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Explore the vibrant Aboriginal cultural heritage of NSW

The national parks and reserves of NSW form part of the state's Aboriginal heritage. The landscape is a living thing with cultural and spiritual ties that remain strong today for Aboriginal people. The National Parks and Wildlife Service is working closely with Aboriginal communities to conserve and protect places, landscapes, sites and objects of Aboriginal cultural significance.

Join an Aboriginal Discovery ranger on a walk, talk or tour for a great opportunity to learn more about Aboriginal culture, such as bush tucker and bush medicine, and see Aboriginal rock art and sites of cultural significance. Tours run around the state, in areas including Ku-ring-gai Chase and Royal national parks in Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Jervis Bay and western NSW.

Mungo National Park

History is recorded in the sands here, where rain and wind have uncovered evidence of human occupation stretching back over 40,000 years. Join an Aboriginal cultural tour of the region, explore the desert-scape and its sculpted sand formations and learn about the history and culture of the land's traditional owners. Mungo is jointly managed by NPWS and representatives from the Aboriginal Traditional Owner groups.
Where: Mungo National Park is 110km north-east of Mildura in the south-west of NSW.

Stonewoman Aboriginal Area

A 1km walk in this reserve will bring you to the Tingha Stonewoman, the rock feature that gives this park its name. The rock is used by local Aboriginal people as a teaching and ceremonial site. A sign prepared in collaboration with local Aboriginal groups tells the story of a young woman punished for breaking traditional marriage laws.
Where: Stonewoman Aboriginal Area is 6km south of Tingha village in the New England Tablelands region of NSW.

Mount Grenfell Historic Site

Hundreds of Aboriginal paintings in reds, yellows and ochres colour the rock overhangs of Mt Grenfell. You can visit the three main art sites on an easy walk from the carpark, or you can take the 5km Ngiyampaa walk, which reveals the breathtaking scenery of the area and is named after the Traditional Owners of this special place.
Where: Mount Grenfell Historic Site is west of Cobar in Outback NSW.

Tweed Heads Historic Site

Join a guided tour and learn about local Goori Aboriginal culture at Tweed Heads Historic Site. The cultural centre, museum and Minjungbal's ceremonial site offer further insights, while a boardwalk and walking track run along the Ukerebagh Passage estuary, overlooking the nearby Ukerebagh Island Nature Reserve.
Where: Tweed Heads Historic Site is in South Tweed Heads on the far north coast of NSW.

Mount Yarrowyck Nature Reserve

Take an Aboriginal cultural walk and visit a rock painting site in Mount Yarrowyck Nature Reserve. The 3km-return walk has signs introducing aspects of Aboriginal culture as you wander along the granite slopes of the mountain to the rock painting site.
Where: Mount Yarrowyck Nature Reserve is 30km west of Armidale in the New England Tablelands region of NSW.

Botany Bay National Park

The two headlands of Botany Bay - La Perouse and Kurnell - are rich in Aboriginal and European history. In 1770 the area was the meeting place of cultures and it still is today. At Kurnell, visit the Discovery Centre's museum, or join an Aboriginal Discovery ranger for an insight into living with the land.
Where: Botany Bay National Park is 15-30km south of Sydney.

Mutawintji Historic Site

Mutawintji, which contains one of the best collections of Aboriginal rock art in NSW, was the first site to be returned to its traditional Aboriginal owners in 1998. The park's rugged, mulga-clad Byngnano Range is dissected by colourful gorges, rockpools and creek beds lined with red gums. You can see the extraordinary rock art and engravings on a guided tour with the Mutawintji Local Aboriginal Land Council.
Where: Mutawintji Historic Site is 130km north-east of Broken Hill in Outback NSW.

Worimi Conservation Lands

The Worimi Conservation Lands include popular Stockton Beach, which stretches north of Newcastle from Stockton to Anna Bay. Co-managed by the local Worimi Aboriginal community and NPWS, the landscape contains significant cultural and natural values of particular importance to the Worimi community, and an extraordinary number of cultural sites that pre-date the arrival of non-Aboriginal people to the area.
Where: Worimi Conservation Lands is 20km north of Newcastle in the hunter and mid-north coast region of NSW.