Strawberry Hill/Barmup is a State Heritage listed place that was established when this part of Menang country was cleared for a government farm in 1827 to sustain a British military outpost in King George Sound. While today the place comprises a substantially reduced land area surrounded by suburban housing, it retains its core heritage features and links to nearby topographical, natural and built features relating to both Menang culture and the history of the place over time. Much like Perth Town Hall it is also a much-loved destination, and a recognised community asset.

The National Trust required engagement with the Menang community, for the Menang people’s links and associations with the place to be added, and for an update of the Statement of Significance to include Menang cultural heritage values. We worked with Seedesign Studio on this project.

We approached the place as a cultural landscape, which is defined as a place where human interaction with natural systems has, over a long period, formed a distinctive landscape. One of the main processes when undertaking a CLMP is engagement with the First Nations people. This is an emerging approach to heritage management. We have now delivered CLMPs for Wadjemup Rottnest Island, Cossack Townsite and Barmup Strawberry Hill and are the only heritage consultant in the State with the skills and experience to undertake CLMPs.

On our first site visit we met with a Menang Elder who represented the wider Noongar community. We followed this up with two more site visits and stays in Albany, and met with other family groups, culminating in gathering the different families together with the National Trust volunteers who work at the place as tour guides. We assisted in everyone being able to share not only their stories and experiences, but also what it is about Barmup that they value. We then wove the findings of the engagement directly into the policies and Implementation Plan.

We have heard a wide range of voices and stakeholders for this project which have at times been at odds with their views and vision for caring for the landscape and gardens. We spent considerable time collating the views and coming up with compromises and solutions to satisfy all parties, while ensuring that the main objective, which is to enhance and maintain the heritage values of the place above all else, stayed relevant and at the forefront of policies and the Implementation Plan.

At our third visit to Albany, we gathered together the Trust’s staff, volunteers, and Menang Elders. It was the first time that these groups had a shared conversation together about the place’s care and management. We put in place specific policies so that going forward there will be shared management and responsibility for maintaining the meaning and shared heritage value of the place by all stakeholders.

• Aboriginal engagement
• Cultural Landscape Management Plan
• User-friendly Implementation Plan for volunteers who care for the gardens