Mosaic Map: NRM funded projects
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Interpretation trail celebrates Port Elliot heritage
Students from Victor Harbour Primary School
Students work with the Basham/Kandeinwal revegetation group to water native plants
Basham Beach Conservation Park
Aboriginal children are learning all about traditional bush foods and medicines as part of a conservation project in the seaside town of Port Elliot in South Australia.
About 80 kilometres south of Adelaide on the Fleurieu Peninsula, the 52-hectare Basham's Beach Regional Park is rich in cultural heritage having once been occupied by the Ngarrindjeri peoples.
Once cleared for agriculture, the area is now the focus of a long-term community project to re-establish local native plants, including varieties traditionally used for food and healing.
Funding
In 2004 the project, led by the Basham's Beach and Horseshoe Bay Advisory Committee, received more than $27,000 from the Australian Government. It was also supported by the Alexandrina Council.
Activities
Project Coordinator Paul Minards said a key aim was to pass on the cultural heritage of the Ngarrindjeri Nation to younger generations.
“The plants native to this area were sources of food for the Ngarrindjeri as well as forms of currency used in trade,” Paul said.
“The bush apple or ‘muntharri’ is a delicious little berry that tastes a bit like an apple and a peanut. It was eaten straight from the bush or formed into a large bush biscuit which was dried and put it in a ‘dilly bag’ or woven basket to be traded for spears or other commodities.
“Other plants had special healing qualities – Old Man's Beard was used to treat rheumatism, while Flax Lily was handy for an upset stomach.”
The project created a traditional food and medicine interpretation trail through the park, using local native species such as Sheoak, Coastal Rosemary, Correa, Coastal Wattle and Coastal Saltbush.
Children from the Port Elliot, Victor Harbour and Goolwa primary schools made a significant contribution, collecting seeds and cuttings and propagating them in Paul's nursery. They have planted hundreds of endemic plants along the park's trails, for erosion control and to protect sacred men's and women's sites.
“Our herbarium features examples of all the plants in the park to help the kids learn more about them, and special plaques feature information about their traditional uses and both their Ngarrindjeri and common botanical names,” Paul said.
Stacey Fife and Barbary O'Brien are assisting in the signage, artwork and planting.
Achievements
Paul said the project had prompted members of the younger and older generations to reconnect with their past.
“Some of the children had never even seen the place so they have learnt a lot about their roots,” Paul said. “Many of the elders enjoy meeting at Crockery Bay to just sit and talk about old times, and it's a special place for women to bring their babies.”
More information
- Paul Minards, Basham's Beach and Horseshoe Bay Advisory Committee: (08) 8554 2732 or pminards@bigpond.net.au
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