A place of history, learning and community

Shaws Creek Draft Conservation Management Plan

April 2017

© 2017 State of NSW and Office of Environment and Heritage

With the exception of photographs, the State of NSW and Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) are pleased to allow this material to be reproduced in whole or in part for educational and non-commercial use, provided the meaning is unchanged and its source, publisher and authorship are acknowledged. Specific permission is required for the reproduction of photographs.

OEH has compiled this plan in good faith, exercising all due care and attention. No representation is made about the accuracy, completeness or suitability of the information in this publication for any particular purpose. OEH shall not be liable for any damage which may occur to any person or organisation taking action or not on the basis of this publication. Readers should seek appropriate advice when applying the information to their specific needs.

All content in this publication is owned by OEH and is protected by Crown Copyright, unless credited otherwise. It is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0), subject to the exemptions contained in the licence. The legal code for the licence is available at Creative Commons.

OEH asserts the right to be attributed as author of the original material in the following manner: © State of New South Wales and Office of Environment and Heritage 2017.

This conservation management plan was adopted by ______________________________________ on [XX Month 20XX].

Acknowledgments

This management plan has been prepared by staff from the Blue Mountains Region of the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service in consultation with the following Aboriginal community members, stakeholders, Service specialists and consultants:

Chris Tobin, Phil Khan, Gordon Morton, Celestine Everingham, Cindy Laws, Jacinta Tobin, Erin Wilkins, Leanne Watson, Barry Corr, Evelyn Corr, Vicky Lett, Keirilee James, Ray Rice, Brian Price, Tim Rowe, Ian Butler, Brad Bell, Ray Fowke, Paul Glass, Michael Jackson, Glenn Meade, Phil Lamrock.

Cover photo: Yellow Rock Lookout, Yellomundee Regional Park. Photo: J Yurasek.

Published by:

Office of Environment and Heritage 59 Goulburn Street, Sydney NSW 2000 PO Box A290, Sydney South NSW 1232 Phone: +61 2 9995 5000 (switchboard) Phone: 131 555 (environment information and publications requests) Phone: 1300 361 967 (national parks, general environmental enquiries, and publications requests) Fax: +61 2 9995 5999 TTY users: phone 133 677, then ask for 131 555 Speak and listen users: phone 1300 555 727, then ask for 131 555 Email: info@environment.nsw.gov.au Website: www.environment.nsw.gov.au

Report pollution and environmental incidents Environment Line: 131 555 (NSW only) or info@environment.nsw.gov.au See also www.environment.nsw.gov.au

ISBN 978 1 76039 750 0 OEH 2017/0163 Shaws Creek Draft Conservation Management Plan, April 2017

i

Contents

Foreword ..................................................................................................................... iii

Introduction ................................................................................................................. 1

Important values .......................................................................................................... 3

Management directions .............................................................................................. 4

Conservation of natural and cultural heritage ........................................................... 5

Aboriginal heritage .................................................................................................... 5

European heritage .................................................................................................... 8

Ecological ................................................................................................................. 9

Opportunities ............................................................................................................. 11

Recreational ........................................................................................................... 11

Information and education ...................................................................................... 12

Implementation plan.................................................................................................. 13

Selected references .................................................................................................. 15

ii

iii

Foreword

Warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers should be aware that this document may contain images or names of people who have since passed away.

Yellomundee Regional Park is a narrow reserve below the eastern escarpment of the Blue Mountains, sitting on the banks of the Nepean River. It is an important site for Aboriginal people as seen in the abundance of cultural art, artefacts and shelters found throughout the park. It has a natural beauty where the elements of vegetation, rock formations and river have created a highly aesthetic landscape. It was also a place that could sustain great numbers of people with ample water from the river and root vegetables readily on hand.

