#gundungurra

[steventureau]

"People and the Lakes

The Dharawal and Gundungurra have lived around Thirlmere lakes for many thousands of years, leaving grinding grooves, rock engravings, artwork, and other evidence of occupation.

The local Aboriginal people were some of the first to feel the impact of European settlement, suffering from new diseases, violence and occupation of their lands. 

They called the area Couridjah, which is believed to mean honey and refer to the nectar of the abundant banksia flowers.

Europeans officially found the lakes in 1798, and they have been popular with visitors since at least the 1860's.

In 1867 a pumphouse, which still stand beside Lake Couridjah, was built to supply water to steam engines plying the new southern railway.

Today the park is a significant conservation reserve ideal for quiet public enjoyment."

[johnhooperphotographer]

The Blue Mountains from June this year. As we enter winter in the UK I am reminded of the stunning landscape and experience of our first winter in 2022 with @bigciaustralia. . . . . . #gundungurra #darug #bluemountains #australia #nsw #sydney #atmosphere #landscape #fujifilmgfx100s @fujifilmx_au #bigci (at Bilpin, New South Wales, Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/ClndabCoSV4/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[slidesworthseeing]

Found slide: Fifty years ago: New South Wales Government Railways steam locomotive 3203 leads 3526 and 3820 on the climb up the Blue Mountains, Dharug and Gundungurra country (I think they’re approaching Valley Heights), on 21 April 1974. I remember the heavy rain and, for some reason, the pale green car leading a small motorcade of other rail buffs along the Great Western Highway, to the obvious frustration of other motorists (photographer unknown)

[bumblebeeappletree]

Costa is in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney with good friends Manu and Jude, lending a hand with a garden project for a neighbour. Their mission is to set a tea patch and wicking bed planters for a member of Manu’s Farm It Forward movement, Riri, who is vision impaired.

Riri explains that she lost her eyesight more than 30 years ago but she never had the courage or confidence to walk down her street on her own, as there are no footpaths. But when she heard that Farm It Forward had set up at the end of her street she took the plunge to walk down there. “I met Manu and that’s how it all started,” she says.

“When you can’t see, you tend to stay indoors a lot,” Riri says, “but this will get me out.”

To create two no-dig patches, Manu and Jude first lay down some cardboard across the whole area to help suppress weeds. The sticky tape and staples have to be removed first. Next, they build two long rows of compost and soil mix to form the raised no-dig beds, leaving a pathway in the middle between the beds that they then cover with mulch.

At the end, two wicking beds are made up and planted out.

When the work is complete, the team invites Riri out to help her explore her new gardens.

Filmed on Dharug & Gundungurra Country in the Blue Mountains, NSW

[teaktty]

Hi! I'm Tea (although I will accept being called Jemima Puddle-Duck, or Georgie-Girl), and I'm 51, but living my second 20s or something.

I acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this country, Australia. In particular, I acknowledge the Indigenous Elders of the Dharug, Eora, and especially the Gundungurra people, to whom I feel especially connected. This is where I live and learn and pay my respects to their Indigenous Elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty has never been ceded. It always was and always will be, Aboriginal land. [credits to @aidanbutampersand for the template, but I modified it slightly]

I started transitioning in June '23, and I'm so fucking happy about it. This is me! I'm also neurodivergent (AuDHD), and I'm so fucking happy about that too. I would love to learn from other queer and neurodivergent lifeforms. I'll be sharing my experiences and stuff here.

I'm a practising Artist, obsessed with the Art in the Process and the Journey, loves Sound, images, ignored things, artefacts of capitalism, installations, performance, doing, being, inhabiting, and ideas and conceptual exploration.

I'm also a former university level teacher in Arts, Creative Media, and related Theory, with a speciality of working with neurodivergent humans (and occasional non-humans as required). Feel free to ask questions or share me student work or creative work or written ideas or anything. I would love it if we could learn from each other.

I want to chat, play games, make art, be angry at shitty mean things, and share experiences. I love Minecraft, but happy to play multiplayer games.

I'm Tea.KHy on Discord, search khymatim.

Still growing and learning!

Neurodivergent, genderqueer, demisexual, and full of love.

Actually, I'm genderfae, neptunic, and demisexual with strong ace tendencies, and very, very, consent focused.

Thanks for visiting!

and thanks to @hannahch33ks and @k8rgrl for the feedback! and to paprika (my dear partner) for my pfp

[qnewsau]

Blue Mountains to turn pink for Pride

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/blue-mountains-to-turn-pink-for-pride/

Blue Mountains to turn pink for Pride

The spectacular Blue Mountains region on Sydney’s doorstep is gearing up for the inaugural Blue Mountains Pride festival – a packed June long weekend calendar of dance, drag, art, bushwalks, picnics and more.

