A group of Central Coast grandmothers gathered at Kariong Sacred Lands on January 18 to stand up against a proposed housing development adjacent the protected site.
The proposal by Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land council (DLALC) to build 50 homes on a 6ha site on Woy Woy Rd is now on exhibition through the NSW Government planning portal with submissions to close on January 29.
Meeting at the base of the Grandmother Tree, the women said the proposed development would put sacred sites at risk.
“Kariong Sacred Lands is called sacred for a very important reason,” they said.
“The area was Crown land zoned E2 and then C2 because of the rich biodiversity found in this bushland.
“It is full of endangered flora and fauna and Aboriginal Registered Sacred Sites, provides homes for communities of koalas and has a very important Aboriginal history in the rock carvings found there.
“Wildlife and their habitat have been thriving on this land for centuries.
“It’s one of the only areas on the Central Coast coastline that remains untouched by developers.
“If this development goes ahead it will destroy an area originally zoned to never be touched.
“It will take development even closer to the precious area below where the Grandmother Tree and world-famous Egyptian hieroglyphs stand.
“Already there is evidence of motorbikes riding through the area destroying shrubs and breaking trees and creating tracks in natural bushland.
“There will be an increase in dogs, cats and possible graffiti.
“There will be erosion and issues with natural water flow.
“There will be total destruction and disrespect of the area which was never meant to be touched.”
Local Elder, Aunty Colleen from Darkinoong, said the development would destroy the hanging swamps that fed into the aquifer and downstream of the development site, causing severe erosion and drying out of the area.
“This in turn will endanger the Grandmother Tree, which the local bloodline custodians of the area hold as sacred,” she said.
“All races far and wide oppose the rezoning and housing development going ahead.”
The woman say the bloodline custodians are from Guringai, Darkinoong and Awabakal mobs.
“The Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council is not representative of the Central Coast mobs but is a government body,” they said.
They said recent changes in legislation had made it easier for land councils across NSW to apply for and “unlock” land previously zoned as Crown land.
“Grandmothers are in a unique leadership role where they share stories and traditions with their younger generations, passing down valuable information and ways of doing things that they hold as important for years, in fact, generations to come,” they said.
“They are carers and nurturers reinforcing limits and boundaries.
“They teach morals and values to be upheld in their communities coming from a place of huge love and wisdom.
“They have strong inter-generational connections they hold with great responsibility and respect.
“It is their role to give our future generations a sense of belonging, security and hope for their future.”
The grandmothers are appealing to all those having concerns with the development proposal to lodge a submission before January 29 at https://pp.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/ppr/under-exhibition/darkinjung-lalc-kariong-woy-woy-road
Good luck, ladies! I’m on your side!
We cannot allow any more destruction of natural habitat, especially to unfriendly developments where the entire fauna and flora are removed. However, we do need housing. We must stabilise our population growth because it is unsustainable, and we must instead go for high rise apartments which are surrounded by large areas of parkland and community space. Then we can also choose to leave new lands undeveloped. It is heartbreaking to see our precious natural heritage despoiled and sacred sites disrespected and lost.
bigger provenances than gadigal or worimi else Bahtabah, Dharuk or Deerubbin, due to deeper than State, national, world or cosmological values with significances weighted into. The greater “Sydney-side” landscapes’ custodianshipping is up for defined Divisions in this part of Wales, remaining, however 26JanDay in-Oz is only days Awaye~ the day has a date going back to 1788 in that year because why? Patten etal obo APA recognising in ’38 the sesqui-centennial coincidence, timed for 7hour Conference in 150year OldSydneyTown… THE dated EntryPoint for… Purpose/s “TBA”, but not yet Resolved ?!?
“It’s one of the only areas on the Central Coast coastline that remains untouched by developers.”
Rubbish. Most of the Coast remains undeveloped. We have natural bushland surrounding us.
There are so many false claims in this article it is ridiculous.
The Central Coast needs housing, right? Why didn’t anyone ask the Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land council (DLALC) about its position? Kind of seems like a bunch old ladies, who probably already have nice places to live, are behaving like classic NIMBYs.