Delivering Independent Aboriginal Cultural Heritage and Archaeological Assessment for a Major Queensland Highway Upgrade
The Department of Transport and Main Roads plans, delivers and maintains Queensland’s road and transport network. Its major highway upgrade programs cross varied landscapes and land tenures, requiring Aboriginal and historic cultural heritage to be assessed and managed alongside engineering, environmental and community considerations.
Part of the corridor near Gympie takes in a landform widely referred to as the ‘Gympie Pyramid’. The place has attracted sustained public interest and competing claims about its origins and significance over many decades, which made an independent, methodical assessment essential rather than optional.
Australian Cultural Heritage Management was commissioned by the Department of Transport and Main Roads to undertake a desktop Aboriginal and historical archaeological assessment of the area. The assessment drew together the documentary record, previous investigations and the historical land use history of the locality. Following completion of the desktop report, ACHM was further commissioned to undertake community consultation and ethnographic assessment of the same area with Traditional Owners.
That two stage approach gave the Department an evidence base covering both the archaeological record and the cultural values held by Traditional Owners, on a matter where assertion had long outpaced documented evidence.
Client
Department of Transport and Main Roads (Queensland)
Location
Gympie, Queensland
Sectors
Infrastructure
Public Sector
Services
Results Delivered
Providing Desktop and Ethnographic Assessment Heritage Services for the Bruce Highway Cooroy to Curra Upgrade
Australian Cultural Heritage Management was commissioned by the Department of Transport and Main Roads to undertake a desktop Aboriginal and historical archaeological assessment of a closely watched area of the Bruce Highway corridor near Gympie, followed by community consultation and ethnographic assessment with Traditional Owners. The two stage approach gave the Department an independent, defensible evidence base to inform decision making on a matter of sustained public interest.
Frequently Asked Questions
What cultural heritage obligations apply to Queensland road upgrade projects?
Under the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2003, every person carrying out an activity in Queensland has a duty of care to avoid harming Aboriginal cultural heritage, and the level of assessment required depends on the category of activity involved. For a major road upgrade such as the Bruce Highway Cooroy to Curra project, this generally requires both a documentary assessment and, where appropriate, direct consultation with Traditional Owners. Australian Cultural Heritage Management was commissioned by the Department of Transport and Main Roads to deliver this assessment.
What is a desktop cultural heritage assessment and what does it involve?
A desktop cultural heritage assessment reviews existing heritage registers, previous investigations, historical land use and the documentary record to establish what is already known about a place, without undertaking new fieldwork. It is often the appropriate first step for areas, such as the Gympie Pyramid locality, where public interest and existing claims mean an independent review of the evidence is needed before further work is scoped. Australian Cultural Heritage Management undertook this assessment for the Department of Transport and Main Roads as the first stage of a two part heritage program. See our archaeological assessment services.
Why is ethnographic assessment used alongside archaeological assessment on infrastructure projects?
Ethnographic assessment documents the cultural values, knowledge and connections that Traditional Owners hold for a place, which archaeological assessment alone cannot capture. Combining both methods gives a project a fuller and more defensible understanding of cultural heritage, particularly on sensitive or contested sites. Following its desktop report on the Bruce Highway corridor, Australian Cultural Heritage Management was commissioned to undertake community consultation and ethnographic assessment with Traditional Owners of the same area. Find out more about our ethnographic assessment services.
How should a government agency approach a heritage matter attracting public attention?
Where a place has a long history of public interest or competing claims, an independent, methodical assessment is essential to give decision makers a documented and defensible position. Engaging a heritage consultant with no stake in the outcome, and allowing the assessment to run its proper course before conclusions are drawn, protects both the process and the agency commissioning it. Australian Cultural Heritage Management provided this kind of independent assessment for the Department of Transport and Main Roads on the Bruce Highway upgrade.