WORDS Peter Hackney.

There’s something special about the Blue Mountains. It’s a place that draws people in. It’s done so for millennia, as a sacred place for the Dharug and Gundungurra peoples.

Since European settlement, it’s become one of the nation’s prime tourist spots, captivating visitors with its stunning mountains and canyons, pristine forests, historic towns and villages, and quirky culture.

LGBTQI+ people have long been prominent in the mix, which will be underscored by the inaugural Blue Mountains Pride festival this June long weekend.

An umbrella festival comprising pre-existing events as well as new experiences, the festival has its roots in the region’s renowned Queen’s Birthday long weekend LGBTQI+ celebrations, explained Blue Mountains Pride representative Larry Singer.

“The King’s Birthday long weekend just doesn’t have the same ring to it,” laughed Singer. “The time seemed right to rebrand.”

Another reason for the rebrand is that newer activities will be joining the long weekend’s established events.

“It’s expanding beyond what we’ve previously had over the long weekend,” said Singer. “It used to be bentART, the Three Sisters Ball, Blackheath Disco and usually a bushwalk from the Bush Lemons. But it already seems to be growing.

“This year, a picnic is being planned by the trans and gender diverse community – and we’re talking to the Rainbow Families group too.”

Blue Mountains Mayor Mark Greenhill said the festival was a natural follow-on from Sydney hosting WorldPride last year and a testament to the Blue Mountains’ history as a haven for LGBTQI+ people.

“Following the success of Sydney WorldPride in 2023, it’s exciting to see our local LGBTQI+ community organisations bringing all the events held on the June long weekend under the banner of Blue Mountains Pride,” Greenhill told QNews.

“Blue Mountains City Council has a long and proud history of supporting our LGBTQI+ community. For more than a decade, we’ve been raising the Rainbow (now Progress Pride) Flag to recognise IDAHOBIT on 17 May. We also fly the flag on the weekend of the Mardi Gras Parade. We actively supported marriage equality and have stood up to the attacks on LGBTQI+ people occurring through challenges to library collections and rainbow story time,” he said.

Blue Mountains City Councillor Claire West – a member of the LGBTQI+ community – said the Trans Winter Picnic, hosted by Trans and Gender Diverse Blue Mountains, was especially notable.

“I’d like to offer my congratulations to the newest group that is involved in Blue Mountains Pride: Trans and Gender Diverse Blue Mountains,” she said.

“I’m profoundly grateful for the space they’re providing for a demographic that has a great need for support and care.”

Singer said the picnic would be a “very important” part of the festival, noting a recent increase in transphobia around the world.

On the positive side, Blue Mountains Pride and the growth of LGBTQI+ representation in regional areas highlighted encouraging changes, he said.

“In the ’80s and ’90s, you fled the homophobic small towns and went to Sydney to discover yourself. Some of us are now leaving Sydney because we feel comfortable in the smaller towns,” said Singer, who moved to the Blue Mountains from Sydney in 2015.

“I think there’s a bit of an exodus from Sydney to the regions – and also that younger people are feeling safer and more comfortable staying in the smaller towns.”

BLUE MOUNTAINS PRIDE FESTIVAL EVENTS

bentART

After several years of Covid disruptions and changes, the annual bentART exhibition is back in full force, taking its place as one of the key elements of Blue Mountains Pride.

“When Covid hit, the exhibition went online for two years, then for the next two years it was a combination of online and in gallery,” said bentART president Susan Robbins. “This year, we’ve decided we don’t need the online anymore, so it’s all in the physical gallery.”

Open to all LGBTQI+ artists who live in Australia, this will be the 19th annual bentART exhibition.

“Normally it’s just over the long weekend but it’s a lot of work to have an exhibition open for just two-and-a-half days, so this year we’ve decided to extend it for another week,” said Robbins.

A judging panel will assess exhibitors’ works, with cash prizes for the winner, runner-up and highly commended entries. Artworks displayed during bentART will be on sale to the public.

BentART 2024 will launch at 5.30pm Friday, 7 June (invitation-only opening, due to space restrictions) at Rex Livingstone Art + Objects, 182-184 Katoomba Street, Katoomba. It will continue as a free, general admission event from Saturday, 8 June to Sunday, 16 June. Visit www.bentart.com.au for details.

Blackheath Disco

The annual Blackheath Disco is always a fabulous night of music and fun. Casual, friendly and a little bit naughty, this year’s disco will feature music by DJ Shorty and entertainment from Frock Hudson – one of Australia’s top drag talents.

The event is BYO, with punters encouraged to bring their own alcoholic drinks. Water, soft drinks and snacks will be available for purchase.

This year, there’s a big change: the Blackheath Disco won’t be held in Blackheath!

