South Australian Museum - North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia 5000

Presented by the South Australian Museum as part of About Time

Dr Keryn Walshe: Archaeology from North Terrace to Bonython Park - 1800s Adelaide

Researcher, Archaeology, South Australian Museum

Abstract:

Archaeological finds dating to the 1800s from the new Adelaide Hospital site and across the northwest Parklands will be on display. Since settlement in 1836, this area has seen tents and reed huts, livestock markets, slaughterhouses and construction of the Adelaide Gaol and the railyards. The origin of the bottles, crockery, clay pipes, bone, etc will be presented in an engaging manner.

Biography:

Dr Keryn Walshe joined the South Australian Museum in 2006 as the Senior Collection Manager, Aboriginal and Archaeology Collections. In 2010 Keryn was appointed as Researcher for the Archaeology Collection.

Keryn attained a doctoral degree in Australian Indigenous archaeology and anthropology from The Australian National University, Canberra in 1996. Her doctoral research was the taphonomic analysis of a Nullarbor cave vertebrate assemblages. Vertebrate assemblages from archaeology sites continue to be a core research interest, but she also focuses on the archaeology of pre and post contact cultural landscapes. Since 1993 she has completed a diverse range of cultural heritage activities as a heritage consultant for both the private and public sector and continues to do so. Keryn has held full academic status with School of Humanities, Flinders University, since 1999. She continues to contribute to teaching of archaeology through the Archaeology Dept FU and from 2012 will be presenting an undergraduate topic aimed at introducing students to Museum archaeology collections. Kery also gives public presentations on a range of archaeology related topics.

Her active research areas are geographically; the Far West and North East of SA and Kangaroo Island. She is also conducting field work on Quaternary dunes around Port Augusta to Port Pirie.

She is skilled in the identification of animal and human bones, lithics and other materials such as modified glass and ceramic in archaeological contexts.