A new heritage trail around Bermagui describes the legends, history and achievements of the Djiringanj people.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Chairperson of Far South Coast branch of the National Trust NSW Frances Perkins said while most of the trail’s signs are installed, at the project’s completion there will be three welcome and nine heritage signs in the area.
Called the Yuin Cultural Heritage Trail, it was initiated by the Trust with support from Lynne Thomas and Merrimans Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC) as well as partial funding from the Mumbulla Foundation.
Also, children from the Bermagui Public School created the artworks for the signs.
“We wanted to put the local names around the place, and the stories behind them,” Merrimans LALC chair Ken Campbell said.
For instance, greeting motorists at the turnoff for Bermagui from the Princes Hwy is a sign of a black duck.
Mr Campbell said the black duck was the totem of the Yuin people, which included about 50 clans between the Victorian border and Sydney.
There is another sign on the Bermagui Rd featuring views out to Najenuga, on which is written the Dreaming story behind the mountain.
Another can be seen at the Camel Rock Beach carpark. It discusses the history of Murunna, which includes the headland and Camel Rock, as it was an important sacred and ceremonial site where people came from from up and down the coast as well as the Monaro to attend corroborrees.
The Bermagui area has many sacred and special sites, he said, including the largest midden in NSW at the end of Fairhaven.
Mr Campbell was very pleased the children from Bermagui Public were involved in the project and learning about the area’s history before European colonisation.
“It means a lot to us,” he said.
Ms Perkins said an official opening would be held in the next few weeks for the signs, after the final two are installed. The trail will be complimented by a pamphlet.