The first footsteps on the beaches of Cape Paterson were from the Yowengarra clan of the Bunurong people, the traditional owners of the land in the region. Cape Paterson Ecovillage commissioned Heritage Insight to conduct an archaeological assessment of the Ecovillage, and the study concentrated on the Ecovillage site as well as the coastal reserve in front of the Ecovillage site.
The archaeological survey located many Aboriginal shell midden sites along the coastline, which have been collectively assessed as being of high aesthetic, historic, social and scientific value. Despite the impacts of severe erosion, the shell midden sites contain a diversity of cultural remains that are important evidence of the past use of the coastline by Bunurong people. The archaeological survey did not locate any indigenous or historic sites within the 40ha grazing property that is the site of the proposed Ecovillage, but it is considered that there is a high potential for buried archeological sites to occur within the sand dunes fringing former wetlands on the Ecovillage site.
The Cape Paterson Ecovillage and representatives of the Bunurong Land Council have had positive discussions and look forward to working together on a strategy to stabilize and protect middens and cultural sites in the coastal reserve as part of our proposed revegetation strategy, as well as protecting any significant sites within the boundaries of the Ecovillage development.
