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Aboriginal Heritage Tasmania has three business units. The Operations Branch undertakes activities associated with administration of the Aboriginal Relics Act 1975, providing advice on protection and standards for Aboriginal heritage work, and undertaking conservation work.
The Policy and Projects Branch is focused on developing new Tasmanian Aboriginal Heritage Legislation.
The Research and Development Branch is undertaking research into patterns of Aboriginal occupation, key aspects of Aboriginal culture in the past, and development of tools to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of services provided by the Division and people working in the sector.
Become acquainted with Tasmania's Aboriginal culture and heritage
Tasmania has rich Aboriginal heritage; interpretation sites around the state help develop an understanding of the connection Aboriginal people share with their cultural places.
Visitor's centres, museums and walking trails and lookouts in Tasmania's national parks and reserves are excellent places to become acquainted with Aboriginal community values and their link with the land.
Most national parks visitor's centres include information on the Aboriginal culture, heritage and history of the area.
A good place to start is the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) in Hobart or the Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery in Launceston.
The Mouheneenner Aborigines were the original inhabitants of the land on which TMAG is situated. The Aboriginal tribe lived in the area for thousands of years before British invasion in 1804.
Ningenneh Tunapry is the TMAG's new Tasmanian Aboriginal Gallery. It is a permanent exhibition and presents visitors with a rich, enlightening and inspiring experience. Ningenneh Tunapry means 'to give knowledge and understanding'. The gallery explores the journey of Tasmanian Aboriginal people and is a celebration of all Tasmanian Aboriginal generations - past, present and future. A central feature of the exhibition is a full size traditional canoe.
The Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery in Launceston features Strings Across Time, an exhibition of Tasmanian Aboriginal shell necklaces. It acknowledges the contribution, both past and present, that Tasmanian Aboriginal women have made to the continuation and development of their cultural traditions and practices.
If you are touring the state, check out the fascinating history rooms at St Helens and Alonnah on Bruny Island to source information on local Aboriginal stories.
The vast cave middens of the Rocky Cape National Park in the State's north west provide one the most complete records of the lifestyle of coastal Aboriginal people anywhere in Australia.
Aboriginal occupation began shortly after seas reached their current level about 10 000 years ago. Material accumulated in the cave middens reveal 8,000 years of continuous occupation. Evidence shows that seals, scale fish and a variety of shellfish, supplemented by other game and edible plants such as grass tree and fern, formed a large part of the diet at Rocky Cape. A range of tools used for gathering and preparing food and for other cultural activities have also been discovered at the site.
The length of their association with Rocky Cape gives it special significance to today's Aboriginal community who maintain an ongoing presence at Rocky Cape. The area is visited frequently for cultural, spiritual and recreational purposes, and the Aboriginal community is actively involved in planning for its management.
Walk the loon.tite.ter.maire.re.le.hoin.er cultural trail around the Swansea headland, also known as Waterloo Point. The 40 minute walk offers stunning coastal scenery and passes through a mutton bird rookery and has signage about the significance of the area for Aboriginal people. There is a chance you will see little penguins and keep your eye out for dolphins and whales.
The larmairremener tabelti cultural heritage walk at Lake St Clair uses creative interpretation panels to introduce the Larmairremener, the Aboriginal people of the region. A band of the Big River Nation of people, the Larmairremener made seasonal trips to the east coast and traded along well-travelled routes with other bands.
The easy one-hour walk contains a wide variety of vegetation, including banksias, buttongrass, tea-tree thickets, Tasmanian waratahs, rainforest ferns, and towering eucalypt stags. After reaching a viewpoint above the Hugel River, the track descends gently to the rainforest area and rejoins the Watersmeet Track where the Hugel and Cuvier rivers meet. A fibre sculpture in the Lake St Clair visitor centre features vines and grasses gathered from the area. Made by three Tasmanian Aboriginal women, it represents nine traditional language clans and relates to the shape of Lake St Clair.
The tulampanga (Alum Cliffs) walk near Mole Creek is an easy 40-50 minute stroll to a forest lookout perched high above the Mersey River, as it flows beneath the Alum cliffs. The walking track features signage reflecting on the Aboriginal values of the area. It is within the Alum Cliffs State Reserve in the Gog Range. Combine this walk with a visit to the Mole Creek caves.
The Aboriginal name for Mt Wellington, kunanyi, is proudly featured in metal interpretation panels on the deck of the summit lookout. They highlight the long association of the Aboriginal community with the mountain and with all land throughout Tasmania.
On the West Coast the Wharf Centre in Strahan contains a wealth of interesting displays on Aboriginal heritage and the Aboriginal community.
If you are in the North West, stop outside the Parks and Wildlife offices at Arthurs River to read about the Aboriginal heritage in the Arthur Pieman Conservation area, considered one of the most important areas of Aboriginal landscapes in the nation.
Aboriginal heritage places are protected by law, please take care when visiting these places.
With your appreciation, care and understanding, Tasmania's Aboriginal heritage will last for thousands more generations.
