Cultural heritage management on TSRs
May 2019
South East Local Land Services (South East LLS) have been busy undertaking Aboriginal Cultural Heritage assessments on Travelling Stock Reserves (TSRs) in the Braidwood local area.
The work involved historical research, Aboriginal community engagement and preliminary investigations aimed at improving the level of knowledge of archaeological sites and places of significance to Aboriginal people within the South East LLS Region.
Previous archaeological research in the area was very limited with only six Aboriginal Heritage Information Management System (AHIMS) Aboriginal sites being recorded on TSRs. Our Aboriginal Community Support Officers worked alongside archaeologists, South East LLS staff and Batemans Bay Aboriginal community to survey five TSRs in our region. Sixteen unknown archaeological sites were identified in the surveys and recorded in detail to AHIMS assessments.
Significant cultural site type features recognized in the survey included:
- stone tools that included flakes and cores
- one ground axe head
- modified trees used for food procurement to smoke eels.
The next stage of the survey work is targeted within the Bega local area. Aboriginal Community Support Officers Dan Morgan and Noel Webster are busy identifying site survey locations undertaking desktop analysis, research and predictive modelling to locate areas that have high cultural value potential to guide the survey work.
Wallawarni (safe journey)
Aboriginal Community Support Team