Cultural Heritage Map

The Cultural Heritage Map is Queensland’s first statewide map that lists more than 200 cultural heritage sites.

The map includes the state’s oldest known cultural heritage quarries, rockshelters, carved trees, engravings, paintings, travel routes and grinding grooves. It also lists settlements and missions, police and contact sites and massacre sites.

A cross section of traditional owners was included in consultation during the map’s planning stages.

Below are some examples of the cultural heritage sites listed on the map.

Shell midden on Flinders Island

Middens are places where Aboriginal people camped and are usually on a level, sheltered surface close to fresh water or on coastal dunes. The Flinders site contains a range of shells including cockle (Anadara sp) and mud whelk (Pyrazus sp). The presence of old glass used to make artefacts suggests early European contact.

Goold Island fish trap

Fish traps and weirs are made of rocks, branches or wickerwork and were designed to catch fish and other aquatic animals. Those that have survived are made of stone and can be found along the length of the Queensland coast. Fish traps and weirs vary in size and shape and the rock walls acted as a barrier to trap fish, dugongs and turtles as the tide receded.

Axe-grinding grooves in the Einasleigh Uplands

Grinding grooves are formed when ground stone axes or adzes are made. People ground stones against a rock surface (usually sandstone) and the grooves that resulted have their own patina, are narrow, relatively short (about 15cm) and are deeper in the middle (about 2cm). They were used to sharpen wooden spear points and to grind seed and other organic matter.

The Cultural Heritage Map can be downloaded or collected from your local business centre (call 1300 664 217).

• Cultural Heritage Map (PDF, 1.45 MB)*
• Detailed information about the cultural heritage map (PDF, 935 kB)*

Records of significant places are kept in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Heritage Database, and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Heritage Register, which are administered by the Department of Natural Resources and Water.

For detailed information on what constitutes a significant place, see the Duty of Care Guidelines (PDF, 160 kB)*

If you have difficulty downloading any of these documents, or would like a copy sent by mail, please contact:

Cultural Heritage Coordination Unit
Level 5 Landcentre
Cnr Main and Vulture Streets
Woolloongabba Qld 4102
Phone: (07) 3238 3838
Email Cultural Heritage

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