The Wonnarua people, who are the traditional custodians of the Singleton and Upper Hunter area, have inhabited the Valley for over 30,000 years, tracing their presence back to the earliest stages of the Dreaming. In Wonnarua lore, the creation of the Hunter Valley is attributed to the great spirit, Baime (Byamee), who awakened from a primordial slumber and brought forth the landscape, including mountains, plains, rivers, and all living beings. The Wonnarua people are intrinsically connected to this land, as described by James Miller in his book “Koori: A Will to Win,” where he emphasises that the land holds life’s mysteries and that humans are merely stewards of it.
The spirit of Baime is depicted in a cave overlooking the Valley at Milbrodale, a painting dating back over 3000 years, with his arms outstretched in protection. Additionally, Baime created Kawal (Ka-wal) to watch over the Wonnarua people, embodied in the form of the wedge-tailed eagle, a symbol found throughout the Upper Hunter Valley. When the Wonnarua see this majestic bird, they interpret it as a sign of Kawal’s vigilant guardianship.
The documented history of the Wonnarua people begins in the early nineteenth century with the arrival of European settlers. Ironically, it was atop Baime cave where Europeans first gazed upon the Upper Hunter, led by a tracker from the Wonnarua tribe dispatched from Sydney.
References
James Miller
Koori:A Will to Win
1985, Angus and Robertson
Baieme Cave, Mibrodale – Photo by Carol Carter and Allan Chawner from Uncle Warren Taggart’s exhibition ‘Spirit of Place’