
"The Lower Eyre Peninsula is very important to many First Nations people that have come to call the area home. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community has grown significantly in numbers with many coming from a wide range of places and now settled in and around Port Lincoln in South Australia. The traditional people of the area are the Barngarla and Nauo people and they have lived side by side in harmony sharing their co-management of culture for many generations, caring for the land, sea and waters, protecting their heritage, culture and languages and this relationship of respect has allowed them to continue their sacred connections throughout many years from past to present. This region belongs to many First Nations people but they all have a common interest, their love and passion for the seacoast.
One of these special places is Fishery Bay. This is an area that borders the outside of Whalers Way which are both located along the western side of the coastline that highlights sea country cultural connections to both groups. It is a place of serenity, that has an abundance of stories of many First Nations gatherings, fishing, sacred ceremonial practices, and caring for country and the beautiful creatures that inhabit the area also. The camping on the beaches, walking with the families, listening to the Elders as they share ancient knowledge, watching the sun rise and set as they lived, worked, and played in this space has happened for many many generations from past to present and that we hope will continue for many, many years into the future.
The Ocean at Fishery Bay is home to many sea creatures, marine life, significant heritage sites and has always been an amazing spiritual place that holds big stories and songlines that run throughout the lands, over the rocks, cliffsides into the sea and beyond, these stories connect to Marine Life and day and the night skies there too. As First Nations people we have a cultural obligation and responsibility to continue caring for this place, we need to protect it as much as we can to continue our roles as passed down by the ancients.
The Sandhills hold stories of traditional burials, the beaches hold travelines and is a food source area, the sea in Fishery Bay holds Spiritual and Cultural Knowledges that cannot be damaged or disturbed, we need to ensure that our Ocean is kept pristine for marine life and the ongoing connections are maintained to continue to provide protection for the fish, the whales, the dolphins, seals, shellfish and many more that all call this place home.
Fishery Bay is unique, ancient and timeless, it's special, culturally significant and has always been a place of beauty, wonder, and spirituality, a place for all to enjoy on land and in the sea, a place of safety, sanctuary and wellness for our Ocean and its inhabitants and all our community."
Emmalene Richards
First Nations Woman of the Eyre Peninsula
Barngarla/Nauo/Wirangu Descendant
