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This link is intended as a teaching and learning resource
for students and teachers, and is of particular relevance to
those in the Manly area.
1. Who Lived in Australia before British Colonisation?
2. What were Aboriginal people in the Sydney region called?
3. What were the Aboriginal people in the Manly district called?
4. Who was Captain James Cook?
5. Who were Governor Arthur Phillip and the First Fleet?
6. What native animals and birds were found in Australia when
the First Fleet arrived?
7. How did Aboriginal people and the first white settlers
communicate with each other?
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1.
Who Lived in Australia before British Colonisation?
Aboriginal people have been living in Australia for 80,000 years. European
people arrived here only around 200 years ago.
Draw a chalk line on the playground that is 4 metres long.
This line shows the length of time that Aboriginal peoples have been living in
Australia. Mark the last centimetre of your line. This one centimetre represents
the time Australia has been settled by white people.
*Begin your own Journal “Our Fleeting Past” and add your sketches, fact files,
diary entries and ideas as you read and research. Your journal could be
electronic in the form of a Powerpoint document, other multimedia presentation
style or in a scrapbook.
*Create a list of Aboriginal words which are places in your local area such as
“Curl Curl”.
*As you are reading the information about Aboriginal people make a fact file in
your journal.
2. What were Aboriginal people in the Sydney region called?
In the Sydney region the Aboriginal people with their rich culture, art and
spiritual beliefs called themselves EORA which means ‘the people’.
What tools and weapons were used by the Eora People?
Aboriginal people used many different tools and weapons for carrying, making
equipment and for other purposes. Tools such as stone hatchets, spears for
fishing and hunting and torches were written about by colonists, and
archaeological evidence of bone, shell and stone has been found in the Sydney
region.
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What Art Work did the Eora people do?
For thousands of years Aboriginal people of Sydney Harbour have been carving
the image of the whale into sandstone rock. Aboriginal rock engravings can be
found at many locations around Sydney. Aboriginal Rock Engravings by Peter
Stanbury and John Clegg with poems by David Campbell, can be found at Manly
Library LS W 709.0113. This book is a guide to the remaining carvings which are
outlines representing sky heroes, men and women, clubs, shields, whales,
sharks, fish , kangaroos, echidnas, birds and lizards.
What clothing was worn by the Eora People?
As protection from rain it is believed that Aboriginal people wore possum skins or
bark as coats.
Canoes
The sturdiness of the canoes pictured below allowed Aboriginal people to travel
outside the Sydney Heads in the ocean. When near the shore a stone tied to
fishing line was used as an anchor.
Port Jackson Painter, bark canoes of Port Jackson, c1790.
Aboriginal canoes were sketched and described on a number of occasions in the
early years of white settlement. William Bradley commented that those he saw at
Spring Cove were made from ‘bark taken off a large tree of the length they want
to make the canoe’. This was then ‘gathered up at each end and secured by a
lashing of strong vine which runs amongst the underbrush.’
To prevent the
canoe from caving in, ‘spreaders’ were then fixed on the inside.
Photo and text by Pauline Curby Seven Miles from Sydney p15
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How did Eora People and the first white settlers communicate with each
other?
Governor Phillip (given this title because he governed the colony) was keen to
learn about the Aboriginal people and their language. He persevered in getting to
know and communicating with particular Aboriginal men, notably Arabanoo and
Bennelong. (Read more about them further on.)
Eora – Mapping Aboriginal Sydney 1770-1850 State Library of New South Wales
(www.atmitchell.com) is “an exhibition which is for all Australians to understand
more about the richness, history and significance of the Sydney landscape.”
(Wilma Norris, Acting State Librarian & Chief Executive).
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3.
What were Aboriginal people in the Manly district called?
The Aboriginal people of Manly beach were known as the Cannalgal.
The Cannalgal people who lived in the Manly district which they called ‘Kay-yemy’, “fished in the pure sparking waters, gathered food in the dunes and
swamps and hunted in the Eucalypt forests and open heath country”. (Curby
2001, p11)
How did the Cannalgal People find shelter and food?
Manly beach Aboriginals were hunter-gatherers and chose campsites which
would shelter them from the weather. They also needed access to plants,
animals and raw materials. Oysters and fish were their main foods although if
these were not available they would eat kangaroo, berries, yams and honey. The
Aboriginal people of Manly fished from Sydney Harbour and lived in huts made
from bark, branches, bushes and leaves, in rock shelters and hollowed out trees.
Middens or deposits of shells and bones have been found at North Head.
Middens: are defined as prehistoric refuse-heaps usually
consisting of bones and shells. In the Australian context
middens are usually found on the coast. These middens are the
refuse-heaps left by Aboriginal people after they had feasted on coastal shellfish
and oysters. Middens often cover large areas and are very deep attesting to their
use over decades.
