Treatment Plant at the Rock Creek Dam. Several potential landscape features were identified, but no items of Aboriginal Heritage were located during the survey.139 Gorman’s assessment of the Parrott’s Nest area, near to a sacred site associated with the local Hoop Pine, located no materials during the survey but did view and record three flakes and a small core that had been collected at an earlier time by a local landowner.140 The Parrott’s Nest site was a place where a person could curse another by using a certain Hoop Pine there. The site was maintained by the Weeong, the Clever Men (called Cooradgi in Gorman’s report), to keep it safe and is now a registered Aboriginal Place and an exceptionally important site for the local Aboriginal People.141 Piper, in 2002, surveyed an area just to the south of Lismore and discusses 10 earlier surveys carried out across the wider region, with only two recording any cultural materials: one within the Alstonville Plateau and another at Terania Creek. Although no materials were found during the survey, S 14T(3)(a), S 14T(3)(b) , who accompanied Adrian Piper, indicated an area where Swamp Mahogany was once prevalent, a tree that was very important for the local Aboriginal Peoples for the harvesting of its bark. Fox’s report of 2008, which dealt with sites at Goonellabah and McLean’s Ridges, was also unable to locate any visible archaeology; however, Fox, through consultation with the local Aboriginal Community, was able to determine that the area had potential for Aboriginal Archaeology to be present and had been used as a major pathway through the landscape. Fox’s other report, although from the Tweed Valley, shows the potential of the landscape in full. The survey of the land around Clarrie Hall Dam, located eight sites in addition to the twenty-one already known sites of the area, including rock shelters, numerous artefact collections and modified trees. Alexander and William’s reports, which surveyed the South Lismore Sewerage Pipeline, describes 17 sites along the route, and although not in close proximity to the current study area, the report highlights the proximity of the survey areas to the route from the Tucki Tucki Bora Ground to Blue Nob, Nimbin Rocks and Wollumbin as a major pathway. The two studies found 20 separate sites along the route, consisting of scarred trees, grinding grooves, artefacts, carved stones and a quarry. The study also highlights the potential for stone grinding sites and quarries utilising the local basalts, and the Aboriginal significance of the ridgeways, such as those noted in Fox’s assessment. Although Collins 1992 study focused on the Byron Shire, it looked at site distribution and typology across the entire North Coast, noting at the time that approximately 1,000 sites had been located within the entire region.142 Collins describes that following general sites types and their distribution: •
Rockshelters and Art – The report noted that several shelters had been recorded, including one a Terania Creek, near to the current survey and that the volcanic and rugged plateau was an ideal place for their location. The report also noted that art sites were extremely rare in the region;
•
Open Campsites – These were determined to be one of the most common site types in the northern rivers, accounting for 31% of all recorded sites;
139
Sciusco, L and Harrison, R. 2006. Aboriginal and Historic Archaeological & Cultural Heritage Assessment & Statement of Heritage Impact. Report prepared for Rous Water by Heritage Concepts, Sydney. 140 Gorman, A. C. 1998. An Archaeological survey at the NRTV Broadcast Site, Parrott’s Nest, Near Lismore, NSW. University of New England. p.18. 141 Gorman, A. C. 1998. Ibid. p.18. 142 Collins, J. 1992. Byron Shire Aboriginal Heritage Study. Byron Shire Council. p.37.
63 Proposed Dunoon Dam – Heritage Impact Assessment
