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On the Cadigal trail

By Alison Cotes

30 January 2007 - Did you know that Captain Arthur Phillip's missing front tooth proved a vital breakthrough in his friendly reception by Sydney's indigenous people?

Or that you can see a 50m Aboriginal story board called Cadi Jam Ora winding like a snake through the Royal Botanic Gardens? Or that you can sample a gourmet bush-tucker dinner at Coogee?

These are just some highlights of a guided Aboriginal cultural tour of Sydney.

There are very few such experiences here, so it's fitting as the harbour city was the first place of contact between the indigenous people and white settlers.

You can begin in the Royal Botanic Gardens – proud Cadigal country – and meet Aboriginal education officer Clarence Slockee, who will lead a tour that makes you think again about this most British of parks.

He'll show you the forest red gums, some of the few original trees still standing; tell you the history of the space from an indigenous point of view; and demonstrate bush tucker and tool-making.

One of the most impressive things you'll see along the way is the long storyboard called Cadi Jam Ora (I am Cadi), showing the history of the Sydney area from Creation to the present through indigenous eyes.

Seen in this way, it's an informative as well as a sobering experience, but Clarence doesn't give a running commentary – he just lets you absorb it for yourself.

He knows everything about the area and its history, and has the anecdotes to go with it, such as the fact that Captain Phillip's missing front tooth meant that in local tradition, he was an ancestor – which is why he and his men were received so hospitably.

Black-white relationships were good in the first few months, until the inevitable colonial attitudes took over, beginning the sorry history we have inherited.

You'll hear about Arabanoo, the first local man to be captured as a go-between before Bennelong, and the great warrior Pemulwuy, the first Aboriginal resistance leader.

But nowhere does Clarence make white visitors feel guilty. His aim is simply to show the richness of indigenous culture, both before and after white settlement.

If you're in Sydney for the Australia Day weekend, you can join the annual Woggan ma gule Morning Ceremony at Farm Cove in the Botanic Gardens, the sacred land of the Cadigal people. It begins at 8am by Main Pond, and is free.

To finish off the day, from Tuesday to Saturday there's a cultural cruise on the Tribal Warrior, proudly flying the Aboriginal flag.

There are no comments on the lifestyles of the rich and famous here, just a genuine chance to see Sydney Harbour through Aboriginal eyes, and learn the stories of the six tribes who lived here at First Contact.

All the crew are indigenous Australians, and they take you to the sandstone cliffs and headlands of the harbour, uncovering traditional fishing methods and food gathering techniques, Aboriginal settlements and rock carvings, and visiting sandy beaches, rocky foreshores and picturesque inlets.

There's also a visit to Clark Island, part of the Sydney Harbour National Park, where a traditional welcome dance awaits.

Or drive to Penrith – Darug country – to the Muru Mittigar Aboriginal Cultural and Educational Centre, where there's a chance to interact with members of the local Aboriginal community.

Shy guide Rab, of mixed Chinese and Aboriginal parentage, is in himself a mini-example of reconciliation.

Although the centre usually caters for booked groups, Rab will happily put on a tour for a family or even a small group.

Just say what you want to see and he'll arrange it, including a chance to look at a map of pre-contact Aboriginal Australia, showing family groups and their tribal areas, and the names of the traditional owners.

Bush tucker in its original form is for the seriously committed cultural tourist only.

A nice alternative, however, is Deep Blue Bistro's wondrous Outback Degustation menu, which marries post-settlement wines with some of the tastiest native ingredients available.

Six courses at the Coogee venue cost $75, or $100 with matching wines.

We sampled crocodile carpaccio with lemon myrtle oil and caper berries; Murray River yabbies with bush honey on lime risotto; barramundi wrapped in paperbark; char-grilled emu with goats cheese gnocchi and bush plum sauce; kangaroo roasted with wild thyme and yams; and two desserts: wattleseed creme brulee and wild lime pannacotta.

Source:The Sunday Telegraph

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