Travelling on Country

“I have many memories of fishing and camping on this coast. Walking over to Shaws Bay and sometimes Lennox Head to swim, fish and search for coconuts along the beach.” Aunty Millie Cameron 2015

“Old people would have camped on the nearby ridgelines when feasting at the North Creek middens. The sand ridges to the south and east were preferred for camping. Springs feeding low lying swampy areas were a source of fresh water and the swamps provided food resources” Marcus Ferguson 2014

This area contained many species of plants and animals.

It was a place visited by Aboriginal people for over 12,000 years before the arrival of Europeans.

Aboriginal people would not have lived here at East Ballina on a year-round basis.

Rather, they were guided by the seasons and camped at the coast when food sources such as mullet or oysters were in abundance.

Aboriginal people commonly camped near coastal cypress pines. Remaining stands of old growth trees can often indicate significant sites of cultural value.

Resin from the trees was used to make glue while the cones, bark, leaves and ash were used in various medicines.

Cypress bark was used to make rope and the smoke from burning the timber on campfires repelled mosquitoes and other biting insects.

Burning timber of the coastal cypress had a pungent and distinctive smell that was characteristic in the area around traditional Aboriginal campsites.

Top image: The artist Leanne Anderson describes the artwork included here as: “travelling to different campsites, reconnecting with our ancestors.”