Supporting Bunurong and Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung People connect to Country
The Connecting to Country program has been established in consultation with the Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation and the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation to acknowledge and support their Peoples aspirations to connect to Country, work On-Country, care for Country, share intergenerational knowledge and cultural practices on-Country.
Barriers to Traditional Owners caring for Country are deeply embedded in settler colonial constructs and the impacts of genocide, privatisation of land and government policies are ongoing for their communities. The Connecting to Country program aims to overcome these barriers by developing ongoing relationships between land managers, providing on-Country access, volunteer, work experience and employment opportunities for Traditional Owners and local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
The Connecting to Country program aims to empower Traditional Owners to become the leaders in informing actions to be undertaken throughout the Lands and Waters of the Dandenong Creek corridor, in Eastern Melbourne.
The project proposes to invoke a change where the land managers implement recommendations of existing strategies that highlight the need for self-determination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples*; and integrate the cultural practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Peoples (as identified appropriate by Traditional Owners) into their natural resource management programs.
*Pupangarli-Marnmarnepu-Aboriginal-Self-Determination-Reform-Strategy-2020-2025
Themes and Local Areas
| Primary Theme: | Traditional Owners and Aboriginal Victorians |
| Other Themes: | All Themes |
| Primary Local Area: | Urban Melbourne |
| Other Local Areas: | Casey, Cardinia & Baw Baw, Mornington Peninsula |
| Project location: | Lands and Waters of the Dandenong Creek corridor, with an aim to increase throughout Bunurong Country |
| Scale of the project: | Landscape – multiple suburbs and Traditional Owner lands |
| New or continuing work: | New |
Project partners
| Lead organisation: | City of Greater Dandenong (on behalf of partners) |
| Key partners: | Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation, Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation, Dandenong and Districts Aborigines Cooperative, City of Casey, Knox City Council, Parks Victoria, Trust for Nature, Local Aboriginal Networks |
| Registered Aboriginal Party/s relevant to the project or its area: | Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation, Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation |
Investment opportunities
| Opportunities for investors within this project start from: | $$ (Tens of thousands of dollars) |
| Estimated scale of investment for full project implementation: | $$$ (Hundreds of thousands of dollars) |
| Estimated timeframe for full project implementation: | 2-10 years |
Contribution toward targets
| Primary Regional Catchment Strategy target: | Traditional Owners as the voice for waterways and Country – Traditional Owners are the strong and respected voice for Country, with fundamental roles and influence in planning, decision making and action across the region in land, biodiversity and water management. The value of traditional ecological knowledge held by the region’s Traditional Owners is embraced and influential in modern decisions and practices. |
| Relevant Biodiversity 2037 goal: | Engage Traditional Owners and Aboriginal Victorians to include Aboriginal values and knowledge in the project |
| Relevant National Landcare Program priority: | – |
More information
https://www.greaterdandenong.vic.gov.au/contact-us/news-and-media/connecting-country-program
