Guided Indigenous walk and artesian pool

This morning we headed back to Brewarrina where we were stopped by an elderly man who pointed out that our water hose was dragging along behind the caravan. Would have been good to take a photo but I didn’t think of it in time. We went to the aboriginal museum to do the guided walk along the river to learn about the different groups of aboriginal people who lived here and who together created the amazing fish traps in the river that are, according to archeologists likely to be the oldest living man made structure in the world - around 40,000 years old!

Our guide Bradley, imparted a lot of knowledge to us and patiently explained how the incredible fish traps were constructed by eight different Indigenous groups, to be a place of meeting and mutual gathering of food. The traps, built from local stone, included storage areas in the river to keep the fish as well as allow some of the fish to pass through so they could spawn further up the river. In this way they never depleted the native fish.

We also learnt about the impact on the fish traps of the construction of the dam in the 1960s (used to irrigate local water-hungry cotton crops) and we spent time learning about the tools and hunting weapons made by local people in the old days.

The tour gave us an amazing insight into the incredible knowledge and skills that aboriginal people possessed may thousands of years ago, and how in tune they were with their surroundings.

We left with Bradley’s powerful words that they are not the owners of the fish traps, nor do they own the river or the surrounding land. They belong to the fish traps, to the river and to the land. He believes this special place is meant to be a meeting place and coming together for all people - whether different aboriginal groups or black and white.

After our culture-filled morning we made our way to our next destination, the town of Walgett, about two hours east, where we enjoyed a dip in the beautifully warm artesian pool in the middle of town. What a lovely way to relieve those aches and pains! After our warm dip and a refreshing (freezing cold) shower to rinse off the minerals, we made our way to the town free camp where we joined many other vanners relaxing in the late afternoon sunshine and making plans for where to head next.

Seeing a pic our daughter sent of the curry she had cooked made me want to cook curry, so fish and veggie curry it was for dinner tonight - with enough for leftovers another night.

Things I learnt today:

1. Might be time for Gadi to have a list for when we pack up, much as I know he hates lists...it may just save him forgetting the stuff he is responsible for!

2. There is so much diverse Indigenous history to learn about and it’s definitely a great way to learn about it with local guides passing on their knowledge

3. There’s nothing that a long soak in hot artesian water can’t fix!Read more