Peter Davies

Dr Peter Davies is a Senior Research Fellow in Archaeology at La Trobe University, specializing in the social, industrial, and environmental archaeology of colonial Australia. His work focuses on human engineering of natural landscapes, resource management, and urban material culture, with significant contributions to understanding historical gold mining impacts in Victoria.

• Education: BA(Hons), MA (Melbourne University), PhD (La Trobe University)

His research integrates interdisciplinary methodologies to analyze environmental histories of metal mining, legacy effects of dredging, and engineered landscapes in the Anthropocene. Recent work includes mercury emissions from colonial mining and sustainable river management frameworks.

Key projects include the ARC-funded Rivers of Gold (2021–2025) and Archaeology of Institutional Confinement (2008–2014). He authored the monograph Sludge: Disaster on Victoria's Goldfields (2019) and published extensively in journals like Environmental Chemistry and Geoarchaeology.

• Scientific Awards:
  • La Trobe University Research Excellence Award (2016)

Davies collaborates with Susan Lawrence and others on environmental archaeology, emphasizing policy relevance and public engagement through reports, museum exhibits, and transnational comparisons of colonial mining practices.