Yarriba Dreaming and the butterfly effect

Words and image: Kath Rose

In the mighty shadow of Mount Barney in the Scenic Rim, yellow butterflies float effortlessly around a Bunya tree.

It’s just one of myriad signals that this country gives to its traditional custodians, in what has been a relationship for the ages. 60,000 years in fact. Probably more.

This mass flutter of yellow has happened every three years for the longest time, and, for the Ugarapul people, it signalled it was time to walk to the Bunya Mountains to the north of Brisbane for a bumper harvest. Mobs would gather from all over, each having read and received The Butterfly Effect. There were harvest celebrations, serious talk, songline time and then, the walk back to home country.

Fast forward to 2024 and I was privileged to spend time on ‘home’ country with Ugarapul man Kruze Summers also known as Gurruhmun or ‘Old Man Kangaroo’. He told me this story, and so many more as we walked.

I’m experiencing Yarriba Dreaming, the first and only cultural immersion program in Southern Queensland.

Co-host with Kruze is hiking and mountain climbing legend, Innes Larkin who owns Mount Barney Lodge, where Yarriba Dreaming takes place. If Kruze has over 60,000 years of songlines and history to call on, Innes has a lifetime dedicated to studying the ecology of Mount Barney and it’s immediate surrounds – his deep connection to the mountain means that when it exhales, Innes feels its breath.

This extraordinary union has created a very special experience, one where you put your watches away. Forget about connecting to Google, you can’t. It’s time to simply walk and listen, and to sit and let the smoke from Kruze’s welcome fire wrap you in ancient memories.

Yarriba means ‘walking’ and ‘we will walk together’, and this is what we did.

“Country provides everything you need, when you need it, where you need it,” said Kruze.

While I experienced just 24 hours of Yarriba Dreaming (there’s immersions of up the three days), my takeaway is that yes, country does provide, if only we were to listen, and learn how to ask properly.

The way Kruze looked at the grasses and trees when he spoke about them, it was like lovers look at each other in the heady first days of connection. It was with awe and respect and love. He speaks of country like family, and it is. It’s mother, father, provider, giver, taker, protector, teacher. He put it best: “Mother Nature is the most powerful force there is – she’s the boss,” as he placed his hand gently on a young gum tree and looked up to the topmost branches. If only we all grew up with this as the big picture.

Back to the walk.

Kruze talks of when Koalas had bushy tails. We drink lemon myrtle tea. He points out Platypus places. I take leaves from the Red Ash ‘soap’ tree, rub them between my hands and make ‘soap’ foam. We see curious little red-faced wallabies, and I know that in fact hundreds of animals are watching us, all hidden from our eyes. I’m shown a medicine tree, and more yellow butterflies. Kruze tell me he’s spending as much time as he can with local Elders to listen to their songs and stories and soak in their knowledge, so he can pass it to his children, and share on Yarriba Dreaming immersions.

Kruze tells me the country talks to his feet, but he slows and stops as we near a waterhole in the Logan River, the meandering lifeforce that snakes around the base of Mount Barney.

He says this waterhole is Woman’s Place, a place sacred for birth, and Women’s Business. So I walk forward and yep, I can feel eyes of the past on me, it’s a good feeling. Supportive.

Mount Barney is the second highest peak in South East Queensland, a hulking, magnificent, rugged reminder of the ancient volcano which erupted 24 million years ago. You can’t help but keep looking at the mountain, watching it’s colours change from blue to green, to black then and shiny depending on where the sun is. It’s a big presence.

I wondered about climbing it and ask Kruze.

“Only Elders ever climbed the mountain, for special business,” he said.

“We don’t look at mountains to climb – there’s no water up there. We don’t have to walk on top of mountains. We can look at the mountain and respect it, and honour it.”

Makes sense doesn’t it.

Talk turns to sustainability. Kruze explains that there’s no real word for sustainability, because his people’s relationship with country meant it was intrinsic.

Then he lights another fire.

This is a ‘warning fire’, a ‘cool fire’ that’s super smoky, to let animals and plants know that another fire is coming, and to move along to a safer plant for the time being, to make way and to prepare: a small fire to protect from big fires that inevitably come through regional and rural Australia and have for millennia. It’s how his people have managed fire and country for all time, and again, this makes sense. Perfect sense.

When we stop and drink more lemon myrtle tea made by Kruze, I ask about Dreamtime stories.

He tells me Dreamtime stories have no ending, that the yarn is still happening, the mountains are still moving, the sky ever growing, the land constantly changing, and the story of country never stops. Standing there under a big blue sky, surrounded by gorgeous grey gums, listening to the crunch of dry leaves underfoot and the sounds of Kurrawongs and Glossy Black Cockatoos in the distance, it felt really good to be part of that story, if just for a few hours.

At the sun set behind Mount Barney, the light turned golden, and the nocturnal animals of this area struck up their symphony of the night, Kruze and Innes lit the final fire of the day, one to sit around, cook over and talk across.

Then when we’d had our damper and simple dinner of slow cooked meat and vegetables (that have never tasted so good by the way), Kruze picked up his beloved didgeridoo and joined the bush symphony. No conductor was needed because these songs have been performed every night for longer than memories have existed. It sounded like a heartbeat.

The whole day and night got me thinking – perhaps we need to open-end our stories, so our yarns can be changed if we take the time to listen, and to walk, to Yarriba Dream, and to keep an eye out for those yellow butterflies.

It was an experience I will always remember, full of lessons I’ll never forget.

About Yarriba Dreaming
Yarriba Dreaming is hosted by Kruze and Mt Barney Lodge. It’s the first indigenous tourism experience for the Scenic Rim, the region recognised globally as a must-visit destination by the famous Lonely Planet guide in 2022. The half-day, full day and three-day immersion experiences sees participants immersed in the ancient landscapes of the Scenic Rim – walking, sharing stories, learning traditional Indigenous ways of living, and considering their own place in nature. Kruze’s ties to the area and the mountain run deep. He is descended from the Ugarapul people on his grandfather’s side and the Bidjara people on his grandmother’s side. He was very close to his grandfather (Uncle John) and because of this he began to understand the importance of the physical, emotional and spiritual connection to country. His thirst for knowledge and his deepening connection to his indigenous heritage led to the Yarriba Dreaming partnership. 

About Mount Barney
The distinctive peaks of Mount Barney, Mount Maroon, Mount May, Mount Lindesay, Mount Ernest, Mount Ballow and Mount Clunie make up Mount Barney National Park, the remains of the ancient Focal Peak Shield Volcano which erupted 24 million years ago. The mountains and valleys around Mount Barney are the traditional homes of the Mununjali, Githabul and Ugarapul people. Visit this great guide to learn more about this magnificent mountain. 

About Kath Rose
Kath Rose is one of Brisbane’s leading publicists and storytellers and a proud advocate for the Scenic Rim region. Owner of public relations and marketing agency, Kath Rose and Associates, for over 25 years Kath has worked with international artists, events, and destinations such as the Scenic Rim, to weave her PR magic and share their stories with the world.