Intro to Broken Head Caravan Park

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A very important and necessary part of the Native Title journey is the growth of the Arakwal People towards economic independence and self sufficiency through sustainable business and economic development.

We are focusing on building a foundation for the future so that Arakwal people continue to create opportunities for the benefit of our mob.

Our  ancestors, elders and our people have endured countless hardships and we carry this legacy. Our challenge is to build economic independence and also maintain strong connection to our culural values and country for now and for the future.

Key activities presently being carried out include:

• Broken Head Holiday Park operation and management
• Development of an Employment & Training Strategy
• Ideas for use and purpose of our Wategos Beach freehold land
• Focus on Affordable Housing for our people
• Co-Management of Country with NPWS

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• Our Cultural Programs Strategy
• Cultural Programs eg Dolphin Dreaming
• The Arakwal Cultural Website
• Our Arakwal Cultural Induction Program
• The proposed Learning Room at Byron Bay Library
• Arakwal Community Programs

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An Arakwal Family Member Nigel Stewart comes from the Minyungbul Coodjingburra (Fingal Heads) and the Yuin People (Narooma, South Coast NSW).  Nigel is an artist and dancer, and plays didjeredoo. He has knowledge of bush tucker and is learning to speak Bundjalung language.

“I think it is vital in our connection to country and we must learn it and speak it to keep the Bundjalung Language alive and strong to hand down to the next generation. It’s very important to know the language names of country as the names given tell a story.

Nigel has learnt from his elders and friends as well as attending Worawa Aboriginal College in Victoria after leaving high school. He works as a Ranger in Arakwal National Park Byron Bay, putting his knowledge and passion to work caring for Country. Always a coastal person, he enjoys living off oysters, mud crab, pippis, prawns, abalone, lobster, mussels and fish.

“I have been very lucky that the Arakwal Bundjalung elders have passed down their knowledge about the special places and places of plenty. All the bush tucker that I have learnt is from them, so I give my upmost respect to my elders for sharing and passing this culture to the younger generation. All other knowledge is from the ocean, most I have learnt from my father as he is a hunter and gatherer from the Yuin people. My father was taught this by his father and our links are very strong. We have a plentiful, healthy lifestyle growing up near the ocean. My nan and uncles showed me things like how to get pippis in the sand, good places to gather oysters and indicators of fish in the water. It is so important to spend this time with your family and elders to learn.”

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Sean Vidler Kay is an Arakwal Man who comes from Byron Bay, connected to this country through his grandfather and mum who are both Arakwal Bundjalung Traditional Custodians. Sean has grown up around Byron Bay, and knows this place really well – its his homeland. Sean’s passion is to paint Aboriginal designs onto canvas.

“I have designed carvings on wood, surfboards and pretty much anything that people request. I also love to do wood burning and paint boomerangs.  The boomerang is very symbolic to our people as we were taken away from our country, but just like that boomerang, we always come back.”

The paintings he creates come from the spirit of his country and ancestors.  His designs include carpet snake, goanna, dolphin, whale, echidna, pippis, campsites, spirits and trees, all on a beautiful backdrop of landscaped country.  The main colours he uses include earth ochre – reds, yellow, white and ocean aqua.

““Painting helps me relax, focus and remember. My paintings come from my feelings which is derived from my family life and history, totems, heritage and culture. When I paint I think of all my Arakwal Family and how we would hunt and gather and live on our land many, many years ago. I have a very close spiritual connection to my grandfather whom walked this land in search of bush tucker and materials to make his artefacts and crafts. I feel his presence still with me today and I represent this in my art.”

Sean is keen surfer who won the Indigenous competition at Fingal Heads in recent years. Check out this video of Sean here surfing in the Bay.

“I love being in the ocean swimming just like a dolphin – this keeps me connected also.”

He has a strong connection to Arakwal country, its stories and history, and fond memories of being with family here. This influences his approach to life and his art.

“The Eagle is the male totem and when I see the eagle flying over, I feel like it is my Grandfather watching over me. The dolphin is the woman’s totum and I feel the same feeling, when I see them – its like all of my family that have past are watching over me. I represent this in my art also. Me and my family would gather pippis at Tallow Creek and Belongil, we would light a fire and cook them up for a feed, we always had fish, mudcrabs and bushtucker, this place is plentiful. I thank all my elders for passing this beautiful connection onto me”. 

