A PRELIMINARY CULTURAL SURVEY

OF

WOODSHED, SAWMILL AND BURBANDAM PADDOCKS

ON

WEILMORINGLE STATION

WEILMORINGLE NSW

Prepared by

PHILLIP SULLIVAN

With assistance from A Preliminary Cultural Survey of Woodshed, Sawmill & Burbon Dam Paddocks on Weilmoringle Station, Weilmoringle

CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...... 3

1. BACKGROUND...... 4

2. MURRAWARRI CONNECTION TO COUNTRY...... 5

3. PROPERTY LOCATION AND PROPOSED IPA...... 7

4. METHODOLOGY ...... 8

5. AFFECTED ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES ...... 9

5.1. Murrawarri Communities ...... 9 5.2. Wytaliba Community...... 10

6. CULTURAL VALUES ...... 11

6.1. Gooramon Swamp:...... 12 6.2. Sandhill Camp ...... 13 6.3. Burbar Creek: ...... 14 6.4. Pickerjerry Creek: ...... 14

7. MANAGEMENT OPTIONS...... 15

REFERENCES ...... 18

APPENDICES ...... 19

Appendix 1.1 SUMMARY OF CULTURAL SITES IDENTIFIED IN GOORAMON SWAMP ON 21/02/2009...... 20

Appendix 2.2 SUMMARY OF CULTURAL SITES IDENTIFIED IN SANDHILL SURROUNDING GOORAMON SWAMP ON 22/02/2009...... 22

Appendix 2.3 SUMMARY OF CULTURAL SITES IDENTIFIED ALONG BURBAR CREEK ON 23/02/2009...... 24

Appendix 2.4 SUMMARY OF CULTURAL SITES IDENTIFIED ALONG BURBAR CREEK ON 05/03/2009...... 26

Appendix 2.5 SUMMARY OF CULTURAL SITES IDENTIFIED ALONG PICKERJERRY CREEK ON 05/03/2009...... 29

Appendix 2.6 SUMMARY OF CULTURAL SITES IDENTIFIED IN GOORAMON SWAMP ON 06/03/2009...... 31

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Weilmoringle Land Holding Company (WLHC) as part of its Property Management Plan (PMP) proposed to set aside part of the property as a wildlife sanctuary. As a first step towards the establishment of a Wildlife Sanctuary, the WLHC Board have sort funding from the Commonwealth Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA) for the declaration of a portion of the property as an Indigenous Protected Area (IPA). This cultural report has been prepared to support this endeavour.

A summary of the cultural finding are as follows:

Management Area:  The initial proposal was for the IPA to cover Woolshed, Sawmill, Burbon Dam, Front Smith and Back Smith Paddocks, a total of 5200 hectares or 30.38% of the total property area.

 The report recommends the IPA cover Woolshed, Sawmill; and parts of Burbon Dam, Front and Back Smith Paddocks, a total of 3418 hectares or 19.97% of the total property area.

Cultural Values:  The Murrawarri People have a very strong on-going cultural, spiritual and physical connection to their country, Weilmoringle Station and the proposed IPA.  Other members of the Wytaliba Community have physical connections to the IPA.  The IPA cultural values mirror the Murrawarri cultural values for broader landscape.  Sites were surveyed in Gooramon Swamp and Sandhill Camp areas as well as along Burbar and Pickerjerry Creeks.  A large number of sites were found including scared trees, ovens, campsites and artefact scatters. A post contact site was identified on the Pickerjerry Creek.  Gooramon Swamp was identified as having very high cultural values based on past records and the oral traditions of the Murrawarri.  There is evidence that scared trees along the Pickerjerry Creek may have been destroyed with timber cutting for property management activities.  Many sites along the Burbar Creek are being affected by erosion forces.

Recommendations:  Increase the IPA to include all of Gooramon Swamp and sandhill area as well as both sides of the Burbar Creek.  Undertake a more extensive site survey of both the IPA and Weilmoringle Station entering all site data on the NSW AHIMS database.  Investigate the possibility of identifying the types of animals eaten by Murrawarri from bone material found in some oven sites  Undertake a range of specific management actions designed to preserve and conserve Murrawarri sites in the IPA.  Undertake oral history recording of Elders values for the IPA and Weilmoringle Station.  More clearly define traditional hunting and gathering activities on IPA  Investigate the possibility of having Gooramon Swamp declared an Aboriginal Place.  Undertake a range of paddock management activities designed to protect and enhance Murrawarri cultural values in the IPA  Be particularly careful with the use of fire that it does not damage or destroy scared trees.  Have IPA rangers trained in a range of cultural and management activities.  Use IPA rangers to undertake further site surveys.  Provide a site identification and management training to all Board members.

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1. BACKGROUND

The Weilmoringle Land Holding Company (WLHC) has 3 year lease of Weilmoringle Station from the Indigenous Land Corporation (ILC) over which period the Company hopes to prove it can successfully manage the property so it achieve the full hand back of the property in June 2009.

The WLHC has produced a Property Management Plan (PMP) for Weilmoringle Station (Dykes and Hooper 2005). In the PMP, as an important component of Activity 2, Murrawarri Culture and Environmental Preservation Stream, it was envisaged that part of the property would eventually be set aside for the establishment of a Wildlife Sanctuary.

As a first step towards the establishment of a Wildlife Sanctuary, the WLHC Board have applied for funding from the Commonwealth Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA) for the declaration of a portion of the property as an Indigenous Protected Area (IPA).

The WLHC Board has proposed to nominate Woolshed and Sawmill Paddocks and possibly parts of Front and Back Smith and Burbon Dam Paddocks on Weilmoringle Station as an Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) (see Figure 1). Before the paddocks can declared an IPA, there must be extensive consultation with the members of the Company to ensure there is broad agreement on the Board’s course of action. As part of the consultation process with the Company’s members, the WLHC has contracted Phillip Sullivan to document the Murrawarri connection to the IPA, required as part of IPA consultation process:

1. To conduct 3 two day Cultural Sites field workshops to ascertain what is the nature and extent of the Murrawarri connection to the proposed IPA., and in particular in the following paddocks of Weilmoringle Station:

a. Sawmill Paddock. b. Woolshed Paddock c. Front and Back Smiths Paddocks d. Burbar Creek that runs through the Property

2. Produce a report that includes the following:

a. A list of all the Aboriginal Cultural Sites that are situated in the above paddocks including photos.

