Aboriginal Heritage: water everyone's future

environmental damage, woronora, plateau, rivers, creeks, swamps, catchments, longwall, mining, indigenous, aboriginal, rights, heritage,
o'hares, georges, cataract, nepean, bhp billiton, illawarra coal

Message to the people of Sydney, Southern Highlands, Sutherland Shire and the Illawarra

Allan Carriage featured in the banner above is an elder of the Wadi Wadi people. The Wadi Wadi tribe who along with three other aboriginal tribes come from the Illawarra Region of NSW are the traditional owners of the Woronora Plateau, its rivers, creeks, swamps and catchments.

In the banner Allan is viewing cracks caused by longwall mining in one of two caves located in the walls of a gorge which is home to Simpsons Creek, the creek is located west of Appin. The two caves were home to the four tribes in the past.

With Macarthur Bushwalkers assistance Allan has decided to develop this website in a bid to warn the public of the environmental damage and destruction planned by the mining industry to the water sources found on the Woronora Plateau.

Authorised by the NSW State Government severe damage has already occurred

Allan's view is that life on the Woronora will dramatically change if better methods of protecting the environment against longwall mining aren't adopted. Allan has seen massive damage wrought on the rivers and creeks of his tribal lands by the mining industry. He feels that not only the flora and fauna will suffer, so will the people of Sydney, Southern Highlands, Sutherland Shire and the Illawarra.

As the mining industry expands its operations under the Woronora Plateau and Dharawal State Recreation Area (SRA) the water supply will decrease by disappearing through cracks in the rock under the swamps, creeks and rivers. These cracks are caused by the mining industries longwall mining process. The responsibility for protecting our environment against such damage rests with the NSW government which seems incapable of developing guidelines and legislation to control the activities of the mining industry.

The mining industry reaps the benefits - you count the cost

It seems the mining industry can damage our environment with impunity, reap the financial rewards and walk away scot free without cleaning up their mess. The cleaning up is left for you, the NSW tax payer.

The need to be aware of our environment

We Australians, aboriginal and non-aboriginal alike need to be aware of the environment we live in and how to protect it.
In the past Australian aborigines were a nomadic people through necessity which guaranteed protection of our environment. We learned through trial and error how to use this land without destroying it. We journeyed from location to location in the search for food and water.

Artifacts
Sacred Sites

Simpson's Creek, Whale Cave - sacred sites on the Woronora plateau

• Simpson's Creek - undermined by BHP Billiton illawarra Coal
• Whale Cave - undermined by BHP Billiton Illawarra Coal
• Waratah Rivulet Camp Site - Giant Emu, sandstone irrigation, sharpening grooves, ceremonial marking, new cracks fro longwall mining

Catchments
Creeks
Rivers

O'Hares Creek, Waratah Rivulet, Georges River- Dry creeks and river beds

• Waratah Rivulet - Peabody Pacific owns the Metropolitan Colliery that is mining under the Waratah Rivulet.
• When the river runs dry
• O'Hares Creek - area longwall mined by Illawarra Coal

Sydney's Water Supply

Sydney Catchment Authorities Upper Canal

• Simpson's Creek Upper Canal - undermined in the 90's by BHP Billiton illawarra Coal and adjacent to the Illawarra Coal's Dendrobium mine.

Damage to aboriginal sacred sites - loss of water in Simpsons Creek near Appin

The damage to Simpson's Creek is typical of the increasing damage being discovered on the creeks and river systems of the Woronora Plateau and its catchments. At one time Simpsons Creek was part of the Nepean River catchment and the Sydney water supply.

The water which once flowed past the two caves and helped sustain the Wadi Wadi people of the past has now gone, disappearing down cracks in the badly fractured creek bed. Some of the cracks are now overgrown with grass.

The second cave further downstream is collapsing and the creek bed and walls of the gorges are badly damaged for hundreds of metres. Our initial impression was of a major storm traveling down the creek because of the fallen trees and boulders.

Whale cave rock art

This cave was a meeting place, a sacred site, a place to live, an art gallery, it has great spiritual significance to the Wadi Wadi people.

One wonders how the people of Sydney would react either of St Andrews or St Mary's Cathedrals were treated in such a way. There would be a huge outcry if this were to happen to the State Library or one of Sydneys museums or art galleries.

Visit - Whale Cave Page to see the true extent of the damage.

One must ask how damage of this magnitude can take place and not be publicised. Allan informed us that there were politicians and mining executives who were made aware of the damage but little has been published about either the Whale Cave or Simpsons Creek.