The midden illustrated is situated in Boodjamulla National Park. This midden is
composed of freshwater mussel shells (Alathyria sp.) known as Malumalu in the
local Waanyi language. This is an unusual midden because it is situated near
freshwater. The midden is situated close to the creek that flows through a sacred
gorge in the National Park and is near a rock art site.
Saltwater people are the Aboriginal people of the coastal areas of Manly,
Warringah and Pittwater.
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Why was North Head important to saltwater people?
Find out in The Tale of A Whale by Emma Lee. This book tells the story of how
the Northern Beaches show us that Aboriginal people lived here and that
reminders of their culture are all around us. The Tale of a Whale by Emma Lee
can be located at LS994.01 Manly Library.
Are there any Cannalgal people living in Manly today?
The Aboriginal people of Manly died or moved away after the arrival of
Europeans in 1788 because of diseases such as small pox and influenza which
had not existed in Aboriginal communities before. As well they may have died
from being shot at and because their food supplies such as fish and local plants
and animals were no longer as readily available. The new settlers built on land
near the coast which had been pathways to the sea where the Guringai people
fished, hunted and gathered their food.
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4.
Who was Captain James Cook?
Visit the website below to learn about the journey of Captain James Cook as he
circumnavigated the earth over three years in the ship called The Endeavour. It
was during this voyage that Cook mapped the east coast of Australia. Captain
Cook believed that Botany Bay, Sydney, N.S.W would be a suitable place for
sending convicts from England.
http://www.nla.gov.au/pub/endeavour/maps/voyage.html
Captain James Cook and Sir Joseph Banks landed at Botany Bay in 1770. To
visit where they stepped from their ship, the Endeavour, visit Botany Bay National
Park. To learn about the flora and fauna of North Head which was observed by
Sir
Joseph
Banks,
visit
Environment
-
Flora
and
Fauna
at
http://www.manly.nsw.gov.au
Visual Arts
On one of Cook’s voyages to the Pacific, a team of botanists led by Joseph
Banks made sketches, notes and watercolours of plants collected from wherever
the ship struck land. One of the artists was Sydney Parkinson, who worked on
the botanical illustrations. He made many drawings and water colours,
completing 264 paintings and more than 900 drawings.
*Look at examples of botanical drawings and paintings at the following sites:
http://www.jbanks.com/
http://www.anbg.gov.au/gallery/colour.html
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The Woody Pear was one of the first Sydney plants known to botanical science.
Joseph Banks would have studied and sketched it in 1770.
*Find a picture of the Woody Pear and draw a pencil sketch of it.
*Sketch a bandicoot and a blue tongue lizard, which are endangered but would
have been plentiful in the time of Banks and Cook.
*Find a flower, leaf or part of a plant and make a realistic drawing from
observation.
Use pencils, coloured pencils and fine point pens.
Write on your drawing to explain colour, texture, aroma and where the plant was
growing. Add colour if necessary.
Paste your botanical drawing into your journal. For example:
Eucalyptus ficifolia - Red Flowering Gum
Artist: May Gibbs (1877-1969) from: the collection of the Art Gallery of Western Australia.
Painted: 1902
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5.
Who were Governor Arthur Phillip and the First Fleet?
H.S.I.E (Human Society and Its Environment)
In January 1788 the First Fleet arrived from England with two naval vessels, six
transports and three store ships. The journey from London, England had taken
the voyagers eight months. The First Fleet settled at Port Jackson rather than
Botany Bay because it had fresh water (the Tank Stream) and a beautiful
harbour.
*Use library books to read about the First Fleet.
1. Why do you think that convicts were sent from England?
2. What would be some of the problems you would have if you were on a
ship over two hundred years ago, cramped up with many other
passengers for so many months?
3. How do you think the convicts, Captain Phillip, and the officers felt on
arrival in Sydney?
*Find out the names of the convicts who travelled to Sydney by visiting
http://www.canb.auug.org.au/~pdownes/dps/1stflt.htm
*Pretend you are a convict and have committed an offence such as stealing a
loaf of bread.
*Write a diary entry about your life on one of the ships and when you first arrived.
The Supply, which travelled from England to Australia in the First Fleet
http://home.vicnet.net.au/~firstff/welcome.htm
Read about the ships and the story of the First Fleet at the website above.
If you are interested in shipwrecks you can find information in the Shipwreck
pamphlet box at Manly Library in Local Studies.
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*Draw or get a picture of the Centurion, a sailing ship which in 1887 was wrecked
near North Head.
“The 63m Centurion with a cargo of black coal struck North head in a squall on
16th January 1887 while leaving Sydney Harbour undertow. The crew escaped
but the Centurion drifted into the harbour and sank about 300 metres west south
west from the Quarantine Station.
“Her remains which lie buried in the silty, harbour floor include the hull, some
deck frames, sections of the masts, anchor chain and other fastenings.”
This information is taken from the website:
http://www.heritage.nsw.gov.au/docs/mediareleases/shipwreckplaque.pdf
*Write in your journal why you think that boats may have found it difficult to
navigate around North Head.
