Arthur Keough Reserve
Welcome to the Gumbaynggirr Homeland
The Gleniffer Valley is nestled within the traditional homelands of the Gumbaynggirr people, from the high rainforest areas of the Dandarrga (Dorrigo) plateau, through the Bellinger Valley (Budaabang) out to the coastal lands of Yurruun.ga (Urunga). The Gumbaynggirr people worked with the seasons, making the most of the abundance of foods at different times of the year. The elders of Gumbaynggirr country identify parts of the Gleniffer Valley as camp grounds and meeting places, used to connect with neighbouring clans to marry, celebrate culture, and pass on traditional knowledge about law and custom.
Bush tucker and fishing
The Gleniffer Valley provided a rich source of foods with its diverse flora and fauna. The Gumbaynggirr people would collect native seeds, plants, insects and grubs, and animals were hunted for their meat and skins, including gaabi (swamp wallabies), guljuu (pademelon), giilung (ring-tailed possums), and dunggiirr (koalas). There was also a bounty of snakes, lizards and muujay (echidna). Honey was a prized delicacy in Aboriginal culture, and therefore tree climbing was an important skill used for hunting.
The Never Never river also provided a plentiful diet as a site for freshwater fishing, including giirray (yabbies) and ngurlaa (freshwater turtles). The Gumbaynggirr people used many different methods for catching fish, and this knowledge (what to catch, when to catch it and what types of bait to use), was passed down through generations.
The river bed was also an important site for creating hunting tools from stones along the edge, and grinding grooves may still be found today. Both men and women would make these tools, as well as dilly bags for hunting and nets for fishing. Men would generally do more of the hunting whilst women would source food in other ways.
Everything is connected
In Aboriginal cosmology, everything is connected, and their way of life reflects this. Gumbaynggirr people connect the plateau with the coast along the rivers that wind their way through country. They understand the cyclical nature of the seasons and how this affects the land, animals and plants. This relationship to country ensures that the land and all its inhabitants, human and otherwise, are cared for across many generations.
About Arthur Keough
The Keoughs were part of the first settler pioneer families to arrive in the Gleniffer Valley. This area was dedicated for public use by Jack Keough in memory of his father, Arthur Keough (1896-1972)
