{"id":1637,"date":"2021-06-01T23:00:09","date_gmt":"2021-06-01T13:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/?p=1637"},"modified":"2023-09-04T22:36:16","modified_gmt":"2023-09-04T12:36:16","slug":"exploring-hidden-gems-nambucca-beachfront-escapes-indigenous-culture-charming-towns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/exploring-hidden-gems-nambucca-beachfront-escapes-indigenous-culture-charming-towns\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploring the Hidden Gems of Nambucca: Beachfront Escapes, Indigenous Culture, and Charming Towns"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Words by Dorian Mode.<\/strong> Photography Lydia Thorpe<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Driving north on the M1 is dull. Like the Hume, there are no pretty towns along the way to grab a coffee or have a stickybeak in a shop or two. But the endless tarmac-grey of the M1 dissolves when we arrive at the aptly named OceanScape Luxury Beachfront Villas at Scott\u2019s Head. Atop the stairs (dodgy hipped seniors note), we drop our bags, open-jawed. Our accommodation overlooks the picturesque headland, with its yellow lip of beach and pretty topography. From the well-appointed kitchen, we enjoy the ozone scent of the sea and hear the waves cascading below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That arvo\/evening we venture into town. Here we poke around the riparian shopfront and discover two killer antique shops. Here I buy a vintage typewriter (I collect them) for $18. Mrs Pictures finds a vintage fan. We then amble over to enjoy a hearty meal at the newly refurbished Macksville Hotel. This heritage hotel is over 100 years old and known locally as \u2018Bonsers\u2019. But I feel it should be dubbed The Tim Tam<\/em> \u2013 after owners Tim and Tammy Smith. It\u2019s the beating heart of this small river community and is full of country smiles. We liked the teal-coloured 1960s lounge vibe of the front bar and the meals must be some sort of magic trick. They are ginormous and at 1980s prices. We split an entree (home-smoked brie), two mains (barramundi and home-smoked pork belly) all for under $50. We leave sated and thinking, is there a hidden camera in here?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following morning we snatch a bacon and egg roll and coffee at Tasty Bites Bakery & Caf\u00e9 to wander down to the beach at Scott\u2019s Head and listen to the long whisper of the surf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Post bacon, we point the car to Yalla Beach to meet Aboriginal elder Uncle Micklo. We are primarily in Nambucca to learn about the local Gumbaynggirr culture. (Gumbaynggirr lands stretch from the Nambucca River in the south to the Clarence River in the north and the Great Dividing Range in the west. Most indigenous folk from Grafton (Jadalmany), Coffs Harbour (Garlambirla) and Nambucca (Nyambaga) and surrounds, identify as Gumbaynggirr.) And in the bright sunshine, Yalla Beach is a veritable Renoir canvas for our exploration of Gumbaynggirr culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Uncle Micklo is a Gumbaynggirr man born and bred in Nambucca Heads and can trace his family back almost two centuries, to when white pastoralists first came to the area. \u2018The family name is Buchanan,\u2019 he says. \u2018Because my great grandfather worked for the Buchanans,\u2019 he adds, looking around for bush tucker as if in the fresh food aisle of Aldi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He is speaking Gumbaynggirr language almost as soon as we arrive. This is indeed his specialty subject. I\u2019m fascinated by the musicality of indigenous languages. (NSW is made up of around 70 different Aboriginal nations, each with their own language or language group.) As he indicates (and snacks on) various flora in language, I notice some words are the same in Wiradjuri. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Yes! That\u2019s right,\u2019 he says, enthusiastically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Limping from the carpark to the beach, I thought Uncle Micklo must have a bad hip but he suffered from polio as a kid. (Remember that last great pandemic?) So I help him down a couple of steps to the talc-white sand of Yalla Beach \u2013 seniors take note: this is a very accessible tour as Uncle Mick has to do it along with you! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We sit on the sand as Mick gently paints our faces with local clay. Scrounging gum leaves, he then begins a smoking ceremony. \u2018I invite the intelligence around me to be the intelligence within me,\u2019 he says mysteriously, before singing in language. His brogue is so mellifluous, I imagine this ceremony taking place 300 years ago. It\u2019s mystical and leaves you with a deep feeling of ancient magic. He then scrounges for bush tucker, underscoring the daily needs of indigenous folk for millennia. I\u2019ve never met an aboriginal tour guide so enthusiastic about bush tucker. He could have been eating canap\u00e9s at a Masterchef<\/em> launch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Try this!\u2019 he suddenly says, thrusting some leaves at me. \u2018Tastes great, doesn\u2019t it?\u2019 he nods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Delicious,\u2019 I lie. It tastes exactly what I imagine weeds taste like from my compost bin but am too polite to say to this lovely man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Try this one. It tastes like sarsaparilla, they reckon.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Yes, it does.\u2019 If indeed sarsaparilla tasted like grass-clippings for my lawnmower, I think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking for bush tucker and freshwater trees and bush turkey eggs for breakfast (metaphorically \u2013 we don\u2019t eat them), we chat. Mick grew up on Bellwood Reserve, indeed this is where he spent the majority of his adult life, too. Language was taboo on the reserve. So elders didn\u2019t speak the verboten Gumbaynggirr language to the children, only certain words. So traditional language was dead to him for most of Mick\u2019s life until in 1997 he attended Gumbaynggirr language classes at Muurrbay Language Centre. Ultimately, Mick enrolled in a Masters in Indigenous Languages degree at university and explored the linguistics, phonology, syntax, grammar, and semantics of Gumbaynggirr. It\u2019s here he fell in love with the language \u2013 the language of his ancestors and indeed became a leading expert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we chat Uncle Micklo continually looks out to sea. Over the white noise of the surf, he suddenly turns to me. \u2018You have to understand, when we were here 6000 years ago, the coast was 120 kilometres east of here. Right out there. Our people lived in sacred places that are now under the sea.\u2019 I\u2019d never thought about the last Ice Age changing the landscape. And indeed, I won\u2019t go out to sea again without thinking about the lost worlds of the original coastal people. This is what I like to take away from these experiences: how it completely resets your thinking about the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He then talks about the two Goanna Sisters, who made the ocean that \u2018girts\u2019 Australia, with their chanting and digging sticks. All the time he\u2019s speaking, Mick\u2019s hands make shapes like balancing two imaginary spheres. \u2018Every part of the earth is sacred country. It\u2019s a whole living being living within the culture.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He suddenly looks up and we move on to the stars and other sisters who escaped the unwanted advances of a \u2018cheeky man\u2019 and created the sand and the oceans of the Mid North Coast before resting in the sky where the \u2018Seven Sisters\u2019 or Pleiades constellation is today. These precious Gumbaynggirr yarns connect these people to their land. Indeed, the Star Dreaming story of the Seven Sisters is one of the most fundamental ancient stories amongst Aboriginal Australia. The songline for this story covers more than half the width of the continent and travels through numerous different language groups and different sections of the narrative are recognised in different parts of the country. Again, it\u2019s hard not to ever look at the stars without seeing the sisters. Mick\u2019s tour is highly recommended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The following day we visit the historic town of Bowraville (a relaxing 25mins undulating drive from Macksville). This hinterland town in the Nambucca Valley, with its \u2018verandah post\u2019 aesthetic and historic high street, is charming. There are some choice attractions such as a folk museum, a war museum, historic theatre, and other historic buildings with overhanging verandas. Bowraville also has art galleries and a miscellany of aboriginal art and culture, framed by attractive farmland and Jurassic rainforests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We pay the $5 entry fee to trawl the Bowraville Folk Museum. I love country museums as you learn about the town and its pioneers. But this one\u2019s a little tired and needs a revamp wethinks. One display case had a ripped Cleo Magazine from the 70s. Why? There was no card explaining its significance to the town. But it had some fun pieces and has potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Frank Partridge VC Military Museum (free entry) is housed in the historic former council chambers. In contrast, the curation is excellent, with an impressive collection of military memorabilia covering all the major conflicts, excluding my parents\u2019 divorce in the 1960s. The museum is open Mon\u2013Fri 10am\u20133pm, Sat 10am\u201312 noon or by appointment. Ph. 6564 7056.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bowra Hotel is a magnificent hotel (built 1912) being restored to its former glory and a nice place to sink a frothy beer. And the Mad Hatters Tea Garden & Bowra Post & Collectables \u2013 is worth a visit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Topping up the tank for the long drive back down the M1, I ask the tattoo-sleeved checkout jockey if there\u2019s another coastal road home to the south that\u2019s a little more scenic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Nup,\u2019 is the reply for the cashier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FAST FACTS \u2013 1<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n


