Listen to stories of Dyarubbin / The Hawkesbury River and original music & song they have inspired as you walk along the river on Swallow Rock Reach Walking Trail & through the grounds of Ebenezer Church, NSW, Australia..or from the comfort of wherever you are.
At the start of the trail, we are in one of the last remains of tall river flat forest which once covered Dyarubbin’s banks. Dharug educator Rhiannon Wright is our guide as we see how the river here is returning into a gorge and hear how this part of the river is a sacred zone to the Dharug. Nearby are significant places relating to the dreaming story of Gurangadj, the Great Eel.
In 1799, Dharug warriors drove out the first colonisers to take land here, but in 1803 a second wave of colonisers came out together on the ship the Coromandel. At the beach we hear of their arrival, and the community that formed around them, building the Church & School here. We learn of funeral processions and travel along the river.
We hear of the deterioration of the rivers ecology, water quality & water supply since settlement. We learn how the geology of the area affects flooding and the impact of flooding on river farms. At the old Ebenezer Wharf, we learn of the cargo, grocery and passenger boats which once plied the river.
WALKING DIRECTIONS:
From Swallow Rock Reach carpark, Coromandel Rd. Ebenezer, we follow the path down to the landing beach,
& continue along the walking trail to the end of Ebenezer Wharf Rd (providing the trail is open and safe)
We return along the trail and walk up the road stopping in at the Quarry site, then continue up the hill and across Coromandel Rd to the Old Tree. We walk through the grounds of Ebenezer Church and along the river,
before returning to where we started
GUESTS: (In order of appearance
Grace Karskens, Emeritus Professor of History at the Univeristy of NSW & author “People of the River"
Jan Barkley-Jack, Historian & author "Hawkesbury Settlement Revealed”,
Gil Jones, Geologist & Author ‘Wasteland, Wilderness Wonderland’
Leanne Mulgo Watson, Dharug artist
Erin Wilkins, Dharug educator
Jasmine Seymour, Dharug artist, writer & educator
Ted Brill, former Principal, Ebenezer Public School, local historian & member of Ebenezer Church
Robyn Peek, Educator, Brewongle Environmental Education Centre
Michael Kemp, Hawkesbury local & descendant of Peter Kemp, Arndell & Stubbs
Rebecca Turnbull, Curator Hawkesbury Regional Museum & descendant of John Turnbull
Harold Hall, former Hawkesbury farmer & descendant George Hall, (Courtesy Historian Sue Rosen 1992)
Wal Jones, former Captain of the Livingstone & Surprise II,
(Courtesy of Hawkesbury Voices, Hawkesbury Library Service 1984.)
Athol Kemp, former Hawkesbury farmer & descendant of Peter Kemp, (Courtesy Historian Sue Rosen 1992)
Arndell & Stubbs, (Courtesy Historian Sue Rosen 1992)
Dr Ian Wright, Associate Professor, Environmental Science, Western Sydney University
Basant Maheswari, Professor, School of Science, Western Sydney University
Tom Hubble, Associate Professor of Geology, University of Sydney
ARTWORK:
Marri Badu Muru © Leanne Mulgo Watson 2022
MUSIC: “11 Stories from the River Dyarubbin”
© Oonagh Sherrard, with Dharug songs © Jasmine Seymour and © Stacy Jane Etal.
Musicians: Dimitri Vouros, Gary Daley, Jess Ciampa, Jasmine Seymour, Stacy Jane Etal, Oonagh Sherrard
ABOUT:
11 Stories from the River Dyarubbin is 11 audio walks along Dyarubbin - a collaborative public art work led by composer/ producer Oonagh Sherrard with Hawkesbury Regional Museum, Dharug Custodian Aboriginal
Corporation, WSU Sustainable Futures and Hawkesbury Historical Society.
Created with support from the NSW Government through Create NSW, Museums & Galleries NSW and assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council.
https://www.hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au/museum/historical-walks/11-stories-from-the-river-dyarubbin
WATCH EPISODE ON YOU TUBE:
https://youtu.be/AaDpZve6pwM
