Field work: Cameraman Javier Valledor films David Lawrence, Marcel van Wijk and Tony Pagett at McCauley's Beach. Picture: ADAM McLEAN
FILMING has begun on a documentary about the growing appreciation for Aboriginal know-how in caring for the Illawarra environment.
The $1500 grant from the Royal Australian Historical Society will go towards a production lasting about five minutes.
Ray Robinson, of grant recipients Illawarra Eco Tourism Association, hopes the project will eventually grow into a full-length documentary highlighting the new-found weight being placed on ages-old Aboriginal expertise - a "convergence of values" between indigenous and non-indigenous inhabitants.
"The Aborigines have always been environmental people. We are now waking up to the fact they have a lot to contribute," Mr Robinson said.
The documentary will trace the history of European settlement in the Illawarra to 1815, when Aboriginal guides led Dr Charles Throsby to water and pastures at modern- day Brighton Beach.