This report is a summary of the results of those workshops and other cultural research undertaken by Phillip Sullivan for the WLHC.

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2. MURRAWARRI CONNECTION TO COUNTRY

The Moorawarri People are known as the “Gidgee People” or the “Tree People of the Gidgee Country” between floodplain rivers of the Birrie, Culgoa and Warrego Rivers. They occupy the land between these rivers and use the abundant resources provided by the land and rivers to support a number of clans or estate groups which share the common language of “Murrawarri”. As Jimmy Barker, a Moorawarri Elder, explains in his biography, there were 8 estate groups called Nandugari, Gandugari, Gangugari, Baragari / Bandagari, Dinandu, Dinigada and Brinundu, each associated with a different part of the Moorawarri country. Jimmie Barker (Mathews 1988) relates how his kinsmen Hippai and Maria taught him about these groups and their relationship with Moorawarri country:

“They told me how the tribe was divided into groups, and spent many hours drawing in the dust with a stick and explaining their position.

The word gari means ‘belonging to’, and was a suffix used in most of the group names. The area of the Lower Culgoa people extended from forty miles above Brewarrina down the Culgoa River to the junction then followed the Darling River to North Bourke. This group was called the Nandugari, nanudu meaning ‘at times there is nothing there’. The word nandu also appears in the name Dinandu, a very small group who lived near the Barwon River just before it joins the Culgoa. The North Culgoa people’s boundary followed the Culgoa River past Weilmoringle and then north to the Queensland border on the western side of Toulby Gate; the eastern boundary was the Birrie River. These people were called the Gandugari. These groups spoke Muruwari, but in a completely different manner. The northern people spoke much faster and used a heavily rolled ‘r’. There was sometimes a slight difference in pronunciation, and it was easy to identify the group from which the speaker originated.

Mother’s group was found near North Bourke, at Ford’s Bridge, Yantabulla, Enngonia and south to a small place called Dry Lake. This group could have lived there for centuries; they were called the Gangugari. Above Yantabulla and continuing to the Paroo River they were called the Baragari or Badaragari. Between Collerina and Weilmoringle is a small place called Boneda. This was the boundary of a small but important group, the centre of the area being at Ledknapper Tank. They were called the Dinigada.

The groups found on the actual Muruwari boundaries used words, which were unknown to the central people. They had adopted words from the Galali, Gu:rnu, Baranbinja, Guwamu and Ngemba languages. Mother spoke Gu:rnu, Badjari, Baranbinja, Galali, Muruwari and a little Guwamu. Guwamu was spoken north of Weilmoringle, and became mixed with the Muruwari language.

Brinunda was the name of a small group near the northern boundary. The word bri means acacia, and this name would mean “at times there are no acacias”. This word for acacia has also been used in the name Brewarrina, which in Muruwari means “the place where acacias grow”. The Birrie River derives its name from the same word. In Juwalarai the word for acacia is also bri. Bama was the name given to the Barwon River before it is joined by the Culgoa. From this junction to the Queensland border the Culgoa River was called Ngarndu by the natives.”

Moorawarri lands provided the various clans with a rich and abundant source of food, water and shelter. However, their country was more than just a source of survival to the Murrawarri. It held the reason for their existence and gave them a spiritual and cultural dimension that made then Murrawarri. Connection to country and the environment being conveyed through stories, totems and law, which bound each member to their place in the clan and gave them ownership of the landscape they traversed. Among the Murrawarri are beliefs in spiritual beings that give meaning to plants, animals and places and even the universe within which the Murrawarri see their country. These spiritual being is encapsulated in the stories of Pitangulu, Mundaguddah and Bida-ngula: Prepare by Phillip Sullivan with assistance from Ngalina for The Weilmoringle Land Holding Company Page 5 A Preliminary Cultural Survey of Woodshed, Sawmill & Burbon Dam Paddocks on Weilmoringle Station, Weilmoringle

Pitangulu is from the fire dreaming of the Murrawari people and he comes down from the dreamtime and gathers embers from the fires and takes them into the sky so that his people of the different clans in the Murrawarri nation should have the stars that light the night skies. This is so that the Murrawarri people can tell a lot of what’s happening in their lives from the positioning of the stars. The stars tells of the seasonal changes, when certain plants are ripe for the harvesting for medicinal purposes or for food gathering, it also tells us when certain animals are in abundance and even when it is time for emu egg hunting. This is why the stars have a significant place in Aboriginal communities across the Murrawarri nation.

The spirit of the Mundaguddah is a spirit of omens, discipline and respect and lives in the many different waterholes along the Culgoa River. However there is one significant waterhole just down from Weilmoringle homestead where he is known to spend more time. This is because of the close proximity of where the Aboriginal community is situated. It warns of flooding and the dangers that may come with the floods after heavy rains. It is heard as a loud frightening roar. The Mundaguddah travels the Culgoa River in flood times warning of the dangers. It is known too that the Mundaguddah also travelled to Gooraman Swamp and the billabongs of Denawin which was the Murrawarri campsite before they were rounded up and brought to the current site of Wytaliba. When Elders want to instil into the children discipline and respect, the children were told that the Mundaguddah will be angry if they the children disobeyed their wishes or broke any rules or didn’t do as were told to do by their parents, also that if they were to sneak away or go swimming by themselves then the Mundaguddah spirit would get them or come to them in their dreams. This is a part of how respect and discipline were taught to the children.

Bida-ngula: was the supreme being (The Creator – Baiami) who gives the Murrawarri their sacred songs, dances, rituals and special sacred fires of which to endow both men and women with their spiritual, family lore, moiety(skins) and animal totems. Bida-ngula was the supreme lawman who allocated the different clanal groups amongst the Murrawarri nation. He was the singer of songs for the protection and usage of the land and what it offered to the Murrawarri people. He was also the supreme singer of songs and the supreme dancer of corroborees for freedom of expression, spirituality, lore, law and emotional connection and relationship of the Murrawarri people to the land. This is why our songs and dreaming (stories) are handed down from generation to generations. All are still told today and form the essence of a Murrawarri man or woman.