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Learning Materials that may be available for this program will come from NPWS. Click Learn More below to find out more about this program in general.

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For information and bookings please call NPWS on 02 66209300. In the future there will be a link Click here which will go to the NPWS website.

Learning Materials that may be available for this program will come from NPWS. Click Learn More below to find out more about this program in general.

Learn More

For information and bookings for the program please call NPWS on 02 66209300. In the future there will be a link Click here which will go to the NPWS website.

A Dreamtime story of the Three Sisters Rock (also known as Two Sisters) tells of three sisters swimming off the headland at Broken Head.

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Located just south of Broken Head these picturesque cove beaches backed by forest covered cliffs were used for hunting and camping by our people.

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Tallow Creek includes small lakes and wetlands and is located south of Cumbebin (Byron Bay) behind the dunal area along Tallow Beach and flows intermittently into the Pacific Ocean. “This is our stomping ground as you’d call it” (Aunty Linda Vidler).

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The eastern most part of Australian mainland, Walgun plays an important role in many Dreaming stories, and was a special place for ceremony, learning and spiritual inspiration.

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Currenba is located at The Pass a sheltered beach popular for picnicking, surfing and boating access to the Bay and beyond. It means ‘gully’ and refers to the natural water channels found in this forested area. Currenba is a significant place for us.
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Cavanbah, which means ‘meeting place’, with its sweeping beachfront and sheltered places was a favourite home base and meeting place for the Arakwal people and other Bunjalung nation tribes.

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Cumbebin Swamp is located adjacent to the township of Byron Bay and is connected to Belongil estuary. It is an important part of Country for the Arakwal people as a place of plenty supporting sustainable living.

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This group of small islets out in the Bay are very significant to us. It is also an important habitat area for Binguing (turtle), many species of fish some which are endangered such as the Grey Nurse shark. There are several important Dreaming stories associated with Julian Rocks.

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The Brunswick River (known as Durrumbil) and associated wetlands, saltmarsh and coastline near its mouth were considered a place of significance for our people and the Bunjalung nation. It was a special meeting place for ceremonies and trade purposes.

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Log in and Connect with Us! Click here and Sign-in as a Friend to receive newsletters on line and updates. If you are one of the Arakwal Mob, or want to become a Colleague you can apply for access and then use the Log-In area of the Menu.

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Navigating the Site: It easy just click on the Menu to the left and start exploring! We encourage you to start with our Welcome to Country and then go from there. You can read on to find out more about what is on the website, and how to move around it using the Menu.

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Do you work in the fields of cultural education and community development related to Aboriginal communities, or represent another Aboriginal or First Nation community? If so you might want to apply to become one of our colleagues. By providing some information about who you are, and type of work, research and activity you are engaged in, we can consider your application.

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If you a have a general enquiry, comment or question please contact us. It may take us a little time to get back to you depending on what we are involved in, so please be patient. Thanks!.

Arakwal Aboriginal Corp. Office: 02 6685 8746

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If you a have a general enquiry, comment or question please contact us. It may take us a little time to get back to you depending on what we are involved in so please be patient. Thanks!

The following Learning Materials for Back to Country are available for download. Click Learn More below to find out more about this program.

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No materials are online presently. In the next phase of developing this website we will upload and create links to resource materials related to this program if they exist such as:

• Link Here eg. Program outline PDFs, background information.
• Link Here eg. to relevant external website(s)
• Link Here eg. to purchase product(s) such as DVDs if available.

If you have any enquiries about this program please liaise with us through Contact Us > General Enquiry in the Menu.

Our website is a place for us to share our culture and passion for Country with you. It’s for our Mob, wherever you are, for learning and to keep connected as a community, sharing our challenges and belonging. It’s for our friends and colleagues to keep in touch, supporting and helping us in what we are doing. It’s for everyone else who is interested in us and our stories, our creative arts and love of Country. The following sections show you how to explore the website, and how to connect with us.

Our mob, the Bundjalung of Byron Bay – Arakwal Bumberlin people, have lived in the coastal landscape around the Byron Bay area for at least 22,000 years. We are one of over 500 Aboriginal tribes that co-habited Australia before European occupation. We are the recognised Aboriginal Traditional Custodians of the Byron Bay district. Arakwal Country extends from Seven Mile Beach south of Broken Head to the Brunswick River up north, out to the escarpment west of Byron Bay, and east out into the Tasman Sea. Click map to see a larger one.