“The Blackheath Hall is getting a facelift, so the Blackheath Disco will actually be in Wentworth Falls this year, at the Wentworth Falls School of Arts,” explained Larry Singer.

“It’ll be the same fun evening that you know and love,” he promised.

The Blackheath Disco will run from 7pm to midnight on Saturday, 8 June at the Wentworth Hall School of Arts, 217-219 Great Western Highway, Wentworth Falls. Visit www.threesisterssocial.asn.au/disco for tickets ($35 plus booking fee, $40 at the door) and info.

Bush Lemons Bushwalk

A Blue Mountains bushwalking and outdoors group formed in 1996, the Bush Lemons predominantly identify as lesbian but “welcome all women who identify as queer, bisexual, non-binary, transgender”, according to their website.

As part of the Blue Mountains Pride festival, the Lemons will be hosting a bushwalk open to all on Saturday, 8 June.

The time and location was yet to be announced at time of writing but one thing’s already sure: with the Blue Mountains hosting some of Australia’s most beautiful and dramatic scenery, fans of the natural world should mark the date in their diaries!

The Bush Lemons bushwalk will be held on Saturday, 8 June. Times and locations TBA. Visit www.bushlemons.com for updates.

Family Fun Day

Hosted by Blue Mountains Rainbow Families, which provides a local support network for LGBTQI+ parents and their children, a Family Fun Day will be part of the festival. Details were yet to be announced at time of writing.

Details of the Family Fun Day will be published at www.facebook.com/bluemountainspride. Blue Mountains Rainbow Families maintains a private Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/119548581432286.

Three Sisters Costume Ball

First held in 1982, the annual Three Sisters Costume Ball is one of the longest-running LGBTQI+ events in the country. This will be the 41st ball, with two years missed due to Covid.

Known for its glamorous outfits, sumptuous food and wine, and a certain je ne sais quoi, the ball has a theme each year, this one being ‘Royal Gala Performance’. With artists who’ve staged royal gala performances over the years including Dame Shirley Bassey, Dusty Springfield, Kylie Minogue, Lady Gaga, Elton John, Peter Allen, Liza Minnelli and many more, the costume possibilities are endless!

Like the Blackheath Disco, the ball is put on by the Three Sisters Social Group. According to Larry Singer, “The disco is the fun event and the ball is the elegant event – where you also have fun.”

Costume drag or formal attire is strongly encouraged at the ball, where the ticket price includes pre-dinner drinks, a three-course meal, and a wine and beer package. Awards are given out to best-dressed attendees at the event, which will also feature entertainment by Frock Hudson.

The 41st annual Three Sisters Costume Ball: Royal Gala Performance will be held at 6.30pm Sunday, 9 June at the Palais Royale Boutique Hotel, 230 Katoomba Street, Katoomba. Visit www.threesisterssocial.asn.au/ball for tickets ($230 plus booking fee) and info.

Trans Winter Picnic

An important new addition to the Blue Mountains LGBTQI+ scene, the first ever Trans Winter Picnic will be held at one of the best picnic spots in the Blue Mountains: the gorgeous Wentworth Falls Lake.

Organised by Trans and Gender Diverse Blue Mountains, details were being finalised at time of writing, but event planners told QNews the picnic would be “a family friendly event” and that “there will be a back-up plan in case of wet weather”.

The Trans Winter Picnic will be held at Wentworth Falls Lake, Sinclair Crescent, Wentworth Falls, from 10am Sunday, 9 June. Check www.facebook.com/tgdbluemountains for details. -For more info on the Blue Mountains Pride festival, visit www.facebook.com/bluemountainspride or www.instagram.com/blue.mountains.pride

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[holidayhunteraust]

Mount York Lookout: A Perfect Spot for Nature Lovers

Mount York, located 7.5 kilometres from Mount Victoria, is a natural site with an elevation of 1061 metres that offers stunning views over the western plains. This area is rich in both Aboriginal and European heritage, with remnants of old convict-built roads from 1823-1829 still visible today.

The monuments at Mount York showcase a shift in architectural styles and how historic events were commemorated, such as the first European crossing of the Blue Mountains in May 1813 by Blaxland, Lawson, and Wentworth. Other significant events include the survey of the first road by George Evans in November 1813 and the construction of the first road, Coxs Road, in 1814. Along Mount York Road, you can find historic convict-built structures like Lawsons Long Alley and Lockyers Line of Road, as well as Berghoffers Pass and Bardens Lookout.

Traditionally the land of the Gundungurra and Darug Aboriginal people, Mount York is now a popular destination for activities like bushwalking, abseiling, mountain biking, and rock climbing. It's a great spot to explore and appreciate the natural beauty and history of the area.

[itsjustkeet]

amazing experience !

