Over 140 Aboriginal Heritage Places found in Woollahra following report

By PATRICK MCKENZIE

There have been 149 documented and potential Aboriginal Heritage Places identified in Woollahra as part of an Aboriginal Heritage Study conducted in 2020 and 2021.

Findings include 40 art sites containing engravings in rock shelters or out in the open, as well over 30 open or sheltered living places.

The findings are contained in a report endorsed by Woollahra Municipal Council on 26 July 2021, the product of a collaboration between Aboriginal Heritage Consultants Coast History & Heritage, and the La Perouse Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC).

The report was commissioned as part of the 2030 Woollahra Community Strategic Plan which was adopted in 2018 and released to the public on February 2.

Records of some sites were pre-existing on official registers and historical records, while others were known only to local residents.

The consultant team included historian and archaeologist Dr Paul Irish, who researched the Aboriginal history of the Eastern Suburbs for his 2017 book ‘Hidden In Plain View: The Aboriginal People of Coastal Sydney’.

Dhungutti and Dharawal man and CEO of La Perouse LALC Chris Ingrey, who was consulted in designing the study’s priorities and provided maps and plans, commended Woollahra Council’s “genuine interest in the protection and appreciation of Aboriginal heritage within its area”. 

“If approved by Council, we believe there is merit on presenting this study to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs … to promote best practice for Aboriginal heritage protection within NSW,” he wrote.

The report presents a variety of recommendations, including an Aboriginal heritage management training program for Council staff, a Development Application guide for local planning and architectural consultancies to foster greater awareness and ongoing consultation with La Perouse LALC when development applications are lodged in sensitive areas.