Life Underground

In 2020, prior to construction of Maitland City Council’s new administrative building, an archaeological excavation was undertaken at the corner of High and Devonshire Streets. Historical records had long indicated that this site was once occupied by early colonial buildings, including inns, houses, and a mill, dating back to the earliest years of European settlement along the Hunter River.

As layers of concrete and soil were carefully peeled back, the ground began to reveal its secrets. Fragments of daily life—ceramics, bottles, building materials, and personal belongings—surfaced, offering rare and tangible connections to the people who lived, worked, and passed through this part of Maitland over 150 years ago.

These discoveries paint a vivid picture of High Street as it transformed into a lively civic and commercial hub. They speak of a community in formation, cosmopolitan, resilient, and strongly rooted in place. This exhibition invites you to uncover the lives once lived just beneath our feet, and reflect on how Maitland’s past continues to inform its present.