Our Water Country Plan is a culturally-grounded strategic plan to guide the management of cultural and natural values of the Shoalhaven and Crookhaven River estuaries. It was guided by input from community Elders working in conjunction with Aboriginal Fishing and Marine Conservation and the NSW Department of Primary Industries & Regional Development.
This is a living document and further consultation with Elders and community will be ongoing.
‘It’s always been a long-held desire to expand the Jerrinja community’s capacity and our rights to manage our lands and waters ... to look beyond our sites across a wider Aboriginal cultural landscape. Our land and waters are inseparable. One cannot survive without the other,’ Uncle Rod Wellington: Chair, Jerrinja Local Aboriginal Land Council.
‘It’s all about connections. Connections across the landscape, connections through language, through song lines, through working on Country … protecting sites, recording and sharing stories, monitoring fish populations ... and constantly striving to overcoming disadvantage and inequality,’ Auntie Delia Lowe: Deputy Chair, Jerrinja Local Aboriginal Land Council
‘Research needs to be guided by our Elders… we want to see scientists working with us Elders … finding scientific properties of our bush medicines… I’m passing on all my knowledge to my kids and grandkids’
Auntie Geraldine Williams, Board Member
‘This Jerrinja water country was once very healthy with cultural resources. But sadly it has seen the effects of overfishing and environmental degradation. This has had a detrimental effect on our cultural wellbeing given that we have lived off cultural resources from water country for countless generations. However, I believe the natural environment is very resilient, we just need to manage the threats and give it a chance to come back strong and healthy'
Alfred Wellington, Chief Executive Officer
‘We are keen to monitor our totem species Djarrigong (Bottlenose Dolphins)… we need to be able to monitor changing river conditions … especially where middens are being exposed’
Crissy Locke, Ranger Manager
Under this plan, our extended Ranger Crew will be delivering several NSW Estuarine Asset Protection (NEAP) projects this year across Jerrinja land and sea country, including:
This includes working in partnership with state agencies (Fisheries, Forestry), Jervis Bay Marine Park, Shoalhaven City Council and researchers (eg Southern Cross University).
Goonyen (Black Swan) enjoying sunrise on the Crookhaven River.
(Photos and video courtesy of Rod Sleath, April 2025)
