Winston Wander: Kurnai Traditional Geocache
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We have recently spent many months in Tasmania, and during our time there were able to indulge in our love of geo-caching. Among the wide variety of caches we completed, we enjoyed one series so much we have decided to use it as inspiration for our own walking path cache series. Our aim is for our series to provide the variety of hides and challenges the Tasmanian “Ulverstone to Turner’s Beach Pathway” series created by 2y’stassies gave us.
The “Eel Hole Creek” walking path was developed in 1998. The project grew from a concept developed jointly by the Churchill Citizens Association, Monash University, Kurnai College and the Mathison Park Committee. It was funded by the Department of Infrastructure and managed by the Latrobe City Council. The pathway starts at Lake Hyland on Mackey’s Rd, winds its way past the lake, through Mathison Park, past a number of local features including Kurnai College, the lake at Green Inc, the Leisure Centre and the Community Hub before entering a section of local bushland. The walking path finishes at a park and playground in Glendonald Estate.
Hidden by the shrubs and trees is the year 7-10 campus of Kurnai College Churchill, the local state secondary school. It began its life in the mid 1980’s as the Churchill Post Primary School as a year 7-10 campus, with the students travelling into Morwell to complete years 11 & 12. The Morwell post primary schools later merged with the Churchill school to form Kurnai College, which now has a junior school in each town, and the new Gippsland Educational Precent (GEP) catering for years 11 & 12. The GEP also offers students diverse educational opportunities through partnerships formed with Monash University, GippsTAFE and Gippsland Group Training for pre-apprenticeship training.
The Kurnai (or Gurnai) people are the traditional inhabitants of the Gippsland region. Unlike most Aboriginal tribes the Kurnai were a Matriarchal society: meaning that the women were the administrators or organisers, the men were the custodians of the land, being advised by the women. There were five clans of the Kurnai. The central corroboree point was at Swan Reach and the furthest tribe was approximately 4 days walk west (Drouin area). Direct descendants of the Kurnai presently number approximately 400. (visit link)
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
abg sbe gur snvag urnegrq