Ash Island was once one of a number of islands and mudflats found in the Hunter River estuary. Today it is part of the larger island known as Kooragang Island. It has an interesting but troubled history of occupation and use.
The islands of the Hunter River estuary have a long history of occupation. For thousands of years the Worimi and Awabakal people hunted, fished and collected food from the area, well supplied by the diverse and abundant flora and fauna that included water birds, shellfish, wetland plants, mammals and fish.
In the unrelenting heat of early summer our ranger and expert Garry from National Parks shared his personal knowledge of his ancestors as well as his memories of this beautiful place whilst growing up.
The once vast forest area which made up this region has now dwindled to a small fragment, the mangroves, salt marshes and river where once a haven – a shared space where mobs would meet or travel across in order to attend ceremonies. Now protected National Parks are attempting to re-educate and protect a living history, documenting aural histories and understanding of place.
During conversation Garry offered to share his beautiful artworks. All of them unique, re-telling dreamtime stories of his people made from the sand of the place mixed with pigments and paint.
He spoke of his sadness that knowledge was being lost and of his fight to stay connected with his homeland so that future generations might remember pathways and dreaming time stories.
