Ban Ban Springs is a locality in the

North Burnett Region The North Burnett Region is a local government area in Queensland, Australia in the northern catchment of the Burnett River. Established in 2008, it was preceded by several previous local government areas with histories extending back to the ea ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia. In the , Ban Ban Springs had a population of 7 people.

Geography

Ban Ban Springs is located at the junction of the Burnett and

Isis Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic language, Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician language, Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major ancient Egyptian deities, goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughou ...

highways. The locality is surrounded by the larger locality of Ban Ban. On the southern side of the road junction are the

springs Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a he ...

from which the community gets its name, being rare springs from which waters flow into the nearby Barambah Creek.Map of Ban Ban Springs Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Area
, retrieved 25 February 2009

History

StateLibQld 2 199823 Schoolchildren from Ban Ban Springs State School, tending to the school garden, 1919

The name Ban Ban Springs finds its source in the name originally used by H. Herbert when, in 1846, he first leased the pastoral run encompassing the springs. It is reported Herbert borrowed the words "Ban Ban" (meaning grass) from the local Wakka Wakka and/or

Kabi Kabi The Gubbi Gubbi people also known as Kabi Kabi are an Aboriginal Australian people native to south-eastern Queensland. They are now classified as one of several Murri language groups in Queensland. Naming As is often the case, ethnonyms dis ...

languages. Ban Ban State School opened in August 1916. It closed on 24 January 1965. In the , Ban Ban Springs had a population of 7 people.

Aboriginal cultural heritage

The natural springs were the first Queensland Aboriginal cultural heritage to be recognised on the register of the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2003. The

Wakka Wakka Wakka Wakka, or Waka Waka, people are an Aboriginal Australian community of the state of Queensland. Name "''Wakka''" was assigned the meaning "no" by Western linguists who documented the Wakawaka language. Ethnonyms based on the duplication of ...

people's believe that the springs are significant to the Dreaming. This was confirmed by a Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines study advised by the Wakka Wakka Jinda. The springs were entered on to the State's Aboriginal Cultural Heritage register for the following reasons:

"Ban Ban pringsis a
sacred site Sacred space, sacred ground, sacred place, sacred temple, holy ground, or holy place refers to a location which is deemed to be sacred or hallowed. The sacredness of a natural feature may accrue through tradition or be granted through a bles ...
and has a
Dreamtime The Dreaming, also referred to as Dreamtime, is a term devised by early anthropologists to refer to a religio-cultural worldview attributed to Australian Aboriginal beliefs. It was originally used by Francis Gillen, quickly adopted by his col ...
association with the
Rainbow Serpent The Rainbow Serpent or Rainbow Snake is a common deity often seen as the creator God, known by numerous names in different Australian Aboriginal languages by the many different Aboriginal peoples. It is a common motif in the art and religio ...
which is believed to have surfaced there. It spoke to the elders of the tribe telling them the secrets of the
sacred waters Sacred waters are sacred natural sites characterized by tangible topographical land formations such as rivers, lakes, spring (hydrosphere), springs, Water reservoir, reservoirs, and oceans, as opposed to holy water which is water elevated with t ...
and how to use it. The Rainbow Serpent also told of talks he had had with the seven sisters and of the wonders he had seen while making the pathways for the sacred water to flow in this area. (This legend is retold on a mural erected at the site by elders Mavis Hawkins, Dennis and Daniel Cobbo of the Wakka Wakka tribe and their people.)"

"It is the birth place of many elders of the Wakka Wakka people with elders of this group living in the town of
Gayndah Gayndah is a town and locality in the North Burnett Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , Gayndah had a population of 1,981 people. It is the administrative centre for the North Burnett Region. Geography Gayndah is on the Burnett River and ...
."

"Ban Ban Springs is unique in Indigenous Heritage. It is sacred in men's Business and women's Business for separate and combined reasons."

"Throughout time this area has been guarded by the Rainbow Serpent."

Unfortunately, in September 2006 the Shire of Gayndah, concerned about noxious weeds (including Chinese elm) and improving visitors' experience of the area, sought to re-vegetate and beautify the place (e.g., planting out up to 30 or more bottlebrushes) by engaging contractors to promptly clear the existing vegetation from in and around the springs, with the following effect:

"Cultural Heritage Destroyed: They've exposed the plant life to the summer heat, moved the rocks around, driven through the springs's pond ... They've bulldozed what Gayndah's Wakka Wakka eopleknow as their cultural heritage..."

By 8 May 2007 the Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Water had issued summons under the ''

Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2003 (Qld) The ''Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2003'' is legislation passed by Queensland Parliament, commencing in April 2004 to recognise, protect and conserve Aboriginal cultural heritage in the State of Queensland

'', threatening prosecution and effectively initiating discussions between the local council and the

people to somehow rehabilitate the springs, better manage the Aboriginal cultural heritage area, and settle the whole matter by agreement. One year later, the council for the new

expressed formal regret for the harm done and agreed to discuss with the Wakka Wakka. The springs are usually dry, but local bore irrigation has also reduced the available water.

References

External links

Map of Ban Ban Springs Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Area
small>, retrieved 25 February 2009 {{authority control Towns in Queensland North Burnett Region 1999 establishments in Australia Populated places established in 1999 Localities in Queensland

Geography

History

Aboriginal cultural heritage

See also

References

External links