Vineyard Haven, New Italy facts for kids

Vineyard Haven is a special historical place in New Italy, New South Wales. It's a landscape and archaeological site where an old home and vineyard once stood. This important site is located at 1 Forest Road, New Italy, within the Richmond Valley Council area.

It was first set up in 1882 and was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 10 December 2004.

A Look Back: Vineyard Haven's Story

Early Days with Phillipe Palis

The story of Vineyard Haven began on 26 October 1882. A Frenchman named Phillipe Palis chose this land. He and his brother built a simple hut using "wattle and daub." This means they used woven branches (wattle) covered with mud and clay (daub).

They also built a blacksmith shop. Here, Phillipe made tools for himself and for the Italian settlers who were moving to the area. He worked hard to plant vineyards. To water his vines, he dug many trenches, dams, and wells.

Phillipe Palis lived on the property with his brother for a long time. People believe he helped the Italian settlers by acting as an interpreter. He might have also taught at a local school before a proper one was built. He was thought to be very educated. In 1885, his friend, Monsieur Jean Le Cheminant, became the first official school teacher in New Italy.

The Guarischi Family and Beyond

Phillipe Palis never fully bought the land. So, on 17 August 1904, it was given to an Italian settler named Giovanni Guarischi. His family lived on the property until at least the mid-1920s. Giovanni passed away in 1937, and his wife Angelina in 1949. Both are buried in Woodburn Cemetery.

After the Guarischi family, the land was sold many times. Local people sometimes used it for grazing cattle. Over time, much of the forest grew back. A few of the original old trees were still standing in 2004.

The Vayo Family's Care

In late 1971, Arnold and Mary Vayo bought the property. They had moved to Australia with their five children to start a new life. This was similar to how the Italian settlers had arrived almost 90 years earlier.

In 1993, the property was re-surveyed. A small part of the land next door, which had many old trees, was added to Vineyard Haven. In 1999, the Vayos made an agreement with the National Parks and Wildlife Service. This agreement helps protect the land and allows much of it to return to its natural forest state.

The Vayo family has lived on the property since 1993. They wanted Vineyard Haven to be listed on the State Heritage Register. This helps protect the remaining signs of the Italian settlement on their land.

What Vineyard Haven Looks Like

Vineyard Haven is located at the corner of Swan Bay-New Italy Road and Forest Road. A creek runs through the middle of the property. This creek bed was once an important path for the early settlers. It connected Swan Bay to Chatswood Island and was part of the track to New Italy.

Today, much of the area has grown back into bushland. This means Vineyard Haven probably looks a lot like it did when the first settlers arrived in 1882.

The Forest and Its Uses

The bushland here is called "dry to moist sclerophyll and swamp sclerophyll forest." It has many different types of trees. These include various Eucalyptus trees like swamp mahogany and spotted gum. Other trees like paper barks and wattle are also found here. These trees were very useful to the early settlers for building and other needs. There are also parts of the property where rainforest plants are growing back.

Hard Work of the Settlers

About 50 adult men were among the first settlers. They did a lot of hard physical work. They cleared the land, cut down trees, and dug out roots. They also shaped straight timbers for building. The women of the settlement also helped with the tough work of clearing the land.

The men often walked 10-15 kilometers to work on sugar plantations. They would stay for a whole week and return home on weekends. Then, they would continue working on their own land. You can still see some trees that were "ringbarked" (a way to kill trees by removing a strip of bark) but never cut down. They are still standing over 120 years later! Some original wooden posts and well linings made from timber slabs also remain.

Soil and Water Challenges

The soil was mostly heavy clay, which was hard to work with. But other types of soil, like sandstone and gravel, were also found. These were used to line wells and build roads.

After the settlement began, the area had many wet years followed by very dry periods. Between 1900 and 1920, there were big floods and a record drought in 1915. So, managing water was very important. The original Palis Brothers' land, now Vineyard Haven, was known for its good trenching system. These trenches directed rainwater to the grapevines, gardens, a holding tank, and a dam in the creek.

