For more than 40,000 years, Australia’s Indigenous people have lived and thrived in Australia’s unique and challenging natural environment.
Today it is believed that Australia's Aborigines are the world’s oldest civilisation. Be captivated by the Indigenous people of Australia through some fascinating activities.
Go Walkabout in Melbourne
Take the Aboriginal Heritage Walk and find out more about the Boonwurrung and Woiwurrung (Wurundjeri) people who once inhabited the site of today’s Royal Botanic Gardens. Indigenous Guides will welcome you with a traditional smoking ceremony, followed by an introduction to traditional uses of plants for food, medicine, tools and ceremony.
Walkin’ Birrarung
Alternatively, the Koorie Heritage Trust can take you on a unique walk providing an understanding of the ancestral lands of the Kulin people. Walkin’ Birrarung is a journey back through time exploring the changes of both the people and the place. The tour begins at Enterprize Park where you will follow the river upstream, stopping to discover sites and landmarks of significance to the Kulin people and concludes at Princes Bridge and Federation Square. A short walk further on into Birrarung Marr, the new ‘Common Ground’ Aboriginal public art space is an optional but worthwhile addition to the experience.
Melbourne Museum
For a fascinating insight into Indigenous history in Melbourne and Victoria, visit Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre at the Melbourne Museum, which exhibits Aboriginal cultural heritage items from a collection that is one of the most significant in the world, and also features a native garden.