"..................The stone was widely traded throughout the region because of its useful tool making properties. The serrated and razor sharp cutting edge was created with great skill using primitive tools. To hold such a beautiful piece of history in one's hand provoked thoughts about what the site was like thousands of years ago. The tool conjured up images of the small groups living in the area and almost brought the cave to life.

As we stood, quietly admiring the tool, we began to hear the sounds of the past seeping from our imaginations to touch the present. The sounds of quiet chatter as food was prepared and the smell of smoke from the cooking fire almost carried us back into the past. Some of the younger children were sent to collect firewood or to bring water from the nearby creek. The men, back from hunting, gathered around the fire for warmth. The sounds and smells seemed to percolate up out of the surrounding bush and into our imaginations, as if the bush too, could remember what it was like.

When we placed the tool back where it was found, the chatter died off, the smoke dissipated and we found ourselves standing together in the present. We shouldered our packs and walked back to the car, the memories of past inhabitants echoing on our consciousness.............."

Originally published as "Echoes from the Past" in the 1999 Macpac Equipment catalogue