The First Nations cultures of Australia \u2013 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders \u2013 speak over 250 distinct languages and stretch back for over 65,000 years. This makes the First Australians the oldest astronomers and the oldest continuing cultures in the world. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people developed several practical ways to observe the Sun, Moon and stars to inform navigation, calendars, and predict the weather. Australia\u2019s First Nations people assign meaning and agency to astronomical phenomena, which informs Law and social structure. It also serves as the foundation for narratives that are passed down the generations through song, dance, and oral tradition over tens of thousands of years.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIndigenous astronomy\u201d is the first astronomy \u2013 the astronomy that existed long before the Babylonians, Greeks, the Renaissance, and the Enlightenment. This website explores the many aspects of Indigenous Astronomy in Australia. Learn how Aboriginal and Torres Strait communities perceive various types of astronomical phenomena, how elders read the stars or watch videos of animations, dances, and songs related to the stars. You can find educational curricula, information about degree programs, and learn about the generation of Aboriginal students studying astrophysics who are quickly becoming the new faces and voices of this work.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

FAST FACTS \u2013 2<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gumbaynggirr Dreamtime Tours   <\/strong>
Contact Uncle Micklo direct at<\/strong> JarrettMichael@hotmail.com<\/strong>
Michael.jarrett@det.nsw.edu.au <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

OceanScape Luxury Beachfront Villas<\/strong>
2 Seabreeze Place,<\/strong> Scotts Head, NSW 2447<\/strong>
T: 0448 772 525<\/strong>
mail@oceanscape.com.au<\/strong>. www.oceanscape.com.au<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Words by Dorian Mode. Photography Lydia Thorpe Driving north on the M1 is dull. Like the Hume, there are no pretty towns along the way to grab a coffee or…","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1639,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[78],"tags":[75,45,70],"series":[115],"class_list":["post-1637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel","tag-article","tag-dorian-mode","tag-lydia-thorpe","series-coffee-with-a-coastie"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/07\/Uncle-Micklo-5.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/wp-content\/plugins\/seriously-simple-podcasting\/assets\/images\/no-album-art.png","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/feed\/podcast\/coffee-with-a-coastie","embedCode":"

Exploring the Hidden Gems of Nambucca: Beachfront Escapes, Indigenous Culture, and Charming Towns<\/a><\/blockquote>