A Healthy Land Yarn: Understanding Aboriginal Cultural Heritage

NQ Dry Tropics has developed a booklet A Healthy Land Yarn: Aboriginal Cultural Heritage, designed to share indigenous cultural heritage with the landcare community and contribute to managing cultural resources. The publication was developed in partnership with the Department of Environment and Resource Management's Townsville Cultural Heritage Unit. NQ Dry Tropics Community Engagement Officer Leah Saltner said through the Traditional Owner Caring for Country Plan, which was produced by NQ Dry Tropics with input from Traditional Owners in 2005, it was obvious that Traditional Owners were passionate about having access to country.

"This publication helps landowners to identify areas, places or objects that are culturally significant to Traditional Owners," Ms Saltner said, "We have gathered stories about areas and places of significance from as many of the Traditional Owner groups in the Burdekin Dry Tropics region as we could to provide information on all the different types of cultural heritage."

Ms Saltner said the booklet, which will be officially released at the Charters Towers Show at the end of the month, outlines legislation, duty of care and Traditional Owner groups' contact information, which can be used by landowners who are keen to learn more about the indigenous cultural heritage of their land. "The Healthy Land Yarn also explains Indigenous access and use agreements – why, what, when and who can enter into them,” Ms Saltner said. For a copy of the booklet, visit the NQ Dry Tropics website.