Aboriginal Cultural Experiences

The Sapphire Coast lies within the Country of the Yuin-Monaro Nations, who have inhabited the region for tens of thousands of years. From ancient times they have been the inhabitants and custodians of the land, sea and waterways. Take time to appreciate the Sapphire Coast's stunning natural landscape and the deep history, connections, ancestral ties, stories and ongoing significance of this region for its original custodians.

Rich culture continues to thrive, and can be sampled through guided tours, events, galleries, workshops, self-guided trails along the coast. Giiyong Festival is the biggest multi-arts Aboriginal festival in the Yuin Nation, celebrating Aboriginal arts, culture and resilience. It is held every two years at Jigamy, just north of  Eden.

Navigate Expeditions has recently partnered with Twofold Aboriginal Corporation and Yandama on Country to deliver cultural kayaking tours along the Pambula River. This wonderful collaboration includes kayaking, cultural talks, swimming, and morning tea by the river in Beowa National Park. This experience can be booked via Navigate Expeditions.

"The Traditional owners of the Bega Valley Shire are the communities of the Yuin-Monaro Nations. From ancient times they have been the inhabitants and custodians of the land, sea and waterways. The cultural geography of the south coast is in the following terms, reverting to the coastal clans are the Murring, or especially the Yuin clans. These claimed responsibility of country from Cape Howe to the Shoalhaven River in NSW. They formed two large sub-groups or sub divisions, called respectively Guyangal and Kurial, from the words guya, south and kuru, north, gal being the possessive postfix. The inland extent of their country included the fall from the coast range to the sea.

Evidence is limited but the tabulation of marriages makes it quite clear that the far south coast formed a distinct region marked by the intensity of intermarriage while demonstrated that there were, nevertheless, links with Gippsland and the Monaroo prior to colonisation as would be expected, since few if any groups lived completely isolated from their neighbours.

The Tadjera-Munji-Djiringanj (from Cape Dromedary south to beyond Bega, inland to the sharp scarp of the Dividing Range east of Nimmitabel), Thaua (north of Merimbula south to Green Cape and west to the scarp of the Dividing Range), Bidawahal (just south of Green Cape) and Nulliker (Twofold Bay), Monaroo (on the escarpment country) groups comprised the Yuin-Monaro Nations in the area now known as the Bega Valley Shire. This was the case for many thousands of years.

The groups of the Yuin communities living in coastal areas are known as (Katungal from the work Katung) sea coast people and the Baianbal or Paienbara (the tomahawk people) those who lived in the forests. A third group, the Bemerigal or mountain people at Cooma belonged to the Ngarigo people.

Sites throughout the Shire demonstrate occupation by these rich cultures to be in excess of 7,000+ years. These people nurtured an organised and active culture many thousands of years older than the creators of the great pyramids of Giza did or the medieval monuments of Stonehenge did. Some of the oldest physical records of human occupation and activity to be found anywhere in the world are located beneath our noses here in the Bega Valley Shire."

Information via Bega Valley Shire Council