As people and places across Australia celebrate Australian Heritage Week, running from Saturday 16 April until Sunday 24 April, the Ginninderry project team has been considering the importance that respecting the heritage of the project site has played in our planning process to date.

Australian Heritage Week is an opportunity for all Australians to join together to celebrate our country’s shared and special heritage.

For Ginninderry, the unique heritage of the site has been a crucial consideration in much of the research and consultation we have undertaken.

Here is how we are protecting the unique heritage of the Ginninderry site.

Indigenous Heritage

During our research and consultation phase, the project team worked closely with local Indigenous groups in identifying a number of archaeological sites occurring on the development site and the conservation corridor – some of which were previously unrecorded.

The scarred trees (all of which, bar one, sit within the conservation corridor) will be preserved, as will the rock shelter site. The one scarred tree that sits outside of the corridor will be located within the River Corridor in the future urban environment.

In addition, artefact scatter sites that are likely to be disturbed by urban development have been recommended for salvage and appropriate storage. Along with this, those sites that are identified as potential archaeological deposits (PADs) will be investigated, including by excavation prior to any development.

The project will continue to work closely with local Indigenous groups to identify how best to preserve and protect the identified sites. For this reason the location of these sites currently remains confidential.

 European Heritage

Matters of European heritage have been found across the Ginninderry site, many of which relate to the boundary of Charles Sturt’s 1837 land grant, the ACT border alignment as well as parts of Parkwood road.

Where feasible, heritage items will be incorporated in the design of the project site.

For example, Parkwood Road will become the principal main street of the development, while the Sturt Property Boundary is recognised with road and open space alignments, as is the alignment of the road to Parkwood Farm.

Also, the Belconnen Farm Precinct (an area of approximately 7.4 hectares) has been included on the ACT Heritage registers and steps are being taken to create the site as a separate land parcel.

Ultimately, the Farm Precinct will be an integral part of the urban development with potential to provide for a range of community-based activities that are in-keeping with its overarching heritage significance. A heritage conservation plan has been prepared and approved for the precinct.

To find out more about Australian Heritage Week, visit: http://heritage-week.govspace.gov.au/