This brings us back to the connection of the Murrawarri people to Weilmoringle, the Gooramon Swamp, Denawin, Mundiwa, Milroy, Gerara and Ledknapper areas. All areas within the Murrawarri boundary have a significant association with the Weilmoringle Station and the Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) which encompass the specific paddocks within Weilmoringle station such as

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3. PROPERTY LOCATION AND PROPOSED IPA

“Weilmoringle” is an aggregation of 17,063ha approximately 110kms north of Brewarrina, 81kms south-west or Goodooga or 160kms north of Bourke. The individual properties comprising include:

Name WLL Lot DP No Area (Ha) “Weilmoringle” 7558 6769 823885 7,920 “Orana” 7559 3844 766287 9,134 Total area 17,114

The property is subdivided into 14 significant paddocks as shown in Figure 1 below. Grazing has been excluded in the past from woolshed paddock, with the remaining 13 grazing paddocks with being used from sheep and cattle grazing (Dykes and Hooper (2005) p.32).

Figure 1 – Infrastructure on Weilmoringle Station

Middle Paddock 2229

Strip ÊÚ 534

Bore Paddock 2373 Dicks West Ram 253 Burbon Dam 977 1860 ÊÚ

k e re C Ram Tank r ba ur B 1212 Ration 76 210 %U Sawmill 1817 ÊÚ Back

eek Smith Boundary Fence C Co in House Creeks jerry icke Internal Fences P 233 Ñ Ñ 1212 Rivers Front Crown Reserve Bore Drai ns Smith Ñ Burial sites Internal Roads %U 218 %U ÊÚ Bores Power U %U Dams Wool shed 1072

359

r e iv R %U a o g ul C Front Colin 1985

Total area of Woodshed Paddock 1072 hectares 6.26% of total property area Total area of Sawmill Paddock 1817 hectares 10.62% of total property area Total area of Front Smith Paddock 218 hectares 1.27% of total property area Total area of Back Smith Paddock 233 hectares 1.36% of total property area Total area of Burbon Dam Paddock 1860 hectares 10.87% of total property area Total proposed IPA area 5200 hectares 30.38% of total property area

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4. METHODOLOGY

Phillip Sullivan conducted three workshops on the following dates:

 7th and 8th February 2009  21st and 22nd February 2009  5th and 6th March 2009

Members of the WLHC Board and other Company members attended the workshops. The first workshop was held at the Weilmoringle Station Homestead and involved explaining cultural and site mapping techniques terms, familiarising people with artefact identification, identifying cultural values and protocols and looking at IPA options for the property. The second and third workshops were fielded based looking over selected sites in the Woolshed, Sawmill and Burban Dam Paddocks examining and documenting identified Murrawarri sites.

Phillip was grateful for the assistance of George Hart Snr. and Shane Kelly for providing cultural advice and helping facilitate the workshops. George is senior Budjari Knowledge Holders who has married into the Murrawari and has lived all his life at Weilmoringle being extremely familiar with surrounding country. Also Fred Hooper and Kylie Gibbons provided invaluable support and assistance with the project.

Above – From left to right Shane Kelly, Fred Hooper, George Hart and Allan Jackson looking over a scar tree in Gooraman Swamp

During the second and third workshop basic site data was collected along with a photograph of each site. The results are shown in Appendix 1.

In the preparation of this report the author has researched all readily available cultural reports, maps and electronic data sets covering Weilmoringle and the surrounding area. Using this information and the data collected during the workshops, the author discusses in Section 6 the cultural values identified (Points 2 of Contract Terms) in the proposed IPA that the WLHC will have to consider.

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5. AFFECTED ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES

There are two Aboriginal communities that will be affected by the IPA being declared on Weilmoringle Station; - the traditional owners the Murrawarri People, and the members of the Wytaliba community who also use the proposed IPA area for hunting practices and for general.

5.1. Murrawarri Communities

The Murrawarri people have four types of connection to the proposed IPA and they are Cultural, Spiritual, Emotional and Physical.

Our spiritual beliefs, values and principles will never change. They are the unseen core and foundation that has been given to us since time inception. They are the law [lore] that holds all things together that are living and not living, that are the seen and unseen. It is the law [lore] that over ride all other laws that have been put on us, Whiteman’s law, environmental law and European law.

The law that we hold close to us even when we are seen not to be practicing them is the unseen connection by spirit and lore that brings our people back to country. Even in the face of being separated by Whiteman’s law of so called protection. The Elders, our old people, when they were let out of government institutions such as Christian mission homes and government children institutions they were always drawn back to where they originally come from. They return back to their own country where their heart and their spirit live. Back to the places of their hearts and where they have an affiliation with the land.

Through time our affiliation and spiritual connection to our country has been affected by modern day contemporary issues such as alcohol, drugs and criminal activities, loss of culture & identity and not knowing who we are. Our old lore which connected our mob to our country and spirit did not have to face such an attack on our spirit and our connection to the cultural and traditional aspects to our land because it was considered that all things were connected to our mother earth. Maintaining one’s own identity in where we stand as Aboriginal people in our own country makes us who were are. It makes us become strong in our cultural ways. Having respect for ourselves, our people and our country assists us strongly in maintaining our cultural ways: Some examples of our cultural lore’s are:

 love for our fellow Murrawarri peoples. (No matter what comes against us nothing will take its place our love for the creator our family)  respect (This give us the form of love)  our elders, (This gives us our order) The way food is cut and divided according to standing within the mob.  Our meat (This gives us our standing in society)  Our Moity Marriage System (This gives us our path and separation in life)  Honour (It shapes our character and destiny).  Share and Care (it is a physical attribute of the above laws)  Connection to the spirit world. (This gives us a continued connection with the people who have gone before us.

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To care for one another and to care for the land are the core values that has driven our mob through this process on owning Weilmoringle station and the process is a hard road to follow, but we have maintained our dignity to follow it through to the end.

A Dreaming story told by Uncle Roy Barker at a Murawarri Workshop was that the old Murrawarri Elders would often sit under a red river gum and speak to their ancestors through the rustling of the leaves of the trees. This story not only connects the Murawarri people to Gooraman Swamp but to other places of significance where there are River Red Gums.

5.2. Wytaliba Community

The Wytaliba Community have more of a physical connection to the IPA area with many of them using the area for hunting, gathering, spiritual and emotional wellbeing and family gatherings. However, some of the residents of Wytaliba do not have the spiritual connection to the land which is passed down through generations of stories and special attachments to the area as in the Dreaming Stories like that told by Uncle Roy Barker. But they do have an historical connection to the IPA because of earlier generations of their families moving into the area for work commitments such as domestics at nearby stations, drovers, stockman duties, ringbarking , fencing and more particularly shearing and general station hand work. These families have since long been accepted into the Weilmoringle community of the Murrawarri people and have adopted their cultural values, beliefs and principles. Therefore being involved as participants on the local Aboriginal Land Council, Community Development Employment Program and the Weilmoringle Community Working Party.

