Biodiversity Strategy - Gosford City Council - NSW Government
Biodiversity Strategy - Gosford City Council - NSW Government Biodiversity Strategy - Gosford City Council - NSW Government
Figure 4.5 Median Rainfall recorded at Kulnura, Peats Ridge and Gosford weather stations. Source: Commonwealth Bureau of Meteorology at http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/. A - 4.6 Catchment Boundaries Gosford City sits within two catchment management authority areas, these are the Hawkesbury Nepean and the Hunter Central Rivers. A - 4.7 Aboriginal History Today Aboriginal people from a number of groups such as the Darkinjung live in the Gosford area. Their ancestors are thought to have inhabited the Central Coast area for around 6,000 years prior to European settlement. Ross (1990) identifies a number of tribes in the Gosford area at the time of European contact, these were the Dharginung (or Darkinjung) to the west on the plateau area and the Guringai tribe (or Eora) in the eastern coastal area. The Guringai are thought to have occupied an area that reached as far north as the lower shores of Port Macquarie and to the south to Port Hacking. The Dharug tribe occupied the areas to the southwest on the Cumberland Plain and around Spencer on the upper reaches of the Hawkesbury. The boundary between the Dharug and Guringai tribes may have been a ridgeline adjacent to Mangrove Creek (Ross 1990). Early explorers describe a subsistence living with scarce food resources, especially fish in winter. However, there were sufficient local resources that the indigenous peoples did not need to travel long distances to search for food. The Guringai people lived a subsistence life focused on shellfish and seafood, occasionally catching possums, birds and reptiles as well as local plants. Records of the diet of the Guringai show that the fish consumed included jewfish, snapper, mullet, mackeral, whiting, dory, rockcod, leatherjacket. Shellfish such as crayfish, lobster were caught in traps and oyster, mussels and cockles collected (Ross 1990). Much of this knowledge comes from the analysis of middens around Sydney Harbour and at Angophora Reserve at Bilgola. The Darkinjung tribes further inland relied on hunting or trapping of small marsupials, digging yams and other vegetables (GCC library website). Historical records show that the tribes would meet to hold large ceremonial gatherings from time to time, often coinciding with a whale beaching. Plants eaten included figs, the fruit of cycads and fern roots. Biodiversity - Technical Report Page 89
Kangaroo, possums, flying squirrels (probably gliders) and parrots were also consumed. Swamps may have been valuable for food resources such as eels, fish and shellfish and would have supplemented a diet of possums and kangaroos. Wood duck, chestnut teal, brown quail, black duck and black swans were all found on the Hawkesbury and were hunted. Grubs and lizards were also eaten. Tools used by the men included hunting spears tipped with fish teeth or fish bones, a multi pronged "fish gig", boomerang, stone hatchet and net bags. Women carried fish hooks and line. The sandstone caves that occur extensively in the area were used for hand stenciling and painting and the rock plateaus for rock engravings and tool sharpening. The tribes appeared to have been thinly distributed and to have been markedly affected by European settlement. A census undertaken by the local magistrate Willoughby Bean in 1828 found only five family groups with a total of 65 people. With the plateau added total family groups for the area would be around 12 with a total population of 360. This declined quickly due to smallpox introduced by the white explorers. An 1848 census recorded about 50 aborigines and by 1974 this was reduced to 13 (Fisher 1997). A - 4.8 European Settlement Captain Cook sailed north from Botany Bay on May 7th 1770 and named Broken Bay and Cape Three Points (Bouddi Peninsular). Governor Phillip made two exploratory trips to the area on 2 nd March 1788 and 5th June 1789 looking for reliable supplies of food and water for the new colony at Sydney Cove. On the first vi sit Phillip briefly explored both sides of Broken Bay, discovering the Hawkesbury River and a tributary of Broken Bay that was known as the ‘north-west’ arm (later called the ‘north-east arm’ and now known as Brisbane Water). During his second visit, Phillip made a more extensive investigation of this arm of Broken Bay (GGC library). However it was discounted for agricultural use because of its rugged topography and Phillip reported that it was difficult for boat access. The Brisbane Water area remained unsettled for