Arakwal people lived in this area for thousands of years before the arrival of non-Aboriginal people. Our families continued to live here when non-Aboriginal people moved into the area, often under great pressure, and finding it more difficult to live on, and look after our traditional lands. 

We are proud to have been able to survive the challenges so far along with other Aboriginal people in Australia. We really appreciate people who understand this struggle and support us in our efforts. Yoway!

Around and beyond this area, Country is looked after by other Aboriginal traditional owners with which we have had close and interconnected relations for a long time. Byron Bay (Cavenbah) has always been an important meeting place for the Arakwal, neighbouring clans and people of the Bundjalung nation. Our people, together with neighbouring tribes and clans, make up part of the wider Bundjalung Nation. This nation extends to Grafton and the mighty Clarence River in the south, up north past Tweed River to the Nerang River in southern Queensland, and out west towards the Great Dividing Range.

Our timeline  Check out this timeline that gives you an idea of what has been happening for us, and shows some of our family connections to this country. It goes from a long time back right up until recently … it shows the connection we’ve had with this place long before the coming of Europeans and others, including well-known seafarer, Captain James Cook. And we are still working away at looking after and reconnecting our people with their place. The timeline is part of a pamphlet prepared by the NSW Office of Environment & Heritage.

Click here to download a PDF of the Timeline Pamphlet

Since 2001 the Arakwal people have entered into three Indigenous Land Use Agreements with the New South Wales Government recognising our rights as Traditional Owners to lands and waters in and around Byron Bay within this area. Click here to read more.

Our ancestors have passed on traditions and cultural practices that are alive in us, their descendants, today. We retain a strong connection to our country, actively caring for and reconnecting our people to this place. We share our knowledge and culture with the wider community to help look after Country.

This Country and our language dialect corresponds closely to the language group Minyanbal on the Bundjalung tribal language area map here.  Our language is at times referred to as Arakwal-Minyanbal. Click on the map here to see a larger version.

Our Corporation

The Bundjalung of Byron Bay Aboriginal Corporation (Arakwal) was established in 1996. Its members are our people. Strengthening our Aboriginal identity and culture, and ensuring our efforts accord with our cultural values, customs and practices are a major focus of the organisation. The corporation works in partnership with government, community groups, and business enterprises to protect and help manage the land and waters of our traditional Country, and to benefit our community through improved housing, health and wellbeing, and  training and work opportunities.  We focus on:

• Living and Working back on Country  - including indigenous resource and co-management agreements; dealing with Native Title matters; reviewing land-use plans, strategies and development proposals; involvement in Land and Coastcare activities; working and caring for Arakwal National Park and the Cape Byron Marine Park; developing affordable housing for our community.

• Maintaining Cultural Connection to Country - including revitalisation of cultural practices, developing and running cultural programs for our people and the wider community, as well as reconciliation activities and events.

• Business and economic development – including education, training and employment strategies, developing and supporting businesses and work for our people, housing and better services for our elders and community.

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We want everyone to respect, appreciate and value Arakwal Country. We invite you to stand with us to protect and support our values, understanding how we belong to Country, respecting and helping us care for Country.

“We want to see Country how it used to be. We want to continue to look after country and want it to look after us.  We want our people to be back on Country, caring for and using Country like we always have.  We want to share parts of our culture with the wider community so they learn about and respect Country like we do.  We want everybody to work together to keep Country clean and healthy.”

Aunties Lorna Kelly, Dulcie Nicholls and Linda Vidler, 2003.

Are you a young Aboriginal person looking to have fun, stay active and learn to surf? Come along to the Burra jurra Surfing Program and get together with other young Aboriginal people learning to surf or improve your technique with one of the best surfing coaches in NSW. The program includes learning about our cultural stories, places and plants. We get into surf safety, healthy eating,positive life style choices, bush tucker, dance and music.

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Our Corporation is responsible for representing the interests of the Arakwal people. It is engaged in a wide range of activities to help achieve our objectives in the following key areas:

• Living and Working back on Country:  including indigenous resource and co-management agreements; Native Title matters; reviewing landuse plans, strategies and development proposals; involvement in Land and Coastcare activities; working and caring for Arakwal National Park and Cape Byron Marine Park; developing affordable housing for our community.

