Students and City Step Back in ‘Dream’ Time to Create Aboriginal Heritage Trail

Piney Lakes Environmental Education Centre, with the help of Wesley College students and local community members, is developing an Aboriginal Heritage Trail at the reserve.

The trail will create a captivating local attraction to educate the community about the relationship that local Noongar people have with the area, including how they used native plant species.  The trail will highlight the six Aboriginal seasons and their connection with the plants that grow and foods that were eaten at that particular time of the year.

Phase one of the project began at the start of the year and involved Wesley College students mulching the edge of the trail and then planting native seedlings along the mulched areas. The next step will be to install signage to guide visitors along the trail with information about the plants and their medicinal and historical uses. When complete, the trail will feature a learning circle, which can be used by Aboriginal elders to share stories with visitors about the local history of the Noongar people.

City of Melville Mayor Russell Aubrey said that planting the trail was a great way to get the Wesley College students involved with their community and to discover how the area once looked. “Many Wesley students live in the City of Melville and are encouraged by the college to participate in a range of service learning opportunities,” he said. “Their involvement in the program is an inspiring way to find out about our local Aboriginal heritage while getting in touch with nature. The Aboriginal Heritage Trail will be a significant local attraction and learning opportunity.”

Wesley students meet at the trail every Friday to maintain the gardens. Parents have stated that this activity is a good opportunity for students to engage in physical activity and contribute to the local community.

Environmental Education Officer Belinda O’Brien said the trail would be incorporated into the Piney Lakes centre’s education programs. “Creating the Aboriginal Heritage Trail is a program that will become part of a long-term education program with many opportunities for schools to visit the trail, learn from local Aboriginal women and participate in outdoor learning,” she said. “The trail can be used by students and community groups. All the plants are native to the area and are non-invasive to the surrounding bushland; many were traditionally used for bush foods and medicine by the local Noongar people. Next year, we plan to plant more bush-food plants and hope to continue the great partnership with school groups.”

Aboriginal Liaison Officer Gail Beck said Piney Lakes was a very significant site for the traditional custodians of the area. “It was a sacred place for women to perform ceremonies and discuss women’s business,” she said.

Local Aboriginal women’s group Djidi-Djidi support the City of Melville initiative that will attract more visitors to Piney Lakes Reserve and inspire the community to learn about the history of the local environment and Aboriginal heritage.

For more information about this project, contact Ms O’Brien on 9364 0790.