[37]

A scheme to assist the men and the camp’s finances was arranged by the Toowoomba City Council, with a voluntary toll for drivers on the rough Toowoomba-Helidon Road. Men from the Eagles Nest Camp worked repairing the road and in exchange, ‘the money will be used to pay the camp expenses of single unemployed men, who have agreed to fill in all ruts’.[38] Other relief work was provided clearing the range road of lantana. Surplus fruit and vegetables and chopped firewood produced at the camp was donated (never sold) by the men to unemployed Toowoomba residents and their families, as well as to the local hospitals.[39]      

In 1935, features of the camp were described in the Telegraph:

Set deep in the basin of the hills … a first glimpse of Eagle’s Nest reveals a cluster of little pink-walled abodes, interspersed with white buildings, picked out with remarkably well defined footpaths lined with white stones, with here and there a bed of multi-coloured flowers … nestling at the foot of the little dwellings, spread out like a bright patterned carpet in green, with rich black loam as a background and healthy green passion vine as a fringe, is seen the tidiest vegetable garden on the Downs.[40]

A series of photographs of the camp taken in the mid-1930s present a well-cared for camp with a series of small huts on platforms, spaced out over the slope under tall trees, facing east with a view out to the valley below. Cobbled footpaths with white-washed stone edging traversed the camp and stone-edged flower beds appeared in front of many of the huts, including the mess hall. Stone retaining walls terraced the camp and the large segmented vegetable garden was verdant with crops. Along one of the terraces the words ‘Eagles Nest’ was laid out in white-washed stone.[41]

This Toowoomba retreat from the swagmen’s harsh existence on the road was extolled in many newspaper articles and magazines throughout Australia, including the Brisbane Courier, Sydney’s The World’s News, rural NSW’s Richmond River Herald and Northern River Advertiser, Rockhampton’s Evening News, Mackay’s Daily Mercury, Truth, The Australian Women’s Mirror and the ABC Weekly. In August 1934 the camp was visited by the Minister for Labour and Industry, Mr MP Hynes, who showed a keen interest in the project.[42]

It was approximated in 1935 that 1500 men had stayed at the camp since its beginning:

Those Toowoomba residents who have made this camp possible may like to know that around many camp fires all over Australia are men who look back on the few days spent in Eagle’s Nest as a bright patch of sunlight and peace in the midst of a very stormy and troubled time – Yours, Eagle’s Nest Camp.[43]  

In 1938 the Main Roads Commission began work on redirecting the Toll Bar Road up the range at a lesser grade, north west along the edge of Redwood Park. The completion of the new road was to coincide with the Darling Downs’ centenary celebrations in 1940.[44] The idea of establishing a fenced animal sanctuary in Redwood Park was revived and funding sought from the Queensland Government to assist with the erection of a 3.5 mile (5.6km) boundary fence. It was hoped that the sanctuary would become a tourist attraction for Toowoomba, as well as contribute to the conservation of native fauna. The cost for the project was estimated at £2780, with £1000 granted by the Queensland Government, provided the funds were used specifically for the construction of the fence and water supply for the animals. Toowoomba City Council was to pay for all other expenses which included a caretaker’s cottage, public toilets and water tank.[45]      

The new Toll Bar Road, also to be known as the Toowoomba Highway, was officially opened on 29 January 1940, attended by several dignitaries, including the Minister of Works, Mr Bruce, and the Mayor of Toowoomba, JD Annand. The establishment of the animal and bird sanctuary in Redwood Park was announced at the ceremony, ‘which would be one of the show places of Queensland’.[46] The fence had been completed by the end of 1941 and a series of advertisements were placed in local newspapers for donations of native animals, in particular koalas, for the park. A caretaker/ranger was appointed who resided in a newly-built cottage situated close to the Toll Bar Road entrance to the park. An entrance drive from the road was also constructed and funded by the Main Roads Commission.[47] Unfortunately, the tourist attraction was not a success, and by 1955 all structures including the caretaker’s cottage had been removed. The perimeter fence fell into disrepair and so too did the entrance drive.[48]

