Margret Campbell — Dreamtime Southern X
Aunty Margret Campbell is the founder-owner and managing director of Dreamtime Southern X, which runs tours offering fascinating insights into the Aboriginal Dreamtime beginnings of Sydney/Warrane.
Dreamtime Southern X, Sydney/Warrane, NSW © Tourism Australia
When you meet her, you’re welcome to call her Aunty Marg. In Australia, addressing an Aboriginal Elder as ‘Aunty’ or ‘Uncle’ is a sign of respect, though it’s polite to ask permission before using these terms.
You might encounter Aunty Marg – or one of her guides – cradling a tiny pot of ground ochre while standing in Sydney Harbour-side neighbourhood The Rocks waiting to welcome you to the 90-minute Illi-Langi The Rocks Aboriginal Dreaming Tour. The pale paste is dabbed onto your wrists to connect you to Earth Mother and the sandstone lying beneath your feet. Aunty Marg might also draw symbols on herself with the ochre paste, which dries in the sun as she talks.
Dreamtime Southern X, Sydney/Warrane, NSW © Destination NSW
Sharing the stories of Sydney/Warrane
As you stand in front of modern wonders such as the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Aunty Marg’s stories will take you back to a time when this land and the harbour looked very different. Before colonisation, Aboriginal peoples would watch out for the whales they considered a spiritual ancestor. They’d also bring fish here to cook over their campfires.
Aunty Marg is from the Dunghutti and Jerrinjha nations of New South Wales, but has 10 other ways of identifying herself, including various animal Totems. These all link her into a deep network of kinship and connection. Spending time with Aunty Marg will highlight how the Dreamtime still shapes the world’s oldest continuous living cultures – estimated to be more than 65,000 years old – and the responsibilities of Elders in today’s society.
Dreamtime Southern X, Sydney/Warrane, NSW © Tourism Australia
The power of Aboriginal tourism
For Aunty Marg, leading Aboriginal tours doesn’t only offer an opportunity to share her culture. It has an important role to play in reconciliation.
“Reconciliation is not just about shaking hands and feeling welcomed into Country,” she says. “Reconciliation is about all people connecting with Aboriginal peoples’ culture to learn how we can respect and conserve our Earth Mother that we all live and walk upon.”