Led by a First Nations information, Mwende Mutuli Musau learns to attach with Nation – whereas preserving her stability – on a stand-up paddleboard tour in Coffs Harbour.
‘I’m going to fall in! I yell as my board wobbles uncontrollably. My chaotic efforts to regain my stability couldn’t distinction extra with the cool, calm waters of Moonee Creek, the place I’m trying – for the primary time – to stand-up paddleboard.
Guiding me on this SUP tour (a brand new exercise for 2025 on Intrepid’s Actual Australia journey for 18 to 35s) close to Coffs Harbour between Brisbane and Sydney is Ronan, a 21-year-old Gumbaynggirr man who works with Wajaana Yaam Journey Excursions – an Aboriginal-owned native enterprise. He’s right here not solely to show me the practicalities of stand-up paddleboarding – which has origins in lots of Indigenous cultures around the globe – but in addition introduce me to his ancestral land, as a cultural custodian.
‘Yilaami! (Come alongside!)’ Ronan says as he paddles off, reminding me to face in the course of the board and pull in my abs for stability. I’ll have had a light panic initially, however I’m all the time up for a brand new problem. I set off after him, and with every stroke of the paddle, plus slightly extra reassurance from Ronan, my confidence slowly grows. I quickly discover a comfy rhythm – paddling left, proper, left, proper.
It’s early morning, and we’ve got the creek all to ourselves. Mom Nature has delivered vibrant blue skies and a delicate breeze. The water is so clear that in some locations, I can see all the way in which to the creek mattress – dwelling to shellfish, oysters and stingrays – however Ronan advises me to maintain my eyes on the forest-lined shores if I need to keep upright.
After some time out on the water, we cease by a thicket of mangroves, pulling our boards onto the sandy soil. Ronan picks a bunch of leaves and crushes them in his fingers. ‘What do they scent like?’ he asks. I pause for a second, inhaling the aroma. ‘Aloe vera?’, I provide.
‘Precisely,’ says Ronan. ‘These leaves can be utilized like Vicks. If you’re criminal [sick], you’ll be able to inhale steam made with the leaves or make tea out of them. Natural drugs like this was used for hundreds of years earlier than colonialism in Australia. The mangrove tree was crucial to First Nations tribes, as a result of they may use the leaves for drugs and make boomerangs from the branches.’
The connection that First Nations individuals have with the land is key to their lifestyle and id. To them, the land is greater than rocks, soil, vegetation and minerals. It’s a dwelling surroundings that’s inextricably intertwined with tradition and folks.
Ronan leads me deeper into the bush, advising me to be careful for sharp mangrove roots as he bounds over them, barefoot, with out a care. ‘Many kangaroos reside close by and usually come to the creek to feed. This creek was a major fishing spot again within the day due to the oysters and shellfish which can be discovered right here,’ Ronan says. He tells me that his ancestors would have come to this creek to hunt, fish and go walkabout – the latter being a solitary expedition and conventional ceremony of passage that marks the transition from adolescence to maturity.
Ronan has been working excursions for Wajaana Yaam since 2021, when he was in his late teenagers. For him, and plenty of different native First Nations children, his involvement with the organisation has been transformative. He was contemplating shifting away for work, however getting the provide to work as a SUP information allowed him to remain and make an affect in his personal neighborhood.
Ronan was contemplating shifting away for work, however getting the provide to work as a SUP information allowed him to remain and make an affect in his personal neighborhood.
Wajaana Yaam means ‘from this Nation’ within the native Gumbaynggirr language. And in addition to using Aboriginal guides, who share their tradition and insights with guests who need to join with Nation responsibly, the organisation additionally works to strengthen cultural id among the many youthful generations of Gumbaynggir individuals, by supporting quite a lot of neighborhood initiatives.
Ronan helps run studying packages and assists with different cultural tasks at an area Aboriginal language faculty – the primary and solely one in every of its form in New South Wales. ‘There are presently solely 250 audio system of our tribal language, so we go down there to assist out. The objective is to extend the variety of Gumaynggirr audio system and to maintain our traditions alive,’ he tells me.
We return to our boards and make our approach to a big sand financial institution in the course of the creek. Whereas I wouldn’t say it’s straightforward, by now my paddling is quicker and stronger and I really feel extra secure, even because the creek will get deeper and the bushes round us develop thicker.
‘This space is known as a tamenee, which is a small city or township,’ Ronan says, pointing to a small set of homes peeking out from behind the bushes. I assumed we had been completely out within the sticks (or ‘woop woop’, as Aussies prefer to name it), however right here we’re, again the place we began, on the sting of city. For me, this view sums up the way in which the local people right here coexists with nature.
As if for instance my level, Ronan dives into the water with a splash.
Whereas I’ve discovered that stand-up paddleboarding is a enjoyable approach to work out and spend time open air, this expertise is greater than that. The optimistic affect goes far past my private wellbeing and expertise of connecting with Nation – it additionally flows into the native Aboriginal neighborhood, celebrating and preserving necessary cultural traditions and offering the subsequent technology with alternatives to thrive.
After spending the morning determined to remain on my board, it’s time. I set down my paddle, and leap.
Mwende Mutuli travelled as a visitor of Intrepid. You may expertise SUP with an Aboriginal information on the Actual Australia journey. Discover out what else is new for 2025 with The Items.
