Indigenous artefacts found under Sydney rail site

The NSW government is being urged to immediately stop construction on a section of Sydney's new light rail line after thousands of indigenous artefacts were found.

At least 20,000 artefacts have been discovered in excavation pits around the $2.1 billion rail line's proposed tram stable yard in Randwick in the city's east.

The artefacts include items from the Hunter Valley, including spear heads and cutting tools which have never been seen before, indigenous heritage advocates say.

"There is nothing at all like this in Sydney," Scott Franks, who has advised the NSW Government on indigenous heritage issues for the rail line, told The Sydney Morning Herald.

"It demonstrates a trading route, or that the mobs out of the Hunter Valley were working with the mobs in Sydney."

Transport for NSW said it recognises the significance of the find but would not guarantee it would stop work.

"The social value of the site to the local Aboriginal community is very high and we are continuing to work with the RAPs (Registered Aboriginal Parties) to identify the artefacts and how they came to be found in Randwick," a spokesman said.