Kukenarup Memorial Site and Walk Trail
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Just outside Ravensthorpe is a memorial walk trail. This short trail is worth stopping at to read the sign boards scattered along the short walk.
It commemorates a massacre that happened in the 1880's by early white settlers but today stands as a both a reminder of past injustices and as a way of reconciliation and acknowledging past wrongs by both sides.
The purpose is just to speak the truth and is one of only a handful of memorial sites to acknowledge a local massacre and to promote reconciliation. The signage has quotes from various Noongar community members.
The site is not far from the original homestead which was built in 1860's by the Dunn brothers, some of the first settlers in the region.
The memorial features walitj wings (wedge tail eagle) in recognition of its role as a totem and carer of the spirits of the deceased and of the gnow (mallee fowl) as another significant totemic creature for the area. On passing through the walitj wings you are met by a sign with the words of Annie Dabb, an Elder with ties to the area. "Now our ancestors' restless spirits can sleep peacefully knowing they are not forgotten and their ordeal is recognized and acknowledged. Through our Past our future grows strong".
The memorial is located 15 kilometres west of Ravensthorpe on the South Coast Highway and is a public accessible place.
There is a picnic table but no other facilities onsite.
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198487 - 2023-06-16 04:37:59