The area acted and still acts as a bush schoolroom, where children learn about their history and are taught traditional stories. Part of their story is the frontier violence that took place across this site and the region as colonists settled along the rivers. It tells of their leaders, their warriors and their resilience in facing this new challenge. This story is an important part of Aboriginal history and should continue to be told and acknowledged by both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people.

In the early 1800s the fertile soils surrounding the river attracted European farmers. In the northern section of the park the land surrounding Shaws Creek was settled by Europeans around 1830 and became known as Shaws Farm.

The Yellomundee Regional Park Plan of Management, adopted in 2009, highlighted the importance of the Shaws Farm area. In 2014 ‘Shaws Creek Aboriginal Place’ was created. It encompasses a large part of the Shaws Farm area. Together these lands are known as the ‘Shaws Creek area’ for the purposes of this conservation management plan.

This plan has been developed by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service in consultation with key stakeholders to provide direction for the future management of the Shaws Creek area within the regional park. This plan will ensure the cultural values are protected and, by bringing people back to Country, the value of the area will continue to grow.

David Crust Director Blue Mountains Branch NSW National Parks and Wildlife service

XX Month 20XX

iv

Shaws Creek Draft Conservation Management Plan

1

Introduction

Yellomundee Regional Park was created in 2000 and is located 8 kilometres north-west of Penrith on the eastern escarpment of the Blue Mountains. It extends for 8.6 kilometres along the western side of the Nepean River and is up to 1 kilometre wide.

The cultural, recreational and ecological values of the park are concentrated in the northern part of the park around Shaws Farm and Shaws Creek. High levels of community use in this part of the park create many challenges for managing the area.

The Yellomundee Regional Park Plan of Management (DECC 2009) acknowledged that the Shaws Farm area is of particular importance for both its natural and cultural values. In particular, it identified that the Aboriginal cultural heritage values are of state significance and that a more detailed plan, known as a conservation management plan, should be developed to protect and preserve the area.

In 2014, ‘Shaws Creek Aboriginal Place’ was created in recognition of the importance of the place to Aboriginal people. Shaws Creek sits within the traditional territory of the Boorooberongal clan of the Darug. A network of Aboriginal rock engravings, artefacts, axe grinding grooves and other sites provide physical and spiritual links to Ancestors. Shaws Creek Aboriginal Place was once a traditional meeting place for Aboriginal people and continues to be a focal point for learning. The newly declared Aboriginal Place lies within the boundaries of the Shaws Farm area identified in the plan of management.

For the purposes of this conservation management plan, the Shaws Farm area identified in the plan of management together with the Shaws Creek Aboriginal Place are referred to as the ‘Shaws Creek area’ (see Figure 1). This conservation management plan applies to the Shaws Creek area which is further divided into the Northern Area and the Southern Area as shown on Figure 1.

The most significant values of the Shaws Creek area arise from the strong cultural ties and historic connections with the land. The long history of Aboriginal presence and the more recent European adaptations highlight the importance of developing an understanding of the cultural significance of the area to protect and preserve the future of Shaws Creek.

This plan has been developed with the community and now provides direction for the management of Shaws Creek in accordance with the Yellomundee Regional Park Plan of Management and the National Parks and Wildlife Service’s Aboriginal Places Policy (OEH 2011). This plan is intended to be reviewed five years after its adoption.

Photo: ©Rosie Nicolai

‘…a traditional meeting place for Aboriginal people…a focal point for learning’

Shaws Creek Draft Conservation Management Plan

2

Figure 1: Site map

Shaws Creek Draft Conservation Management Plan

3

Important values

The park as a whole is highly valued for its Aboriginal cultural heritage and is regionally important for its European, natural and recreational values. The main values of the Shaws Creek area arise from the strong cultural ties to the area and historic use of the land by people past and present.

The key Aboriginal heritage values include:

a place to care for Country and opportunities for healing the place

a sense of respect for Country and culture

an educational and resource-rich place where children and young people continue to learn about traditional practices

the importance of this specific landscape to the Aboriginal community

the contribution of sites to an understanding of Aboriginal life and use of the area

the early post-contact history of conflict between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people.

