noosa-heads

                                                                                                                                 18
6.7.2        HISTORICAL THEMES
This place illustrates the following historical theme in the Noosa Shire based on the Environmental Protection Agency’s,
Guidelines for Historical and Indigenous Cultural Heritage Management, dated 2001
2(f) Developing rural economies – managing and conserving land, water, flora and fauna: national park (national park);
2 (g) Developing rural economies - encouraging the growth of tourism: tourist attraction (natural feature); and
6 (b) Maintaining order and defending the country - military installation.




6.7.3       POTENTIAL SIGNIFICANCE
The Noosa National Park has cultural heritage significance because of its association with the attempts to protect the
natural environment, which is ‘...managed as a belt of largely undeveloped natural coastline communities in the
otherwise mainly developed setting of the Sunshine coast’.’45. The Noosa National Park conserves twenty distinct
vegetation communities (containing more that 760 native plant species). Additionally, the Park supports a great diversity
of native animals including species of conservation significance 46, and includes twenty migratory bird covered under
agreements between Australia and Japan and Australia and China. Because of its proximity to surrounding population
centres it provides an opportunity to display the intrinsic values of these coastal areas to the broader community and to
encourage a respect for the environment.
An important aspect of the Park’s history warrants further research. There is oral evidence of Australian Army activity in
the Park during the Second World War (1939-1945).47 According to this evidence trenches were dug on Noosa Hill, and
there are present day remains of this activity. These were not located by this author. Additionally, the Lake Weyba
section of the Park was used as a practice artillery firing range by the Army until 1949.48
The significance of the Park is further enhanced by the presence of sites of Aboriginal significance. The Noosa Heads
area of the Park contains middens, scarred trees, bora rings, artifact scatters, and campsites of the original Aboriginal
inhabitants of the area. Midden sites have been found on the shores of Lake Weyba and the whole area of the Park is
subject of a Native Title claim. Additional collaborative research needs to be conducted to identify and describe the sites
considered significant by Aboriginal Traditional Owners of the area.
Additionally the Park is significant because its development is associated with several important personalities in the area
and the Noosa Parks Association. These include Dr Arthur Harrold, Dr Nancy Cato, Cr Heather Melrose, Dr Michael
Gloster, Jim and Cecily Fearnley and Cr Noel Playford.
It is recommended that Noosa Shire Council consider assessment criteria a, b, g and h based on the Environmental
Protection Agency’s Guidelines for Historical and Indigenous Cultural Heritage Management, dated 2001, as relevant to
this place.



45
     Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Noosa National Park Management Plan, Brisbane, Government Printer, October 1999, p. 1.
46
  See Appendix 2, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Noosa National Park Management Plan, Brisbane, Government Printer,
October 1999, pp. 41-2.
47
     Colin Monks, pers. comm., 2001; Irene Christie, pers. comm., 2001.
48
     ‘In the Park...Lake Weyba National Park’, Noosa Citizen, 2 January 1992