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The
Grampians
National
Park.
Koorie
rock
paintings
are
rare
in
Victoria
and
Australia.
But
not
in
The
Grampians
National
Park.
Five
thousand
years
ago,
the
Koories
who
roamed
the
well
stocked
hunting
ground
surrounding
Gariwerd
as
the
mountain
range
was
known
to
them,
began
recording
their
dreamtime
legends
and
ceremonies
on
the
recessed
walls
of
caves,
tucked
away
in
rocky
outcrops.
It
is
a
record
of
an
ancient
culture
which
was
virtually
destroyed
with
the
arrival
of
European
settlers.
Because
these
mountains
provided
a
rich
source
of
food
and
water,
Koories
were
freed
from
spending
long
hours
hunting
and
gathering.
Spare
time
was
dedicated
to
cultural
activities,
of
which
evidence
may
be
seen
today.
Over
100
caves
have
been
found
where
the
rock
faces
are
decorated
by
fine
examples
of
Koorie
art.
You
can
visit
about
10
shelters.
Nearly
4000
different
art
motifs
have
been
recorded,
although
the
major
designs
are
emu
tracks,
human
figures,
hands,
bars
and
straight
lines.
The
oldest
hand
stencils
are
over
2000
years
old,
while
the
most
recent
where
painted
around
the
time
Europeans
discovered
Australia.
Today,
the
Brambuk
Living
Cultural
Centre,
just
two
kilometres
from
Halls
Gap,
brings
to
life
the
rich
history
and
culture
of
the
Koorie
communities
of
the
Wimmera
and
south
west
Victoria.
From
a
stone
chimney,
atop
the
Brambuk
Centre,
smoke
lazily
drifts
upward,
in
a
way
reminiscent
of
a
campsite
fire.
Inside
there
are
rare
displays
of
traditional
Koorie
art,
clothing,
weapons
and
tools.
On
the
ceremonial
ground
you
can
experience
traditional
music,
dance
and
cooking.
Sample
bush
tucker
Koorie
style.
Or
let
the
people
whose
ancestors
created
this
culture
take
you
on
an
informed
tour
of
the
Koorie
rock
art
sites.
A
70
kilometre
drive
south
west
of
The
Grampians
National
Park,
at
Lake
Condah,
is
another
significant
Koorie
site.
Here
you
can
see
fish
traps
made
from
local
basalt
rock.
The
Koorie
tribes
relied
on
the
rise
and
fall
of
the
level
of
the
lake
to
trap
the
fish.
Around
the
traps
you'll
find
the
remains
of
more
than
200
semicircular
shaped
stone
houses
which
date
back
between
200
and
6000
years.
Unlike
most
Koories,
the
tribe
in
this
area
had
relatively
permanent
homes.
Nearby
is
the
Lake
Condah
Aboriginal
Mission,
built
by
Europeans
in
1867.
Take
a
walk
around
the
mission,
through
the
ruins
of
the
Mission
House,
bluestone
cottages
and
the
site
of
St.
Mary's
Church.
Sixty
kilometres
north
of
The
Grampians
National
Park
is
Antwerp.
Here
you'll
find
The
Ebenezer
Mission
station
which
today
stands
in
ruins.
Its
pale
pink
stone
buildings
are
surrounded
by
wheatfields
and
bush.
A
tiny
cemetery
contains
graves
of
Mission
Koories
and
Lutheran
priests.
An
Antwerp
Koorie,
Bobby
Kinnear,
who
won
the
rich
Stawell
Gift
footrace
in
1883,
is
buried
here.
His
grave
is
marked
by
a
Koorie
monument
erected
in
1985
by
the
Goolum
Goolum
Aboriginal
Co-operative
to
remember
local
Koories.
Another
well
known
Koorie
from
Western
Victoria
was
Johnny
Mullagh.
He
was
a
famous
cricketer
from
Harrow,
who
played
with
the
first
Koorie
cricket
team
to
visit
England,
in
1868.
His
memorial
stands
in
the
tiny
village
of
Harrow,
70
kilometres
west
of
the
Grampians
National
Park.
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