The key European heritage values include:

the history of the early interactions between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people

Shaws Farm, which has significant heritage values and illustrates an early period of European land use

an illustration of changing European land use over time, from farming, mining to recreation and conservation

an area where contemporary Australian cultural values are shared, for example, as a meeting point for recreational users, and a place where members of the community work together to support healthy, active lifestyles whilst caring for the land.

The key recreation values include:

opportunities for active and passive recreation, including mountain biking, picnicking, play and bird watching

potential for cultural tourism.

The key natural values include:

significant alluvial vegetation communities adjacent to the Nepean River

threatened ecological communities

protected tributary of the inner catchment of the greater Nepean River.

The key educational values include:

the potential for research and education about Aboriginal culture

sites of established scientific importance to Aboriginal archaeology

the potential for research and education on the history of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal use of the area.

Shaws Creek Draft Conservation Management Plan

4

Management directions

The Yellomundee Regional Park Plan of Management (2009) states that regional parks are created to protect and conserve areas in natural or altered landscapes whilst also identifying areas suitable for sustainable public recreation and enjoyment. Regional parks tend to offer open spaces for cultural and recreational activities which may not be permitted in other types of parks.

An Aboriginal Place is created for areas that are or were of special significance to Aboriginal culture. A declaration recognises the significance of the place and provides for the proper care, preservation and protection of the land, including restoring land that has been disturbed.

Shaws Creek has European heritage values that are important at the regional level, and Aboriginal cultural heritage values that are important at both regional and state levels.

The overall management of the Shaws Creek area is therefore directed towards the vision:

‘To recognise the importance of the area to Aboriginal People and to

develop a sense of place, wellness, health and respect. To be a place

where cultural practices can continue to exist and children and young

people can continue to learn about traditional ways and the history of the

site. To be a place where communities can work together through mutual

understanding and respect.’

Photo: G Karskens

The Aboriginal cultural heritage of the area is of state significance.

Shaws Creek Draft Conservation Management Plan

5

Conservation of natural and cultural heritage

Aboriginal heritage

Shaws Creek is a highly significant place for Aboriginal people. It is an Aboriginal place of learning and living as evidenced by its location adjacent to the Nepean River and features such as rock shelters and food resources. It is also a junction site for trading and ceremonial pathways along the Nepean River and through to the mountains. As a representation of a larger cultural precinct around the Nepean River – Castlereagh area, it holds strong spiritual values for both the local communities and for Aboriginal people across the country. Stories of ‘songlines’ through Shaws Creek are well known amongst the local community and the area is recognised as a meeting point for Aboriginal people from far away. These values highlight the living significance of the site to people both past and present.

While Aboriginal people have cultural links with the whole landscape of Yellomundee Regional Park, the Shaws Farm area is of particular value as a ‘family area’ that provides a bush schoolroom for learning. Allowah Day is held annually at Shaws Creek and attracts students from all over the region, reconnecting them with culture and Country. It is an important part of the ongoing healing and learning process.

The area has contributed significantly to the understanding of Aboriginal life in south-east Australia through extensive archaeological research. A rock shelter in the park has revealed evidence of intensive occupation dating back to at least 15,000 years. One shelter site, known as ‘Shaws Creek KII’, contained over 25,000 pieces of worked stone and 600 animal remains. This cultural material provides a window into the diet and technology of Aboriginal communities through time. A second site known as ‘Shaws Creek KI’ contained over 4000 stone objects, including a mixture of Aboriginal and European materials highlighting ongoing Aboriginal use of the area from the remote past to the present day.

Extensive evidence of traditional occupation occurs along the lower eastern ridgelines of the Blue Mountains above the Nepean River corridor. Numerous stone tools associated with open campsites occur along lower Winmalee Ridge, Hawkesbury Ridge and Shaws Ridge. One of the largest axe grinding groove sites in south-east Australia is located to the east of Shaws Creek along the Nepean River. A series of ‘workshop’ sandstone platforms with hundreds of grinding grooves extend along the western side of the river. Fish traps in this area have been recorded adjacent to the grinding groove areas.

