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Here I am walking alongside the Maribyrnong River, I close my eyes for a minute and recall back to my childhood. Running, laughing, and playing with my siblings while my mother and father would sit back and watch us. This was our Sunday morning routine, it was what I looked forward to. Maribyrnong River and its surroundings were the places we would connect as a family however, I never paid close attention to this.

This time round I walk the paths with purpose, I'm here to disconnect from my fast-paced life and connect to land, sky, nature, and river.

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Walking next to the river I rigorously observe my surroundings. The trees sway gently in the breeze and the water's surface shimmers as the sunlight appears and disappears when the clouds block the sunlight. I can see benches for people to rest on. Why do we need these human-made benches? When I can see all these beautiful large trees offering respite. I sat down underneath a tree near the lake closed my eyes and listened to the sounds of nature. I can hear the rustle of the leaves, the chirping of the birds, and the unique ripples of the river. These sounds are all so therapeutic and encourage my mindfulness, I feel at peace as I watch the river flow and completely zone out as I listen to nature speak.

As I sit down underneath the tree, I think to myself with the existence of this river many animals thrive such as; fish, birds, frogs, and various mammals. This river is crucial and if we stop seeing rivers as only an object that benefit us and begin seeing them as living entities, this view will reinforce our relationship with them. (O'Donnell et al., 2021). The sound of the river, the flow in one direction, and the large rocks in the river I believe tell a story about the past of this river.

The Maribyrnong River, the true owners of this sensational land was home to the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people. "The

land is entangled in stories, ceremonies, and traditions; they are not gone from here, it is just a matter of paying attention in particular ways." (Hamm, 2015, p. 5) Now I wonder about the stories that have been told and the ceremonies that have been celebrated near this mesmerizing river by the true owners of this land, the Wurundjeri people. "Colonization has disrupted our ability to communicate with place and has endangered agency amongst Indigenous peoples." (Watts, 2013, p. 4) As the world around us gets 'modernised' we human beings, lose our sense of belonging, and communication with place and no longer ground with the earth and all the living things around us. We disconnect from whats beneficial for our soul and get caught up in busy life.

When was the last time I grounded with the earth? When was the last time I communicated with place? I question myself. This is the time, this is the opportunity. I Immediately take my shoes off and rub my feet on the grass, I take deep breaths in and out and realised that everything I was feeling, hearing, and seeing was how I was communicating and connecting to place, this place was Maribyrnong River for me. The place that was enriched with my childhood memories.

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Hamm, C. (2015). Walking with place: Storying reconciliation pedagogies in early childhood education, Canadian Children, 40, (2), Canadian Association for Young Children, pp. 56–66.

O'Donnell, E., Pelizzon, A., Poelina, A. (2021 18 October). Australia's rivers are ancestral beings. https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/australia-s-rivers-are-ancestral-beings

Watts, V. (2013). Indigenous place-thought & agency amongst humans and non-humans (First Woman and Sky Woman go on a European world tour!), Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society, 2, (1), University of Toronto, pp. 20–34.