Rare NSW Aboriginal heritage site gets protected

A rare Aboriginal burial site thought to be more than 750 years old will be transferred to Nambucca Shire Council to manage in partnership with the local Gumbaynggirr people.

NSW Department of Planning and Environment executive director Luke Walton says “Aboriginal sites are of immense cultural, scientific, educational and historic interest and provide an important link to present and past culture,” he says.

“We’re working with the local Aboriginal community and Council to ensure proper management, and to protect the ancestral remains at this important site,” he says, adding that the site is one of very few burial sites to be uncovered in the area.

The ancestral remains and an Aboriginal midden were discovered on the site, which is of enormous significance to the traditional owners of the land, the Gumbaynggirr people.

“Following investigation by the coroner and DNA analysis it was found the remains are more than 750 years old,” says Walton.

“Further bones have been found on the riverside land, and it’s possible the site may contain multiple burials, so it’s vital that we step in to protect it,“ Walton says.

The property was purchased under the Coastal Lands Protection Scheme, a long-running NSW Government initiative which has been acquiring coastal land for public access to the coast, scenic value or for environmental protection since 1973.