Traditional Owners

That there was an Aboriginal presence in the Black Range area before the coming of the Europeans has never been in doubt.

It is believed there were two distinct tribes within the Sandstone district. The Wongi in the eastern half and the Yamagee in the western half. It has been suggested that neither tribe would cross into the other's territory except for tribal meetings. Furthermore, considering the scarcity of water in the area it is also thought both tribes may have only lived in the area on a non-permanent basis.

After that, very little is known of their presence in Sandstone. The only available information has been gathered from a scant number of publications throughout the years.

There are however, definite signs of an Aboriginal presence throught the district. These include hand stencils on rock formations, old camping grounds, stone cairns and the evidence of flint tool making. Gnamma holes have also been discovered throughout the years, mainly by farmers when their stock fell into them. Sadly, many of these holes have been filled in since then for this exact reason.