Mountains to sea: ancient story on track

Blay's book is a fascinating account of his long-distance search for the old ways of travelling between the Kosciuszko High Country and Twofold Bay near Eden.

The 360-kilometre route traverses some of the nation’s wildest, most remarkable landscapes from the highest part of the continent to the ocean.

This epic bushwalking story traces the region’s people, natural history, country and the rediscovery of an ancient track. 

In recognition of its importance as a shared history pathway, it is the first Aboriginal pathway to be listed on the NSW State Heritage Register. 

And thanks to the work of Blay, Aboriginal people and local communities, the Bundian Way is set to be one of the great Australian walks.

Mountains to sea: ancient story on track...

The Bundian Way was like a myth when John Blay started his walk from the high country to Twofold Bay. 

Blay had no idea where the track would lead or how long it would take. 

What he discovered was an ancestral pathway possibly 40,000 years old, linking black and white history, that predates the Egyptian pyramids and China’s fabled Silk Road, whose terrain is still largely wild and unmapped. 

On Track: searching out the Bundian Way is the culmination of years of research and adventure, and documents Blay’s first walk along the ancient pathway as he was beginning his research. 

As the walk progresses he considers the route’s shared history, which gives a colourful and sometimes dramatic view of an aspect of history that has seldom been expressed.

The Bundian Way was used by Aboriginal ancestors for thousands of years, linking the bogong moth harvest and ceremonies in the Snowy Mountains to the whale ceremonies on the coast. The site for these oceanic ceremonies was Bilgalera (Fisheries Beach) in Twofold Bay, Eden. 

Local Aboriginal elder, Uncle Ossie Cruse - a long-term friend of Blay’s - recalls how the elders would perform a “hunger dance” on the shoreline, instructing the killer whales to bring in a whale for slaughter.

The entire whale would be used, for oil and blubber, with dried blubber providing a durable food for months, and used for trade along the Bundian Way. 

Blay’s book also recounts the use of the Bundian Way by early settlers. 

When European pioneers arrived in the southeast region of Australia, they found the mountain country a barrier to settlement. Produce of the Monaro, for example, was too difficult to get to market without access to the port of Eden.

Blay tells how the old Aboriginal clans of the region came to the rescue, showing the settlers the best route through. In this way, a pathway used for thousands of years became the first roads.

Both black and white artefacts and precious clues of that long-ago past can still be found on the Bundian Way, as it weaves its way from Twofold Bay, through Beermuna (Boydtown), before heading in a generally north westerly direction to the Monaro.

While much of the book looks at the historic Monaro and its environment and traces the fortunes of its Aboriginal people, it also reveals the highs and lows of the long-distances involved. 

At one point in his walk through Byadbo, in the dry hills above the Snowy River, Blay’s water drop had leaked away after an attack by animals. 

He had to manage for several days without water.

"There are challenges indeed for long distance walkers," Blay said. 

"But there are also compensations. 

"I’m told the walking route would be the best in the world because it is the most varied of the long distance walks. 

"Each day the countryside changes. 

"It never gets boring," he said.

As his walk unfurls throughout the book, Blay also considers the evolution of the many landscapes and the influences of the old Aboriginal people.

During the August 1 launch, Blay will share insights into his research, the highs and lows of his walk, and the latest news on the opening of stages of the walk. 

Everyone is welcome to attend.

EXTRA: If you miss the book launch...

If you miss the book launch at Jigamy on August 1, don’t worry. John Blay has scheduled a second launch in the hall of the Delegate School of Arts at 1pm,  August 15. 

While the Eden launch places the reader at the magical ocean end of the Bundian Way, the Delegate launch creates a gathering in the very heartland of the route. Delegate sits almost exactly halfway along the 365 km pathway, and is one of the few places in the high country offering supplies and accommodation. As such, it’s destined to become the Mecca for long distance walkers when the route officially opens.

When author John Blay started asking about the Aboriginal people of Delegate, he was told by one resident that, ‘There were never any Aboriginal people around here.’

It’s a view nobody from the town would express today, and Blay’s book recognises the significance of Delegate for the old Monaro people. 

Delegate now boasts its very own Bundian Way Aboriginal Art Gallery, managed by the Delegate Progress Association, that provides not only a window on the route but also living proof of the creativity of the Aboriginal artists of the region who are creating new vivacious works of art.

Over the years, the gallery has hosted many successful exhibitions, showcasing talented indigenous artists including Shannon Mason, Lee Cruse and Natalie Bateman. The gallery also functions as an information centre for the Bundian Way, with a series of photographs on permanent exhibition that illustrate the remarkable range of landscapes along the route between Targangal (Mt Kosciuszko) and Bilgalera on Tullermullerer (Twofold Bay).

The current exhibition, Walbunja Custodians & Moodjis, is a collection of paintings and prints from Aboriginal artists across the Eurobodalla. It expresses both traditional practice and beliefs as well as the contemporary expression of connection to country. 

This exhibition will be open in conjunction with Blay’s book launch at the School of Arts, and everyone’s welcome.