La Perouse Headland Conservation Management Plan
The La Perouse Headland Area is located on the northern headland of Botany Bay within the Botany Bay National Park. Overlooking the sheltered, inner harbour waters of Botany Bay, the headland and associated Bare Island are spectacular historic landscapes.
The human history of the headland dates back thousands of years to when Aboriginal people were the sole guardians and users of this resource rich maritime locality.
The La Perouse site and Bare Island were among the first sites in the Sydney Region visited by Europeans. Both Captain Cook and Joseph Banks noted the area, particularly Bare Island, and the First Fleet anchored near the site in 1788. Most notably the first recorded European occupation of the headland was by a French expedition led by La Pérouse, Jean-François de Galaup [Comte de La Pérouse], which also anchored in Botany Bay in 1788, near the First Fleet before the British departed for the more suitable Port Jackson. The French expedition occupied the Headland to re-build and repair their boats.
This Stage 2 report is the final conservation management plan for these sites. It builds on a number of previous studies including the La Perouse Headland - A Shared History (2006), which is a companion volume to this report, and the Draft Social Values Assessment of the La Perouse Headland (2008).
Stage 1 of this work focuses on the significant values of the Macquarie Watchtower, the Cable Station (containing the La Perouse Museum), the La Perouse Monument, the Pere Receveur Tomb and associated Aboriginal and historical archaeological sites and Stage 3 covers the building and site inventory for La Perouse Headland.
Visitor information
Visit the La Perouse area in Kamay Botany Bay National Park to learn more about the history and Aboriginal culture of the area.
Photo: Bare Island viewed from Henry Head walking track, Kamay Botany Bay National Park / Steven Thorne/OEH