Remote Sensing in an Urban Australian Setting: An Example from Dr H.J. Foley Rest Park, Sydney

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The application of remote sensing techniques to Australian historical archaeological sites is becoming increasingly popular, given the increased need for focused excavation strategies or non-invasive investigations. Despite this, many archaeologists remain unconvinced of the potential of these techniques or misunderstand their capabilities. Three commonly-used techniques – resistivity, magnetometry and ground-penetrating radar – were applied to the site of the 1820s Hereford House in urban Sydney, now used as the Dr H.J. Foley Rest Park. Given the urban setting and multiple magnetic sources, magnetometry proved to be of limited use, although resistivity and ground-penetrating radar provided detailed information on subsurface archaeological structural remains. Excavation showed a high correlation with the remote sensing results.