Proposed Lakes Estate Residential Development North Boambee Valley, Coffs Harbour ______

Jacqueline Collins (Consultant Archaeologist) 11 Camden Head Road Dunbogan New South Wales 2443 Proposed Lakes Estate residential development North Boambee Valley, Coffs Harbour ______________________________________________ Cultural heritage assessment May 2008 Prepared on behalf of : Douglas Gow & Associates 445 Townsend Street Albury New South Wales 2640 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Location of the proposed Lakes Estate extension (the ‘study area’) 1 1.2 The development proposal 3 1.3 Approval background 3 1.4 Assessment components 5 2 ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT 5 2.1 General setting 5 2.2 The study area 6 2.3 Landuse effects 8 3 ABORIGINAL INVOLVEMENT AND CONSULTATION 8 3.1 Compliance with DECC Interim Aboriginal Community Consultation Requirements for Applicants 8 3.2 Native title claims 10 3.3 Field survey involvement 10 3.4 Consultation outcomes 10 4 INDIGENOUS HERITAGE CONTEXT 11 4.1 Background 11 4.2 Aboriginal resources 12 4.3 DECC Aboriginal Heritage Information Management System 12 4.4 Other heritage registers 13 4.5 Unregistered sites 13 4.6 Past archaeological surveys 13 4.7 Desktop assessments 15 4.8 Archaeological potential of the study area 15 5 NON-INDIGENOUS HERITAGE CONTEXT 17 5.1 Historical background 17 5.2 Heritage registers 18 5.3 Oral history information 19 5.4 Archaeological surveys 19 5.5 Heritage studies 19 5.6 Potential site types 20 6 FIELD SURVEY 21 6.1 Survey strategy 21 6.2 Survey method and details 21 6.3 Survey coverage 21 7 FIELD SURVEY RESULTS 25 7.1 Indigenous sites 25 7.2 Non-Indigenous sites 29 8 SIGNIFICANCE ASSESSMENT 29 8.1 Indigenous heritage 29 8.2 Non-Indigenous heritage 32 9 DEVELOPMENT IMPACT AND MITIGATION STRATEGIES 34 9.1 Indigenous heritage 34 9.2 Non-Indigenous heritage 35 10 MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS 36 10.1 Indigenous heritage 36 10.2 Non-Indigenous heritage 37 REFERENCES 39 GLOSSARY 41 APPENDIX A Aboriginal Stakeholder correspondence 44 LIST OF FIGURES 1 General location of the North Boambee Valley on the NSW mid-north coast 1 2 Location of the study area and registered and recorded Aboriginal sites 2 3 Proposed subdivision plan 4 4 Study area site analysis plan 7 5 Location of survey units and surveyed areas 22 6 Location of recorded sites and PADs 27 LIST OF TABLES 1 Property details 3 2 DECC registered Aboriginal sites within 2km of the study area 13 3 Environmental context of survey units 23 4 Survey coverage data 24 5 Non-Indigenous sites 28 6 Gradings of significance recommended by the NSW Heritage Council 33 7 Significance of the recorded non-Indigenous items 34 Proposed Lakes Estate residential development, North Boambee Valley, Coffs Harbour- Cultural heritage assessment _____________________________________________________________ EXECUTIVE SUMMARY _____________________________________________________________ Introduction Astoria Developments Pty Ltd proposes to extend the existing Lakes Estate residential subdivision within the North Boambee Valley, Coffs Harbour. This report was commissioned by Douglas Gow & Associates on behalf of Astoria Developments Pty Ltd, and forms the cultural heritage component of an Environmental Assessment for the (extended) Lakes Estate development proposal, approval for which is being sought under Part 3A of the NSW Environmental Planning and Assessment Act. The study area comprises 56.79 hectares of land that would be subdivided into approximately 285 residential allotments with associated roadways and services. Due to the large areas of forest and identified koala habitat on the property, the proposed subdivision is of a relatively low-density nature and is generally confined to cleared agricultural land. An expanse of forest in the northern section would be retained as an Environmental Protection zone. Several other areas containing forest vegetation would also be reserved. To comply with the Director-General’s Environmental Assessment requirements and the project brief supplied by Douglas Gow & Associates, this assessment includes heritage register searches, a review of relevant published and unpublished literature, Aboriginal Stakeholder consultation, field survey, assessment of the significance of identified cultural heritage resources and management recommendations, developed in liaison with Aboriginal Stakeholders, to avoid and/or mitigate cultural heritage impacts. Environment The study area encompasses spurlines and knolls, ridge and spur slopes and poorly-drained alluvial valley flats situated between 3.5 and 5.0 kilometres inland of the Boambee Beach coast. The terrain is dominated by steep and moderate-gradient slopes that form the headwater catchments of two small seasonal tributaries of Newports Creek south of the Roberts Hill ridge. Strongly