Aboriginal land claims granted for King Edward Headland Reserve and Burwood Colliery

Media release | 28 June 2018

The NSW Department of Industry – Lands and Water today announced Aboriginal Land Claims over the King Edward Headland Reserve and the former Burwood Colliery Bowling Club site have been granted.

The claims were granted as they both satisfied criteria under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983.

The ALR Act recognises the spiritual, social, cultural and economic importance to Aboriginal people of land that was traditionally owned and occupied by their ancestors.

The Department has investigated both claims and determined that the King Edward Headland Reserve and the former Burwood Colliery Bowling Club site are lawfully claimable.

Awabakal Aboriginal Land Council lodged a claim in 2012 for the 0.6 hectare King Edward Headland Reserve, formerly the Newcastle Bowling Club site.

The decision to grant this claim does not affect the remaining 38 hectares of the King Edward Park, all of which remains accessible to the public.

A claim was also lodged in 2017 on behalf of Awabakal Land Council for the former Burwood Colliery Bowling Club site.

Both parcels of land will be transferred as freehold land to Awabakal which will be responsible for the future management of the sites.

Further information on the determination of the land claim, and Aboriginal Land Claims in general, is available at industry.nsw.gov.au/lands