The Department of the Environment and Energy has joined with the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment to invite public comment on a proposed memorial marking the 250th anniversary of Captain Cook’s arrival in Sydney’s Botany Bay in 1770.
The memorial is to be located in the Kamay Botany Bay National Park.
Commissioned to interpret the cultural perspectives of those on the shore and those on the bay, the work will form one part of a wider $50 million program to upgrade Kamay Botany Bay National Park.
Minister for the Environment, Sussan Ley said local Aboriginal community leaders were playing a key role on the Kamay 2020 Project Board which would oversee the restoration of a precinct steeped in Aboriginal story-telling and the shared history of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians since 1770.
“This is about paying respect to all aspects of our shared heritage, the meeting of our two cultures and the differing perspectives that are discussed to this day,” Ms Ley said.
NSW Minister for Energy and Environment, Matt Kean said the joint Federal and State funding would be used to upgrade visitor, transport, educational and other park infrastructure.
“The commemorative installation is an important mark of its significance within the context of a wider project that pays tribute to the many cultural layers of this precinct,” Mr Kean said.
Comments on the planned memorial can be submitted until 5 November.
The two concept designs under consideration, and details on how to comment, can be accessed on the NSW Department’s website at this PS News link.