It is generally accepted that aboriginal people have been living in the Sydney region for tens of thousands of years.  The oldest dated site in the greater Sydney area was identified in the Bantry Bay area.  This deposit was dated to approximately 11,500 years before present.

The Sydney Metropolitan Catchment is an area rich in Aboriginal Cultural values.  The area contains a high number of archaeological sites within a landscape that is poorly understood from an Aboriginal Cultural perspective.  There is an ongoing loss of these sites and values, and an increasing demand for their consideration and protection. 

The SMCMA recognises traditional custodians, elders and community groups within the area and is encouraging a strengthening of relationships with the Aboriginal community and a broadening of the understanding by the general community of cultural landscapes and values.  The six Local Aboriginal Land Councils (Metropolitan, Deerubbin, Gandangara, Tharawal, Illawarra and La Perouse) are integral in this approach.