In a city with such a dazzling harbour, it’s easy to miss all of the complex little worlds surrounding us every day. That pretty purple wildflower or innocuous green shrub you may pass on a lunchtime walk contains food and medicine, if only you look a little closer. If you are curious to discover the genius within our natural environment, and the people and culture that thrived here for thousands of years before you, the Aboriginal Walking Tour at Barangaroo is a good place to start.
Named after a badass fisherwoman and defiant champion of sustainable practices, Barangaroo is now a park that has committed to being carbon neutral and water positive with zero waste emissions. In small groups led by one of several Aboriginal guides, you can explore the reserve, which sits on the edge of the harbour and has been redeveloped with over 75,000 native plants. History and wisdom is woven into humour and personal anecdotes from the tour guides. It’s a leisurely stroll, with many stops to touch, smell and taste the plants that have sustained life and communities that lived in harmony with the land and its bounty. You’ll learn which plants can cure toothaches, repel mozzies, or be ground into flour for a sweet bread or even used as a syrup in wine. You’ll also discover the stories of the many animals and sealife that once flourished here and how they have adapted like us, to the many changes of modernisation.