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6. CULTURAL VALUES

Sharon Dykes put the following together to explain what Murrawarri culture means to her and what Weilmoringle Station and the proposed IPA really mean for Murrawarri cultural values.

“Murrawarri cultural and traditional values before settlement were looking after each other and looking after country by singing the counrty, dancing, walking the country, keeping the lore pure, burning the country and living for the land. Murawarri cultural practises, principles, values and beliefs have not changed and cannot be changed because we are forever maintaining our cultural and spiritual beliefs. Our Spiritual values play a significant part in the lives of all Murawarri people.

European values of using the land as an economic base did not sit well with the Murrawarri values of the land as a base for sustaining the People. This brought has brought European values into conflict with Murrawarri cultural and traditional values.

Before the property came in to existence the Murawarri people utilised the land from one end of the their country to the other end holding corroborees and ceremonies and undertaking important cultural practises through their dance, song and story telling of the dreaming about their country. When it became Weilmoringle Station, the Murrawarri People’s lifestyle changed but their affiliation with the land through practising their culture and traditions and still lived.

The area that encompasses Weilmoringle Station is only a smaller version of the Murrawarri traditional lands with places of significance like Gooramon Swamp, Sandhill Camps, Pickerjerry Creek and Burbar Creek, repeated across the landscape.

Although the country was still being used for traditional purposes and the Murrawari People had to work for the property owners to be given privilege of residing on their country. There were times when we knew that we couldn’t have right of access to certain parts of Murrawari country. This hasn’t deterred us from approaching the boundary fences or paddock fence line to sing to and acknowledge the country. We know in our hearts that there will be a time when we are able to go beyond the boundary fence lines and we are willing to bide our time.

On Weilmoringle Station there are traditional resources that we have access to but unfortunately we know there is still a lot of work to be done to bring our country back to its original state.

Our dreaming consisted of stories which were passed down orally and we know that a lot has been lost and the full story of our dreaming will not and cannot be told. But today we have a story to tell. A story about language and how it is being renewed and this is happening as we speak. A story about once again looking after country, a story about working on country, a story about survival, strength, commitment, suffering, resilience, and dignity.

This is our story, our dreaming and every Murrawarri descendant has a dreaming to tell and thus so our story continues.”

The cultural values identified in the proposed IPA and recorded in this report are only a small part of what is to be found on Weilmoringle Station and an even smaller part of what lies across Murrawarri traditional lands. But they are significant because for the first time in over 170 years the Murrawarri People are now the land managers, the rightful “carers of our country”.

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6.1. Gooramon Swamp:

The Murrawarri People referred to the Red River Gum tree as Goorawa, it is also called the Ghost Gum. This is how Gooramon Swamp got its name because of the number of Goorawa trees surrounding it. Gooramon Swamp is one of those areas which at one time were a place of abundant life, a place of refuge and a place of serenity, a very important place for the Murrawarri.

The following is an extract from Howard Creamer (1985) report:

“In among the red sand ridges covered by black box, sandle wood, wilga and gidgee trees to the west of the Weilmoringle woolshed there stands a tall Red River Gum. It is 2.4km from the gate opposite the woolshed, heading around 250m, through another gate at around 1.8km and past a tree with a square scar, probably cut by a surveyor 100m away. To the north of the Red Gum is a low flat area called Gooramon Swamp, to the north-west is a creek called Pickerjerry and to the south are more red sand ridges..... On the eastern side of the trunk is a large scar measuring 3 x 1m from where bark has been removed. This is the Gooraman canoe tree.”

Grandfather Robin Campbell relating to Creamer in same report explains the origin of the Gooramon Canoe Tree:

“There used to be a big swamp there, that’s the swamp we call Gooramon. I seen so many birds there you couldn’t talk, they’d deafen you. As true as I’m here, I’ve seen this and no one else ever will I think. He (his father) stripped that in the 1911 flood, I remember, I got in the canoe myself I though I’d’go in this canoe to get some eggs from the nest, but as I was making back I got caught on a limb.”

Coolamon scars on the Goorawas attest to Grandfather Robin Campbell description of the area as a place were there were plenty of resources like medicine plants, food plants and water attracting wildlife to the area.

Because of where Gooramon Swamp is situated in close proximity to the sandhills, it also had special significance because the Goorawa’s provided bark coffins, for the burial sites within the sandhills and this can be observed by the number of coffin trees being recorded in the area. It also explains the absence of any oven or camp sites on some areas of the sandhills. While Gooramon Swamp was a place where food and water was plentiful all year around, the sandhills surrounding it are sacred places of ceremony and dreamtime.

Gooramon Swamp was always seen as place of sanctuary where people will visit on their trips across the landscape. The area is connected to other important Murrawarri places like Denawin, Nulty Springs, and Culgoa Junction through dreaming tracks and songlines.

Gooramon Swamp today it is regarded as a very significant and special place for the Murrawarri. Many of the Murrawarri Elders living at Weilmoringle, Goodooga, Enngonia, Brewarrina and Lightning Ridge have personally expressed that the area holds a deep spiritual meaning for them and their family groups. The inclusion of the whole of the swamp and its adjoining sandhills in the IPA is being regarded as essential components of the Weilmoringle IPA.

The removal of the new fence running through Gooramon Swamp and the sandhill was requested by many Murrawarri Elders as an important first step in the management of the IPA.

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6.2. Sandhill Camps

The sandhill area surrounding Gooramon Swamp is quite extensive and only a small section on the eastern side was surveyed revealing that there are a number of scar trees and a large number of campsites some with over 1,000 artefacts scattered across ground.

The sandhill campsites were mainly found on the claypan adjacent to the sandhills where around 50 oven sites were observed showing evidence that area was used as a long term camping site for Murrawari clan groups. Some of these camping sites would have also been utilised for special ceremonies and corroborees.

Being on the edge of Gooramon Swamp also highlights the importance of Gooramon Swamp for all the cultural values mentioned previously. The spiritual, cultural and traditional significance of the area would be very much the same as that of Gooramon Swamp.

