Indigenous Artifacts

Indigenous artifacts

The ruggedness of the Byadbo Wilderness has left the area relatively untouched by European colonization over the past 200 years. Many Indigenous artifacts such as possum skin cloaks, fish netting and huts biodegraded quickly after the Indigenous population decreased through disease and altered social and economic conditions. What remains are those artifacts that take longer to degrade, such as scar trees, axe heads, grind stones and knives created by flint knapping. 
As part of your Byadbo Wilderness Challenge you will be given the opportunity to view authentic Indigenous artifacts. These are significant to the Australian Indigenous population. The National Parks and Wildlife (NPW) Act protects Aboriginal objects and Aboriginal places in NSW. Under the NPW Act, it is an offence to do any of the following things without an exemption or defence provided for under the NPW Act (penalties apply):
* A person must not knowingly harm or desecrate an Aboriginal object.
* A person must not harm or desecrate an Aboriginal object or Aboriginal place (strict liability).
Harm includes destroy, deface or damage of Aboriginal object or Aboriginal Place, and in relation to an object, move the object from the land on which it has been situated.
These artifacts have the potential to be tens of thousands of years old, and are significant to Australia's history and heritage.