Marhnyes Hole near Appin on the Upper Georges River was also smashed by BHP Billiton Illawarra Coal. The company grouted the cracks but the grout is now failing.

The Woronora Plateau and its catchments

O'Hares Creek and the Upper Georges River, both tributaries of Georges River lost their water flow for long periods of time in 2010, both now flow only after rain. The Woolwash where both tributaries merge are recorded on photograph by the Macarthur Bushwalkers with water levels dropping over 300 mm in a two week period during May 2010. All water flow had ceased leaving the river bed exposed.

The Cataract River, also located on the Woronora Plateau is documented as having stopped flowing at least twenty times in recent years.

The Waratah Rivulet also has a river bed badly smashed by longwall mining, it is reported that water flows only after rain. Exactly the same circumstances as Georges Rivers O'Hares Creek and Upper Catchment from Cataract through Appin

Federal and state legal system systems

The Australian government and its legal system does not recognise the importance of the long term damage to the rain forests, creeks, estuaries and waterways of Australia's indigenous people. In doing so their history and culture is being destroyed by the race to gain wealth from the mining of coal and other minerals.

To deliberately and knowingly destroy the history and culture of a people who first appeared in Australia over 65,000 years ago could be seen as a form of genocide.

It is sheer arrogance and stupidity to ignore the expertise and local knowledge of those same people. The mining industry has certainly failed despite their so called expertise. The NSW government has also ignored the scientific bodies who they set up to advise them on such matters.

Longwall mining - our biggest challenge

Each and everyone of us now faces an even even bigger challenge. The challenge of longwall mining and the greed brought about by the discovery of minerals, in particular coal.

The open cast coal mines of the Hunter Valley and elsewhere have created gaping sores on our landscapes for long periods of time which often affect our rivers. The mining industry boasts of the amount of rock which will be removed and the minerals which they can profit from, even the size of the holes they will dig.
They do not however boast of the amount of water they will use in their mining process nor its source.

Australian Aborigine: The Greatest Migration in History

Research now shows that approximately 70,000 years ago when the sea levels were low a small number of people migrated from Africa's Great Rift Valley. They crossed the Red Sea from Ethiopia into Yemen then spread out through the middle east into Europe, Asia and North America. Within 2 to 3,000 years of leaving Africa these people had journeyed through the Middle East, India, Asia, down through Indonesia to the North Coast of Australia.

Some Northern Aboriginal tribes have left rock paintings which can be seen today showing their place of origin to the north.

This would have to be the one of the greatest migrations in history.

Many of the aboriginal tribes believe that they have been in Australia from the very beginning which after 65,000 years is pretty close to the truth. It appears that no other race on this planet has adhered to their history and culture like Australia's indigenous people.

The very same people whose culture and history is now rapidly being lost thanks to longwall mining and the blinkered vision of the NSW government and its inept politicians.

Please visit the Australian Aboriginal history timeline

Australian Aboriginal history is the only history that grows both ways - forward into the present and backwards into the past as new scientific methods indicate that archaeological sites are much older than originally thought.

Wadi Wadi tribe

When rivers run dry

As you sit in your car in slow moving traffic, await your turn in a hospital waiting room, wait for your train which is running late or are confused by the constant education system issues you might wonder if it can get any worse. The answer is YES! It can get worse.

As Australia's population expands to a planned 30 million of more, where are the resources to support them?.

In recent years we have had water restrictions, in the future it is likely that those restrictions may get worse. Imagine queuing in Sydneys streets with plastic containers for your drinking water or to collect washing water.

Only you, the people of NSW and Sydney can change this scenario. We have an inept, immoral, irresponsible government that is willing to sacrifice your rights for the dollar and to keep their jobs.

The Rudd government have proved beyond doubt with their mining tax that dealing with the multi-national mining companies should be left to the Federal Government. State governments do not have the resources, strength and experience to deal with these multi nationals.

Please visit:

• Macarthur Bushwalkers - Bushwalking, cycling and Project Georges River Macarthur.
• Project Georges River Macarthur - Photographic record of environmental damage inflicted on the Woronora Catchment and Sydneys water supply by the mining industry.

View the Sydney dam levels

The rivers which start on the Woronora plateau affect the people of Macarthur, Southern Highlands, Illawarra, Sutherland Shire, Penrith, Campbelltown and Sydney.

Affected dams are the Avon, Cataract, Cordeaux, Nepean, Warragamba and Woronora.

This link will take you to I Live In Sydney.com where you can view Current Sydney Dam levels and current statistics

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