Photo: G Karskens

‘One of the largest axe grinding groove sites in south-east Australia…’

Shaws Creek Draft Conservation Management Plan

6

Shaws Creek Aboriginal Place proclamation

‘The value for which the Aboriginal Place is of special significance to Aboriginal

culture includes, but is not limited to, the area having special significance to the

Darug and other local Aboriginal peoples.

Shaws Creek sits within the traditional territory of the Boorooberongal clan of

the Darug. Traditional rock engravings link across its landscape and depict

different art formations connecting to artefacts which are all physical and

spiritual links to ancestors. It was once a traditional meeting place for the

Aboriginal people of Western Sydney.

The park was named after Yarramundi a ‘clever man’ and Chief of a Darug

clan. Historically it was also a site of confrontment, tragedy and loss as the

Aboriginal camps at Shaws Creek suffered the vengeance of retaliation during

the many conflicts that raged along the Hawkesbury and Nepean Rivers in the

early days of settlement. The place has a natural beauty where the elements of

vegetation, rock formations and river created a highly aesthetic landscape; it

was also a place that could sustain great numbers of people with ample water

available from the river and having root vegetable harvests readily on hand.

The Darug people used the place then and now as an educational place and

a resource rich place where children and young people could learn from

Elders about traditional practices, such as collecting and using the readily

available bush foods and natural medicines in the area. The area acted and

still acts as a bush school room, where today’s children also learn about their

history and are taught traditional stories. Part of their story being the frontier

violence that took place across this site and across the region as colonists

settled along the rivers. Its story tells of resistance as Aboriginal warriors

fought to hold onto their lands and to find justice for their people. It is a story

of resilience as Aboriginal people survived.

The story of their leaders, their warriors, and their resilience should be told

and recognised.’

(NSW Government 2014)

Photo: Rosie Nicolai/OEH

‘…a resource rich place where children and young people could learn from Elders’

The values of ‘healing’, ‘wellness’, ‘connection’ and ‘respect’ have been highlighted as guiding terms for future management of the area, working towards community cohesion, restoring Country and understanding and appreciating values.

Shaws Creek Draft Conservation Management Plan

7

Opportunities

Improve cultural connections through workshops and community days.

Protect the values of the area through education and cross-cultural activities.

Increase the wellness and health of the area and its visitors through promoting values and holding community events.

Improve the feeling of being safe at the area.

Undertake appropriate conservation works to protect, repair and ensure ongoing significance of sites.

Restore the bushland setting of the area.

Provide public access to the area, including sustainable recreation in suitable locations and where compatible with protection of values.

Risks

Any actions or activities within Shaws Creek need to consider the core cultural values of the area. Whilst artefacts and sites may be protected through legislation, best practice actions and policies, the protection of the social and cultural values needs to be guided by the Aboriginal community. Specific risks include:

harm to Aboriginal sites and objects from development and activities

a loss of sense of place caused by inappropriate development and activities

a loss of connection with Country through lack of opportunities and education in the area

a feeling of being unsafe in the area because of a lack of security and ongoing illegal activities

site degradation caused by weeds, pests and inappropriate activities.

Policies

Any sensitive information cannot be revealed without consultation with the people it concerns.

Cultural practices and associated activities are generally permitted.

Events, facilities and activities inconsistent with Aboriginal cultural values are not permitted in the Northern Area.

Photo: Rosie Nicolai/OEH

Cultural burning, smoking ceremony – ‘a place that supports healthy, active lifestyles’

Shaws Creek Draft Conservation Management Plan

8

Actions

Formalise an Aboriginal reference group to guide future management decisions.

