Kaiala

© 2012 Candice Marshall and Peter Scott (ABC Gold Coast)

Take a journey through Burleigh and find out what it was like when the traditional owner groups lived there before European settlement.

Many of us use Burleigh Heads National Park as our playground – for bushwalking around the headland, surfing the breaks, or swimming, canoeing or boating at Tallebudgera creek. But there is a different side to Burleigh Heads that many of us know very little about – the indigenous side. Hidden throughout the Burleigh Headland, easily missed unless you know what you’re looking for, are remnants of the Aboriginal groups that called the area home thousands of years ago.

With these come stories of the rich history of the area, handed down orally through generations of indigenous Australians. Not many people know these stories but one man who does is Clinton Brewer, an indigenous ranger with Queensland Parks and Wildlife.

This ABC series takes you on a journey through the National Park, and uncovers rare insights into what life was like for the Kombumerri people that called Burleigh Heads home many years ago.

Click on the links below to see and hear each story:

Ochre pit

Shell midden

Noisy miner birds

Dolphins and fishing

Scrub turkeys

Food throughout the seasons: the food calendar

Food through the seasons: wallabies

Food through the seasons: yams

Indigenous culture respected food sources

Men’s business

Sacred women’s business and harsh tribal punishments

Tools

Indigenous delicacies

Carving canoes from trees

Headland lookout

Kaiala (Pronounced Kye Arla) is the Gold Coast Aboriginal greeting or welcome, meaning good wishes. The full translation is Yinkaiala Baugal, meaning wishing good things and the very best for you.

Iluka is also an Aboriginal word, meaning near the sea. It was used by Aborigines in the days when they enjoyed the attractions of the Australian coastline in all its isolated splendour. It signified a good place, rich in food and enjoyment.

Throughout the centuries it conjured up visions of silver-gold sands and white-combed sparkling seas, a sun-drenched paradise of fun and relaxation, a haven for the weary traveller, a feasting ground for the hungry visitor.

What was true for Australia’s First People is still true today. Iluka… near the sea, is a great place to be…