[wiradjuri-yinaa]

I visited my cousin from Gundungurra country and connected with my ancestors. Doing women’s business slowly helps me heal my mind.

I love my culture and I’m so proud to be Aboriginal 🖤💛❤️

[grub-s]

georgie is sniffing the beautiful washi tape on the parcel that @intrazone sent me from dharug & gundungurra country and i opened it and started to cry because it was so beautiful. thankyou darling friend you have lifted my spirits hugely in this glum weather !! 🌞🌈🌦

[amelodie]

Winding around the Three Sisters on Gundungurra and Darug land, Blue Mountains. It was grounding to be in these ladies' sitting place for a while. If you have good shoes and good legs you can follow the very steep steps all the way down and up again.

[ashleyfrostart]

This Sunday 29 May 10am-1pm I am teaching a plein air painting workshop at the Southern Highlands Regional Gallery. Price is $120 and bookings via the gallery, there are a couple of spces still available. Message me for link or google Ngununggula: meaning 'belonging' in the traditional language of the Gundungurra First Nations people, is the first regional art gallery in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales. Painting above is a plein air work from Fowlers Gap, oil on board, 40x40cm, 2021. #ngununggula #pleinairpainting #australianartist #southernhighlands (at Ngununggula) https://www.instagram.com/p/CeDNWPMrQJ8/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[slidesworthseeing]

Found slide: Scenic Railway station, Katoomba, Dharug and Gundungurra country, Blue Mountains, New South Wales, circa 1954. Photo by FGK Bahra

[bumblebeeappletree]

Guest presenter, Jude, shares some beginner tips on how anyone can get a garden growing from the ground up.

Jude’s garden is pumping with enough fruit and vegetables to feed the family and share the excess, but it all started with a single row of snow peas. Jude says, “you can build (a garden) anywhere, as long as you've got these magic ingredients: Sunshine, organic materials, cardboard, water and some hard work.”

Jude revisits the first bed he created to transform it into something much better. “I made the beginner’s mistake of planting straight into the soil. I didn’t know about adding extra nutrients and how important soil is,” says Jude. But with this knowledge now in hand, he’s reusing this space to build a new bed from scratch. This is a no-dig method with layers of nutrients that you can plant straight into!

Suppress the weeds:

You’ll want to start a new bed without any weeds. Jude’s method doesn’t require poisoning or even pulling out the weeds! Instead, he smothers them with love.

1. Leave the weeds where they are and trim them down to ground level with sheers or a mower.

2. Give them their last meal by adding a layer of manure - Jude uses pelletised chicken manure.

3. Give them a final drink of water.

4. Cover them in a layer of cardboard and water again.

“Feeding them might seem a bit weird,” says Jude, “but by giving them heaps of nutrients and then smothering them, they’ll die even faster.” Plants need light to live, but the cardboard is thick enough to block the light completely. With added nutrients and water, the weeds will attempt a big growth spurt but without any sunlight, they'll die and break down which adds nutrients back into the soil.

Large cardboard boxes can be found at bike or furniture stores, but even smaller boxes will work. Remove any plastic tape on the cardboard and make sure the pieces overlap completely to ensure there are no gaps to let the light through.

Build the soil in layers:

1. Straw - Jude uses straw from his guinea pig pen which has aged over a few weeks.

2. Compost - Jude uses mushroom compost, a waste product from the mushroom industry.

3. Straw - This final layer will protect the soil from new weeds and moisture loss.

4. Water the bed again - and it’s ready to plant into!

No matter what types of mulches or manures you use, Jude says, “the more diverse your mix, the more diverse the microorganisms living in your soil... As all those layers of organic material breakdown, the soil and vegies will get better and better.”

Jude’s Garden is already packed with produce, but he says, “I’m excited to have this whole new garden to grow... I’ve been wanting to increase my lettuce production and this spot is perfect because it’s so full of nutrients.” We can’t wait to see the never-ending salad supply come from this patch!

Filmed on Dharug & Gundungurra Country | Leura, NSW

[grow-and-decay]

Look ik petitions don’t really do much but, if there’s the slightest chance it might make a difference:

Copied from the link: “On the 17th of April 1816, a British Naval officer and his soldiers open-fired on a camp of First Nations people and drove them off a cliff in Appin. This was coordinated murder, ordered by Governor Macquarie with the express purpose to “rid the land of troublesome blacks.’

We, the Dharawal and Gundungurra family groups, and all First Nation family groups, are the descendants of those who were slaughtered at the Appin Massacre.

We are calling on the NSW government to protect the Appin massacre site from future development. This area should never be built on. It’s a place of trauma, great sorrow and death. Development on this land will yet again trigger that trauma for our communities.”

[teaktty]

Katoomba, around Kiah Lookout.

On Gundungurra and Darug land.