Develop a working group with representatives of key stakeholders to foster cooperative cross-cultural management of the area.

The working group shall develop a master plan for consideration when preparing future statutory management plans.

The working group shall consider extension of the Aboriginal Place to the north, east and west.

Encourage cross-cultural training with the Western Sydney Mountain Bike Club and other non-traditional users and stakeholders as appropriate.

Identify boundaries for recreational activities that are consistent with protecting Aboriginal cultural values.

Develop appropriate education and interpretative material and signage in conjunction with the Aboriginal community.

Organise and promote regular cultural events and activities such as Allowah Day, cultural burning and bushcare.

Provide appropriate facilities and maintain the General Use Area in the Southern Area (see Figure 1) to support holding cultural and recreational events and general visitor use.

Increase security of the area by installing appropriate fencing and gates.

Identify funding and resources to support management actions.

Photo: Rosie Nicolai/OEH

‘…cultural events and activities such as Allowah Day, cultural burning, bushcare.’

European heritage

The Shaws Farm area was first occupied by Europeans between 1830 and 1860, when it was farmed by an ex-convict, Matthew Clarke. The property changed hands many times over the years, with Shaw taking ownership around 1900. From 1954 to 1986 the land belonged to commercial developers and gravel extractors and was eventually transferred to public ownership in 1986.

Since 1986 the area has been used extensively for recreational activities, including horse riding and mountain biking. During the past 20 years, a large network of competition-grade mountain bike tracks has evolved to the point of being recognised as a regionally significant facility. As a result it has become a meeting point for recreational users and a place that supports healthy, active lifestyles.

Shaws Creek Draft Conservation Management Plan

9

The main European significance of Shaws Farm relates not to individual elements but to the history of early interactions between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, and the area being an example of a rural site with changing uses over nearly two centuries. This significance can be protected and interpreted through conserving significant elements whilst recording and removing the remaining elements and opening the site for the public to enjoy and appreciate.

Opportunities

Encourage an appreciation of the site’s European history as a representative of early European settlement.

Improve knowledge of the post-contact period and the interactions with Aboriginal communities.

Promote cross-cultural ties through cooperative management.

Risks

Loss of early European history through neglect and degradation of items and artefacts.

Loss of the early and ongoing interactions between European and Aboriginal cultures through insensitive development.

Focusing on the mountain bike facility as the primary European use of the site.

Policies

Retain the vegetation at Shaws Farm that was planted by European settlers (except where it conflicts with redevelopment plans) unless it is an invasive weed species.

Promote the early European history of the area including the significant post-contact interactions with Aboriginal communities.

Actions

Develop and install interpretative material for significant sites and relics where appropriate.

Record historic places found in the area and assess their significance and management requirements, including the identification of long-term conservation and management outcomes.

Undertake works to protect the current values and support appropriate recreational use.

Ecological

Eucalypt-dominated forests and woodlands make up 97% of the park and are typical of the lower Blue Mountains and riparian communities found on the banks of the Nepean River. In the Shaws Creek area there are four vegetation communities of conservation interest that are listed on threatened species legislation. These are:

Shale Sandstone Transition Forest Endangered Ecological Community (EEC)

Sydney Coastal River-Flat Forest EEC

Cooks River Castlereagh Ironbark Forest EEC

Ironbark Open-forest EEC.

Some of these communities approach the western limit of their distribution in the Shaws Creek area. In addition, Shale Sandstone Transition Forest and Cooks River Castlereagh Ironbark Forest are also listed as critically endangered at the national level.

Shaws Creek Draft Conservation Management Plan

10

Of the animals recorded at Shaws Creek, seven are identified as vulnerable under threatened species legislation. These are all birds and include the little eagle, black falcon, gang-gang cockatoo, little lorikeet, varied sitella, scarlet robin and the pink robin.

Opportunities

Encourage an appreciation of the area’s natural values.

Foster cooperation of communities through bushcare projects.