Currently the campsite area has a road going through the centre of it which is causing severe erosion problems. The exposure of the ovens has revealed animal bones showing that a lot of the larger animals were cooked here for food.

Rehabilitation and remediation of the area show be a high priority management action once the IPA is declared.

Above – a coolamon scar tree in Sandhill Camps area.

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6.3. Burbar Creek:

The cultural survey showed that Burbar Creek was a place of long term occupation by Murrawarri People as opposed to the transition camps found in Gooramon Swamp and Sandhill Camps. Its importance can be seen in large number of scared trees, oven sites and artefacts found along the 3 to 5 km of the creek surveyed.

Traditionally as Murrawari clan groups moved from camping ground to camping ground, they took with them as little as possible, generally leaving many items so that they could be reused next time they returned to the same camp. The evidence from Burbar Creek is that the area was a place of long-term high occupation with a large number of clay ovens and scar trees recorded, mainly cut in Black Box and Coolabah trees. The scarred trees showed that they were cut for a wide range of uses including coolamons, canoe making, burial coffins and bark used to erect makeshift humpies, giving further indications that the area was a regular camping area. The large number of camps sites also indicated that the Burbar Creek flowed more regularly than does now and was a major source of water to the Murrawarri and the native wildlife.

The artefacts, scarred trees and earth ovens are now very sacred to the Murrawarri People and regarded by them as having an extremely very high significance (pers. comment by Fred Hooper to the author). Because of this high cultural value placed by the Murrawarri it is recommended that the IPA be extended to cover both sides of the Burbar Creek in Burbon Dam Paddock.

It was observed that there are some bad erosion in many of the gullies draining into the creek, caused by stock, wind, rain and heavy vehicle use. This erosion is affecting many cultural sites. The creek banks also has severe erosion problems and will require extensive work to prevent further damage being done to nearby ground based artefacts and earth ovens.

6.4. Pickerjerry Creek:

Pickerjerry Creek was surveyed to show the effect of post contact usage on the IPA. One of the main effects of post-contact use on the property has been the cutting and use of local timber for farm operations for such as fencing, stockyards and houses. Trees were also ringbarked to clear the land in order to run stock on the property. This “post contact effect” is evident along Pickerjerry Creek by the fact that not many scarred trees were found, most having been removed for farm fence post, buildings etc.

Also not many oven sites or campsites were found, however this may be due to the fact that there was a lot of groundcover which made it difficult to identify artefacts and other significants Murrawarri cultural sites on the ground.

An old wooden bridge was found that was very dilapidated and may have been constructed with timber from along the Pickerjerry Creek that may have been originally scarred. The timber that was used to build this bridge would have provided for canoes, coolamons and other such uses at that time. Because of its size it is likely that the bridge was used to move stock from one side of the creek to the other during flood periods. This is also evidence that Pickerjerry Creek at around the time of settlement in the area was constantly flowing (today it only flows on rare occasions).

The bridge also is a reminder that with settlement many Murrawarri People were used as cheep labour for fencing, droving, and general maintenance on the stations and farms within the surrounding areas and they would probably have been involved in its construction. The bridge can therefore be also seen as part of the continued occupation and on-going use of the land by the Murrawarri People because some of our Murrawari Elders have lived and worked on country and kept Murrawari cultural values, beliefs and spiritual connections to the land alive today.

Prepare by Phillip Sullivan with assistance from Ngalina for The Weilmoringle Land Holding Company Page 14 A Preliminary Cultural Survey of Woodshed, Sawmill & Burbon Dam Paddocks on Weilmoringle Station, Weilmoringle

7. MANAGEMENT OPTIONS

Managing the proposed IPA to maintain Murrawarri cultural values is about having knowledge based cultural appropriate management regime. For the Weilmoringle IPA management must blend Murrawarri cultural and farm management practices toe ensure long term sustainability. It is on this basis that the following are suggested management options.

Management Area: The proposed IPA is based on the current paddock network that the WLHC inherited with the ILC purchase of Weilmoringle Station. The present paddock fencing takes no account of cultural factors: the north-eastern fence in Woolshed paddock runs through the middle of the Murrawarri cultural area known as Gooramon Swamp. It is recommended that the Gooramon Swamp area be included in the IPA because of its huge cultural significance. This would require a fence to come off the existing north-eastern fence in Woolshed paddock and pass through the south-eastern corner of Back Smith Paddock and through half of the Front Smith Paddock as shown in Figure 2 below. The existing fencing particularly the existing northern Woolshed Paddock fence within the Recommended IPA should be removed because it destroys the cultural integrity of a very significant Murrawarri cultural site This allow more appropriate cultural use and access of the IPA. The recommended IPA would be increased to approx. 3418 ha (8446 ac) or 19.97% of the property area.

Figure 2 – Recommended IPA for Weilmoringle Station

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Cultural Values: As this preliminary report is based on only a selected survey of parts of the IPA it is recommended that a more thorough cultural survey be undertaken of the whole IPA and if possible the rest of Weilmoringle Station. The survey should aim to collect detail information on each site so as to enable each site to be corrected registered on the Department of Environment and Climate Change (DECC) Aboriginal Heritage Information Management System (AHIMS) database.

It would be preferable for the further surveying to be undertaken as part of the employment and training programme which will follow the declaration of the IPA (see Employment and Training Section below).

It has been suggested to the author that it would be interesting to know what types of animals were cooked in the ovens so far identified. The though has occurred that some of the bones could be from animals that have since disappeared from the landscape with European settlement (e.g. from bilbies and bettongs). The presence of bones from extinct animals in the ovens would give additional support for the development of the wildlife sanctuary and help reinforce the old stories of Murrawarri connection to country. If nothing else it would be nice to confirm what type of animals Murrawarri People were regularly eating before European settlement changed people’s diet.

It is suggested that Management seek advice from research institutions like the CSIRO and universities as to the possibilities of this happening.

The preservation and conservation of the sites so far identified and any additional sites found in the proposed IPA will require some specific management actions, namely;

 Restricting vehicle use in the IPA to avoid damaging sites  Restricting the number and extent of tracks through the IPA  Restricting the use of fire in and around scared trees  Undertaking erosion control measures to minimise specific site damage  Feral animal control to minimise broad scale degradation of the IPA cultural sites

It would also be very important if Murrawarri Elders were given the opportunity to record their stories about what the IPA and Weilmoringle Station means to them much like Grandfather Robin Campbell related his story on Gooramon Swamp to Howard Creamer. An oral history project on the IPA and Weilmoringle Station should be undertaken as a matter of urgency. Again this could be one of the activities that the IPA rangers could undertake.

