Blog
Throughout The Grand Section in 2017 and our journeys since, we communicate through ‘blogs’ where we send out updates somewhat irregularly to people who have subscribed or are interested in following what we get up to in work and life.
We are in the process of transferring the 6 years of blog content from the former The Grand Section website, check back in with us soon!
The Grand Section Guardian #008 - Stop 06, Windorah/MAY 20, 2017
The smallest town, yet some of the biggest thinking. Indigenous elders active teachers, people as usual wearing many hats, playing many roles. The stark white ghost gums seem unique to the place, a beautiful contrast to the blushing red earth.
The Grand Section Guardian #007 - Stop 05, Quilpie/may 8, 2017
Red dirt and dust, the piercing sun beams. Flies a menace. Water always a part of the conversation. Average annual rainfall is around 12 inches, average evaporation is 18 foot. Sitting upon the artesian basin though, “there are no water restrictions”. A baffling contradiction.
The Grand Section Guardian #006 - Stop 04, Roma/April 26, 2017
A whirl wind to say the very least. A scheduled week turned to two quite quickly, cutting out the next stop Charleville. The Mandandanji chair person, Darren, with overwhelming enthusiasm and persuasiveness about the work going on and was able to convince us to play a part in their dreaming celebrations. It's Gunyah get wild!!
The Grand Section Guardian #005 - Stop 03, Theodore/April 6, 2017
Imagine fertile lands covered in dense Brigalow scrub, bottles trees and prickly pear; Low ranges ringing the horizon. The subtropical and sub-humid climate, with variable rainfall, provides relatively pleasant conditions year round. At the junction of two water courses, The Dawson River and Castle creek is a fertile junction abundant in nourishment from both the land and water, we were told by a local elder this was a special place to the Wulli Wulli people. Being the traditional owners of this land; their country covering an approximate 8300sq km area, they would have fished and hunted porcupine, living off the banks of the Dawson River and within nearby caves. Significant cultural and burial sites including caves with a four fingered hand print and bora grounds (a male initiation site) exist in the local area where many artifacts, such as grinding stones, rock axes, and flake and core stones continue to be unearthed, the local elders their custodians.
The Grand Section Guardian #004 - Stop 02, Woodgate/MARCH 20, 2017
Sleepy Woodgate, yawn and you’re moving too fast, blink and you’ll miss it. However, If it’s not your destination you won’t have heard about it.
A part of the traditional land of the Kabi Kabi people, the local Dundaburra tribe is noted to have resided here for last 50,000 years. Indicated by the many middens along the Burrum river, their diet was varied with large amounts of shellfish. Local history states the Dundaburra would partake in the Bunya nut feasts on the Bunya mountains, some 220kms away (close to Toowoomba). In researching though, their presence is a miss.
The grand Section Guardian #003 - Stop 01, Fraser Blazer /March 6, 2017
Stop one on the Grand Section - Fraser Island