It is unclear when the Eagles Nest Camp was vacated and the structures removed, however, it is likely that it coincided with the establishment of the sanctuary and the beginning of World War II. In 1994 remnants of the camp were exposed during vegetation clearing in the area, and an archaeological investigation was carried out by the University of Southern Queensland on part of the former camp site, funded by the council. The earth and drystone platform foundations of 19 structures were identified, along with numerous paths and stone-edged garden beds, and the location of the vegetable gardens and stockyards. The mess hall and kitchen platforms were excavated to reveal their layout, and a dump site along the creek produced a range of glass, ceramic, metal artefacts, including crockery sourced from Toowoomba businesses, and recycled and repurposed items. In 2021 remnants of the camp remain in Redwood Park.[49]

Over the years Redwood Park has been used by groups such as the Boy Scouts and as a training ground for the military in the 1950s and 1960s. In 2021, Redwood Park remains one of Toowoomba’s valued nature reserves and is a popular recreational destination for nature lovers and bird watchers. The Friends of the Escarpment Parks group continue to care for and maintain the park in cooperation with the Toowoomba Regional Council.   

Description

Eagles Nest Camp (1930) occupies a 2.65 hectare site within the larger Redwood Park, an area of predominantly open eucalypt forest located on the eastern escarpment of the Great Dividing Range. The camp is sited on ground that slopes down to the northeast, and is bounded by the Redwood Bridle Trail on its southwest side and the Eagles Nest Trail on its southern side. It comprises a collection of elevated earth and drystone building platforms and associated landscape features, and remnants of the former vegetable gardens and stockyards.

Features of Eagles Nest Camp of state-level cultural heritage significance are:

• camp location, layout, landscape and setting
• mess hall and kitchen remnants
• hut remnants
• vegetable garden and stock yard remnants
• areas of archaeological potential.

Camp location, layout, landscape and setting

Positioned on the fringe of Toowoomba but within walking distance (3km) to the city, the camp’s location and open eucalypt forest setting reflects its historical use as a place of respite for travelling unemployed men. The camp grounds were historically cleared of vegetation, with the exception of shade trees and gardens tended by its occupants, and its elevated position and steep topography offered attractive views across the Lockyer Valley to the east.

In 2021, remnants of the camp visible amongst the regrowth vegetation and accumulated sediments illustrate its former layout and relationships between features. The building platforms are positioned on the higher ground, and the former vegetable gardens and stockyards are located on the lower ground to the northeast.

The building platforms are laid out with the large mess hall and kitchen at the southern end, situated between two rows of accommodation huts and other amenities that extend southeast to northwest in gentle arcs along the hillside terrain. A rubbish dump associated with the camp is located along the creek, south of the mess hall and kitchen.

The camp retains remnants of its terraced and sloped ground forms, stone-cobbled and -edged paths, and stone-edged garden beds. Built and tended by the occupants, these landscape features illustrate their efforts and pride in the appearance of the camp.

Features of the camp location, layout, landscape and setting of state-level cultural heritage significance also include:

• camp location and open eucalypt forest setting
• open space and extent of historically cleared camp grounds
• layout of building platforms and open space between
• terraced and sloped ground forms
• stone-cobbled and -edged paths
• stone-edged garden beds
• mature trees (evident in historical photographs of the camp) including a large eucalypt (Eucalyptus spp.) growing at an angle adjacent to huts 3 and 4, and two mature trees (species unknown) flanking the east stair of the mess hall and kitchen remnants.

Mess hall and kitchen remnants

The mess hall and kitchen remnants comprise a large (approximately 9m x 14m long) earth platform with its long sides facing east and west. Sited on sloping ground, the elevated platform has drystone retaining walls (approximately 1m high) along its east and south sides.

Stone stairs indicate the eastern entrance to the former mess hall structure (approximately 6.5m x 8m, no longer extant) that originally stood on the platform, with the former kitchen structure attached to its northern end. Later removed, these timber-framed former structures were clad in corrugated metal, corn sacks and flattened kerosene tins.

