They call it “creative tourism” – "tourism that offers visitors the opportunity to develop their creative potential, through genuine exchange and engagement with local people, and local culture courses." For us, we wanted to know more about the history of Australia as visitors and, we wanted to gain understanding of the people, both present and past.
We came across a tour that might broaden our cultural knowledge of the culture, led by Aboriginal elder, Margret Campbell. We liked that the tour was 100% Aboriginal and woman owned too. So often when traveling to other countries, cultural tours do not always financially benefit the originators of the knowledge or crafts. Aunty Margret, as she did not mind being called, was our host for The Rocks Aboriginal Dreaming Tour.
Our tour started at Cadman's Cottage, 110 George Street, the oldest building in The Rocks area of Sydney. Margret introduced herself, gave an overview of the tour's purpose, and then acknowledged Australia, her homeland.
Afterwards, Margret proceeded to explain how Ochre is one of the principal foundations of Australian Indigenous art. Ochres are primarily natural pigments and minerals found in the soil, or even in charcoal, and used to depict Aboriginal Dreamtime stories and maps. Often, the Ochres were used either in body painting, rock painting, or on artefacts.
Margret showed us examples of the art and drawings. These Ochre paintings were how the people visually told their stories across the generations, and across tribes as a commodity.
We next walked to Argyle Cut, to observe its wall. Argyle Cut is a passage through the face of the rock, which in 1843, served to join the east and west sides of The Rocks community. The history of Argyle Cut neglects to include its importance to the Aboriginal people. However, Argyle Cut is a place where ochre exists in large clay pods on the wall.
At our next stop, Dawes Point Park, which is located under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, lies a monument and plaque with the word Tarra. This word is used by the indigenous people to describe the peninsula.
Tarra captures the essence of the magnificent harbor views. At this part of the tour we learned the Aboriginal name "Tar-ra" and the importance of this significant Aboriginal site. Dawes Point tar ra, which is the word for peninsula, is an integral part of Sydney Cove with its strong historical associations as the site of the first European settlement and the first contact between Aboriginal peoples and Europeans.
Dawes Point still contains a significant archaeological resource that is unexcavated.
At Hickson Road Reserve, we saw an example of recent rock art and learned about traditional "art galleries" of the Sydney region that are thousands of years old.
At Sydney Harbor, the tour focused on the Aboriginal saltwater lifestyle and the spiritual importance of the Aboriginal sites, primarily the harbor itself, the areas where the Opera House now stands, and Circular Quay.
Our final stop was at The Rocks. It was in this area of Sydney that the Aboriginal people lit cooking fires on the slopes, shared meals of fish, and held ceremonies and rituals.
This was where the Dreaming for the Aboriginal people began.
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