Rest Point Sawpits

Author

Shire of Manjimup

Place Number

11398

Enlarge Map

Show Property Street View

There no heritage location found in the Google fusion table.

Location

Rest Point Rd Walpole

Location Details

Local Government

Manjimup

Region

South West

Construction Date

Constructed from 1860, Constructed from 1865

Demolition Year

N/A

Statutory Heritage Listings

Type	Status	Date	Documents	More information
Heritage List	Adopted	08 Dec 2016

Heritage Council Decisions and Deliberations

Type	Status	Date	Documents
(no listings)

Other Heritage Listings and Surveys

Type	Status	Date	Grading/Management		More information
Type	Status	Date	Category	Description	More information
Municipal Inventory	Adopted	10 Jul 1997	Category A	Category A Worthy of the highest level of protection: recommended for entry into the State Register of Heritage Places which gives legal protection; provide maximum encouragement to the owner under the Shire of Manjimup Town Planning Scheme to conserve the significance of the place; development requires consultation with the local authority and the Regional Heritage Advisor; a more detailed Heritage Assessment/Impact Statement to be undertaken before approval given for any development. Incentives to promote conservation should be considered.

Statement of Significance

Historic, Rarity and Representativeness

Physical Description

• Cleared site surrounded by bush;
• Pit in ground, approx 3m x 2m;
• Large log lying lengthways along pit;
• Log balancing on three rounded timber logs (bearers) spanning
the pit;
• Secured in place with timber chocks, and;
• Saw (original) in log to show how the pit operated.

History

It is thought this sawpit was dug between 1860 and 1865. The pit is still
in original condition.
Although the bearers and log have recently been renewed, the saw is the
original implement. Restoration was carried out by the former National
Parks Authority and the Forestry Department.
How the sawpit worked was:
Trees were felled with axes and crosscut saws. They were then trimmed,
the top was cut off, and then the logs were dragged to the sawpit by horse
and bullock team. A log was then rolled onto bearers spanning the pit,
and was secured with wooden chocks. Two men operated the saw. One
standing or lying in the pit pulled down, cutting the log, while the man on
top pulled the saw back up, aligning it for the next cut. The bottom man
suffered extreme hardship, often working in mud and water, and being
constantly showered with sawdust. This could be the origin of the term
Top Dog and Bottom Dog.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: Fair
Authenticity: Fair

Condition

Good

References

Ref ID No	Ref Name	Ref Source	Ref Date
	Heritage and Conservation Professionals; "Shire of Manjimup Municipal Heritage Inventory".	Shire of Manjimup	1995 Adopted 1997.

Place Type

Historic site

Uses

Epoch	General	Specific
Present Use	FORESTRY	Sawpit
Original Use	FORESTRY	Sawpit

Historic Themes

General	Specific
OCCUPATIONS	Timber industry

Creation Date

23 Mar 1998

Publish place record online (inHerit):

Approved

Last Update

29 Apr 2021

Disclaimer

This information is provided voluntarily as a public service. The information provided is made available in good faith and is derived from sources believed to be reliable and accurate. However, the information is provided solely on the basis that readers will be responsible for making their own assessment of the matters discussed herein and are advised to verify all relevant representations, statements and information.