Vegetation clearing and archaeological excavations undertaken in 1994 revealed the extent and general layout of the mess hall and kitchen platform, along with stone-edged gardens and a stone-cobbled entrance path at its southern end. These features remain extant, concealed by protective fill.[50]

Features of the mess hall and kitchen remnants of state-level cultural heritage significance also include:

• elevated earth platform with drystone retaining walls
• drystone stair on eastern side of platform
• stone-cobbled entrance path (concealed) and stone-edged gardens at southern end of platform
• site of former mess hall structure, including cobbled floor / path (concealed) along its southern end
• site of former kitchen structure, including riveted metal boiler, flagstone hearth (concealed) in northwest corner, ceramic piping and drain (concealed) along eastern end, and flagstone floor (concealed) in northeast corner
• drystone retaining wall around northwest corner of platform, cut into the slope above.

Hut remnants

The hut remnants comprise at least 17 elevated earth platforms with drystone retaining walls, roughly arranged into an upper and lower row. The upper row (Huts 1 to 8) extends from west of the mess hall and kitchen remnants, curving southeast to north along the sloping terrace. The lower row (Huts 9 to 17) extends from east of the mess hall and kitchen remnants, curving southeast to northwest around the western side of the vegetable gardens.

The former hut structures (varying sizes, no longer extant) that originally stood on the platforms were single storey and skillion-roofed, with doorways generally facing east. They were constructed using bush timber frames, and clad in corrugated metal, corn sacks and flatted kerosene tins. Most were square or rectangular in plan and used as sleeping quarters for the men, although some may have been washrooms, latrines or garden sheds.

Accumulated soil and regrowth vegetation around the hut remnants have obscured their extents (horizontally and vertically) and plan forms. However, visible surface features indicate their location and general arrangement. Hut platforms 9 and 12 are larger than most, and Hut 12 platform is L-shape in plan.

Features of the hut remnants of state-level cultural heritage significance also include:

• earth platforms with drystone retaining walls on their east, south and sometimes north sides
• stone-edged gardens extending east of hut 15
• drystone stairs on the east side of huts 5 and 6, and southwest side of hut 9.

Vegetable gardens and stockyard remnants

The vegetable gardens and stockyard remnants comprise an area of cleared land that was originally used to grow vegetables to supply the camp. The stockyard is rectangular in plan and located on the eastern side of the gardens.

Features of the vegetable gardens and stockyard remnants of state-level cultural heritage significance also include:

• open space and extent of vegetable gardens
• timber fence posts defining perimeter of garden
• stockyard comprising four timber posts with notched recesses for rails
• grove of hoop pines.

Archaeological potential

Historical evidence and previous archaeological investigations indicate the camp had extensive landscaping beyond what is currently visible, as well as latrines and other amenities. Potential remains to identify these and other features of the camp through further archaeological surveys and physical investigations.

Areas where potential archaeological evidence could contribute to a greater understanding of the layout and functions of the place, and the activities and living conditions of its occupants include:

• the camp grounds: potential archaeological evidence in this area includes platforms, foundations and postholes from previously unidentified structures, landscape features including terracing, stone-cobbled and -edged paths, stone-edged garden beds, and the ‘EAGLES NEST’ sign to the south of hut 4, and surface and sub-surface artefacts associated with occupation of the camp.
• in and around the known building platforms: potential archaeological evidence in these areas includes the extent (horizontal and vertical) and plan forms of the building platforms and their drystone walls, associated garden beds and paths, and surface and sub-surface features and artefacts associated with their occupation and use.     
• the dump site on the north bank of the creek: potential archaeological evidence in this area includes bone, glass, ceramic, and metal artefacts discarded during occupation of the camp, including recycled and repurposed items.
• the vegetable gardens and stockyards: potential archaeological evidence in this area includes timber fence posts, stone-edged paths, foundations and postholes from previously unidentified structures, and metal tools and farming equipment.

