Discovering Aboriginal Victoria

The Aboriginal history of the lands across the South Eastern corner of Australia now home to Victoria goes back more than 40,000 years and there are many places and experiences on offer to help visitors learn more about the Aboriginal people and culture of this land.

Healesville Sanctuary has recently launched a new experience called Indigenous Wildlife Journey where visitors are hosted by an Aboriginal ranger to better understand the history of the land and learn how in tune Wurundjeri people are with their Country. Participants discover and taste bush tucker plants, and hear Dreaming Stories, handed down through generations, of how people and animals were created. They also have a chance to discover objects that demonstrate traditional life and feel spiritually enriched by stories of a people, place and culture more than 40,000 years old. The tour also includes close-up encounters with two of Australia’s most iconic animals: the Kangaroo and the Koala, and VIP seats at Spirits of the Sky, a presentation featuring Australian birds such as Bunjil the Wedge-tailed Eagle and the Red-tailed Black Cockatoo. Badger Creek Road, Healesville, +61 3 5957 2800

In Melbourne, the Koorie Heritage Trust has just opened the doors to its new premises, located in Federation Square. December will see the Trust launch the third annual Koorie Art Show (5 December 2015 – 28 February 2016), presenting works of over 70 emerging and established Koorie and Victorian based Aboriginal artists.  Levels 1 and 3, The Yarra Building, Federation Square, Melbourne, +61 3 8662 6300

Additional experiences can be had in Melbourne and across Victoria, including:

MELBOURNE:

First Peoples Exhibition – BunjilakaThe Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre at the Melbourne Museum hosts First Peoples, the largest exhibition ever to focus on the stories of Victorian Aboriginal people. Told through the voices of Victoria’s First Peoples, and utilising cutting-edge multimedia, Aboriginal language, artefacts and contemporary artworks, First Peoples tells the story of Aboriginal Victoria from the time of Creation to today. This permanent exhibition was awarded Best New Exhibition in the annual American Alliance of Museums Awards in 2014. 11 Nicholson Street, Carlton, +61 3 8341 7777.

Aboriginal Heritage WalkMelbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens rest on a traditional meeting place of the area’s custodians – the Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri people. The Gardens’ Aboriginal Heritage Walk takes visitors on a journey of the ancestral lands of the Kulin nation. The award-winning walk includes a traditional smoking ceremony with an Aboriginal guide who also explains the traditional uses of plants for food, tools and medicine and as well as discussing the history of their people. Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Visitor Centre, Birdwood Avenue, Melbourne, +61 3 9252 2429.

Charcoal LaneA vibrant and innovative restaurant, Charcoal Lane serves a range of casual to fine dining, modern Australian cuisine in a contemporary Aboriginal setting. Menu options include wallaby tartare, yam fritters and wild barramundi. Charcoal Lane is a social enterprise restaurant that provides hospitality training and mentoring to young people, many of whom are Aboriginal, and in need of a fresh start in life. 136 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, +61 3 9235 9200.

Oceania Aboriginal Melbourne TourVisitors to Melbourne can discover the city’s unique Aboriginal significance and uncover the stories behind its main attractions through Oceania’s Aboriginal Melbourne Tour. The six hour tour includes a combination of the above experiences, such as a visit to the First Peoples exhibition,  Aboriginal Heritage Walk, Koorie Heritage Trust, and an introduction to native ingredients cooking with a light lunch at Charcoal Lane. 1300 760 180.

REGIONAL VICTORIA:

Gariwerd – GrampiansTraditionally known as Gariwerd, the Grampians is one of Victoria’s most significant indigenous sites. Aboriginal people have maintained an association with the area for tens of thousands of years, leaving evidence of their lives in the region, including ancient oven mounds, scatterings of stone left over from tool making, a wealth of rock art sites and creation stories handed down from one generation to the next. The region is home to the largest number of rock art sites in southern Australia and more than 80 per cent of those found in Victoria. Approximately 60 art sites, containing  more than 4,000 different motifs have been identified in the national park. A visit to Brambuk Cultural Centre in Halls Gap reveals much of the unique Aboriginal heritage and culture of the Grampians region. At the Centre, visitors can paint a boomerang, watch award-winning multimedia presentations in the Gariwerd Dreaming Theatre, undertake a Rock Art Tour and enjoy a traditional lunch in the Bushfoods Café. 277 Grampians Road, Halls Gap, +61 3 5361 4000

Budj Bim Tours

The Budj Bim National Heritage Landscape is located in the far south-west of Victoria and encompasses the Mt Eccles-Lake Condah National Park and the Tyrendarra and Kurtonitj Indigenous Protected Areas. These are the traditional homelands of the Gunditjmara people and remnants of this ancient culture can still be seen in the landscape today. The wetlands contain the remains of a complex stone aquaculture system, including eel and fish traps while remains of stone dwellings in the landscape are evidence of the sedentary lifestyle enjoyed by the Gunditjmara people. Tours of this landscape not only delve into the unique history of Gunditjmara culture and European settlement, but your local Indigenous guides will also describe the connection to, and uses for, native flora and fauna. Please visit the website or call 0458 999 315 to arrange a tour.

Worn Gundidj at Tower HillIn Victoria’s south-west, Worn Gundidj at Tower Hill provides an insight into traditional Aboriginal lifestyles. A 60 minute interactive walk conducted by an experienced guide enables visitors to discover the natural habitat of some of Australia’s most iconic native animals and identify native plants that can be used for food or medicinal purposes. Located between Warrnambool and Port Fairy, on the Great Ocean Road, Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve is a natural landmark within a volcanic crater. It was recently named number one in a list of ten essential Aboriginal Tourism experiences by Australia and New Zealand Travel Magazine. Princes Highway, Tower Hill, +61 3 5565 9202

Narana Aboriginal Cultural CentreThe award winning Narana Aboriginal Cultural Centre is situated in Geelong, the Gateway to the Great Ocean Road. The building itself has been architecturally designed to reflect Aboriginal cultural practice and houses an education centre with cultural programs. The Centre’s indigenous art gallery shows a collection of authentic Aboriginal art from Yuendumu in the central desert, including pieces by internationally acclaimed artists. The on-site café boasts an indigenous-inspired menu and uses native ingredients to create dishes such as kangaroo sliders, smoked eel and macadamia salad. On arrival, visitors are welcomed by emus roaming freely in the native garden. 410 Torquay Rd, Grovedale, +61 3 5241 5700

The Bataluk Cultural TrailThe Bataluk Cultural Trail gives visitors an insight into 30,000 years of Gunaikurnai aboriginal history and culture, following the original network of indigenous trails and trading routes that spanned the Gippsland region. These paths have become the Princes and South Gippsland Highways, and the route takes its name from the Gunaikurnai word for lizard as it winds its way across the Gippsland region.  The entire trail can be completed over several days or visitors can choose a section. Along the way, participants hear Dreamtime stories, see scarred trees, weapons, relics and sacred sites, and learn about the traditional lifestyles of the first inhabitants of the Gippsland region. While some parts are self guiding, others require a local guide. +61 3 5152 1891