Brookvale and Communing with Country
Evy Anwar, a BAD volunteer and Senior Urban Designer at DesignInc looks at the history of Brookvale and highlights the opportunity to reconnect with its natural environment and cultural heritage.
The Northern Beaches is known for the beauty of its natural features, including natural parklands that encompass 45% of the local government area. In an increasingly urbanised environment, it is important to note that the Northern Beaches has one of the highest urban tree canopy coverages in Greater Sydney. In addition to this, the Northern Beaches also boasts an 80km coastline mixture of ocean beaches as well as aquatic reserves. With these features, the area is also prone to natural hazards: as the climate changes, extreme heatwaves, bushfire, flooding and erosion threaten the serenity of the area.
Brookvale has a long and interesting history. Prior to early settlers, Brookvale was most likely inhabited by Dharug people as shown by Aboriginal engravings found around Allambie Heights and Beacon Hill. Gamaraigal people was known to inhabit Warringah area. As the land where the hills meet the sea, Brookvale was largely marshland and lightly timbered.
Post settlement, Brookvale secured the extension of a tram line from Newport, but despite its popularity, it was decommissioned in 1939. Brookvale’s small farms and market gardens slowly transformed to manufacturing and an industrial centre due to the Cumberland Planning Scheme.With this change, Brookvale Brewing Company emerged as part of an eclectic mix of businesses in the area. Although it didn’t last long at the time, the identity of Brookvale as a brewery centre remains strong to this day.
With the evolution of Brookvale over time into mostly a built-up urbanised environment, there is an opportunity to reconnect with the surrounding environment. By using the indigenous philosophy of ‘Communing with Country’ a cultural practice used by Aboriginal people to connect through mind and spirit, it is not just about the natural environment, but also about the identity and cultural heritage of the area – it provides a sense of purpose and belonging by connecting to the past, present and future.
Communing with Country is a holistic approach to understanding the environment and seeing everything as interconnecting. When you sever the artery, you will slowly die. Art can be used as a method of story-telling and education for future generations. In consultation with local Elders, the Brookvale artist community has a great opportunity to convey this message. Brookvale has a rich layer of indigenous and colonial history, and it should be celebrated as a part of its authentic identity in parallel with its current identity. Beyond the surface, Aboriginal cultural practice is key for reconciliation and a new (old) way of caring for our environment and respecting our identity and cultural heritage.
