Baiame Cave

Baiame Cave is located in the foothills of the eastern side of the Great Dividing Range in Milbrodale, on privately owned farmland, a few kilometres north of the boundary of Yengo National Park.

The cave is highly sacred to the Wanaruah (Wonnarua) people and other Aboriginal language groups of central and eastern New South Wales. To them, Baiame is the creator.

In recognition of its significant heritage values, Baiame Cave is listed on the NSW State Heritage Register, and is also a declared ‘Aboriginal Place’ under Section 84 of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 (NSW).

GML, together with Stepwise Heritage and Tourism Pty Ltd (Stepwise) and Bingah Aboriginal Consulting, was commissioned by the Wonnarua Nation Aboriginal Corporation to prepare a Management Plan for Baiame Cave in 2017.

GML were engaged to address the key issues of conservation, tourism, and visitor management, public safety, threats and risks in the context of a working farm.

GML and Stepwise used the 10-step Stepping Stones for Heritage Process to guide the project methodology. GML engaged relevant stakeholders to identify and discuss key issues and to analyse strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to the site. GML developed site specific policies, which require action plans.

Management objectives and conservation policies were developed under key themes: Conserving heritage values and significance, Planning and conservation management, Heritage listed boundaries and setting, collaborative management, land use and development and cultural tourism.

Action plans and implementations were divided between short term and medium-term actions and an indicative long-term land use plan was developed.