Plumwood Mountain added to NSW State Heritage Register
Sorting through the archives at Plumwood Mountain. Image courtesy of Rory King, 2021.
Plumwood Mountain, the remote 120-hectare bush property where Australia's most prominent environmental philosopher Dr Val Plumwood resided and worked, has been listed on the NSW State Heritage Register. Read more via the media releases below.
The NSW Department of Environment and Heritage - 11 May 2023
Executive Director of Heritage NSW, Sam Kidman, said Dr Plumwood was a key figure in the emergence of the Australian environmental movement, right here in New South Wales.
“Dr Plumwood made a major contribution to the development of the Australian environmental movement, in the realm of environmental humanism, during the mid-1970s.
“The Plumwood Mountain residence was where Dr Plumwood composed her pioneering scholarly works between 1975 and 2008, and was a key location where environmentalists, scholars, and protesters congregated to rally, talk through, and plan,” said Mr Kidman.
Deputy Chair for the Heritage Council of NSW, The Hon Robyn Parker, said the property protects an untouched, ancient rainforest, home to a variety of plants and animals, including the ancient and uncommon plumwood tree.
“Dr Plumwood’s quirky, off-the-grid octagonal stone home looks a bit like a 50-cent coin.
“It was designed by Dr Plumwood and co-built in 1976 with her then partner, environmentalist and philosopher Dr Richard Sylvan,” Ms Parker said.
Today, Plumwood Inc. manages the property, stone building and personal collection of Dr Plumwood.
Dr Lara Stevens, Treasurer, Plumwood Mountain Committee, who put forward this nomination, wanted recognition of the site’s environmental significance.
“The Plumwood Committee welcomes this listing as a testament to the legacy of Dr Val Plumwood for her pioneering work as an ecofeminist philosopher, environmental activist and an affirmation of the extraordinary forest home that inspired her thinking,” said Dr Stevens.
Listing Plumwood on the State Heritage Register is an important step in preserving the history and culture of New South Wales. Not only does it protect the significance of the place and its associated stories, but it provides a platform for local communities to share and celebrate their cultural heritage.
The NSW Government is proud to be protecting our past and creating a legacy for future generations. More information can be found on the Heritage NSW website.
READ MORE: https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/news/plumwood-mountain-added-to-nsw-state-heritage-register
Val Plumwood (fourth from left) outside the stone house she built with Richard Sylvan on Plumwood Mountain, 2004. Creative Commons CC BY-SA 4.0.
The University of Melbourne - 24 February 2023
Dr Lara Stevens has been a leader in a team that has brought Plumwood Mountin - the property of preeminent environmental philosopher Dr Val Plumwood's (1939-2008) - under the protection of the State Heritage Register of NSW. The decision was finalised as of 24 February 2023.
Plumwood Mountain holds exceptional environmental and cultural significance as the long-term home, workplace and inspiration of Dr Plumwood. Its outstanding natural and cultural features are inter-related and unique. They include an imposing old-growth Gondwana temperate rainforest and a secluded off-grid stone dwelling co-built by Dr Plumwood in the early 1970s. The stone house still contains her vast library, furniture and personal artefacts and functions as a living museum that testifies to her extraordinary life and intellectual legacy. Combined, these features make it a compelling place to visit, and a vital educational and research hub for scholars, writers and creatives associated with the environmental humanities and sciences.
Plumwood Mountain also holds distinctive historical significance because of the key role that Dr Plumwood played in the development of the Australian environmental movement. She was a central figure in the early 1970’s campaign to save the NSW south-east forests, one of the first in a series of campaigns that culminated in the statutory protection of many of Australia’s outstanding wilderness areas. Her ground-breaking eco-philosophies were also foundational in the establishment of the Australian environmental humanities. This interdisciplinary field of study has become increasingly relevant in the face of intensifying climate and ecological crises and is now internationally established.
The Plumwood listing is, both historically and today, one of the few State Heritage listings to be centred around a woman's property in acknowledgement of her pioneering philosophical work and activism. For those interested to learn more about Plumwood Mountain or curious about the artist/scientist/writer/academic retreat and research hub located there, see the link below.