By VICTORIA STONE-MEADOWS
A NEW cultural tour run by local Wurundjeri people from Grant’s Picnic Ground in Kallista will provide learning opportunities for tourists and locals as well as jobs for local indigenous people.
Federal MP Jason Wood was in attendance at a demonstration of the new tours on Tuesday 17 May along with the Wurundjeri Tribe Land and Compensation Cultural Heritage Council.
In 2015, the Wurundjeri Tribe Land and Compensation Cultural Heritage Council Inc secured a grant of $150,000 of federal funding.
The grant was made possible through the Dandenong Ranges Wildlife Protection, Weed Control and Fuel Reduction program.
The tours will begin with a welcoming ceremony that tells of Wurundjeri history and culture and includes Tanderrum, the welcome and smoking ceremony.
The tours will then take visitors to Grant’s picnic grounds into the bush where local members of the Wurundjeri tribe will give lessons about Wurundjeri identity as well as traditional food and fibre plants.
Wurundjeri elder Bill Nicholson spoke at the official opening and praised the work of those involved in bringing this project to life.
“I give full credit to all those who have fought hard to learn and teach our culture,” he said.
“We have a unique story of this place and more than just tell that story, we want to make Wurundjeri presence felt and stop the confusion.”
The tours are the first real Indigenous tourism venture for the state of Victoria and will provide jobs and education in a purely indigenous setting.
The guided tours will provide jobs to five local indigenous people and the tours will run two times a day, twice a week.
Wurundjeri Tribe Land and Compensation Cultural Heritage Council CEO Cheryl Krause said she was proud to see this project happening.
“I am really delighted to be involved in this project,” she said.
“It’s so great to see Uncle Bill and all the others really embrace this and really make it come alive.”
A run-down pergola at Grants picnic ground will be upgraded into a Wurundjeri learning space where the tours will be kicked off from and visitors have a chance to really engage with local indigenous culture.
A permanent fire pit and totem poles will also be installed for the smoking ceremonies and welcome to country.
MP Jason Wood said he was excited to support this project as it directly benefitted the local Wurundjeri people.
“Not only will the tours provide a great insight into Wurundjeri culture and cultural practices for visitors, but it will also provide the Wurundjeri community with employment and business opportunities in the tourism industry, while supporting their ability to share their culture with other people,” he said.
“It is an exciting venture and I am looking forward to seeing the positive impacts on both the Wurundjeri community, the tourism industry in the Dandenong Ranges and the visitors that take part in the tours.”
Uncle Bill Nicholson said it had taken a lot of work to make this venture possible but it was nothing to what it meant to the Wurundjeri community.
“The biggest weapon we have as Aboriginals is education,” he said.
