The Archaeology of No man's land: Indigenous camps at Corindi Beach, mid-north coast New South Wales

Abstract

"It's the only piece of land that was ever left, No man's land" (Tony Perkins 27/12/97 quoted in Murphy et al. 2000:5)At Corindi Beach on the mid-north coast of New South Wales are five twentieth century campsites located on the fringes of the township, beside the town racecourse, an area called by local Aboriginal people 'No man's land'. These campsites are important symbols of the self-sufficient lifestyle followed by the Corindi Beach Indigenous community in the twentieth century and are a physical reminder of cross-cultural relationships between local people over the last hundred years. In a collaborative research project with Yarrawarra Aboriginal Corporation, these places are being documented through studying oral history, the cultural landscape and the material culture left behind at these places. We have found although there are rich oral stories of Indigenous life at the camps, material evidence at the sites is limited. When read as part of the cultural landscape this evidence presents a specific kind of archaeological signature that may be generalised for fringe-dweller camps elsewhere. The documentation of this landscape represents a first step towards a better understanding of the hidden history of these places and towards re-assessing their heritage significance.