Lilli Pilli

This area contains a number of interlinked places of cultural heritage value primarily related to camping and resource collection sites, as well as the associated teaching of the cultural practises being undertaken.

The unnamed beach located in Lilli Pilli, at the end of Grandfather’s Gully, between Wimbie and Circuit Beaches, is known by the Chapman family as “Chapman’s Beach”, after Henry Richard Chapman, born at Shannon View, Moruya, in the late 1800s. It is a sheltered pebbly beach with a fresh water creek draining into the ocean from Grandfathers Gully. Used mainly throughout the 1960s and 70s as a camp, diving and food gathering took place. Les Simon used to bring his family here when his children were young. At low tide lobsters were accessible at the north end of the beach. Muttonfish were also collected as well as Native Cherries and won-dharma bush from the surrounding bush land. Garara sticks, for making spears are found in the Circuit Beach area.

There is an ochre quarry on the unnamed headland between Chapman’s Beach and Circuit Beach. It can be seen from ‘Chapmans’ Beach, and is accessible at low tide from ‘Chapmans’ Beach or via the ridge from Denise Drive. As kids we would paint on boards and each other. Les recalls collecting lobsters at Lilli Pilli as a child [Les Simon 03.11.2005./ 30.11.2005]

Violet Parsons recalls camping at ‘Chapman’s Beach’. The family would wait for the tide to go out before venturing onto the rocks to catch lobsters and muttonfish. There was no need to dive for muttonfish; they were exposed on the rocks at low tide. The kids would get conks and muttonfish hiding beneath the seaweed. A feast was had on the rocks, where the food was collected. ‘….We would always have a fire going before people went diving, so when they got out, they could get warm quickly. After having a fill of food at the beach, if there was any left they would take it home to share with family. There is a certain area for cooking and throwing away the shells, like the rubbish tip [ie Shell Middens]…..lobsters are better boiled, so it was always good to take them home to cook, whereas Muttonfish and conks taste better when cooked on the hot coals ….’ [Violet Parsons 6.4.2006].

Lilli Pilli: "Chapman's Beach"
Lilli Pilli: “Chapman’s Beach”

 

Excerpt from "Stories About the Eurobodalla by Aboriginal People", 2006. Story Contributed by Martin Ind from Moruya High School.