Non-significant features

Features of Eagles Nest Camp not of state-level cultural heritage significance are:

• post-excavation fill and plastic sheeting
• regrowth vegetation in areas historically cleared, excluding sub-surface archaeological features and deposits around and under regrowth vegetation.

References

[1] Entry on the Queensland Heritage Register, The Downs Club (QHR 650257)
[2] Entry on the Queensland Heritage Register, Main Range Railway (QHR 601480)
[3] Entry on the Queensland Heritage Register, The Downs Club (QHR 650257)
[4] The Brisbane Courier, 23 January 1871, p.5.
[5] Darling Downs Gazette, 6 February 1888, p.3; Marie Holland, The Escarpment and Foothills of the Great Dividing Range at Toowoomba, Marie Holland Heritage Research Services, 2001, p.159.
[6] ‘1888 Petition to the Minister Of Lands, Queensland Government’, Marie Holland, The Escarpment and Foothills of the Great Dividing Range at Toowoomba, Marie Holland Heritage Research Services, 2001, Appendix; Maurice French, Toowoomba: A Sense of History, 1840-2008, University of Southern Queensland, 2009, p.96; Peter Cullen, Toowoomba’s Story – In Brief, Toowoomba Historical Society, Toowoomba, 2003, p.4; Darling Downs Gazette, 6 February 1888, p.3.
[7] The main proponent of the petition was Toowoomba resident and Alderman, James Thornloe Smith, who, in March 1888 presented the proposal to the municipal council. The wording of this petition strongly embodies two concepts emerging in British society (and consequently disseminated across the Empire) from the early nineteenth century. These concepts include a penchant for the seeking out and appreciation of the picturesque qualities of natural landscapes and a firm conviction that the general health of people could be enhanced if they spent more time outdoors; Toowoomba Chronicle and Darlings Downs General Advertiser, 6 March 1888, p.3; Entry on the Queensland Heritage Register, Picnic Point and Adjacent Parkland (QHR 601205); Cullen, Toowoomba’s Story – In Brief, p.4.
[8] Queensland Government Gazette, ‘Reserves for the Protection and Preservation of Native Birds’, No. 94, Vol. xcv, 8 October 1910, p.1010; Toowoomba Chronicle, 29 September 1919, p.4; Marie Holland, The Escarpment and Foothills of the Great Dividing Range at Toowoomba, p.102.
[9] Named after a prominent family in Toowoomba; Sunday Mail, 23 February 1941, p.3; Queensland Government Gazette, ‘Reserves for Parks’, No. 96, Vol. xcvl, 1 April 1911, p.1375; Darling Downs Gazette, 31 January 1911, p.5. 
[10] Queensland Government Gazette, ‘Reserves for the Protection and Preservation of Native Birds’, No. 94, Vol. xcv, 8 October 1910, p.1010; Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs Gazette, 9 November 1923, p.6.
[11] Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs Gazette, 6 May 1925, p.6.
[12] Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs Gazette, 18 January 1923, p.7.
[13] EC Bernays was appointed honorary ranger in August 1920 and Dr T Price was appointed officer in December 1922; Brisbane Courier, 21 August 1920, p.12; Telegraph, 22 December 1922, p.12.
[14] He also encouraged Toowoomba residents to donate native animals that they may have in their possession for release into the park. In a letter to the council in May 1923, Bernays stated that  ‘the place as it stands at present is, of course, a beauty spot, and is a great asset to the city, but it is capable of very great improvement … I would like to see the whole of the 500 acres properly fenced in with marsupial netting … the place could be stocked with native animals and birds, which could thrive and become a great attraction’; Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs Gazette, 10 May 1923, p.4; Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs Gazette, 5 December 1922, p.4.
[15] For example, in January 1923 a scrub wallaby, gifted by a resident, was released; Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs Gazette, 18 January 1923, p.7; Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs Gazette, 23 January 1923, p.5; Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs Gazette, 6 February 1923, p.3; Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs Gazette, 6 May 1925, p.6; Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs Gazette, 6 June, 1928, p.6.
