PITT TOWN LAGOON AUDIO WALK : 11 Stories from the RIver Dyarubbin

Listen to stories of Dyarubbin / The Hawkesbury River and original music and song they have inspired as you walk through Pitt Town Nature Reserve, NSW, Australia...or from the comfort of wherever you are. Pitt Town Lagoon, just by the village of Pitt Town, was once one of many lagoons along Dyarubbin’s floodplain. Pitt Town Lagoon is now the heart of Pitt Town Nature Reserve, managed by National Parks, primarily for bird-watching.

Dharug educator Rhiannon Wright and Dharug student Lyra are our guides as we learn of the formation of lagoons and their importance to Dharug people. Bardenarang Creek, connects the lagoon to the river and is one of the only waterways on Dyarubbin which retains its original name. It was here that the first meeting between Governor Phillip and Dharug leaders took place in 1789 and where colonisers moved in along the river, 4 years later, with this lagoon behind them. Some of the area’s early settlers included boat builder John Grono and Rev. John McGarvie, who in 1829 recorded a list of Aboriginal names along the river.

We watch for water birds, hear of the Pitt Town Common,

Kurringy - leader of the Caddie Creek Tribe, the Pitt Town /Wilberforce punt, floods, swimming, and water-skiing.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners are advised this audio walk contains stories of historical violence & Aboriginal people now resting in the Dreaming. WALKING DIRECTIONS: (approx 700m return) Starting at Pitt Town Nature Reserve entrance at the end of Church St, we head back up the hill to the grassy edge of Church St & look out over the lagoon. We then head down through the Reserve entrance to the bridge over Bardenarang Creek, make our way into the bird hide to look out over the lagoon, then sit a while, before heading back to the Reserve entrance. GUESTS: (in order of appearance) Grace Karskens, Emeritus Professor of History at Univerity of NSW and author of “People of the River" Leanne Mulgo Watson, Dharug artist Dr Michelle Ryan, Lecturer Ecology and Environmental Science, Western Sydney University and Hawkesbury Nepean Water-keeper Kirstie Fryirs, Professor, School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University Jan Barkley-Jack, Historian and author of "Hawkesbury Settlement Revealed” Mark Fuller, Bird Watcher, Avianation, Cumberland Bird Observers Erin Wilkins, Dharug educator The late Ted Books OAM, former Hawkesbury City Councillor and descendant of Captain John Grono Ted Brill, former Principal, Ebenezer Public School, John Grono, descendant of Captain John Grono Jasmine Seymour, Dharug artist, writer and educator Jen Dollin, Head of Sustainability Education, Western Sydney University Tamara Maisema, descendant of Dharug orchardists at Pitt Town Fred Smith, Bushell’s Lagoon Farmer, from an archival interview recorded in 1992 by historian Sue Rosen, author of “Losing Ground: An environmental history of the Hawkesbury-Nepean Catchment” Darron Blanch, Hawkesbury local & water-skier ARTWORK: Marri Badu Muru © Leanne Mulgo Watson 2022 MUSIC: “11 Stories from the River Dyarubbin” © Oonagh Sherrard, with Dharug songs © Jasmine Seymour and © Stacy Jane Etal. Musicians: Dimitri Vouros, Gary Daley, Jess Ciampa, Jasmine Seymour, Stacy Jane Etal, Oonagh Sherrard ABOUT: 11 Stories From the River Dyarubbin is a collaborative public art work led by composer/ producer Oonagh Sherrard with Hawkesbury Regional Museum, Dharug Custodian Aboriginal Corporation, WSU Sustainable Futures and Hawkesbury Historical Society. Created with support from the NSW Government through Create NSW, Museums & Galleries NSW and assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its Arts funding and advisory body. FURTHER INFORMATION: ⁠https://www.hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au/museum/historical-walks/11-stories-from-the-river-dyarubbin⁠

WATCH EPISODE ON YOU TUBE:

⁠https://youtu.be/q4s3WqWU0g0⁠