to very strongly acid soil conditions prevail in all terrain units. Approximately half the study area, including some spur/knoll crests, ridge and spur slopes and most of the alluvial valley flats, has been cleared for stock grazing, past banana cultivation and/or other agricultural purposes. Vegetation off this cleared land is dominated by wet sclerophyll forest on the south-facing slopes of the Roberts Hill ridge, grading to rainforest within the tributary basins. Where tree cover is present, the crests of the spurs and knolls more remote from the Roberts Hill ridge support a drier form of sclerophyll forest. Aboriginal involvement and consultation The Department of Environment and Climate Change Interim Aboriginal Community Consultation Requirements for Applicants were implemented for this assessment, and resulted in the registration of three Stakeholder groups- the Coffs Harbour and District Local Aboriginal Land Council (CHLALC), the Gumbula Julipi Elders Aboriginal Corporation and the Mudjay Elders. Representatives of the recently-formed Bagawa Birra Murri Aboriginal Corporation (formerly Women’s Council) were also informed of the development proposal, survey findings and draft recommendations, and consulted regarding any cultural concerns they may have in relation to the proposed development. Field survey of the study area was undertaken with the assistance of CHLALC and Gumbula Julipi Elders representatives in December 2007. The Mudjay Elders did not wish to be involved in this survey, and a reconnaissance inspection was instead later conducted with Mudjay representatives Steven Hart and Terry Carberry. CHLALC, Gumbula Julipi Elders and Bagawa Birra Murri representatives advised that they are not aware of any sites/places of cultural significance or attachment in the study area, and that they have no objections to the development proposal providing the archaeological recommendations of this final report are implemented. Mudjay Elders representatives Steven Hart and Terry Carberry maintain that two traditional campsites were situated within the proposed development footprint. Knowledge of the campsite locations is said to have been passed down to these Stakeholders, who consider both sites to have a high level of spiritual significance, irrespective of whether or not they contain archaeological evidence. Due to the spiritual qualities attributed to the campsites, Steven Hart and Terry Carberry advised that they would not support archaeological test excavations, but instead require that an investigation be carried out by a qualified anthropologist to document and more comprehensively assess the cultural heritage values of these sites and their surrounds. As stated in correspondence since received, the Mudjay Elders Stakeholders would like to see the two areas of concern “turned into open space, park, or picnic area, not developed with housing.” _____________________________________________________________ Page 1 Proposed Lakes Estate residential development, North Boambee Valley, Coffs Harbour- Cultural heritage assessment _____________________________________________________________ Heritage registers Searches of the DECC Aboriginal Heritage Information Management System, the Commonwealth and National Heritage Lists, the NSW State Heritage Register, the National Trust of Australia (NSW) Register, Schedule 2 (Heritage Items) of the North Coast Regional Environmental Plan and Schedule 5 (Heritage Items) of the Coffs Harbour Local Environmental Plan revealed no listed Indigenous or non-Indigenous sites, places or relics in or close to the study area. Field survey Due to the expected distribution and types of archaeological sites and the limitations imposed by surface vegetation and landuse processes, a selective field survey strategy was adopted to maximise coverage of reasonably intact spur/knoll crests and footslopes. Landforms of low predicted sensitivity such as the valley flats, ridge/spur slopes and former banana plantations were selectively sampled. A general reconnaissance was also made in order to find and inspect mature trees (or their remains) for signs of cultural marking, rock outcrops with the potential to have been quarried by Aboriginal people, and any items of potential non- Indigenous heritage value. Approximately 21 percent of the study area was covered during the survey, including all potentially sensitive landforms proposed for development impact. Once the constraints imposed by vegetation and modern land modification are taken into account, it is estimated that 29 percent of the surveyed area and six percent of the total study area was effectively searched for surface evidence. Even though some designated survey units were not inspected and others provided little to no visibility, field conditions are considered to have been satisfactory

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