The Aboriginal peoples are the original custodians of the lands, waters, animals and plants of the Upper Clarence. Despite being dispossessed of their traditional lands since European colonisation, The Upper Clarence landscape remains part of the identity, spirituality, connection and resource base for the local Aboriginal community including the Githabul and Bundjalung.

A complex network of cultural sites exists within the Upper Clarence. These include creation places, ceremonial sites, traditional pathways and evidence of past occupation. Many of the prominent landforms of the region are also mythological sites. The forests of the area also have other important cultural values such as in the transfer of traditional knowledge and for bush food and medicine.

The Aboriginal cultural values of the Upper Clarence are closely interrelated and bound together by their 'Dreaming' and it is highly important that all sacred sites are protected. If one site is damaged, all sites associated with that 'Dreaming' are affected in some way.