“I am blooming from the wound where I once bled”

Rumi

Kukenarup Memorial, about 15 km out of Ravensthorpe, is an eerily quiet and deeply peaceful place.

 Walking around the short trail in seems at first very solemn. It is, after all, the memorial of a massacre of local indigenous people perpetrated by local European settlers in the early 1800s. One of the first of its kind in Australia.

The signage around the trail quotes local families and elders:

“I remember dad whispering about the story of the massacre – almost like you were not allowed to talk about it. I remember hearing stories of people hiding in caves… I heard of Noongar people running and trying to hide and again of being shot as they ran.”

At the same time, it is a place of great beauty.

As one walks around, looking more closely, especially through late August through to October, the place offers a stunning display of wildflowers. Spider and sun orchids swaying quietly under low hakea bushes, Kunzea, Grevilleas, Banksias, Acacias, Davisias are only some of the floral diversity found here.

The cruel and sad part of our history is hard to accept. According to Reconciliation Australia, accepting our history and the devastating impact it had on indigenous people in Australia, is one of the first steps towards healing and making amends. Acknowledging what happened in a necessary step towards true justice and healing.

 Kukenarup is a powerful place. It is a place that remembers something sad. It is also a place of healing. Nature makes that happen.

It is so worth a visit.