The Rocks Dreaming Aboriginal Heritage Walking Tour with Dreamtime Southern X Sydney

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The beautiful Sydney Harbour always impresses whether you are new to the city or have lived here your whole life. The glistening harbour, the famed Bridge and Opera House and the heritage streets and buildings of The Rocks are all Sydney icons we know and love. But have you ever thought about the landscape and stories behind our modern city, in particular, the Aboriginal stories of this area?

While it's obvious that the Sydney Harbour foreshore of today looks nothing like it did pre-1788, you may be surprised to discover remnants of the pre-colonial natural environment still exist in our modern city. All it takes is the knowledge of what to look for and where to find it.



The Rocks Dreaming Aboriginal Heritage Walking Tour with Dreamtime Southern X offers a 90-minute walking tour of The Rocks with an Aboriginal guide. On this tour, you will hear the stories of the most ancient human culture on Earth and discover how the Sydney landscape - the harbour, marine environment, flora and fauna - influenced how Aboriginal people lived in this area.

The tour meets at Cadmans Cottage, located right next to the Museum of Contemporary Art at Circular Quay. It was here I met my guide, James, who introduced himself by saying hello in the Gadigal language of the Sydney Aboriginal people. I was also anointed with some ochre on my left wrist as a sign of respect which was a gracious gesture.



The tour begins with an introduction about the diversity of Aboriginal Australia, illustrated by the indigenous map our guide has, which marks out over 500 different clan groups around the continent. We are also told the story of creation in Aboriginal Dreaming and how the landforms were created. James goes on to explain about the importance of totems - both plants and animals - to all Aboriginal people.

From here, the walking tour progresses, across George Street and into the laneways of The Rocks. We then climb up the Argyle Stairs and walk down to Dawes Point, underneath the Harbour Bridge, before returning along the foreshore back to Cadmans Cottage. We stop several times along the way as James points out plants, buildings and other items of interest.



During the tour you will:


The pace of the tour is leisurely and the 90 minutes just flies by. James was happy to share his own stories with me and happy to answer any questions I had. For me, the tour was interesting, informative and surprising. I learnt a few things that I hadn't known before and I will definitely look at our modern city in a different light, and with a new understanding from now on.



This tour has been developed by Aboriginal Elder Margret Campbell and is led by Aboriginal guides who have permission to share these stories.

Bookings for the The Rocks Dreaming Aboriginal Heritage Walking Tour with Dreamtime Southern X can be made through the FAMLY App.

FAMLY is Australia's first online and mobile app helping families discover, search for and book fun, unique and engaging activities for pregnancy, kids and parents.

You can find out more about FAMLY on their website here or follow on Facebook.

To make a booking for this tour, please click here.

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Why? Discover Aboriginal stories of Sydney Harbour & The Rocks

When: Daily at 10.30am Bookings essential

Phone: 02 9517 4390

Website: www.dreamtimesouthernx.com.au

Where: The Rocks

Cost: $44 per person

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