Also there is a need for WLHC to more clearly define what type of traditional hunting and gathering activities will allowed in the IPA, particularly as some activities could have severe impact on already fragile sites

Finally there is the issue of the Gooramon Swamp area (also see fencing section below). Clearly the written records by Howard Creamer identify it as a very significant and important place for the Murrawarri People. The story related by Grandfather Robin Campbell is echoed by other Elders experiences at the Swamp. The area is very probably worthy of a declaration as an Aboriginal Place under NSW NPWS legislation. Such a declaration may assist the Murrawarri in seeking commitments from both State and Commonwealth Governments for Gooramon Swamp to get a “cultural flow” of water down the Culgoa River to regularly flood it like what originally happen prior to European Settlement. This is probably the only way that the Murrawarri are going to get water for the swamp. It is therefore recommended that the WLHC Board liaise with representatives of DECC to at least consider an Aboriginal Place Declaration for Gooramon Swamp.

Prepare by Phillip Sullivan with assistance from Ngalina for The Weilmoringle Land Holding Company Page 16 A Preliminary Cultural Survey of Woodshed, Sawmill & Burbon Dam Paddocks on Weilmoringle Station, Weilmoringle

Paddock Management: Stock Grazing – domestic stock grazing should be excluded from the IPA, except where it may be necessary to reduce fuel loads in “extreme fire periods”.

Fencing – the IPA perimeter fence should be composed of “ring-lock” or “hinged-joint” fencing. This will restrict the entry of goats and pigs into the IPA and thereby limit their numbers and the associated damage these species can do to sites in the IPA. The fence through Gooramon Swamp and associated sandhill area should be removed as matter of urgency as it conflicts with cultural values of the area.

Pest Control – ring-lock perimeter fencing only restricts the entry of large more mature goats and pigs, very young goats and pigs may still enter and breed in the IPA. It is recommended that all watering places in the IPA be fully fenced out so as to regularly “capture” any feral pests.

Vehicle Tracks – unnecessary vehicle tracks in the IPA should be closed and rehabilitated.

Erosion Control – there is a big need for some erosion control work along Burbar Creek and to a lesser extent along the Pickerjerry Creek to reduce damage to oven and artefact sites.

Fire Management – any hazard reduction burns in the IPA will need to seriously consider the impact on scared trees and the bridge over the Pickerjerry Creek.

Please Note: Should WLHC deliberately light or cause to be lit a fire that destroys or damages a scared tree (whether the tree is recorded as an AHIMS site or not, does not matter) than there is the very real possibility that the Company and the Company personal involved will be subject to prosecution under the NSW Government Aboriginal Heritage legislation.

Employment and Training: As part of the IPA process, several IPA ranger positions will be employed. It is recommended that these employees receive the following training as part of their overall farm management training:

 Murrawarri site identification and recording, particularly using AHIMS field data recorders.  Aboriginal site conservation and preservation management techniques.  Aboriginal site rehabilitation and damage control training  Familiarisation with NSW Government Aboriginal Heritage Legislation, particularly as it relates to the management of the IPA and Weilmoringle Station.  Feral pest management.  Oral history recording

It is also suggest that members of the WLHC Board should receive site identification and site management training.

Prepare by Phillip Sullivan with assistance from Ngalina for The Weilmoringle Land Holding Company Page 17 A Preliminary Cultural Survey of Woodshed, Sawmill & Burbon Dam Paddocks on Weilmoringle Station, Weilmoringle

REFERENCES

Creamer, Howard (1985) Five Aboriginal sites in Muruwari Country north-west of the Culgoa River. Unpublished report (NPWS reference no HC/7/S 23-27/473) to NPWS, Hurstville.

Dykes, Peter and Hooper, Fred (2005) Property Management Plan for Weilmoringle Station, Unpublished report for Weilmoringle Landholding Company Ltd, Weilmoringle.

Mathews, Janet (1977/1988) The two worlds of Jimmie Barker, the life of an Australian Aboriginal 1900 – 1972, Aboriginal Studies Press: Canberra.

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APPENDICES

Appendix 1.1 SUMMARY OF CULTURAL SITES IDENTIFIED IN GOORAMON SWAMP ON 21/02/2009 ...... 20

Appendix 2.2 SUMMARY OF CULTURAL SITES IDENTIFIED IN SANDHILL SURROUNDING GOORAMON SWAMP ON 21/02/2009...... 22

Appendix 2.3 SUMMARY OF CULTURAL SITES IDENTIFIED ALONG BURBAR CREEK ON 22/02/2009 ...... 24

Appendix 2.4 SUMMARY OF CULTURAL SITES IDENTIFIED ALONG BURBAR CREEK ON 05/03/2009 ...... 26

Appendix 2.5 SUMMARY OF CULTURAL SITES IDENTIFIED ALONG PICKERJERRY CREEK ON 06/03/2009 ...... 29

Appendix 2.6 SUMMARY OF CULTURAL SITES IDENTIFIED IN GOORAMON SWAMP ON 06/03/2009 ...... 31

Prepare by Phillip Sullivan with assistance from Ngalina for The Weilmoringle Land Holding Company Page 19 A Preliminary Cultural Survey of Woodshed, Sawmill & Burbon Dam Paddocks on Weilmoringle Station, Weilmoringle

Appendix 1.1 SUMMARY OF CULTURAL SITES IDENTIFIED IN GOORAMON SWAMP ON 21/02/2009

Survey Location Gooramon Swamp and surrounding sandhill Surveyors Phillip Sullivan, Shane Kelly, George Hart, Fred Hooper & Allan Jackson Date 21/02/2009 Swamp area surrounded by sandhill, important pre and post-contact area, canoe trees, Area Description campsites, possible burial sites and cermonial sites. Highly significance area to Murrawarri

TYPE AND NUMBER OF SITES OBSERVED

Sites Number Observed Threats Campsites Ovens Scarred Trees (total all types) 1 Canoe Trees 1 Wildfires, vehicles, plant pests, clearing Coffin and/or Camp Trees Coolamon Trees Artefact Scatters Ceremonal Grounds Burial Sites Spiritual Places 1

