14/02/2019
HERITAGE PROTECTION ORDER FOR BUTTERFLY CAVE
After years of lobbying to save a sacred Aboriginal site at Lake Macquarie from development, the Federal Environment Minister has issued a declaration to protect the area.
The Awabakal Butterfly Cave at West Wallsend has long been a special meeting place for the region's Aboriginal women, but has been under threat due to encroaching development of a nearby housing estate by the Roche Group.
The Environment Minister Melissa Price has now moved to issue a declaration to protect the cave site under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act.
The heritage protection prevents any act that could desecrate or disturb the area, including disturbing vegetation on surrounding land that could increase visibility of the cave.
The Awabakal Aboriginal Land Council said it welcomed the Minister's intervention, but was reluctant to comment further until the implications of the protection were made clear.
It says it's still uncertain what impact the declaration will have on the final stage of the Roche Group housing development, Appletree Grove Estate, or whether it'll mean any changes to the way the cave site is accessed.
The Minister's decision has been welcomed by Lake Macquarie mayor Kay Fraser who says it's been a sensitive issue for the local Indigenous community and it's wonderful to finally see action on the matter.