BACKGROUND

Cultural heritage values in the Yarra Valley Parklands reflect the impact and significance of human activity throughout the parklands over thousands of years. Parks Victoria is responsible for protecting and managing these values under a range of State and Commonwealth Government legislative instruments.

 

The Indigenous Partnership Strategy & Action Plan (Parks Victoria 2005) and Heritage Management Strategy (Parks Victoria 2003) guide the management of both Indigenous cultural heritage and post-contact heritage in the parklands. 

 

SITES OF CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE

There are sites of Indigenous cultural significance along the entire Yarra River corridor in the vicinity of the Yarra Valley Parklands. The parklands are within the traditional lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Woiwurrung language group. Abundant resources along the rivers and streams were used for thousands of years by the Wurundjeri people as they camped throughout the Yarra River valley. The parklands contain many areas of high cultural significance to contemporary Wurundjeri people

 

Elsewhere within and outside the lands of the Kulin nation. the Yarra Valley was one of the earliest areas to be subdivided and occupied by settlers. Settlement and exclusion of the Wurundjeri from their traditional lands led to severe severe disruption to their traditional way of life.  

 

Cultural heritage elements, including features of European and Aboriginal heritage significance, occur throughout the Middle Yarra River corridor.

 

Prior to European settlement, the river was an important meeting and gathering place for the original Wurundjeri people, who referred to the river as“birrarung” –‘river of mists and shadows’. Aboriginal cultural heritage values are particularly associated with the waterway itself, and areas of native vegetation and natural landscapes, which were often sites used for food, materials and shelter by local Aboriginal communities.

 

The available data on Aboriginal cultural heritage values is varied, scatters of stone artefacts, tools, and river red gumscars provide clues of an association with the river over along period of time. A particularly high value is ascribedby Aboriginal communities to sites such as the Bolin BolinBillabong, and Pound Bend which were important gthring placs for the Kulin nation.