• Maintaining Cultural Connection to Country:  including revitalising cultural practices, developing and running cultural programs for our people and the wider community, as well as reconciliation activities and events.

• Business and Economic Development: including education, training and employment strategies, developing and supporting businesses and work for our people, housing and better services for our elders and community.

The Corporation has 5 year strategic plan which includes strategies and actions for these areas. It reviews and renews this plan near the end of each 5 year period. Strategic planning is one of the main roles for our board of directors. They have recently completed a review of our present strategic plan (2012), and are setting priorities and actions for the next 5 year plan period.

Strategic planning is very important  as provides the opportunity to look closely at issues and challenges affecting the corporation and our people, and to plan well for the future. The Board then provides clear direction for our staff who report back to the board on the achievement of these directions, and strategies, and if they are working.  Click here to read more about our Key Activities.

Our members

are Aboriginal people of the Bundjalung People of Byron Bay:

• descended* from Aboriginal people who lived and/or held native title rights in the Agreement Area at the time of first contact by European settlers in 1820s-30s

• are known to the acknowledged elders of the Bundjalung People as members of the Bundjalung People of Byron Bay; and

• are resident within the traditional country of the Bundjalung People of Byron Bay; or have maintained their primary identification with the Bundjalung People of Byron Bay through regular visits with Bundjalung People of Byron Bay community in traditional country of the Bundjalung People of Byron Bay and are acknowledged by the elders of the Bundjalung People as recognising and observing the laws and customs of the Bundjalung People of Byron Bay.

(* descended as set out in Schedule 3 of our Corporation Rules)

Our executive and staff

Our current 2017 board members are:

• Alwyn Roberts – Chairperson
• Lee King – Vice Chairperson
• Jennifer King Jnr
• Cassandra Kelly
• Steven Kelly
• Terry Kelly
• Yvonne Stewart
• Theresa Nicholls
• Sharon Roberts Snr
• Danny Kay Snr.

Arakwal Staff for 2017 are:

• Sharon Sloane – Acting General Manager
• Rita Roberts – Administration Assistant

The primary objective of the Corporation is to relieve poverty, sickness, destitution, distress, suffering, misfortune or helplessness of needy members of the Bundjalung People of Byron Bay of the land and waters in and around Byron Bay and surrounding areas of New South Wales through:

(a) improving housing, living conditions and general standards of living by the provision of land, housing and other buildings and other services for our people’s use and benefit;

(b) improving vocational skills, employment prospects and employment opportunities of our community members; and

(c) arresting social disintegration by strengthening and fostering development of our Aboriginal identity and culture, ensuring that all programs and actions are in accordance with our cultural values, customs and practices.

Our corporation objectives are to be achieved by, but not limited to, the following:

• seeking land and/or compensation for the Bundjalung People of Byron Bay of the land and waters in and around Byron Bay under Native Title Act (1993) or by any other means to further Corporation aims

seeking partnerships or Development Enterprise to improve the above objectives, through implementing the Bundjalung of Byron bay Aboriginal Corporation Corporate Plan.

The Bundjalung of Byron Bay Aboriginal Corporation (Arakwal) was established in 1996 and primarily works for the betterment of the Bundjalung of Byron Bay Aboriginal (Arakwal) People, land and waters. The Corporation is incorporated under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006.

We have a Board of Management, which currently has seven members, and employ 2  full time staff and a number of part time support people. Our Board meets approximately monthly with an annual general meeting, as well as other meetings as required on specific topics such as native title matters. Board members also represent our Corporation at various meetings and on committees with other agencies such as the Cape Byron Reserve Trust, Cape Byron Marine Park, the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, and Byron Shire Council.

Through story, dance and creative expression, this program provides participants with the opportunity to learn about the life and culture of our Arakwal people. Presented by Arakwal Aboriginal guides, participants join traditional owners in art, dance and ceremonies, learning about the significance of the land and sea and importantly dolphins to the our people.

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Hey, this is for all our families and friends. Get back on Country with our mob for a picnic or barbeque and a walk and talk. Enjoy being at home and yarning with other Bundjalung of Byron Bay Arakwal people.

Back to Country Day usually happens before we have a meeting or other official Arakwal cooperation business to attend to. They are part of our Arakwal Community programs. We will let you know when they are on – check out our Events Calendar.