Aboriginal Melbourne walk

Pastor Sir Doug Nichols and his wife Lady Gladys, dedicated their lives to community service. Their great-granddaughter Ngarra Murray etched totems into the blue stone paving here signifying the emu – Bigarrumdja (Yorta Yorta) – and the Crow – Waa (Boon Wurrung/Woi Wurrung).

The artwork called 'Ceremony' references the site as a traditional ceremonial ground and meeting place for the people of the Kulin Nation.

Includes pieces from renowned artists including Emily Kam Kngwarray and Rover Thomas, alongside contemporary works by Brook Andrew and Destiny Deacon.

Get comfy at communal tables and tune into ‘Island Radio’ highlighting blak performers. Drinks feature native ingredients and are supplied by Indigenous owned and social impact businesses.

Join workshops, educational and walking tours, or participate in Indigenous cross-cultural awareness training. There is also a shop for design pieces by Indigenous makers and creatives.

In the Woi Wurrung language of the Wurundjeri people, birrarung means ‘river of mists’ and ‘marr’ relates to the edge.

This installation celebrates the cultural and spiritual connections between Aboriginal people and rivers.

Made from weaving basket grass, eel traps were set near the shallow waterfalls that used to exist downstream, separating the freshwater of the river from the salty water of the bay.

Communities gathered here between the 1890s to the 1960s for regular forums and debates with renowned Aboriginal thinkers and activists like Bill Onus and Gary Foley.

Scarred, or culturally modified, trees can still be found in Yarra Park. Football games at the MCG are a tangible connection for the Eastern Kulin to this area. They played marngrook here, an early version of football, elements of which still feature in Australian Rules Football today.