Risks

Impacts on critically endangered ecological communities.

Loss of ecological communities at their limit of distribution.

Clearing of important vegetation through inappropriate activities.

Policies

New facilities and activities are not permitted within threatened ecological communities except where improvements to conservation outcomes are achieved as a result.

Actions

Only allow recreational activities to use existing infrastructure within threatened ecological communities.

Only allow future development in highly disturbed areas which are not suitable for restoration.

Any development in the General Use Area must be to the south of the Ironbark Open-forest EEC.

Restore vegetation with an emphasis on areas adjacent to current infrastructure

Enforce compliance and provide education related to inappropriate activities.

Photo: ©Rosie Nicolai Photo: JP Amputch

Blue banded bee Brown snake

Shaws Creek Draft Conservation Management Plan

11

Opportunities

Recreational

The regional park, including the Shaws Creek area, has been used for mountain biking since 1989 with regular competitive events at club, state and national level being held in the area. The area is recognised as a regionally significant facility and has become a focal point for recreational riding in the Sydney Basin.

Horse riding is a less popular activity in the park, attracting mostly local riders. While riding is permitted on the TransGrid management trail within the Shaws Creek area (see Figure 1), illegal riding is known to occur in the Northern Area with some riders accessing the park under Shaws Creek Bridge.

Leashed dog walking is also permitted on the TransGrid management trail within the Shaws Creek area but is specifically excluded from core bushland areas of the park. There is some evidence of illegal domestic dog activity in the Shaws Creek area associated with recreational hunters.

This conservation management plan provides for bush camping by consent. This is consistent with the Yellomundee Regional Park Plan of Management which provided an option to include a basic, low-key, walk-in camping in the Shaws Creek area if considered appropriate in the future.

Opportunities

Provide for sustainable recreational opportunities in appropriate locations.

Foster cooperation of communities through track maintenance days.

Develop extended mountain bike facilities to the south of the Shaws Creek.

Photo: ©Tim Rowe, Western Sydney Mountain Bike Club

Mountain bike trail, Shaws Creek area

Shaws Creek Draft Conservation Management Plan

12

Risks

Illegal and unmanaged construction of trails following upgrades and promotion of the area.

Erosion and weed impacts from increased recreational activities.

Continued hunting creating safety risks to park users and native animals.

Policies

Horse riding and dog walking is not permitted within the Shaws Creek area except along the TransGrid management trail.

Mountain biking is not permitted in the Northern Area of Shaws Creek.

Issue consent for bush camping in the Shaws Creek area as appropriate.

Actions

Develop a working group with representatives of key stakeholders to foster cooperative cross-cultural management of the area.

Increase security at the site by installing barriers, gates, fences and signage.

Carry out law enforcement and education for ongoing illegal activities.

Re-purpose tracks to the north of Shaws Shelter as walking tracks where appropriate.

Information and education

The Shaws Creek area is an area of high cultural and natural value, however, the importance of the site remains largely unknown by the general public and park users. This deficiency in education and understanding has led to a perceived lack of respect for the area, creating conflict between community groups and park users and resulting in further degradation of the area’s cultural and natural assets.

Opportunities

Improve knowledge and respect of cross-cultural and natural values.

Foster cooperation and partnerships between community groups.

Reduce impacts and illegal activities.

Improve the cultural and natural values of the area.

Risks

Increasing conflicts between community groups and parks users.

Increase of illegal activities.

Policies

Allow appropriate use of the area by educational organisations and community groups.

Enhance awareness and respect of the values of the area.

Actions

Undertake training days to enhance cultural awareness between the various user groups.

Include both community groups and recreational users in site management activities.

Develop appropriate educational and interpretation material for park users.

Refocus electronic media to increase understanding of the cultural importance of the site.

