AHIMS — the Aboriginal Heritage Information Management System — is the database Heritage NSW maintains of recorded Aboriginal cultural heritage across New South Wales. It holds more than 126,000 records: Aboriginal objects and sites, declared Aboriginal Places, archaeological reports and cultural heritage assessment reports. Planners, developers, consultants, government agencies and community members use it to take account of Aboriginal cultural heritage before land is disturbed.
One important point up front: AHIMS records what has already been recorded. A site only appears if someone has surveyed the area and lodged it. So a clear result does not mean “nothing is there” — it means nothing has been recorded there yet. That distinction matters, and it is exactly why a search alone is never the whole job.
A basic search is free and instant. You define your area — by lot and deposited plan (DP) number, street address, coordinates or a map extent — and the system tells you whether any Aboriginal sites or Aboriginal Places are recorded within it, returning a result you can download as a PDF for your records.
Think of the basic search as the screening step. If it comes back with no recorded sites, you keep that result as evidence that you took a reasonable step to check. If it shows recorded sites are present, that is your trigger to look closer with an extensive search.
An extensive search is the detailed version, and it attracts a small set fee from Heritage NSW. Instead of a simple yes/no, it returns the actual records: where recorded sites sit, what kind of sites they are, who recorded them and the archaeological context. For larger or culturally sensitive areas you may instead need an Aboriginal Heritage Information Licence Agreement (AHILA), which Heritage NSW processes over several weeks so that Aboriginal organisations can review the release of sensitive information.
For most development sites, the practical path is: run the free basic search, and if anything is recorded, request the extensive search so your archaeologist has the full picture.
In NSW, harming an Aboriginal object is an offence under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974. The Act and its Due Diligence Code of Practice (2010) set out the reasonable steps you take to work out whether your activity is likely to harm Aboriginal objects — and searching AHIMS is one of those steps.
But it is only one step. A proper due diligence assessment also weighs the landscape (waterways, soils, landforms that tend to carry sites), the history of disturbance, and a visual inspection by someone qualified to identify Aboriginal objects. Depending on what that assessment finds, you may be able to proceed, or you may need a fuller Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Assessment Report (ACHAR) and — where harm is unavoidable — an Aboriginal Heritage Impact Permit (AHIP). The search starts the inquiry; it does not end it.
An AHIMS search is not a heritage assessment, not a clearance, and not approval to disturb the ground. A “nil result” tells you nothing has been recorded in that spot — not that nothing is there. Many of the most significant finds happen in areas with no prior records, which is why the visual inspection and an archaeologist’s read of the landscape carry so much weight. Treat the search as the opening move in doing heritage properly — done early, it protects heritage and gives your project firm ground to plan on.
This is the part people most often get wrong when they cross the border. AHIMS is a NSW system. The ACT does not use it. In the ACT, Aboriginal heritage is managed under the Heritage Act 2004, you check the ACT Heritage Register rather than AHIMS, and ACT Heritage works with the Representative Aboriginal Organisations (RAOs).
The bigger difference is the threshold. NSW uses a due diligence test — you assess whether your activity is likely to harm Aboriginal objects, and the AHIMS search feeds that test. The ACT does not run on the same due diligence trigger: a project in the ACT generally needs a proper heritage assessment regardless of how much ground disturbance is proposed. So if you are working in the ACT, don’t reach for an AHIMS search — get advice on the ACT assessment pathway instead.
Last reviewed 1 July 2026. General information, not legal or site-specific advice. NSW is progressing reforms to its Aboriginal cultural heritage framework — we keep our advice current. For advice on your project, contact COLCO.
No. An AHIMS search checks the NSW register for recorded Aboriginal sites. It is one step in due diligence, not an assessment and not approval. A clear result means nothing has been recorded there — not that nothing is present.
A basic search is free and instant and tells you whether recorded sites exist in your area. An extensive search (a small Heritage NSW fee) returns the detailed records — location, site type and context — and is the next step if the basic search finds anything.
No. AHIMS is a NSW system. ACT projects are managed under the Heritage Act 2004 via the ACT Heritage Register and the Representative Aboriginal Organisations, and generally require a full assessment regardless of ground disturbance.
Treat it as a current snapshot — the register is updated as new sites are recorded, so many authorities expect a recent search. Confirm the currency required for your specific approval.
If you’re working in NSW — or across both the ACT and NSW — COLCO can tell you exactly what’s required before you commit. Senior heritage expertise, led by a former regulator. Canberra-based, servicing the ACT and NSW.
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