Canoes were used for travelling around Sydney Harbour and its
tributaries as well as out beyond the Harbour heads. Small bark
paddles, called goinnia or narowang were about 60 cm - 90 cm
long and were used to propel the canoes. The canoes ranged in
length from 2.5 m - 6 m. Canoes were an essential part of
fishing, particularly for women who sat in them to fish, using
hooks and lines. Men either stood up in the canoes to throw
fizz-gigs (spears) or laid across the canoes so they could see
into the water. A small fire was kept alight on a bed of clay or
seaweed in the canoes. This kept everyone warm during cold
weather and enabled them to cook fish while in the canoe. No
bark canoes from the Sydney region survive. 'The canoes in which
they fish are as despicable as their huts, being nothing more
than a large piece of bark tied up at both ends with vines.
Their dexterous management of them, added to the swiftness with
which they paddle and the boldness that leads them several miles
in the open sea, are, neverthe