Many farmers are protecting Aboriginal cultural values on their land.
Finding and reporting a Cultural site or object on private, freehold land helps protect special places or items from harm. You also have a legal obligation, outlined below, to protect this heritage.
If you find a Cultural site or items on your property, there is support available to help you protect them.
In most cases, having Aboriginal sites on a private property will not affect property ownership or prevent existing land use from continuing. See our commonly asked questions section if you have queries about your continued ownership.
Assess land before development or change in use
Learn when and how to do an assessment of your property to follow due diligence on our Preserving cultural heritage page.
How to identify sites and objects
There are many different types of sites that contain cultural values such as middens, ochre quarries, stone quarries, hearths, scarred trees, carved trees, stone tools and grinding grooves.
Even if your land has no physical markers of Aboriginal occupation, cultural values will remain such as native bush medicines, foods and materials such as ochre and stone suitable for tool making.
Some examples of Aboriginal cultural sites include:
| Artefact scatters | Burial sites | Scarred trees | Grinding grooves | Mission sites |
| Rock art | Carved trees | Midden sites | Reserve sites | Aboriginal ceremony and dreaming sites |
| Aboriginal resource sites | Ceremonial rings | Earth mounds | Ochre quarries | Potential archaeological deposits |
| Fish traps | Habitation structures | Hearths | Organic material | Stone arrangements |
| Modified trees | Water holes | Stone quarries | Gathering sites | Aboriginal cemeteries |
Natural resources
Aboriginal cultural values are not just found in artefacts and historical markers. Native plants and animals also hold significance to Aboriginal communities due to their value as traditional family totems, food, fibre, medicine and other traditional uses. Understanding these values can help you maintain significant species in the current landscape.
The value Aboriginal people place on natural resources stems from the strong relationship and respect they have for the land. The health of the land and the maintenance of biodiversity continues to be linked to the wellbeing of Aboriginal people, both physically and spiritually.
What to do if you find a site or object
Step 1: Don't disturb the site or remove any artefacts or objects.
Step 2: Make a record of the site or object by taking photographs, recording the position (property location, paddock, and where it is sitting in the landscape), and writing a description of your find.
Step 3: Report your find to the Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC) in your area or contact Local Land Services in the contacts below on this page.
See the section on Reporting your find below for details.
Understand your legal obligations
In NSW, the protection and preservation of Aboriginal objects and places falls within the National Parks and Wildlife Act (NPW) 1974.
This protects Aboriginal objects and Aboriginal places in NSW. Landholders within or near protected areas must comply with regulations regarding development, land clearing, and other activities. Everyone has an obligation to protect cultural heritage.
To meet your legal obligations:
- You must not knowingly harm or desecrate an Aboriginal object.
- You must not harm or desecrate an Aboriginal object or Aboriginal place (strict liability). Harm includes destroying, defacing, or damaging an Aboriginal object or place, and moving an object from the land where it has been situated.
Penalties apply under the NPW Act if you do not meet these regulations.
Also see Environment and Heritage NSW
Report the find
You can report the find so it's recorded on the Aboriginal Heritage Information Management System (AHIMS). This database contains information about Aboriginal objects and places that have been registered within NSW.
After reporting your find, the reporting body (for example, your Local Aboriginal Land Council) will:
- Arrange with you to visit the site to further examine and confirm your findings.
- Access the AHIMS database to see if there are any past recorded findings on the property. You may request a copy of this report for your records.
- Arrange to secure the site, if applicable, to prevent erosion or any possible degradation, until a formal agreement has been reached for managing the site.
- Arrange formal recording through AHIMS, if the find is substantiated and of significance.
Contact Local Land Services NSW
Our team welcome your enquiries, feedback and comments.
Local Land Services is moving to nsw.gov.au. During the change, you might find the information you are looking for at lls.nsw.gov.au