Shaws Creek Draft Conservation Management Plan

13

Photo: Rosie Nicolai/OEH

Talk on cultural burning techniques

Implementation plan

Priority High/Med/Low

Activity Plan reference

High Formalise an Aboriginal reference group to guide future management decisions

Aboriginal Heritage

High Develop a working group with representatives of key stakeholders to foster cooperative cross-cultural management of the area

Aboriginal Heritage

High Identify boundaries for mountain bike activities and install slip rail barriers to prevent access to off-limit areas

Aboriginal Heritage

High Increase security of the area by installing appropriate barriers and gates

Aboriginal Heritage

High Develop and install educational and enforcement signage at the gate entrances

Education

High Remove old picnic infrastructure presenting hazard to riders General

Medium Undertake cultural training with the Western Sydney Mountain Bike Club and other non-traditional users and stakeholders

Aboriginal Heritage

Medium Develop appropriate education and interpretation material and signage in conjunction with the Aboriginal community

Aboriginal Heritage

Medium Organise and promote regular cultural events and activities such as Allowah Day, cultural burning and bushcare

Aboriginal Heritage

Medium Restore vegetation adjacent to the mountain bike track within the Ironbark Open-forest EEC

Ecological

Medium Install sandstone barriers to the north of the carpark in the Southern Area to prevent vehicles entering the Ironbark Open-forest EEC

Ecological

Medium Install and maintain star picket and wire fencing around the carpark in the Southern Area to protect revegetation works

Ecological

Medium Develop and install interpretative material and interpretation shelters in the Northern and Southern areas

Education

Shaws Creek Draft Conservation Management Plan

14

Priority High/Med/Low

Activity Plan reference

Medium Redevelop existing electronic media to include and emphasise the cultural heritage of the area

Education

Medium Maintain the mountain bike track to the south of Shaws Farm shelter using sandstone capping

General

Medium Stabilise erosion adjacent to the Shaws Creek Shelter gate General

Low Working group to consider extension of the Aboriginal Place to the north, east and west

Aboriginal Heritage

Low Working group to develop a master plan for consideration when preparing future statutory management plans

General

Low Install a fire area near the Shaws Farm shelter and in the General Use Area

Aboriginal Heritage

Low Undertake training days to enhance the cultural awareness of various users group

Recreation

Low Close mountain bike tracks to the north of Shaws Farm shelter and rehabilitate where not appropriate for re-purposing as walking tracks

General

Low Install a toilet block at the existing site south-west of the General Use Area

General

Ongoing Undertake bush regeneration within the Shaws Creek area General

Ongoing Undertake cultural and hazard reduction burning General

Ongoing Maintenance of TransGrid access trail and vegetation under power lines by TransGrid

General

Ongoing Maintain access and management trails using sandstone capping or patching of existing sealed trails where appropriate

General

Ongoing Mow and slash the existing grassed areas and access paths General

Ongoing Record historic places found in the area and assess their significance and management requirements, including the identification of long-term conservation and management outcomes

European Heritage

Ongoing Review of this plan at 5 years after its adoption. General

Shaws Creek Draft Conservation Management Plan

15

Selected references

DECC 2009, Yellomundee Regional Park Plan of Management, Department of Environment and Climate Change NSW, Sydney, available at: www.environment.nsw.gov.au/parkmanagement/YellomundeeRP.htm.

Karskens G 2015, The Aboriginal Tool Workshop, Castlereagh Neck, Nepean River, Castlereagh, New South Wales, unpublished, School of Humanities and Language, University of New South Wales.

NSW Scientific Committee 1998–2001, Final Determinations for Shale/Sandstone Transition Forest, Sydney Coastal River-Flat Forest and Cooks River/Castlereagh Ironbark Forest under Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Hurstville, NSW.

NSW Government 2014, NSW Government Gazette Number 59 Monday, 30 June 2014, Government of New South Wales.

OEH 2011, Aboriginal Places Policy, Office of Environment and Heritage, Sydney, available at: www.environment.nsw.gov.au/resources/conservation/110608Abplacespolicy.pdf