a considerable time due to these constraints. Also fertile land existed along the Hawkesbury and there was better boat access to these areas. The construction of the Great North Road from Dural by convicts in (date) in the north western part of Sydney to Wollombi in the Hunter Valley via Wiseman's Ferry also focused travel away from the Central Coast. The Hawkesbury River became the lifeblood of the area as it provided boat access and settlement occurred along it. Logging and boat building industries became established and most of the timber was sent to Sydney by boat. Blue gum, blackbutt and ironbark were logged from open forests, while turpentine and cedar were logged from closed forest areas. Settlement of the Gosford district also began along the areas that were accessible by water, Brisbane Water and Mangrove Creek. The shores tended to be occupied by small settlers including ex-convicts whilst the timbered country on Erina and Narara Creeks was dominated by the gentry (GCC library). The first land grant on the Central Coast was at Orange Grove and was made to James Webb in 1824. He commenced grazing but later turned to timber and ship building. Other settlers managed to produce agricultural produce, with crops including citrus grown in the Wyoming area. Corn and onions were grown in 1825 around Saratoga and around the 1830s tobacco, sugar and bananas were grown at Gosford and Point Clare. The area was however generally considered to be poor agricultural land. Timber getting remained the primary industry for the area but a secondary industry of shipbuilding using local timber became established and continued into the 20th century. A local ship building industry developed in Gosford with the first boat built at Saratoga. The best known shipbuilding family was the Davis family and family members established businesses in Biodiversity - Technical Report Page 90
- Page 41 and 42: A - 2.0 LEGISLATIVE CONTEXT The dev
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Figure 4.5 Median Rainfall recorded at Kulnura, Peats Ridge and <strong>Gosford</strong> weather stations. Source:<br />
Commonwealth Bureau of Meteorology at http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/.<br />
A - 4.6<br />
Catchment Boundaries<br />
<strong>Gosford</strong> <strong>City</strong> sits within two catchment management authority areas, these are the Hawkesbury<br />
Nepean and the Hunter Central Rivers.<br />
A - 4.7<br />
Aboriginal History<br />
Today Aboriginal people from a number of groups such as the Darkinjung live in the <strong>Gosford</strong><br />
area.<br />
Their ancestors are thought to have inhabited the Central Coast area for around 6,000 years<br />
prior to European settlement. Ross (1990) identifies a number of tribes in the <strong>Gosford</strong> area at<br />
the time of European contact, these were the Dharginung (or Darkinjung) to the west on the<br />
plateau area and the Guringai tribe (or Eora) in the eastern coastal area. The Guringai are<br />
thought to have occupied an area that reached as far north as the lower shores of Port<br />
Macquarie and to the south to Port Hacking. The Dharug tribe occupied the areas to the<br />
southwest on the Cumberland Plain and around Spencer on the upper reaches of the<br />
Hawkesbury. The boundary between the Dharug and Guringai tribes may have been a ridgeline<br />
adjacent to Mangrove Creek (Ross 1990).<br />
Early explorers describe a subsistence living with scarce food resources, especially fish in<br />
winter. However, there were sufficient local resources that the indigenous peoples did not need<br />
to travel long distances to search for food. The Guringai people lived a subsistence life focused<br />
on shellfish and seafood, occasionally catching possums, birds and reptiles as well as local<br />
plants. Records of the diet of the Guringai show that the fish consumed included jewfish,<br />
snapper, mullet, mackeral, whiting, dory, rockcod, leatherjacket. Shellfish such as crayfish,<br />
lobster were caught in traps and oyster, mussels and cockles collected (Ross 1990). Much of<br />
this knowledge comes from the analysis of middens around Sydney Harbour and at Angophora<br />
Reserve at Bilgola. The Darkinjung tribes further inland relied on hunting or trapping of small<br />
marsupials, digging yams and other vegetables (GCC library website). Historical records show<br />
that the tribes would meet to hold large ceremonial gatherings from time to time, often<br />
coinciding with a whale beaching. Plants eaten included figs, the fruit of cycads and fern roots.<br />
<strong>Biodiversity</strong> - Technical Report Page 89