Amazing Discoveries at Vineyard Haven

Here are some of the most important historical and archaeological remains you can still see at Vineyard Haven:

• Grape Vines: There are two areas with old grapevines. They are on a sloping part of the land. You can still see the shapes of the vineyard rows. The grapes are a tough, dark red type called "Lady Isabella." This grape was popular with Italian winemakers.
• Log Trough: Near where the old hut was, there's a partially complete log trough.
• Hut Mound: This is a raised area of earth and debris. It's believed to be where the original wattle and daub hut and blacksmith shop stood. An early visitor in the 1880s described it. A wooden peg used by the settlers was still on top of the mound in 2004.
• Timber-Lined Well: Settlers called this a "holding tank." It's about 2.4 meters deep and lined with wooden slabs. The Vayo family put a hand pump here in 1993. This well provided water for the settlers' homes and was filled by the trenching system.
• Shallow Depression: This area might have been used for storage or making wine. The soil dug out from here might have been used to build the wattle and daub hut.
• Blacksmith Shop Site: A bare earth circle might be where the blacksmith shop was. Metal detectors have found metal pieces here.
• Water Trenches: As mentioned, the land was well-trenched. You can still see many signs of these trenches across the site.
• Old Grape Vine Contours: The land slopes away from the house. You can see the shapes of where the original rows of grapevines were planted.
• Hand-Dug Dam: This dam is about 50-75 meters southeast of the hut mound. It's about 8 meters by 5 meters and 3 meters deep. The Vayos found it in 1973 under earth and leaves. The bottom is lined with bricks.

Current Condition

The historical items and archaeological remains at Vineyard Haven were in good condition as of July 2004. They are mostly untouched and well-preserved.

Why Vineyard Haven is Important

Vineyard Haven is a very important part of the New Italy Settlement story. It was one of the first properties chosen by the French Palis Brothers and then by the Italian Giovanni Guarischi. This entire area is significant because it shows how strong and skilled a unique group of Australian settlers were.

The site still has parts of the original landscape and signs of how the settlers lived and worked. These include the dam, the timber-lined well, the hut mound, old vines, and water trenches. The current owners, the Vayo family, have owned the site for over 30 years. They have done a great job protecting these important pieces of 19th-century history.

Connecting to the Past

The location of Vineyard Haven is also important. Old maps show that an early track from Chatsworth Road to Swan Bay went through Vineyard Haven. This track was likely used by the early settlers traveling to choose their land and build their homes. It was also close to a coach route that had been used since the mid-1870s.

The entrance to Vineyard Haven is across from where the Italian Settlers' Saint Peter's Church once stood. This church was built in 1907 but was later damaged by a storm and taken down in 1945.

The bushland setting of Vineyard Haven is also special. Much of it has grown back, reminding us of what the first Italian and French settlers saw in 1882. The varied forest, with its "dry to moist sclerophyll and swamp sclerophyll forest," directly connects us to the past and shows the settlers' original efforts to clear the land.

Vineyard Haven, New Italy Settlement, was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 10 December 2004 for several reasons:

• It shows the history of New South Wales: Vineyard Haven is important because it was one of the first properties in New Italy in 1882. It still has signs of vineyards and homes, showing how the settlement developed.
• It's linked to important people: The site is connected to the French Palis Brothers, who helped the settlers as teachers and interpreters. It's also linked to the Italian Guarischi family, who owned the land for many years. Finally, it's important for its connection to Arnold and Mary Vayo, who have protected the site for future generations.
• It shows skill and beauty: Vineyard Haven is beautiful with its old and regrown forests. It shows the clever ways Italian settlers built dams and watering systems for their vines, possibly using techniques from northern Italy.
• It can teach us more: This site is important because its archaeological remains can teach us more about how Italian settlers grew grapes in the late 1800s and early 1900s in New South Wales.
• It represents other places: Vineyard Haven might show what many other settled blocks in New Italy were like. More research is needed to confirm this.