The Minimbah Teaching and Keeping Place is the vision of Wonnarua elder Barbara Foote.

The facility will share the cultural heritage of the area’s large Indigenous populations with school groups, tourists, interest groups and the community.

The facility will also host demonstrations of art, crafts, music, dance and story-telling, and incorporate interpretive walks, bush tucker and teach survival skills to school children based on Indigenous culture.

It will also serve as a Keeping Place for artefacts salvaged from mining areas that can be stored and displayed.

The mining giant will contribute $6.4 million this year to New South Wales community projects.

The projects closely linked to Singleton are:

• $100,000, part of a three year $300,000 commitment to Hunter Medical Research Institute for asthma research and the same amount with the same commitment for research into depression

• $120,000 to Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service

• $100,000 to existing and new school music programs and the annual all-schools musical performance for schools in the Upper Hunter

• Various educational programs, teaching and university scholarships

• $50,000 for the Myriver project healthy environment schools project.

• $150,000 for the Singleton Indigenous Regeneration Support Team

• $105,000 for the Dad’s reading program

• $80,000 to Lifeline’s Hunter Valley Men’s Program to reduce domestic violence and family breakdown in the Upper Hunter

• $75,000 to the crisis intervention response service by Lifeline

• $120,000 to Singleton High’s Crossroads driver education program

• and a share of $200,000 for further development of the all abilities playgrounds at Rose Point Park (to be shared by Tahmoor).