Revealed: Aboriginal land claim lodged for Boronia Park, Hunters Hill

A local council has been left rattled after a landmark Aboriginal land claim was lodged for one of northern Sydney’s largest parks.

An Aboriginal land council has lodged a claim for a chunk of prime parkland in Sydney’s ritzy Hunters Hill in the hope it will provide economic benefits following a record year of successful claims across the state, The Daily Telegraph can reveal.

The ownership of about 150,000 sqm of Boronia Park in Hunters Hill is the latest section of public land that could be transferred to Aboriginal control as part of a claim by the Metropolitan Aboriginal Land Council.

The claim was only made public for the first time after the Department of Crown Lands wrote to Hunters Hill Council recently and it was expected to be assessed by the end of 2024.

The proposal has sparked concerns about whether the expansive green space, which is classified as a bush care management zone, could be carved up for housing or other purposes.

Hunters Hill Mayor Zac Miles said that if the claim - which was lodged in 2009 - is approved, the land would be reclassified as freehold land, making it possible for development to be carried out on the land through a council or state government assessment process.

A land claim has been lodged for Boronia Park. Photo: Hunters Hill Council.

Nathan Moran, chief executive of the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council, rejected speculation the site would be redeveloped into housing, however he did say the claim could provide cultural and economic wealth for the Aboriginal community.

“Making claims for Crown Land (is) to give us something back for all the other land we’ve lost in the state of NSW since colonisation,” he said.

“When you look at the trillions of dollars in wealth that has been taken from us I find it disgusting that councils engage in fear mongering.

“We have to fight tooth and nail for every claim we lodge but unfortunately it’s not unusual for claims to take more than a decade to assess.

“All we want is for the assessment to be completed so we can have certainty.”

Hunters Hill Mayor Zac Miles

A determination on the future of the park would give clarity to Hunters Hill locals like Matt Baily who often frequents Boronia Park with his four-year-old sons, Harrison and Brooklyn.

“I brought the boys here because it’s a lot more quiet,” Mr Baily said.

“It would definitely be a shame to lose the space, my wife is always coming down this way.”

It comes after a record number of Aboriginal land council claims against Crown Land were made in NSW during the past financial year, with 545 claims granted – the highest number in a single year.

An overview of the land claim area, covering the northern half of Boronia Park.

Once land is handed over to land councils, what they can do with it is governed by existing planning controls that dictate whether housing developments or other applications can be granted for the site.

High profile victories for land councils in recent years include the former Waverton Bowling Club site, which was handed over to the Metropolitan Aboriginal Land Council last year.

Mr Moran in October ruled out new housing on that site, saying current planning controls limited the sites reuse to facilities like bowling clubs, cafes, preschools and events.

During the past financial year alone about 92 square kilometres of claims were granted, including more than 34 hectares of Crown land at Lake Macquarie, which the Biraban Local Aboriginal Land Council is assessing uses for.

Boronia Park is the largest park in the council area.

That land council is also considering plans to develop either housing or an aged care facility for the Awaba Aboriginal community on a parcel of land handed over last year after a successful claim.

The Metropolitan Aboriginal Land Council has also sought to develop 450 homes in bushland on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, only to be stymied by local council and community opposition.

Liberal MP Anthony Roberts – whose electorate covers Boronia Park – has called on the NSW government to increase funding to work through the backlog of claims he said were looming over communities.

“Wherever there’s Crown land there’s the potential for the land to be claimed and these claims will continue to hang over places unless more resources are allocated,” he said.