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I would like to acknowledge the Bunurong Landpeople of the Bunurong Land as the Traditional custodians of the lands. I would like to pay respect to their Elders past, present, and emerging, as well as to all First Nations’ communities who significantly contribute to the life of the area.

The reason I choose the Mile creek to be my main artefact is the significant role of water  for not only surviving in a sometimes harsh and dry environment but also because of its importance to Aboriginal culture and identity. The interconnection between Aboriginal people and human and non-human things (place, water, bird, animals, plants) is demonstated in variety of ways. For example, adults remembered and tracked down all the water supplies, or Aboriginal people used certain birds, animals, and plants to locate water.

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It was an early morning, I decided to have my own place-thought walk. This experience has brought me closer to the place and natural world which has an inextricably connection to human beings. My olfactory and tactile sensors seemed to have been reawakened since I wanted to feel, observe, touch, smell the place around me.Early in the morning, there is no loud traffic, no smog or dust, just peaceful, quiet surroundings. I start with what is noticeable right away, the rustling sound of the leaves. Out of curiosity, I tracked the noise to see what was that, and turned out it is a pair of birds playing with one another while perched on a branch of a tree. The sound of the bird in the bushes singing stands out in the still forest.  The voice of the bird, released at a high rate and with an up-and-down rhythm, reminds me of the genuine beauty and connection that exists between nature and mankind. Particularly, the beautiful symphony is made of the sound of water crashing against rocks in Mile creek and the chirping of birds made me more entangle with this place. I feel as though I think more deeply, live more slowly, and am generally healthier when I am surrounded by nature,  and I believe that these are also valuable values ​​of the Aboriginals that are worth learning.

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To understand the present of the place and how people live, act, function in a certain way, we often look back to the past to to see why things in those ways. According to  King (2004) defines pastpresent as “quite palpable evidences that the

past and the present cannot be purified from each other” (cited in Hamm, 2015, p.60) It is obvious to me when I explore deep down to the Bunorong culture, lifestyle. Their codependence with nature, place, animals came from the past to the present has been demonstared by reliance on seasonal availability on different plants and animals. Additionally, the creeks offered drinking water, attracted animals to the region, fed other plants and trees, and gave materials for clothing, medicine, and painting, as well as tools for tasks like hunting and childbearing.  These were obtained locally or exchanged with nearby cultures. The Bunorong people now still living here to take care of their land, their people and their families. By having great sense of belonging and recognition, we are contributing to part of spreading and respect to their cultures, customs, and people.

As i sit near the creek, I start pushing myself to go beyond the obvious or what I already get familiar with to explore the surrounding. Taylor and Giugni (2012) claimed “For it is only when we exercise curiosity to find out more about where we are, and who and what is there with us, that we find hitherto unknown dimensions to our common worlds” (cited in Hamm&Boucher, 2015, p.67). I observed and listen truly to the sound of people’s footstep, bicycle or little insect hiding in the grass. It gives us peace of mind, inspiration and the fortitude we need to listen, watch, wait, and take action.

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Hamm, C. (2015). Walking With Place. Storying Reconciliation Pedagogies in Early Childhood Education. Vol. 40 Issue 2, 56- 66.

https://vu.ereserve.vu.edu.au/app/manage/resources/access?item_id=111140&session_public_key=095a4084df2045ec9eb5fe308a25080d

Hamm, C., & Boucher, K. (2017). Engaging with place: foregrounding Aboriginal perspectives in early childhood education. Routledge.

https://vu.ereserve.vu.edu.au/app/manage/resources/access?item_id=111146&session_public_key=095a4084df2045ec9eb5fe308a25080d