BENDETHERA DEUA NATIONAL PARK CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN Table of Contents 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1 1.1 BACKGROUND........................................................................................................................ 1 1.2 PLAN OBJECTIVES .................................................................................................................. 1 1.3 METHODOLOGY & REPORT STRUCTURE ............................................................................... 2 1.4 LOCATION OF THE STUDY AREA ............................................................................................ 2 1.5 EXISTING HERITAGE RECOGNITION ....................................................................................... 5 1.6 ACRONYMS ............................................................................................................................ 5 1.7 PLACE NAMES ........................................................................................................................ 5 1.8 CMP LIMITATIONS ................................................................................................................. 7 1.9 AUTHORSHIP .......................................................................................................................... 7 1.10 PREVIOUS STUDIES ................................................................................................................ 7 1.11 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................ 7 2 HISTORICAL OVERVIEW ....................................................................................... 9 2.1 PRE‐CONTACT ........................................................................................................................ 9 2.2 EUROPEAN SETTLEMENT ..................................................................................................... 11 2.2.1 General ....................................................................................................................................................... 11 2.2.2 Joseph George ............................................................................................................................................ 12 2.2.3 The Rankin Occupancy ............................................................................................................................... 18 2.2.4 The Robinson Occupancy ........................................................................................................................... 20 2.3 DEUA NATIONAL PARK ........................................................................................................ 21 2.4 MINING ................................................................................................................................ 22 2.5 RECREATION & TOURISM .................................................................................................... 23 2.5.1 Early Cave Tourism ..................................................................................................................................... 23 2.5.2 Recent Times .............................................................................................................................................. 24 3 PHYSICAL EVIDENCE ........................................................................................... 26 3.1 BENDETHERA: CULTURAL LANDSCAPE ................................................................................ 26 3.1.1 Homestead and River Flats ........................................................................................................................ 26 3.2 BENDETHERA: LANDSCAPE SETTING ................................................................................... 26 3.2.1 Cultural Landscape Values ......................................................................................................................... 26 3.2.2 Natural Values ............................................................................................................................................ 28 3.3 IDENTIFICATION OF EXISTING FABRIC ................................................................................. 29 3.3.1 Homestead Site .......................................................................................................................................... 29 August 2009 ii nghheritage 3.3.2 Bread Oven ................................................................................................................................................ 31 3.3.3 Water Race ................................................................................................................................................. 32 3.3.4 Grave Site ................................................................................................................................................... 33 3.3.5 Yards .......................................................................................................................................................... 34 3.4 OTHER SITES IN THE BENDETHERA VALLEY ......................................................................... 36 3.4.1 Bridle Tracks ............................................................................................................................................... 36 3.4.2 The Caves ................................................................................................................................................... 37 4 STATUTORY AND MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK ................................................ 38 4.1 GENERAL .............................................................................................................................. 38 4.2 STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS ............................................................................................... 38 4.2.1 Heritage Act 1977 ...................................................................................................................................... 38 4.2.2 National Parks & Wildlife Act 1974 ............................................................................................................ 39 4.2.3 Environmental Planning & Assessment Act 1979 ...................................................................................... 39 4.2.4 Eurobodalla Rural Local Environment Plan (LEP) 1987 .............................................................................. 39 4.3 MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS ......................................................................................... 41 4.3.1 Plan of Management .................................................................................................................................. 41 4.3.2 Far South Coast Cultural Heritage Management Strategy ......................................................................... 41 5 ASSESSMENT OF HERITAGE SIGNIFICANCE ......................................................... 43 5.1 INTRODUCTION TO THE ASSESSMENT ................................................................................ 43 5.2 PREVIOUS ASSESSMENTS .................................................................................................... 43 5.3 COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT ............................................................................................... 44 5.4 ASSESSMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE ........................................................................................... 48 5.5 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE ............................................................................................ 50 6 CONSERVATION POLICIES .................................................................................. 51 6.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 51 6.2 OVERALL POLICY VISION ...................................................................................................... 51 6.3 GENERAL .............................................................................................................................. 51 6.4 USE ....................................................................................................................................... 53 6.5 RETENTION OF CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE ........................................................................... 53 6.6 CHANGES ............................................................................................................................. 54 6.7 RECORDING.......................................................................................................................... 55 6.8 MANAGEMENT .................................................................................................................... 55 6.9 INTERPRETING THE RESOURCE ............................................................................................ 57 7 IMPLEMENTATION ............................................................................................. 60 7.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 60 7.2 MANAGEMENT SCHEDULE .................................................................................................. 60 August 2009 iii nghheritage 7.2.1 Short Term Actions 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