NSW Indigenous Art and Culture

Once you have spent hours perusing the works in the Art Gallery of NSW, head down to the Rocks, Sydney’s historic and once notorious, now busy and vibrant waterfront. At the centre of the Rocks waterfront area is Sydney’s magnificent Museum of Contemporary Art, a superb example of how beautifully modern architecture can sit alongside historic architecture. The MCA along with an array of contemporary artists, recognises and celebrates the history of the original peoples of Australia; Torres Strait Islanders and Aboriginal people. The artworks on display are contemporary expressions of these people’s history; modern interpretations of their ancestors rock art, engravings and stencil art, to name but a few genres; through which they can tell the stories of the ancestors as well as those of being dispossessed of their land and the broader impacts of colonisation. The collection is mind blowing, bringing together works from all over Australia. MCA regularly holds exhibitions, from sculpture exhibits to bark paintings, photography to installations that cover entire rooms, so it’s well worth checking out what’s on display and making sure you leave plenty of time to soak it all in. And following an afternoon exploring the MCA, you’ll be thrilled that they are based in The Rocks as you’ll need to sit down, grab a drink and luxuriate on the blissful waterfront setting, mulling over everything you’ve seen, heard, touched and contemplated.

Follow the Aboriginal Heritage Walk, which combines both the Resolute and the West Head walking tracks to see rock art - both stencils and engravings - and to access the Red Hands Cave of the Guringai people. The stencils are thought to have been painted between 500 and 1,600 years ago by artists chewing a mix of ochre and water into a paste. The subsequent collage adorning this cave is so vivid, it’s easy to imagine the artist hundreds of years ago. Along the track leading to the Red Hands Cave, you also get glimpses of daily life with axe grinding grooves embedded in rocks nestled beside Camp Fire Creek.

Further on the path will lead you to an historic shelter where families would gather around fires in the cooler months. This area is pretty sacred as the arrival of the European settlers was disastrous for these people. The outbreak of smallpox, in the year of the first fleet’s arrival, decimated them. So please be respectful at all time at this special site.

Only an hour or so out of Sydney is the rugged yet dramatic Blue Mountains, renown for steep brutal cliffs, seemingly endless eucalyptus forest and thundering waterfalls. But the Blue Mountains is also home to Waradah Aboriginal Centre, an Aboriginal contemporary gallery that showcases local artworks and hand crafted didgeridoos in addition to hosting informal cultural sessions and traditional song and dance performances - the Corroboree. Set near the majestic Three Sisters, you will get the opportunity to learn about several Aboriginal tribes, the Dreamtime story behind the creation of the didgeridoo and be witness to a smoking ceremony to boot.

Seeing the countryside from an Indigenous perspective is a great way to further your appreciation of this ancient culture. If you’re heading northwards stop in at Gosford and spend some time on a Nyang Walang Aboriginal Tour, learning of the Dreaming whilst viewing the landscape from an Aboriginal view point. Go on a walkabout and you will not only get to see beautiful beaches and lookouts, but you’ll have a chance to get up close and personal with traditional rock engravings, middens where their ancestors gathered, and join them in the sacred circle on the beach, dancing and singing accompanied by the didgeridoo.

Heading to the South takes you along the coast. But before you reach the shores, make sure you stop in at Nura Gunyu (Swan Country), near Burrill Lake and spend some time with Noel Butler. Noel is a Budawang elder from the Yuin Nation and he is passionate about his people and their traditions. Noel will lead you on an experience foraging for bush tucker and learning about the medicinal aspects of certain plants, you can have cooking demonstrations, even camp overnight - all the while learning the stories of the people.

If you’re trip extends to visiting Canberra in ACT, you must spend some time wandering the halls of the National Museum of Australia. Architecturally based on the theme of knotted ropes - to symbolise bringing together the stories of all Australians - the museum does just that, it brings together the stories of over 50,000 years of Indigenous history, art and culture. They hold regular exhibitions in addition to the permanent exhibitions. One really symbolic and powerful exhibition is based on the Canning Stock Route. An infamous pastoral route across Western Australian, developed to bring outback stock to market, The Canning crossed Aboriginal lands without consent and employed shackled Aboriginal “guides” to find watering holes along the way. The NMA Canning Stock Route collection includes paintings, sculpture, cultural objects as well as documentary material and oral histories of over 60 artists who themselves journeyed along the route.

Driving South-West from Canberra is where you need to set off for if you are keen to experience the wonder of the Snowy River and the Kosciuszko National Park. From snow sports in the Thredbo-Perisher area to walks and camping in the forested areas, fishing and extraordinary look outs in the Khancoban area, the highlights of this epic wilderness are too long to list. However, it is here, in the Kosciuszko National Park along the Tumut River where the Aboriginal people of this area used to pass on their travels and meet for trade and for ceremonial purposes. So hook up with the team at Wiradjuri Aboriginal Cultural Tours to witness the traditional practices that were dictated by the seasons and the consequent changes in the landscape. Create your own bush rope, jewellery and learn traditional basket weaving and about bush tucker, their tools and the spiritual beliefs described in the Dreaming stories.