INDIGENOUS CULTURE

Nanda are the salt water people. Keepers of the land and sea, they have a spiritual connection to the land and Mother Earth. Aboriginal people known as the Nanda, inhabited land including Kalbarri, west to Willa Gulli and to the mouth of the Bowes River, East to Northampton and North to Tamala. These Aboriginal people believe mythological Dreamtime beings sculptured the land to what we see today.

Long ago during the spiritual Dreamtime, a serpent called Beemarra travelled down the Murchison River, drawn by the unfamiliar sound of the pounding waves. The Beemarra followed a creek and then disappeared underground to tunnel her way to the coast. Emerging at Kalbarri Coastal Cliffs, Beemarra was terrified by the thundering waves and fled back to the safety of the Murchison River. As she fled her passage was marked by a tunnel through an outcrop of red sandstone. She rested in many places leaving fresh water where she had lain. These fresh water springs are still in existence today and are registered sites with the Department of Indigenous Affairs.

209 Aboriginal heritage sites are registered in this area.

The local Nanda community are working hard to keep their heritage and culture alive.