|
The Truth about Bungaree and the Broken Bay
Aboriginal Tribes
The
true accounts of the first inhabitants in the Woy Woy and Broken Bay
area lay scattered across the country in libraries and government
records , in fact our own local councils seem to ignore the real truth
behind the disappearance of the local tribes back in the 1800's , for
there is hardly any record of what happened all in one place. Our local
area produced one of the greatest Aboriginal heroes ever - yet hardly
anyone knows of him and his achievements and the Government deception
that led him from his land near Koolewong to make way for the first white settlers
in Woy Woy.
Popular belief the the Darkingjung Tribe are the coast's ancestoral
owners are also mis-leading as they inhabited lands west of the coast
bounded by Mangrove creek and Yengo National park , they have however
assumed the role of caretakers in absence of any remaining Guringai
tribe descendants at the time.
In 2002 descendants of the Guringai tribe issued a letter to the
Darkingjung Land Council
" Notification to Cease and desist Misrepresentation of Prehistory
Occupation by Aboriginal Peoples In the Area Bounded by Port Jackson in
the South , Lake Macquarie in the North and Mangrove Creek in the West -
Guringai ( Wannungine/Wannerawa speaking people ) Land "
The Beginning
The coastal Aboriginal tribes were known as the Eora people and
consisted of the Sydney tribes ( Kurring-gai / Carigal / Dhurang /
Durrouk )the larger coastal Guringai ( Walkeloa clan ) tribes and the
Lake Macquarie tribes ( Koompahtoo / Bah Tah Tah / Awakabal ) it is
thought that they came to the coast as long as 20,000 years ago , long
before the ice age.Scientists have proven that the Aboriginal people
have been in Australia as long as 40,000 years and newer research is
considering back dating that to 110,000 years.
The tribes were based on family groups and consisted of up to 30 people
, there were at least 18 family tribes living along the coast and inland
and at peak periods it is estimated about 540 individuals existed , the
coastal families were located at: Kincumber , Patonga - Pearl Beach , Brisbane Water -
Woy Woy - Gosford , Somersby Falls , Erina - Terrigal - Wamberal - Avoca
, Ourimbah - Narrara , Jilliby , Tacoma , Tuggerah , Munmora - Norah
Head , Cooranbong - Morriset , Mangrove Mountain - Kulnura and Wollombi.
The coastal tribes interacted closely with their Sydney and Newcastle
brothers and meetings were held at special times in secret places hidden
in the bushland along the coast , these places were known as Bora ground
and were located near natural landforms like exposed sandstone areas
with unusual weathering or tessellated patterns or circles of rock in
the bushland , they were considered sacred and powerful sites , up to
300 people could gather in these places representing the various coastal
tribes. One of these sites is located at Patonga and has a Council road
through the middle of it , the same thing happened at the Bulgandry site
at Kariong when roads were built in the 1920's.
The tribes around Woy Woy lived happily in the many sandstone caves and
had a diet of local wildlife supplemented by the abundant seafood to be
found in the waters , they made bark canoes to traverse the Brisbane
Water and had a series of markers like road signs scattered through the
bush and along the waters edge on trees and rocks that pointed to
waterholes and tracks to places. They left many carvings in the
sandstone outcrops around Woy Woy and traveled to Mullet Creek to
gather ochres to be used in cave paintings and body decorations , a race
that existed happily with no need or use for iron tools or the wheel , a
race who had evolved over thousands of years and was still evolving at a
sustainable pace until white man came along - it was about to come to an
end very quickly...
Governor Phillip Arrives
In 1788 Governor Phillip realised that the land at Sydney Cove was not
sufficient to support the colony for many years and as a matter of
urgency led an expedition to Broken Bay to investigate possible farming
land mentioned by Captain Cook.
On March 2 1788 in torrential rain he arrived at Pearl Beach an noticed it was occupied by
many Aborigines , fearing them they slept offshore overnight before
heading into Brisbane Water the next day , after navigating Half Tide
Rocks and The Rip he entered the Broadwater and got as far Gosford
before heading back to Sydney.
As he passed the head of Cockle Creek he saw an Aborigine who waved his
spear and pointed to Kincumber and said " Kingcoimba ! " then pointed
his spear toward Woy Woy and said " Wy Wy " which he knew meant black
snake* and he agreed as it was a swampy low lying area , this first
friendly meeting impressed him and was in his thoughts as he planned a
second more extensive survey the following year.
The second survey explored Erina and Narrara creeks and well as Cockle
Creek and Kincumber , Phillip and his party camped at Booker Bay
overnight and were met by the local tribe who helped them with fires and
gathering fish , at night they exchanged stories and the Aborigines sang
the white visitors songs.
The local men were impressed with Phillip because he had one of his
front teeth missing - the same as the Aborigines who removed a front
tooth during tribal initiation , wherever Phillip camped overnight inside the
Broadwater he was met by friendly natives and this again delighted him ,
he left Broken Bay to go on and explore the Hawkesbury River and
Pittwater.
Also one this trip was a young marine named Robert Webb who was an adapt
ship builder and seaman , he noted the Aboriginal canoes and marveled
at their lightness and construction , he also noted that the hillsides were
covered with trees like mahogany , cedar , beech and many other species
suitable for shipbuilding.
White man didn't return to settle the Coast for another 30 years , the local
Aborigines were safe for now...
*From
Swancotts' book , the actual origin of Woy Woy is unknown , the town
area was first called Why Why / Wi Wi / Wye Wye , Why Why is Aboriginal
for " big lagoon " or " deep water
**Due to bad source
information this article was edited on
Wednesday, 06 January 2010
Continued Next Page
Sources:
Admired by Macquarie , but ignored for a sailing cat - article by Tony
Stephens -
link
The Central Coast and Lake Macquarie Aboriginal People - an article by
Wayne Peters 2002
The Brisbane Water Story Parts 1 & 2 - C. Swancott 1954
The Sydney Harbour Trust - website
http://www.harbourtrust.gov.au/index.html
© My
Sorry Project - Intellectual property of Steve Spillard 2008 , you may
not re-produce any part or copy this content.
|
|
