caring for Country
Please respect that when you are anywhere in Lutruwita you are on Palawa Country and most of you are visitors to these significant cultural lands and places. Our community has a profound and enduring connection to the sea, skies, lands and waterways of Lutruwita. They are a living, breathing part of our story, our Law and our identity.
Palawa people, along with all other Aboriginal and First Nations peoples globally, are the creators and holders of genius sustainability knowledge systems. The genuine version – not the one that claims to be ‘environmentally friendly’ as it extracts and exploits. Our cultural knowledge, values and management of Country have sustained All-life here since the first sunrise.
Due to the impacts of colonisation on our people, caring for all of our Land and Sea Country is the responsibility of today’s Tasmanian Aboriginal community. Here are ways for everyone to care for Palawa Country while on wukalina Walk and every day after.
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Stay on the track at all times to prevent damaging small plants and habitat. Even if the trail is wet or muddy, please stay on the track rather than contributing to further erosion of trails by walking around wet spots.
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When walking on the beach please be conscious of the fragility of the natural environment. Particular bird species nest in soft sand on the beach and your guides will indicate where to walk so you don’t destroy eggs and nests.
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Sand dunes are particularly vulnerable to erosion so be careful not to contribute to this when sampling bush foods or taking photographs. There will be times you’ll be asked to remove your shoes to walk within certain parts of the cultural landscape. Follow in the footsteps of your guides.
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As most of you already know, it’s not alright for anyone who isn’t Palawa to remove physical objects of any kind from their natural environment without permission. Every rock and shell and seed and seaweed plant is there for a reason, as are part of our Country. Palawa read Country and only take the amount of natural resources we need for food, medicine and cultural practices.
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We do not bring reusable plastics or harmful chemicals on wukalina Walk and ask you do the same. We provide you with biodegradable body and hair washing products designed for use in fragile natural environments.
“Country remembers everything. She remembers the people. We always have family members there on Country, in the form of the peppermint gum, whose roots are deep in the ground from which we came and from which language came. They represent us and our Ancestors and they represent the future. ”