Uncle Warren Taggart is a Wonnarua Elder and teacher of Aboriginal Culture. In 2021 he collaborated with photographers Carol Carter and Allan Chawner to publish Spirit of Place- Aboriginal Sites of the Hunter Region, a beautifully presented book that documents important Aboriginal sites across a wide section of Country – Wonnarua, Darkinung, and Dharug – in the Hunter Region. Many of these sites are located within Yengo and Wollemi National Parks.

The project grew from Uncle Warren’s long-standing commitment to recording and protecting significant sites. He began survey work with Carol Carter and Allan Chawner in 2013, bringing together his cultural knowledge with their photographic practice and historical research. What followed was a unique collaboration: a meeting of Aboriginal knowledge, family and community history, and the visual documentation of Country. At its heart lies a shared determination to record places of Aboriginal heritage value before they are lost.

The book was dedicated to Uncle Warren’s father, Stan “Tommy” Taggart, who passed on to him both cultural knowledge and a deep respect for Country – knowledge of caves, rock engravings, and sacred places; the warmth of storytelling; and a profound love of the land. This legacy shapes the pages of Spirit of Place.

Many of the sites represented are fragile, and protecting them is vital. Uncle Warren’s collaboration with Carol and Allan arose from his desire to share these places more widely while ensuring they remain unharmed. Photography provides the public with a way of seeing and appreciating sites of cultural significance without the risk of damaging them. In this way, the book is both an act of sharing and of safeguarding. The work has a strong educational focus.

As the title suggests, Spirit of Place is not only a record of landscapes and sites but also a reflection of living culture. For Aboriginal people, Country is not just land but a spiritual presence, inseparable from identity. Uncle Warren’s words remind us that culture is carried through generations:

Our elders would walk with us, sit with us and tell stories. We would listen, watch and learn in order to understand our culture, our lore. Every part of this traditional land of the Wonnarua people tells a story and through the eyes of ancestors and elders we can see it, we can feel it. Our land is a part of us and always will be. Our ancestors have walked this land for thousands of years and still walk it today. Our ancestors’ footprints are left behind so others can follow to keep our culture and dreamtime alive.

Uncle Warren Taggart

The book also features a preface by Emeritus Professor John Maynard, a Worimi man and respected historian of Aboriginal histories. In addition, archaeologist Jillian Huntley contributes an essay describing the types and techniques of the art sites featured, enriching the book with further context and insight.

Uncle Warren Taggart

Uncle Warren Taggart is a knowledge holder of Wonnarua/Wanaruah traditional culture. His knowledge has been passed down through his family - his father, grandfather, and uncles - who were all born and raised on Wonnarua Country in the Singleton region.

He continues to deepen this knowledge through his work with National Parks in Yengo and Wollemi, and by working closely with community members and property owners. Together they plan and carry out survey work to locate, document, and assess the condition of Aboriginal art sites of cultural significance across Wonnarua Country.

For more than 10 years, Uncle Warren has shown strong leadership in this work. He has spent countless hours with collaborators Carol Carter and Allan Chawner, who assist in making photographic and written records. When required, he advises the relevant authorities about sites that need attention or protection.

Uncle Warren is also deeply committed to education. At Baiame Cave, he runs cultural programs that give young people the chance to learn about Aboriginal traditions, beliefs, and the significance of this important site. Students gain an appreciation of the methods used to create the engravings and paintings, as well as the cultural meaning they hold. These visits leave a lasting impression, encouraging respect and positive values towards Aboriginal culture.

Through his leadership, Baiame Cave has also become an important place of learning for organisations, with many groups taking part in professional development programs guided by Uncle Warren. His ongoing dedication ensures that Wonnarua culture is shared, valued, and respected by future generations.

Carol Carter

Carol Carter trained as a visual arts teacher and later in her career became Head Teacher of Creative and Performing Arts at a secondary high school. Her interest in Aboriginal sites in Yengo National Park began in the early 1980s, when she started photographing engraving sites. At that time, she worked mainly with black-and-white film, using fill-in flash at night to illuminate the rock surface at a low angle. This method revealed the fine details of the engravings, while long exposures captured the surrounding landscape, placing the works in their broader context.

These sites were little known at the time, as her formal study of Aboriginal art had not included them. Motivated as an educator, she was determined to share her images with students and the wider community - an approach that eventually led to her collaboration with Uncle Warren Taggart.

Today, Carol continues this work in partnership with her husband, Allan Chawner, using updated digital techniques. Allan operates the camera while Carol works with video lighting, moving the light across the rock to highlight engravings and reveal the surrounding landscape. Together, they also document rock shelters, grinding grooves, and stone arrangement sites.

In addition to her photographic practice, Carol researches historical records of Aboriginal art sites and contributes to survey work aimed at identifying and recording new locations. She also serves as the team’s writer, ensuring that the stories, histories, and cultural context of the work are clearly communicated.

Allan Chawner

Allan Chawner is a retired Associate Professor of Fine Art and former lecturer in photo media at the University of Newcastle. He photographs significant Aboriginal sites identified by Uncle Warren Taggart and contributes to ongoing survey work. Working alongside his wife, Carol Carter, and Uncle Warren, Allan photographs heritage sites - engraving sites illuminated at night or cave interiors carefully balanced with the brighter light outside.

His work captures both the fine details of Aboriginal art sites and the broader surrounding landscape, ensuring each image conveys cultural meaning as well as a sense of place. Allan also prepares digital files for printing, refining and correcting images so they are ready for publication and exhibition.

The collaboration between Allan, Carol, and Uncle Warren has grown over many years, marked by shared knowledge, discussion, and good humour. Survey work can be challenging, as the terrain is often rugged, with no tracks – often dense vegetation, sandstone platforms, and escarpments. Sites are located by GPS, requiring persistence and teamwork to document and protect these places of cultural heritage.

Copyright ©Warren Taggart 2021