Aboriginal culture in Ku-ring gai National Park
Fast facts:
Ku-ring gai National Park was first declared a National Park in 1894. Ku-ring gai National Park is located in the north eastern part of Sydney; it
is an area of 154 km squared Ku-ring gai National Park is home to hundreds of different species of animals, this includes a large variety of birds, snakes and foxes. And off course native mammals like bandicoots, koalas and wallabies Aboriginal History. Within six weeks of the arrival of the British First Fleet in Sydney Harbor, Governor Phillip went exploring around Broken Bay in the North of Sydney, where he camped at
Resolute Beach. He got in contact with the friendly local Aboriginal tribe, the Garigal Tribe on numerous occasions. The rugged landscape had provided ample food and shelter for the Aboriginals, they hunted native mammals and fished in Pittwater. Unfortunately most of the people in this tribe got infected by smallpox and many people died. By the 1840’s most of the Garigal tribe had died or fled the area. The Pittwater Garigal tribal lands were taken over by the white settlers. Aboriginal Heritage Understanding Aboriginal Culture is a way of understanding the heritage of our environment. We inherit objects and places from the past and will pass it on to future generations. It is up to us to preserve the past. We can learn from the past and be inspired by the past. This will influence the decisions we make about how we will manage our land and about what is worth protecting. The Office of Environment and Heritage in partnership with our Government agencies and the Aboriginal people, has a role in protecting and promoting Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal culture and heritage in NSW.There are numerous aboriginal sites around Ku-ring gai Chase National Park for people to explore. There are findings of middens, cave drawings and rock engravings , burial sites and axe-grinding grooves, all proof of the rich culture of the Garigal people in Ku-ring gai National Park.There is a lot of sandstone in the Ku-ring gai National Park which helped to preserve findings like axe grooves. The Aboriginal people used to sharpen their axes on the sandstone slabs. In some areas there are many grooves in a small rock surface, meaning there were a lot of people inhabiting that area. The drawings and engravings can be found in caves and under sandstone rock shelters. The Aboriginal people used to draw on the rock in charcoal and ochre. Sometimes the figures were painted on top of each other. The stencils are usually of adult or children’s hands, sometimes of feet, boomerangs and stone axes. A few recommended tracks in the Ku-ring gai National Park to see some of
these Aboriginal heritage sites are:
• Aboriginal Heritage walk at West Head: rock engravings and paintings.
• Sphinx and Warrimoo tracks at Bobbin Head: rock engravings and middens
• Resolute Track: paintings at Red hand cave and rock engravings
• America Bay track at West Head: Axe grinding grooves and rock engravings
Ku-ring gai National Park was first declared a National Park in 1894. Ku-ring gai National Park is located in the north eastern part of Sydney; it
is an area of 154 km squared Ku-ring gai National Park is home to hundreds of different species of animals, this includes a large variety of birds, snakes and foxes. And off course native mammals like bandicoots, koalas and wallabies Aboriginal History. Within six weeks of the arrival of the British First Fleet in Sydney Harbor, Governor Phillip went exploring around Broken Bay in the North of Sydney, where he camped at
Resolute Beach. He got in contact with the friendly local Aboriginal tribe, the Garigal Tribe on numerous occasions. The rugged landscape had provided ample food and shelter for the Aboriginals, they hunted native mammals and fished in Pittwater. Unfortunately most of the people in this tribe got infected by smallpox and many people died. By the 1840’s most of the Garigal tribe had died or fled the area. The Pittwater Garigal tribal lands were taken over by the white settlers. Aboriginal Heritage Understanding Aboriginal Culture is a way of understanding the heritage of our environment. We inherit objects and places from the past and will pass it on to future generations. It is up to us to preserve the past. We can learn from the past and be inspired by the past. This will influence the decisions we make about how we will manage our land and about what is worth protecting. The Office of Environment and Heritage in partnership with our Government agencies and the Aboriginal people, has a role in protecting and promoting Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal culture and heritage in NSW.There are numerous aboriginal sites around Ku-ring gai Chase National Park for people to explore. There are findings of middens, cave drawings and rock engravings , burial sites and axe-grinding grooves, all proof of the rich culture of the Garigal people in Ku-ring gai National Park.There is a lot of sandstone in the Ku-ring gai National Park which helped to preserve findings like axe grooves. The Aboriginal people used to sharpen their axes on the sandstone slabs. In some areas there are many grooves in a small rock surface, meaning there were a lot of people inhabiting that area. The drawings and engravings can be found in caves and under sandstone rock shelters. The Aboriginal people used to draw on the rock in charcoal and ochre. Sometimes the figures were painted on top of each other. The stencils are usually of adult or children’s hands, sometimes of feet, boomerangs and stone axes. A few recommended tracks in the Ku-ring gai National Park to see some of
these Aboriginal heritage sites are:
• Aboriginal Heritage walk at West Head: rock engravings and paintings.
• Sphinx and Warrimoo tracks at Bobbin Head: rock engravings and middens
• Resolute Track: paintings at Red hand cave and rock engravings
• America Bay track at West Head: Axe grinding grooves and rock engravings