Adelaide Hills Early Beginnings
Long before European settlement, the Mount Lofty ranges in the Adelaide Hills were inhabited by the Permangk people.
The Peramangk managed and preserved the Adelaide Hills. They used fire to clear old grasses and promote fresh plant growth. Fresh water rock holes were covered with slabs of stone or brushwood to keep the water clean and to prevent animals from drinking from them.
Track ways were maintained through the hilly terrain, linking places and people throughout the Adelaide Hills. Their country extends as far north as Barossa Valley and east to the banks of the Murray River.
Their neighbours are the Ngarrindjeri of the Coorong and Lakes regions and the Kaurna of the Adelaide Plains to the west with whom the Peramangk would meet for trade and ceremony.
Ceremony played an important role in their lives. Corroborees and meetings were held to settle disagreements, for initiation, marriage, trade, or to share stories and experiences.
At Cleland Wildlife Park the Yurridla Trail offers a chance to hear Aboriginal guides bring to life their Dreaming stories and explain the inseparable relationship between Aboriginal culture and Australian wildlife.
Take a Tour
Experience more of Aboriginal South Australia on a tour - see our Aboriginal Tours page for details and great ideas.