[16] Brian Costar, ‘Controlling the Victims: The Authorities and the Unemployed in Queensland During the Great Depression’, Labour History, No. 56 (May 1989), p.2; Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Down Gazette, 20 June 1931, p.3.
[17] Jessica Gerrard, ‘The Interconnected Histories of Labour and Homelessness’, Labour History, No. 112 (May 2017), p.161; Maurice French, Toowoomba: A Sense of History, 1840-2008, pp.190 - 193; Brisbane Courier, 25 June 1930, p.8; Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs Gazette, 1 May 1930, p.6; Sunday Mail, 21 February 1937, p.32.
[18] Brian Costar, ‘Controlling the Victims: The Authorities and the Unemployed in Queensland During the Great Depression’, p.4; Maurice French, Toowoomba: A Sense of History, 1840-2008, p.196.
[19] Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs Gazette, 20 June 1931, p.3.
[20] Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs Gazette, 20 June 1931, p.3; Entry on the Queensland Heritage Register, Geeumbi (QHR 600867).
[21] Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs Gazette, 20 June 1931, p.3.
[22] Evening News, 28 July 1931, p.4.
[23] Sunday Mail, 19 June 1932, p.15.
[24] Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs Gazette, 20 June 1931, p.3.
[25] Truth, 3 December 1933, p.12; Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs Gazette, 20 June 1931, p.3; Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Down Gazette, 1 June 1933, p.7; Daily Standard, 16 November 1933, p.5; Maurice French, Toowoomba: A Sense of History, 1840-2008, pp.196-198.
[26] The Queensland Social Service League was established in 1930 by the state government as an apolitical organisation to coordinate charitable groups, including many church groups, to ensure charitable work and aid for the unemployed was not duplicated through the various groups and to help ensure help was efficient and equitable; Brian Costar, ‘Christianity on Crisis: Queensland Churched During the Great Depression’, Journal of the Royal Historical Society of Queensland, Vol.13, 1988, pp.201-214, p.206. 
[27] Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs Gazette, 6 December 1932, p.10; Telegraph, 10 January 1933, p.2; Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs Gazette, 10 January 1933, p.8.
[28] Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs Gazette, 1 June 1933, p.7.
[29] Jessica Gerrard, ‘The Interconnected Histories of Labour and Homelessness’, pp.167-168. 
[30] Daily Standard, 16 November 1933, p.5; In 1931 the Telegraph stated that ‘most people consider that it is far better to provide work for unemployed than to create an unemployable class by supplying weekly rations for which no labour is requested’; Telegraph, 1 October 1931, p.2.
[31] Brian Costar, ‘Controlling the Victims: The Authorities and the Unemployed in Queensland During the Great Depression’, p.4; Jessica Gerrard, ‘The Interconnected Histories of Labour and Homelessness’, pp.166-167; Truth, 11 July 1937, p.19; The Northern Miner, 25 August, 1930, p.2; Queensland Times, 7 July 1931, p.7.
[32] In Sydney there were sizeable camps established in public reserves including the in the Domain and around Mrs Macquarie’s Chair. There were camps at La Perouse (known as Happy Valley) and in Lidcombe where entire families had become homeless. There are examples of state and local governments establishing unemployed camps, for example in Melbourne, the state government utilised the vacant military camp at Broadmeadows to house unemployed single men. The Queensland Government, alongside the various local councils, established intermittent relief workers’ camps in Southport, Coolangatta and Redcliffe and constructed temporary shelters for men and their families who could no longer pay rent. These, however, only helped a very small number of those in need; The Week, 18 March, 1931, p.4; Daily Examiner, 4 July 1931, p.4; Jessica Gerrard, ‘The Interconnected Histories of Labour and Homelessness’, pp.166-167; Brian Costar, ‘Controlling the Victims: The Authorities and the Unemployed in Queensland During the Great Depression’, p.4. 
