Saltwater Dreaming – Hidden in Plain Sight

By Thommo Saunders-Sheehan on May 15, 2014 in News

Everyday thousands of people pass an ancient aboriginal artwork along the Bondi to Bronte walk without noticing its existence, let alone its significance. It lies only a metre from the path, unobstructed from view, unrecognised, unmarked and magnificent beyond measure.

This specific engraving is of a majestic whale and a couple of fish. It stands as a monument to the Traditional Owners of Sydney, to their Law, their Songlines, their Dreaming.

I went and sat by it the other day, having only recently discovered its existence, and daydreamed about the Aboriginal people who once lived in the area, their lives, their stories and their connection to country.

It is not possible to date the Sydney rock engravings with current technology. It is believed that the coastal engravings date from between approximately 6,000 BCE to a day before January 26, 1788. Pre 6,000 BCE the coastline was 10-20 kilometres further east as the sea level was much lower, with the Earth’s oceans locked up frozen during the last Ice Age.

But these facts are Whitefella’s story. They are interesting, though one can’t help but feel disconnected from the moment by their narrative. I turned that story off and just enjoyed the company of the whale and the ocean.

I watched locals and tourists march past unaware. Some tourists even posed a metre away taking selfies with the beautiful seascapes of Tamarama and Bronte in the background, oblivious to the treasure that lay at their feet.

I couldn’t help but see an Australian cultural analogy occurring right in front of me. Aboriginality is weaved into the fabric of the Australian landscape and culture, and yet most of us pass it daily without seeing it.

One can’t help but wonder why the site is not signposted by Waverley Council. A short walk to Ben Buckler might provide the answer. Out on the point near where so many of us enjoy jumping off the rocks into the water there is a turtle engraving. A vandal has scratched his initials on the turtle’s head. Well done, you idiot.

The engraving may be damaged, but Traditional Owners around Australia will tell you that their Law does not change; their Dreaming remains undiminished.

Further away on top of the North Bondi cliffs there is an entire art gallery of engravings; the remains of a sacred ceremonial site. It is speculated that one of these may capture what could be described as the first shark attack at Bondi Beach and perhaps the first record of a shark attack in the entire world.

The North Bondi site has a plaque commemorating Waverley Council’s decision to re-groove the engravings in 1964. All the engraving sites within Waverley Council’s local government area were re-grooved in the 1960s. Re-grooving is no longer considered appropriate but historical documents demonstrate that the council at the time was acting in good faith in order to preserve the sites from natural deterioration.

Beast readers need not venture to Bondi to connect with these sacred sites. There are also rock engravings in Coogee, Maroubra, Long Bay, Malabar and Bumborah Point. They are easy enough to find for those with an interest and a little sense of adventure.

At the end of my daydream I asked myself the following: if I didn’t know about the rock engravings, what else didn’t I know about the Traditional Owners of eastern Sydney? Well, everything really. I was uncomfortable with my own ignorance so I set out to see what I could discover. I was surprised at how much is known, and how their legacies are hidden in plain sight.

I didn’t even know the name of the Traditional Owners of this country. Then I was introduced to the Cadigal. For those of you within The Beast readership who remain unacquainted, I hope next month I can introduce you to them as well.