Table Top the site of cultural burnings

INDIGENOUS land rangers will complete cultural burns on one of the Darling Downs’ most notable natural landmarks this week.

Cultural burning practices will be used to undertake a burn activity at Meerwah, also known as Table Top Mountain, on Wednesday by the Bunya Peoples’ Aboriginal Corporation and Wirrinyah Conservation Services.

As part of a land use agreement between BPAC and the Toowoomba Regional Council, BPAC general manager Paul Dawson said this was the first time this agreement had been used to facilitate a burn.

“Over the past year we’ve been working closely with council to look at different ways we can complement its existing land management practices,” Mr Dawson said.

“BPAC believe in rebuilding knowledge for all of our communities on how we apply fire in the landscape that will lead to healthier landscapes and safer communities based on longstanding Aboriginal cultural knowledge and connections to country.”

While the mountain is at the foot of the Dividing Range on Yugara/Ugarapul country, Meerwah is a culturally significant place for many surrounding Aboriginal clans and tribes, as it was used to light smoke signals during frontier wars.

To commemorate the history of the site and cleanse the area of bad spirits, a traditional smoking ceremony will be performed by the Yugara dancers and Yugara/Ugarapul Elders at the bottom of the mountain for those participating in the burn prior to commencement.

The burn will commence midmorning with the mountain closed to the public until noon on Thursday.

Residents may observe the burn from Picnic Point but for safety reasons only fire personnel will have permitted access to the mountain for the duration of the burn.