corio norlane structure plan background report - City of Greater ...

1.3 Indigenous Heritage Management
Protection of Aboriginal sites in Victoria is regulated by the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006.
Under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 the registered Aboriginal party for this area is
Wathaurung Aboriginal Corporation.
1.3.1 Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Places
There are a number of registered Aboriginal cultural heritage places sites and areas
included in the Corio Norlane Structure Plan core study area. These include:
• 12 registered Aboriginal cultural heritage places located along the boundary of the
Geelong Ring Road, likely to have been identified during planning for construction of
the road.
• A large area of cultural heritage sensitivity, including several registered sites, in the
area generally north of St Georges Road and east of the Princes Highway.
• A smaller area of cultural heritage sensitivity in the residential/foreshore interface
along The Esplanade in North Shore and in the streets immediately to the north (i.e.
Pine Avenue).
• An area of cultural heritage sensitivity along Cowies Creek, including a number of
registered sites.
These areas have not been mapped for this report under the terms of an agreement with
Aboriginal Affairs Victoria (AAV). All sites and areas are protected under the Aboriginal
Heritage Act 2006 and accompanying Regulations 2007.
Large developments and other high impact activities in culturally sensitive landscapes
can cause significant harm to Aboriginal cultural heritage. Cultural Heritage
Management Plans provide a mechanism to protect and manage Aboriginal cultural
heritage, with the involvement of Registered Aboriginal Parties, while allowing
development to proceed.
1.4 Post-Contact History
A history of the study area and land to the north as far as the You Yangs and Avalon is
detailed in Ian Wynd’s (1981) ‘So Fine A Country: A history of Corio’. The author, in his
introduction, made the following observation:
In many ways the story of Corio Shire is a microcosm of the history of Victoria. It was in
the forefront of the pastoral invasion which marked the beginning of settlement in the
Port Phillip District: it experienced the establishment of an agricultural society in the
years following the gold rushes, as did the new colony as a whole; its gradual
development of industry paralleled that of Victoria, including the intensive activity after
the two world wars; finally it shared in the migrant experience which did so much to
boost Victoria’s and Australia’s population after World War II.
The City of Greater Geelong engaged Authentic Heritage Services Pty Ltd (Rowe &
Huddle) to produce the City of Greater Geelong Outer Heritage Study Stage 2 (1998-
2000). The section: Environmental History Volume 2 includes a historical record of the
study area, which is summarised below.
Matthew Flinders was the first European to enter the area when, in 1802, he rowed
across Corio Bay from the vicinity of modern Portarlington and climbed the highest point
of the You Yangs. However it was not until the arrival of pastoralists (particularly sheep)
in the 1830s that a European settlement was established at Cowies Creek. This vague
district was centred on the creek, named for John Anthony Cowie, pioneer squatter in
Corio Norlane Structure Plan
Background Report - 14 - Final - March 2011