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“All rivers, creeks and wetlands of land near the Swan Valley were the living cathedrals of Aboriginal spirituality” - Robert Bropho – Noongar Representative (Sep. 14, 1994) The old Swan Brewery site on Mounts Bay Road is without a doubt, on one of the finest locations in Western Australia. The once busy, then derelict, then again crowded building overlooks the Swan River and the views stretch on for miles. The building is situated on the very bank of the river at the feet of King’s park and running adjacent to the inner city. The brewery is (or was) then envy of breweries across Perth. Not only is the building situated on a superb location, the land itself holds a significant spiritual importance to the Aboriginal (Noongar) people of Perth and surrounding areas. The site is attributed to the Wagyl. The Wagyl is a dreamtime serpent that was said to have formed the bed and hills of the Swan River. Aboriginal heritage dates back over fifty thousand years. They are believed to be the earliest formed human civilisation in the world. We have estimated this through them to other aged materials. Most of the rock paintings show people, animals, studying ancient rock paintings and calculating their approximate age, comparing hunting scenes, body art, and spiritual beings. These spiritual forms are heard of in dreamtime stories – stories of how the land was formed and where certain animals acquired particular mannerisms (Why can’t the Emu fly? How was the Darling River Created?). The Wagyl, as mentioned before, was a spiritual being responsible for the bed and hills of the Swan River. The site of the brewery is known amongst Noongar communities as Goonininup. ---------- As aborigines were the original inhabitants of the country, they were given the right to claim certain areas of land. This was largely possible from the Mabo vs. Queensland case. Eddie Mabo was an aboriginal born on Murray Island in the Torres Strait. In 1981, he and other Torres Strait islanders began the historic native title case. Mabo underwent this case because a large proportion of Australian territory was attributed to very significant Aboriginal ancestors, and none of this land was owned by Aborigines. Before Mabo’s appeal and a result of the 1905 Act, Aborigines were considered un-human and only part-aborigines (half caste or quadroon) were eligible to apply for citizenship. The case intended to restore or officially legalise Aboriginal rights concerning traditional laws/punishments and land claims. The Mabo vs. Queensland case stretched on for ten years. Mabo died less than six months before his case was successful. The Mabo case is relevant to the dispute over the Swan Brewery site because they both relate to the issue of Aboriginal land claims.
Approximate Word count = 1756
Approximate Pages = 7
(250 words per page double spaced)
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