NSW government buys sacred Butterfly Cave from developers after 13-year fight for site's protection

The Butterfly Cave is a sacred women's place where female elders educate girls. (Supplied: NSW government)

An Indigenous woman hopes the acquisition of a sacred place in the New South Wales Hunter region will open the door to protecting more Aboriginal sites across the country.

The New South Wales government has acquired land surrounding the culturally significant Butterfly Cave near Newcastle, which until now had been earmarked for housing development.

The Butterfly Cave is a sacred Aboriginal women's site that has been used for generations by Awabakal women for cultural practices and sacred women's business.

Aunty Margaret Harvey is among a group of women from the Awabakal community campaigning for 13 years for the site to be protected.

The women said they previously had to seek permission from the developer to access the site.

The state government announced on Monday that their campaign had been successful.

"It was absolutely wonderful to hear that news, the most wonderful day of our lives," Ms Harvey said.

"For it to come down to what it has come down to and the minister acquiring the land for us, it's the best news we could have ever heard."

Protected from earmarked development

The Butterfly Cave was declared an Aboriginal Place under the National Parks and Wildlife Act in 2013.

In 2019, the cave and its surrounds were recognised by the federal government as a significant Aboriginal area.

However, the cave sits within a large housing development and land around the site, including the access path, was previously earmarked for development by Hammersmith Management, which is owned by the Roche Group.

The Roche Group has been contacted for comment.

Ms Harvey hoped the cave's protection would set a precedent for other Aboriginal places to be safeguarded.

"I personally hope that it will open lots of doors now for people to take notice that we do have sites that are hundreds of years, thousands of years old," she said.

"They need to be saved. They can't keep [destroying] our sites and not doing anything about it."

Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said the government had worked closely with the developer on the purchase.

"This land's going to become part of the National Parks and Wildlife estate. It's going to be protected forever," she said.

"There's now going to be just under 26 hectares of bushland, some of it was slated for development, [but] it will remain as bushland now."

Ms Sharpe could not disclose the cost of purchasing the land.

"We're currently finalising the purchase with the developer," she said.

"We've been able to negotiate a good price that is very good for not just local Aboriginal women … but also for the local community."

Acquisition means 'freedom' 

Ms Sharpe said the acquisition included "journey paths" to the site.

"It means women have free access to the cave to undertake the ceremonies and the teachings that they do with young women and elders," she said.

Ms Harvey said the acquisition of the cave would make it easier for female elders to access the sacred place and educate children.

"Before, we never had that sort of access to the cave," she said.

"Freedom is the best word I can say because we now have freedom to come and go when we want to."