SITE DETAILS

Coordinate Datum GDA 94 Method Site No. Site Type Easting Northing Photo No/s. Weil-CS001 Scarred tree not taken not taken Weil-CS001-1 to Weil-CS001-10

Prepare by Phillip Sullivan with assistance from Ngalina for The Weilmoringle Land Holding Company Page 20 A Preliminary Cultural Survey of Woodshed, Sawmill & Burbon Dam Paddocks on Weilmoringle Station, Weilmoringle

Above: Canoe tree typical of those found around Gooramon Swamp

Prepare by Phillip Sullivan with assistance from Ngalina for The Weilmoringle Land Holding Company Page 21 A Preliminary Cultural Survey of Woodshed, Sawmill & Burbon Dam Paddocks on Weilmoringle Station, Weilmoringle

Appendix 2.2 SUMMARY OF CULTURAL SITES IDENTIFIED IN SANDHILL SURROUNDING GOORAMON SWAMP ON 21/02/2009

Survey Location Sandhill campsites in Goormon Swamp area Surveyors Phillip Sullivan, Shane Kelly, George Hart, Fred Hooper & Allan Jackson Date 21/02/2009 Large campsite on claypan adjorning sandhill with numerous ovens (44+) and artefacts Area Description scatters (6+). Possible several thousand indivual artefacts. Scarred tree nearby.

TYPE AND NUMBER OF SITES OBSERVED

Sites Number Observed Threats Campsites Ovens 44 Erosion - wind,water; vehicles; feral animals Scarred Trees (total all types) 1 Canoe Trees Coffin and/or Camp Trees Coolamon Trees 1 Wildfires, vehicles, plant pests, clearing Artefact Scatters 6 Erosion - wind,water; vehicles; feral animals Ceremonal Grounds Burial Sites Spiritual Places

SITE DETAILS

Coordinate Datum GDA 94 Method Site No. Site Type Easting Northing Photo No/s. Weil-CS002 Ovens/artefacts 484873 6768322 Weil-CS002-1 to Weil-CS001-50 Weil-CS003 Scarred tree 484669 6768004 Weil-CS003

Prepare by Phillip Sullivan with assistance from Ngalina for The Weilmoringle Land Holding Company Page 22 A Preliminary Cultural Survey of Woodshed, Sawmill & Burbon Dam Paddocks on Weilmoringle Station, Weilmoringle

Above: A representative of the type of oven site to found at the sandhill campsites.

Above: A representative of the type of artefact scatters to found at the sandhill campsites.

Prepare by Phillip Sullivan with assistance from Ngalina for The Weilmoringle Land Holding Company Page 23 A Preliminary Cultural Survey of Woodshed, Sawmill & Burbon Dam Paddocks on Weilmoringle Station, Weilmoringle

Appendix 2.3 SUMMARY OF CULTURAL SITES IDENTIFIED ALONG BURBAR CREEK ON 22/02/2009

Survey Location Along western Burbar Creek in Burbon Dam Paddock Surveyors Phillip Sullivan, Shane Kelly & George Hart Date 22/02/2009 Area Description Campsites found along western Burbar Creek in Burbon Dam Paddock

TYPE AND NUMBER OF SITES OBSERVED

Sites Number Observed Threats Campsites Ovens 20 Erosion - wind,water; vehicles; feral animals Scarred Trees (total all types) Canoe Trees Coffin and/or Camp Trees Coolamon Trees Artefact Scatters Ceremonal Grounds Burial Sites Spiritual Places

SITE DETAILS

Coordinate Datum GDA 94 Method Site No. Site Type Easting Northing Photo No/s. Weil-CS004 Oven Weil-CS004 Weil-CS005 Oven Weil-CS005 Weil-CS006 Oven Weil-CS006 Weil-CS007 Oven Weil-CS007 Weil-CS008 Oven Weil-CS008 Weil-CS009 Oven Weil-CS009 Weil-CS010 Oven Weil-CS010-1 & Weil-CS010-2 Weil-CS011 Oven Weil-CS011 Weil-CS012 Oven Weil-CS012 Weil-CS013 Oven Weil-CS013 Weil-CS014 Oven Weil-CS014 Weil-CS015 Oven Weil-CS015 Weil-CS016 Oven Weil-CS016 Weil-CS017 Oven Weil-CS017 Weil-CS018 Oven Weil-CS018 Weil-CS019 Oven Weil-CS019 Weil-CS020 Oven Weil-CS020 Weil-CS021 Oven Weil-CS021 Weil-CS022 Oven Weil-CS022 Weil-CS023 Oven Weil-CS023-A & Weil-CS023-B

Prepare by Phillip Sullivan with assistance from Ngalina for The Weilmoringle Land Holding Company Page 24 A Preliminary Cultural Survey of Woodshed, Sawmill & Burbon Dam Paddocks on Weilmoringle Station, Weilmoringle

Above: A representative of the type of oven site to found along the Burbar Creek campsites.

Above: A representative of the type of oven site to found along the Burbar Creek campsites.

Prepare by Phillip Sullivan with assistance from Ngalina for The Weilmoringle Land Holding Company Page 25 A Preliminary Cultural Survey of Woodshed, Sawmill & Burbon Dam Paddocks on Weilmoringle Station, Weilmoringle

