Shellharbour council set to join historic South Coast native title claim

Shellharbour is set to become the latest council to join legal proceedings on the massive South Coast native title claim, which would give indigenous people along the coast traditional fishing rights in the area.

Covering about about 17,000 square kilometres from the Royal National Park to south of Eden, the claim covers population centres like Wollongong, Shellharbour, Nowra and Bega and extends three nautical miles into ocean.

There are 52 family groups associated with the claim and more than 500 Aboriginal people met in Narooma 2016 to approve the submission to the Federal Court.