Dr Vincent Clark Archaeology & Heritage provide expert advice about the obligations for a project under the Victorian Heritage Act 2017, local government planning schemes and other heritage listings.

We have undertaken many historical heritage and archaeology projects in Melbourne’s CBD as well as in various suburban and rural locations for a wide variety of project types, including major infrastructure and utilities projects, large construction developments and residential subdivisions, down to smaller, single-site projects.

The historical archaeological services that we provide include:

• Heritage management of major infrastructure and development projects
• Stakeholder and government authority consultation to meet project requirements
• Due diligence assessments of project obligations under the Victorian Heritage Act 2017, as well as the local government planning schemes and Commonwealth and other heritage listings
• Preparation of Predictive Archaeological Assessments (PAAs) and Archaeological Management Plans (AMPs)
• Preparation of heritage consent and permit applications for sites listed on the Victorian Heritage Inventory (VHI) and Victorian Heritage Register (VHR), including permit and consent exemptions and amendments
• Design and management of historical archaeological investigations
• Archaeological excavations
• Historical archaeological surveys
• Documentation and recording of heritage places, including 3D photogrammetry modelling
• Production of detailed historical heritage and archaeological reports
• Preparation of VHI and VHR site cards for submission to Heritage Victoria
• Historical artefact management, cataloguing and analysis
• Preparation and management of heritage interpretation schemes
• Media liaison and community engagement
• Detailed historical land use and background history research
• CHMP requirements for major developments of historical sites

Professional Affiliations / Qualifications

Dr Vincent Clark- Director

PhD, University of Melbourne

MA, University of Melbourne

BA (Hons), University of Melbourne

Our founder and Director, Dr. Vincent Clark has worked as an archaeologist since 1976 and has extensive experience in Victoria and overseas. In Victoria he has worked as an archaeologist and heritage advisor since 1996 and has been directly involved in the production over 650 reports and Cultural Heritage Management Plans for a wide variety of clients during this time. He is a heritage advisor pursuant to s.189 of the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006.

He has extensive international experience in field archaeology and research, including excavation and survey work as director or as a senior staff member of several international projects in Jordan and Turkey. He has taught archaeology at tertiary level, in the classroom and in the field. He was a Research Associate and casual lecturer at the Centre for Archaeology, Monash University from 2000 to 2007. He has extensive leadership, research and report writing experience and, as a heritage advisor, broad experience of consultation with Aboriginal people and project stakeholders.

Dr Michelle Negus Cleary- Principal Archaeologist/Heritage Advisor

PhD (Archaeology),  University of Sydney

BArch (Hons.), University of Melbourne

BPD, University of Melbourne

Michelle Negus Cleary has extensive experience working with archaeological projects in Australia, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and the Republic of Georgia. She has been employed with Dr Vincent Clark Archaeology & Heritage since 2010 and managed a wide variety of different archaeological projects in Victoria with specialist expertise in historical archaeological survey and excavation, built heritage, the assessment, recording and management of heritage sites, documentation and report writing. Her technical skills include differential GPS, Total Station, and digital data management, remote sensing analysis, 3D photogrammetry and CAD. Michelle’s has extensive experience managing heritage requirements for large-scale infrastructure projects for rail, road, and utilities, as well as major CBD development projects. She is also a heritage advisor and has completed numerous CHMPs for major projects.

Michelle has been a member of the Archaeology Advisory Committee to the Victorian Heritage Council. She was part of the Joint Historical and Archaeological Survey of the Gallipoli battlefield from 2012-2015 and directs the Landscape Archaeology in Georgia project. She has worked at the University of Melbourne and La Trobe University on research projects and has published more than 25 articles in archaeological journals and edited volumes and regularly presents at national and international conferences.

Lauren Davison- Operations Manager/Heritage Advisor/ Maritime Archaeologist

Master of Maritime Archaeology, Flinders University
B. Arch, Flinders University

Lauren Davison has more than ten years’ experience working with archaeological projects in Australia. She has been employed with Dr Vincent Clark Archaeology & Heritage since 2018 and has worked in a variety of industries including local government heritage departments, maritime museums and historical societies. Lauren has worked on projects in Tasmania, South Australia, Victoria and Queensland. She has overseen a variety of different archaeological projects in Victoria including maritime archaeological assessments, historical archaeological survey and excavation and the preparation and assessment of Cultural Heritage Management Plans.