Mount Gulaga

Gulaga from Montague Island

Gulaga from Bermagui

Mount Gulaga and Central Tilba

The Rainforest Track at Mount Gulaga.

Mount Gulaga (formerly known as Mount Dromedary) is one of the highest mountains on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia. It rises above the village of Central Tilba and is within the Gulaga National Park. At its highest point, it measures 806 meters above sea level.^[1]

Cultural Significance

Gulaga is the place of ancestral origin within the mythology of the Yuin people, the Indigenous Australians of the area. Gulaga itself symbolises the mother and provides a basis for Aboriginal spiritual identity, the mountain as well as the surrounding area holds particular significance for Aboriginal women. For the Yuin people it is seen as a place of cultural origin. The Mountain itself is regarded as a symbolic mother-figure providing the basis for the people's spiritual identity.^[2]

The surrounding area also incorporates Wallaga Lake National Park, land that was given back to the Aboriginal people in May 2006. An agreement was signed by the New South Wales Environment Minister and the Yuin people to solidify the occasion.^[3][4][5]

History

The first Europeans to sight the mountain were the crew of Captain Cook's ship, HMS Endeavour on 21 April 1770. Endeavour passed the mountain at a distance of 15 miles (24 km) offshore. Cook named it "Mount Dromedary", as its figure reminded him of the hump of a camel.^[6]

Activities

Mount Gulaga is a National Park and therefore it serves as a site for public activity as well as a place of significance for the Aboriginal peoples. The National Park provides walkways along the mining roads, which provide views of the coastal lakes. The hike from Tilba to the summit is approximately 11 km. This generally takes about half a day to complete. Though it is steep in a few places along the way, it is a fairly leisurely hike, requiring no special hiking equipment.^[2]

Access to the park is approximately 10 kilometres north of Bermagui. The lakes can be accessed by boat. Boats can be rented from Regatta Point or Beauty Point.^[3]

The Natural Landscape

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  Syenite Boulder and Pinkwood Rainforest

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  Pinkwood at Gulaga Summit

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  White Ash on Gulaga Mountain

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  Temperate rainforest near the summit.

When Mount Gulaga was an active volcano over 60 million years ago, its peak was approximately three kilometers in height. Though the peak has fallen due to shifts in the Earth's crust, the peak can still be seen from virtually anywhere in the Tilba region. It is also visible across from many lakes, such as Wallaga Lake National Park or Lake Corunna.

Mount Gulaga is made up mainly of a Cretaceous- age Igneous rock complex. Mount Gulaga ascends from this rock complex to 797 meters above sea level. The mountain itself is made up of banatite rock with an outer rim of Monzonite.

Mining

In the mid-1800s, Mount Gulaga, then called Mount Dromedary, became a prominent site of gold mining. Rev. W.B. Clarke first found traces of Alluvium gold in Dignams Creek in 1852. Gold mining then became a common activity in the area. A significant amount of gold was found in deposits along streams coming from Mount Gulaga's slopes. Between 1878 and 1920 approximately 603 kg of gold was found in its slopes.

Near the crest of Mount Gulaga, reefs were discovered in 1877 that allowed for gold mineralization. These Pyrite-rich veins (which range in size from 15 to 45 cm) were mined by the Mount Dromedary Gold Mining Company.

References

1. ↑ "Mt Dromedary gold". Minerals. New South Wales Department of Primary Industries. 1997. Retrieved 2006-05-23. 
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Tilba Online: Gulaga/ Mt Dromedary". 
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/nationalparks/parkHome.aspx?id=N0165
4. ↑ Foster, Warren (2006). "Gulaga told by Warren Foster". Stories of the Dreaming. Australian Museum. Retrieved 2006-05-22. 
5. ↑ NSW Minister for the Environment, Debus, Bob (2006). "Formal handback of Biamanga and Gulaga national parks to Aboriginal community: Media release - Friday, 3 February 2006". Media releases. Department of Environment and Climate Change. Retrieved 2006-05-22. 
6. ↑ Beaglehole, J.C., ed. (1968). The Journals of Captain James Cook on His Voyages of Discovery, vol. I:The Voyage of the Endeavour 1768–1771. Cambridge University Press. p. 300. OCLC 223185477. 

v t e Australian places named on the First voyage of James Cook in 1770 Victoria 19 April: Point Hicks Ram Head 20: Cape Howe New South Wales 21 April: Mount Dromedary Batemans Bay 22 April: Pigeon House 25 April: Red Point 28 April: Botany Bay* 6 May: Port Jackson Broken Bay 11 May: Point Stephens Port Stephens Cape Hawke 12 May: The Three Brothers 13 May: Smoky Cape 15 May: Solitary Isles Cape Byron 16 May: Mount Warning Queensland 16 May: Point Danger 17 May: Point Lookout Cape Moreton Morton Bay The Glass Houses 18 May: Double Island Point 19 May: Indian Head Sandy Cape 21 May: Herveys Bay 23 May: Bustard Bay* 25 May: Cape Capricorn 26 May: Keppel Isles 27 May: Keppel Bay 27 May: Cape Manyfold 28 May: Shoal Water Bay Northumberland Isles 1 June: Long Isle Broad Sound 2 June: Slade Point 4 June: Whitsundays Passage Cape Gloucester 6 June: Magnetical Island Palm Isles 8 June: Halifax Bay Dunk Island 9 June: Frankland Islands Fitzroy Island 10 June: Green Isle Trinity Bay Cape Tribulation 14 June – 4 August: Endeavour River* 11 August: Lizard Island* Eagle Island* 18 August: Sir Charles Hardy's Isles 19 August: Cape Grenville 21 August: York Cape 22 August: Possession Island* Prince of Wales' Isles 23 August: Booby Island* *Places where Cook landed

Coordinates: 36°18′00″S 150°01′30″E / 36.300°S 150.025°E / -36.300; 150.025

External links

Tilba Online "Mount Gulaga/ Mount Dromedary" http://www.tilba.com.au/gulaga.html