BAREENA HOUSE- NORTH AVALON

The site is located along Bareena Ave, near Bangalley Headland and Avalon Headland. These headlands date back to the Triassic period, approx. 250 million years ago, and are prime habitat for wildlife. Perfect vantage points are located here for whale watching, bird watching and exploring and significant Aboriginal caves and campsites are still evident.

Bangalley Head is the highest point in Pittwater and it’s named after the Bangalay Eucalyptus Tree endemic to this area. It is home to five Banksias, Scribbly Gum, Palms and more. Bareena is the Aboriginal word for “tree-like ti-like” (Tree like & Tea Tree. Barina also means “summit” or “view from the side of hill” so there could be some significance there also.

Interesting, markings from WWII troops are also engraved on Bangalley Headland and were discovered accidentally after a bushfire. The service ID number have since been traced back to archives to uncover who these service men and women were. They were coast watch guards during war time.

Guringai people lived in this are historically, living off the plentiful fish, birds, berries, nuts, fruit, vegetation and native marsupials. Other local areas were named after the “whirling waters of the bay” known as the Aboriginal word Balgoula (Bilgola).

Many Aboriginal sites were located throughout Avalon, but unfortunately, very little evidence remains. I’m almost certain that Careel Bay would have remains of middens, fish traps, and carved trees due to the significant relationship Indigenous people had with the local land and wildlife. Men and women were highly skilled at fishing and canoe making, and were well known for eating around family camp fires sharing stories.

Similarly, our own personal connections to our family, home and gardens bring us together where we feel safe and loved, and where we share our meals, and stories, and our lives as a family. We relate to our sense of place, and create memories by connecting to ourselves, to each other, to our surroundings. There is history and the present day entwined together and it’s the landscape that keeps us all connected. It’s all interconnected.

“The spirits are very nurturing” and they bring together the elements of family, food, fun and the outdoor life. Your home and outdoor areas feel safe and peaceful, the landscape generally nurturing. Metaphorically, the boundary of the home now extends into the garden areas and beyond, where everything melds together personally and purposely.

Located in the Pittwater Ward, native plantings include but are not limited to the following: Dianella, Myoporum, Christmas Bush, Conesticks, Knobby Club Rush, Flannel Flower, Tea Tree, Maidenhair Fern, Hibbertia vine, Wonga Wonga Vine, Pig Face, Grass Tree, Westringia, Lilly Pilly, Banksia, Gymea, Birds Nest Fern, Rasp Fern, Native Violet.