Nerre Nerre Warren – Dandenong Police Paddocks
Historical Research
Cultural Heritage Report
Parks Victoria
Endeavour Hills, VIC
Bunurong Country
Nerre Nerre Warren, the Dandenong Police Paddocks Reserve, is one of the most significant Aboriginal cultural sites in the Melbourne area, and one of the most important sites for Aboriginal-settler interactions in the first years of the Port Phillip settlement.
The site is a place of immense cultural and historic value to the Bunurong People, the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung People, and the Victorian public, and a treasured local asset for the Dandenong community.
Working alongside Traditional Owners, the GML team in Victoria have been tasked with undertaking historical research, integration of LiDAR data, and cultural heritage assessment and critical considerations mapping to inform the Dandenong Police Paddocks Reserve Master Plan on behalf of Parks Victoria.
The development of the Master Plan will inform strategic decision-making for Dandenong Police Paddocks for the next 20 to 30 years, improving the site for the community and ensuring the preservation of its distinct heritage and cherished natural areas.
In 1837 Nerre Nerre Warren was chosen as the location for the Native Police Corps Headquarters in Victoria. From 1841-1843 the site was the location of the Westernport District of the Port Phillip Aboriginal Protectorate Station, and in 1853 ownership of the site transferred to the Victorian Police, transforming the area into the Dandenong Police Paddocks and Horse Stud Depot.
From 1879 to 1931 the site was home to a succession of Queensland Aboriginal trackers, initially brought to Victoria to assist in the search for the notorious Kelly Gang in 1879.
Today, the Dandenong Police Paddocks are protected under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 and the Heritage Act 2017 and are recognised as being of state level significance.
The Dandenong Police Paddocks are a place of immense tangible and intangible shared heritage values and GML is excited by the layered history of the site and its future as a place of community use and engagement.
The Master Plan will be available in 2024. Learn more on the Parks Victoria website.
The GML team at Nerre Nerre Warren, Dandenong Police Paddocks.
Building remains at Nerre Nerre Warren, Dandenong Police Paddocks.