Appendix 2.4 SUMMARY OF CULTURAL SITES IDENTIFIED ALONG BURBAR CREEK ON 05/03/2009

Survey Location Along both sides of the Burbar Creek in Burbon Dam Paddock Surveyors Phillip Sullivan, Shane Kelly & George Hart Date 05/03/2009 Numerous scarred trees, several campsites with many ovens found along both sides of Area Description the Burbar Creek in Burbon Dam Paddock TYPE AND NUMBER OF SITES OBSERVED Sites Number Observed Threats Campsites 7 Ovens 18 Erosion - wind,water; vehicles; feral animals Scarred Trees (total all types) 30 Canoe Trees 1 Wildfires, vehicles, plant pests, clearing Coffin and/or Camp Trees 2 Wildfires, vehicles, plant pests, clearing Coolamon Trees 27 Wildfires, vehicles, plant pests, clearing Artefact Scatters Ceremonal Grounds Burial Sites Spiritual Places Post contact site SITE DETAILS Coordinate Datum GDA 94 Method Site No. Site Type Easting Northing Photo No/s. Weil-CS024 Coolamon tree Weil-CS0024 Weil-CS025 Coolamon tree Weil-CS0025 Weil-CS026 Coolamon tree Weil-CS0026 Weil-CS027 Oven Weil-CS0027 Weil-CS028 Coolamon tree Weil-CS0028 Weil-CS029 Coolamon tree Weil-CS0029 Weil-CS030 Coolamon tree Weil-CS0030 Weil-CS031 Coolamon tree Weil-CS0031 Weil-CS032 Coolamon tree Weil-CS0032 Weil-CS033 Coolamon tree Weil-CS0033 Weil-CS034 Coolamon tree Weil-CS0034 Weil-CS035 Coolamon tree Weil-CS0035 Weil-CS036 Oven Weil-CS0036 Weil-CS037 Coolamon tree Weil-CS0037 Weil-CS038 Coffin or small canoe Weil-CS0038 Weil-CS039 Coolamon tree Weil-CS0039 Weil-CS040 Coolamon tree Weil-CS0040 Weil-CS041 Coolamon tree Weil-CS0041 Weil-CS042 Coolamon tree Weil-CS0042 Weil-CS043 Oven Weil-CS0043

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Site No. Site Type Easting Northing Photo No/s. Weil-CS044 Coolamon tree Weil-CS0044 Weil-CS045 Coolamon tree Weil-CS0045 Weil-CS046 Coolamon tree Weil-CS0046 Weil-CS047 Coolamon tree Weil-CS0047 Weil-CS048 Oven Weil-CS0048 Weil-CS049 Oven Weil-CS0049 Weil-CS050 Oven Weil-CS0050 Weil-CS051 Coolamon tree Weil-CS0051 Weil-CS052 Coolamon tree Weil-CS0052 Weil-CS053 Coolamon tree Weil-CS0053 Weil-CS054 Coolamon tree Weil-CS0054 Weil-CS055 Coolamon tree Weil-CS0055 Weil-CS056 Oven Weil-CS0056 Weil-CS057 Oven Weil-CS0057 Weil-CS058 Oven Weil-CS0058 Weil-CS059 Coolamon tree Weil-CS0059 Weil-CS060 Coffin or camp hut Weil-CS0060 Weil-CS061 Coolamon tree Weil-CS0061 Weil-CS062 Oven Weil-CS0062 Weil-CS063 Oven Weil-CS0063 Weil-CS064 Oven Weil-CS0064 Weil-CS065 Oven Weil-CS0065 Weil-CS066 Oven Weil-CS0066 Weil-CS067 Canoe Weil-CS0067 Weil-CS068 Oven Weil-CS0068 Weil-CS069 Oven Weil-CS0069 Weil-CS070 Oven Weil-CS0070 Weil-CS071 Oven Weil-CS0071

Prepare by Phillip Sullivan with assistance from Ngalina for The Weilmoringle Land Holding Company Page 27 A Preliminary Cultural Survey of Woodshed, Sawmill & Burbon Dam Paddocks on Weilmoringle Station, Weilmoringle

Above: A representative of the type of a Coolamon tree to found along the Burbar Creek.

Above: George Hart stands besides a coffin tree found along the Burbar Creek.

Prepare by Phillip Sullivan with assistance from Ngalina for The Weilmoringle Land Holding Company Page 28 A Preliminary Cultural Survey of Woodshed, Sawmill & Burbon Dam Paddocks on Weilmoringle Station, Weilmoringle

Appendix 2.5 SUMMARY OF CULTURAL SITES IDENTIFIED ALONG PICKERJERRY CREEK ON 06/03/2009

Survey Location Along both sides of the Pickerjerry Creek in Woolshed Paddock Surveyors Phillip Sullivan, Shane Kelly & George Hart Date 06/03/2009

Area Description

TYPE AND NUMBER OF SITES OBSERVED

Sites Number Observed Threats Campsites Ovens Scarred Trees (total all types) 1 Canoe Trees Coffin and/or Camp Trees 1 Coolamon Trees Artefact Scatters Ceremonal Grounds Burial Sites Spiritual Places Post contact site 1

SITE DETAILS

Coordinate Datum GDA 94 Method Site No. Site Type Easting Northing Photo No/s. Weil-CS072 Scarred tree Weil-CS072-1 & Weil-CS072-2 Weil-CS073 Wooden bridge Weil-CS073-1 & Weil-CS072-17

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Above: The remains of the sheep bridge found on the Pickerjerry Creek.

Above: The remains of the sheep bridge found on the Pickerjerry Creek.

Prepare by Phillip Sullivan with assistance from Ngalina for The Weilmoringle Land Holding Company Page 30 A Preliminary Cultural Survey of Woodshed, Sawmill & Burbon Dam Paddocks on Weilmoringle Station, Weilmoringle

Appendix 2.6 SUMMARY OF CULTURAL SITES IDENTIFIED IN GOORAMON SWAMP ON 06/03/2009

Survey Location Gooramon Swamp Surveyors Phillip Sullivan, Shane Kelly & George Hart Date 06/03/2009 Large canoe tree with several coffin trees, possibly cut for a small child/s, could also be cut for Area Description shelter slabs. Broken grinding dish

TYPE AND NUMBER OF SITES OBSERVED

Sites Number Observed Threats Campsites Ovens Scarred Trees (total all types) 3 Canoe Trees 1 Coffin and/or Camp Trees 2 Coolamon Trees Artefact Scatters 1 Ceremonal Grounds Burial Sites Spiritual Places

SITE DETAILS

Coordinate Datum GDA 94 Method Site No. Site Type Easting Northing Photo No/s. Weil-CS074 Canoe tree Weil-CS074-1 to Weil-CS074-3 Weil-CS075 Coffin tree Weil-CS075-1 to Weil-CS075-3 Weil-CS076 Coffin tree Weil-CS076-1 to Weil-CS076-5 Weil-CS077 Grinding dish Weil-CS077

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Above: A representative of the type of a coffin tree found to at Gooramon Swamp.

Above: The grinding dish found to at Gooramon Swamp.

Prepare by Phillip Sullivan with assistance from Ngalina for The Weilmoringle Land Holding Company Page 32 A Preliminary Cultural Survey of Woodshed, Sawmill & Burbon Dam Paddocks on Weilmoringle Station, Weilmoringle

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