By Alys Marshall, ABC Rural, Sat 3 Sep 2022.
To travel through the Liverpool Plains in New South Wales is to drive through paddocks of yellow sunflowers, white bolls of cotton and green rows of wheat, occasionally passing under shady groves of river red gums that guard the banks of the Mooki River.
Renewed scrutiny over decision not to protect sacred sites in NSW
A group of traditional custodians in New South Wales are suing the Federal Environment Minister over a decision not to protect their sacred sites.
Steve Talbott stands on Watermark Mountain looking towards Caroona.
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Hidden off the beaten track, the land also conceals the sacred battlegrounds of the Gomeroi people, who can today point out grinding grooves and scar trees dating back tens of thousands of years.
"When the European people came up the river, from Sydney area, this is where all the clans and tribes all joined together and fought these people. So, it's a sad thing, a sad place," Mr Neave said.
"They were right in the middle of the [mine's proposed] second pit, these massive [weapon] grinding grooves, the size of the double-decker bus out there, so I had to do some speeches, just to voice that.