[33] Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs Gazette, 9 November 1931, p.4; Anne O’Brien, ‘National Shame/National Treasure: Narrating Homeless Veterans in Australia 1915-1930s’, Australian Historical Studies, 49:2, pp.167-183, pp. 179-181.
[34] Maurice French, Toowoomba: A Sense of History, 1840-2008, p.197.
[35] Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs Gazette, 20 June 1931, p.3; Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs Gazette, 13 April 1933, p.6; Maurice French, Toowoomba: A Sense of History, 1840-2008, p.197.
[36] Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs Gazette, 1 June 1933, p.7.
[37] Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs Gazette, 22 December 1931, p.5; Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs Gazette, 1 June 1933, p.7. Daily Standard, 16 November 1933, p.5; Telegraph, 1 June 1935, p.16.
[38] Telegraph, 1 October 1931, p.2.
[39] Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs Gazette, 12 May 1933, p.6; Telegraph, 1 June 1935, p.16.
[40] Telegraph, 1 June 1935, p.16.
[41] Toowoomba Regional Council, Website, ‘Redwood Park’, Historic Photographs https://www.tr.qld.gov.au/facilities-recreation/parks-gardens/parks-by-location/redwood-redwood-park; Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs Gazette, 27 June 1931, p.10; Week, 7 June 1933, p.33; Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs Gazette, 2 June 1933, p.4; Truth, 3 December 1933, p.12; Telegraph, 1 June 1935, p.16; Bryce Barker and Lara Lamb, The Archaeology of Poverty and Human Dignity: Charity and the Work Ethic in a 1930s Depression Era Itinerant’s Camp on the Toowoomba Range Escarpment, Queensland, School of Humanities and Communication, University of Southern Queensland, 2009, p.5.
[42] Courier Mail, 16 August 1934, p.19.
[43] Toowoomba Chronicle and Darling Downs Gazette, 22 December 1931, p.5.
[44] Courier Mail, 5 April 1939, p.3; Courier Mail, 27 January 1940, p.3; Maurice French, Toowoomba: A Sense of History, 1840-2008, p.201.
[45] Queensland State Archives, Redwood Park – Correspondence File, Item No. PR1368066, ‘Letter to Toowoomba City Council from Department of Labour and Industry’, 9 May 1940; ‘Letter to Town Clerk, Toowoomba City Council, from City Engineer in relation to Redwood Park Animal and Bird Sanctuary’, 5 February 1941; ‘Estimated Cost of Work Proposed in Making Animal Sanctuary in Redwood Park’, 5 February 1941.
[46] Courier Mail, 30 January 1940, p.3; Warwick Daily News, 16 May 1940, p.3.
[47] Queensland State Archives, Redwood Park – Correspondence File, Item No. PR1368066, ‘Letter to Department of Agriculture and Stock in relation to Redwood Park Sanctuary’, 18 September 1942;  ‘Letter Toowoomba City Council from Queensland Main Roads Commission in relation to the turn-out from the Range Road to the Sanctuary’, 1 May 1941.
[48] Marie Holland, The Escarpment and Foothills of the Great Dividing Range at Toowoomba, p.109; Aerial Photographs, 1946, 1955, Toowoomba City Council.
[49] According to aerial photographic evidence, a few structures in the camp still remained until the late 1980s; Dr Bryce Barker, Dr David Biernoff and Lara Lamb, Eagles Nest Depression Camp, Redwood Park – Toowoomba, Preliminary Archaeological Investigations, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Southern Queensland, 1994; Bryce Barker and Lara Lamb, The Archaeology of Poverty and Human Dignity: Charity and the Work Ethic in a 1930s Depression Era Itinerant’s Camp on the Toowoomba Range Escarpment, Queensland, School of Humanities and Communication, University of Southern Queensland, 2009, pp.6-8; Maurice French, Toowoomba: A Sense of History, 1840-2008, p.198; Aerial Photographs, 1963, 1971 and 1994, Toowoomba City Council; Aerial Photograph, 1992, QImagery.

[50] Dr Bryce Barker, Dr David Biernoff and Lara Lamb, Eagles Nest Depression Camp, Redwood Park – Toowoomba, Preliminary Archaeological Investigations, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Southern Queensland, 1994.

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