The following website will show you underwater video footage of shipwrecks and
sea creatures: http://maritime.heritage.nsw.gov.au/public/videolist.cfm
*List as many changes to the environment of Sydney Harbour as a result of the
settlement of the First fleet as you can. For example: chopping down trees,
building huts near the waterways, paddocks for the farm animals and use of fresh
water.
*Explain why all these changes would have changed the Sydney Harbour
environment in the first few years of white settlement.
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6.
What native animals and birds were found in Australia
when the First Fleet arrived?
Science
*Brainstorm and list as many Australian native animals and birds such as
kangaroos, wombats and kookaburras as you can.
*Visit Manly Library, Level one, and find books to research native animals.
(Dewey number: 590)
*Selectt one native animal to research:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
What is its name?
What does it look like? (find a large picture of it) http://australia.animals.net/
Where does it live?
What does it eat?
What are its predators?
How does it protect itself?
7. How did Aboriginal people and the first white settlers
communicate with each other?
Governor Phillip, (given this title because he governed the colony), was keen to
learn about the Aboriginal people and their language.
He spent time with
particular Aboriginal men to do this.
ARABANOO, an Aboriginal man of about thirty years old at the time, was
captured in 1788 at the order of Governor Phillip. He did communicate much of
Aboriginal custom and language to Governor Phillip but he became ill with small
pox several months afterwards and died.
BENNELONG (1764?-1813) was an Aboriginal captured in 1789 by Governor
Phillip’s men so that the English could discover more about the Aboriginal
culture. Bennelong escaped the following year and had not been seen for several
months until one day he was spotted at Manly Cove. A whale had been speared
and many Aboriginals were gathered on the beach. As Bennelong introduced
another Aboriginal to Phillip, the Aboriginal, who wasn’t sure why Phillip had
stretched out his arms in a gesture of greeting, threw a spear at Phillip. Though
the spear went through Phillip’s shoulder and out the other side the Governor
survived.
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Bennelong spent some years living in the colony in a house built for him by Phillip
at Bennelong point where the Opera House stands today. He travelled to
England with Phillip to be presented to King George 11 in 1792. Bennelong
returned to Sydney with the next Governor, Hunter, but his life became very
difficult as he was now, not fully accepted by either the English or the Aboriginal
people.
PEMULWUY was another famous Aboriginal who
was born near Botany Bay and whose name means “earth” in his Dharug
language. Pemulwuy is said to have been thought by colonists as “’a most active
enemy to the settlers, plundering them of their property, and endangering their
personal safety'. Raids were made for food, particularly corn, or as 'payback' for
atrocities: Collins suggested that most of the attacks were the result of the
settlers' 'own misconduct', including the kidnapping of Aboriginal children. “
An Eora man called BUNGAREE was described for his good disposition and
manly conduct. In 1815, he was given land, and huts were erected for him and
his people at George’s Head. Earlier, in 1802-03 Bungaree became the first
Australian to circumnavigate the continent with Matthew Flinders in the
Investigator.
For more information about Bungaree go to:
http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/flinders/biographies/bungaree.html
http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A010022b.htm
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The website above is The Australian Dictionary of Biography. At this website
further information about Arabanoo, Bennelong, Pemulwuy and Bangaree can be
located.
*Read about the stories of these three Aboriginal people and retell their stories in
your journal.
*Try to find more information in books at Manly Council Library on level one at:
LS994 and LSW994.
Aboriginal people did not have any resistance to the diseases that the people of
the First Fleet carried. Small pox, influenza and measles were just some of the
diseases that killed many Aboriginal people. At times half of the people in the
Aboriginal communities died and many were women and children.
*Imagine what it would be like if half the people you know became ill and died.
*What would happen to the community?
*How would the community continue to function?
*What happened to the surviving people?
*Present findings in you journal.
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Further Reading
If you would like to read stories (historical fiction) which were set during the times
of the First Fleet and into the 1800’s here are some titles.
My Place by Nadia Wheatley
Daughter of the Regiment by Jackie French
Beyond the Boundaries by Jackie French
Walking the Boundaries by Jackie French
Ghost Boy by Felicity Pulman
At the Manly Council website, http://www.manly.nsw.gov.au, you can find a link to
information on the Quarantine Station where Ghost Boy is set.
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Playing Beatie Bow by Ruth Park
(set later, in 1873, and gives excellent understanding of the transport, dress and
lifestyle of the times in the Rocks, Sydney.)
References for Early Manly History for Primary Students
Curby, P., Seven Miles from Sydney: A History of Manly. Manly Council.
Headland Press, Brookvale Sydney, 2001.
Stanbury, P. & Clegg J., Aboriginal Rock Engravings. Sydney University Press,
Australia, 1990.
Lee, E., The Tale of a Whale. Metropolitan Local Aboriginal land Council, 2002.
Attenbrow, V., Sydney’s Aboriginal Past. UNSW, Sydney, 2002.
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