Bulagaranda (Mount Yarrowyck) Aboriginal Area joint management program

The Anaiwan Aboriginal People are the traditional custodians of Bulagaranda (Mount Yarrowyck) Aboriginal Area, a special place about 30km west of Armidale along Thunderbolt's Way.

Bulagaranda (Mount Yarrowyck) Aboriginal Area protects an important Aboriginal art site that’s hundreds of years old and the surrounding environment. The Anaiwan People have lived, travelled, cared for and managed this Country since time immemorial. The reserve is a small part of a broader interconnected landscape that Anaiwan People are physically and spiritually connected to and it remains an important part of Anaiwan culture.

Working together

In May 2022, Bulagaranda (Mount Yarrowyck) Aboriginal Area was handed back to the Anaiwan People and leased to the Minister under Part 4A of the ’National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974’. This arrangement enables the Anaiwan People to manage their traditional lands and strengthen their spiritual connection with Country.

The Bulagaranda Board of Management is responsible for the care, control and management of the 589ha area. It includes Anaiwan registered owners, Armidale Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC), Anaiwan LALC and NPWS representatives.

Through joint management, the Board is more effectively able to:

• Protect cultural assets like rock art, tool making sites, bush tucker, men’s and women’s sites, and the environment.
• Make management decisions on facility upgrades, pest and weed control activities and educational opportunities for the broader community.
• Spend more time on Country to strengthen cultural stories and share them with the next generation. The Board also plans to enhance reserve facilities to improve the visitor experience and provide greater educational opportunities for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people.

Key achievements

NPWS is delivering the Board’s priorities and by working together the partnership has: 

• Re-opened a loop walking track to the rock art site that allows visitors to experience the landscape, native wildlife and a range of native flora.
• Upgraded to a fire-resistant viewing platform for the art site.
• Upgraded the reserve entrance and visitor facilities.
• Increased opportunities for employment for Aboriginal community members to provide services for reserve management activities.
• Identified Wheel Cactus (Opuntia robusta), a newly emerging weed now listed for eradication.
• Trained Board members and NPWS staff to identify Aboriginal cultural and environmental sites which is critical knowledge for people working in the Australian landscape.

Learn more about Aboriginal joint management of parks.