Saltwater joint management program

Saltwater National Park and Khappinghat Nature Reserve are of great cultural importance to Biripi and Worimi Aboriginal people. Evidence has been found in these areas connecting Aboriginal people to Country for thousands of years.

Located on the NSW mid north coast, about 7km south-east of Taree, Saltwater remains a place of cultural and spiritual significance. Biripi and Worimi communities continue to use this area as a camping and ceremonial site.

Joint management of Country

In 2008, NPWS and the Saltwater Tribal Council entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The MoU is in place to care for and manage part of Saltwater National Park and part of Khappinghat Nature Reserve through a system of joint management.

The Saltwater Management Advisory Committee was formed from the MoU and includes traditional custodians, Aboriginal community members, NPWS and a Wallabi Point community member.

The MoU acknowledges the importance of:

• the re-establishment of a seasonal camping area for traditional custodians and their guests
• rights to collect and gather medicinal and food plants
• conducting ceremonial activities on Country by traditional custodians and their guests. 

In 2019, the joint management team prepared a plan of management for Saltwater National Park and Khappinghat Nature Reserve. The Saltwater Management Advisory Committee also meets 4 times a year to keep traditional custodians at the centre of all land management decisions for the MoU area. This includes the protection of Aboriginal sites and culture, ecological restoration and public amenities.

Program focus

The program is focused on the protection and management of the MoU area, improvements to the cultural camping program and developing Aboriginal tourism projects that promote and protect natural and cultural values.

For example, the Working on Country (WOC) Aboriginal Rangers Program via Taree Indigenous Development and Employment (TIDE), aims to increase employment and cultural connection in the MoU area.

TIDE will also employ Cultural Rangers to implement on-the-ground activities and deliver programs to boost visitor awareness, education and cultural tourism.

Aboriginal culture

To learn more about Aboriginal culture in these areas:

• Take a leisurely stroll on the Headland walking track to a whale watching platform, steeped in Aboriginal history.
• Walk the beautiful Five Islands walking track which follows a part of the Saltwater National Park coastline. It’s rich in Aboriginal culture, with scarred trees, middens and fish traps. 

Relax at the large, well-equipped Saltwater picnic area, next to Saltwater Beach. This popular spot is still used as a seasonal campsite by Aboriginal people as it has been for thousands of years.