8561RB AC Science Year 6 revised edition LR watermark

Earth and space sciences Lesson 6.1
Evidence of First Nations Australians as the
first space observers – 1
First Nations Australians have used astronomical observations of the Moon, stars, planets and
Sun to develop time-keeping systems for thousands of years. They are the first astronomers.
One of the biggest differences between western science and First Nations Australians’
astronomy is the way that First Nations peoples have recorded and communicated their
discoveries and knowledge. For countless generations, First Nations Australians have used
oral traditions, songs, dances, stories and art to communicate their astronomical knowledge.
In the past, this astronomical knowledge was regarded by many as myths and legends, but
now it is finally being recognised in the scientific field. Many rock paintings, petroglyphs (rock
carvings) and stone arrangements are being preserved and valued for their contribution
and provide evidence of the ancient knowledge that First Nations Australians have of the Sun,
Moon, stars and planets.
Petroglyphs
Ngaut Ngaut, located in Ngarrindjeri Country in South Australia, is an ancient rock art site that
has many astronomical connections. The art is in the form of engravings or carvings into the
sides of cliff faces. It includes images of animals, people, deities, the Sun and the Moon. One
of the most significant is a series of dots and lines in the rock, which, the Traditional Owners
explain, show the cycles of the Moon.
Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, in Darramurra-gal Country in New South Wales, is where the
Guringai peoples recorded and communicated their observations of the Moon. The phases
of the Moon are depicted in a series of eight engravings, which together form the lunar
calendar. The phases begin with the creator Biame’s boomerang.
Another location in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, on
the Basin Track, is said to depict a solar eclipse. It shows
a man and woman with their arms and legs overlapping,
and a crescent shape above their heads. It is thought that
this crescent represents the Moon as it would appear in the
sky during a solar eclipse, and that the characters below
represent ‘the moon man’ obscuring ‘the sun woman’
during the eclipse.
Stone arrangements
Wurdi Youang is a significant stone
arrangement, built by the Wathaurung
peoples in Victoria. It is an eggshaped
ring that roughly measures
50m across and contains more than
50 basalt stones. The stones are
deliberately aligned with significant
astronomical positions. The formation
is laid out in an east-west direction,
and the stones on the west side show
the position of the setting sun at the
equinoxes and solstices.
winter solstice
© R.I.C. Publications
Low resolution display copy
equinox
summer solstice
R.I.C. Publications ® ricpublications.com.au 978-1-923005-13-6 Australian Curriculum Science (Year 6) 49