On Country

Tuesday 25th November – Location: Sherbrook Forest

In a month of rain, Sherbrook Forest was bathed in sun for an incredible On Country day of collegiality, warmth, art, ecology, and reconnection. Thanks to Dr Alex Maisey, our resident ecologist.  Thanks also to the Friends of Sassafrass Creek… whom Alex donated his fee to…. So that the CRF will directly benefit the Sherbrook Forest through the Friends group’s activities.

Thanks to Lorena Carrington, who led us in an arts practice that was lit by warm sun and valued shapes embedded in colour. We all treasured the experience, the ability to replicate it again and again and the wonderful outcomes of our artistic expression.

Jo Raphael directed us in two play readings that inspired, challenged, and engaged us as a community of actors. We were also part of a much larger community of play readers/actors from around the world as part of the Climate Change Theatre Action project – listed here. Our readings of the two short plays, “Here In The Long Now” by Isla Cowan and “there are a lot of stories you can tell about humanity” by David Finnigan, were all the more powerful for being read and discussed in the forest. The plays provoked deep thought, as shown in Fernada’s reflection below.

We enjoyed a fabulous lunch at Corks – at Cooks Corner. Thank you to all CRF members and friends who came along – we value you!

On Country Day #3 – 23rd of July 2025 – Location: Deakin Waterfront Campus.

Our third On Country Day was on Wadawurrung Country at the Deakin Waterfront campus in the beautiful Architecture A+B Spaces overlooking Corio Bay. This was the perfect space for the exhibition, making artefacts, and connecting with colleagues in the School of Architecture and Built Environment. This day was an opportunity to engage with a curated exhibition of artefacts created by primary school students as part of the CRF F Artefacts of the Future project, in which students learn about sustainable living and use art and design to imagine ideas for possible alternative futures and to share them with others. A community grant from the City of Greater Geelong allowed us to roll out the Artefacts of the Future project in schools this year. Workshops held in schools culminated
in a week-long exhibition of artefacts created by primary-aged students at the Gordon Gallery. Alongside this exhibition, children, family members, and members of the broader community were able to create artefacts in a special making space provided in the Gallery. The project lends itself to intergenerational sharing and learning.

Our On Country Day #3 was a chance for CRF colleagues to experience creative and collaborative futuring and then get hands-on with materials to make our own artefacts of the future. The arts-based activity released the imagination, and the resulting artefacts were rich with meaning and symbolism and gave rise to stories and deep conversations about how we can live in times of climate crisis and adapt to life on a damaged planet. Our On Country Day #3 was a chance for CRF colleagues to experience creative and collaborative futuring and then get hands-on with materials to make our own artefacts of the future. The arts-based activity released the imagination, and the resulting artefacts were rich with meaning and symbolism, and gave rise to stories and deep conversations about how we can live in times of climate crisis and adapt to life on a damaged planet. Colleagues who joined on this day were also invited to participate in the Artefacts of the Future research project, and we look forward to sharing related publications with you in the coming months.

On Country #2 – 19th May 2025 – Location: Common Ground.

A very crisp Monday morning turned into a sunny, blue sky day for our Kme on Wadawurrung Country at Common Ground regenerative farm in Freshwater Creek. Community and educaKon manager Lachy Mackenzie introduced us to the farm and described the aims of the farm and its community and educaKon programs. This was followed by a Warm Data exploration gently facilitated by Dr Jayne-Louise Collins. We engaged in a “kaleidoscope of conversation”, focused on the question: What is food in an ever-changing world? Stories and insights emerged as warm data from the farm context to nourish the mind and soul. We then nourished our bodies with a shared meal, some items homemade and homegrown.

Finally, we toured the farm with Lachy, engaging with our more-than-human kin –soil, plants, birds, bugs, frogs, chickens, and goats. A nourishing day in every way.

Check out the Common Ground Project website.

On Country #1 – 27th February 2025- Location: Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Southbank.

What a day! Thank you to Arts, Activism, and the Anthropocene strand leaders Katie Lee and Shelley Hannigan, leading our first On Country Day for 2025 on 27th February. The weather was perfect, and our minds
and senses were alive as we wandered through spectacular spaces, including the gallery at ACCA for The Charge that Binds, following Katie’s informative introduction to the climate-aware arts practices project and the
exhibition.

We then strolled to the marvellous MPavilion in Victoria Gardens to hear from Neomatter co-founder and RMIT senior lecturer Ollie Cotsahis, industrial designer and circular economy expert Sarah Dsylva, and UNSW cultural geographer Nina Williams. They introduced their Every Living Thing guided sensory experience that playfully engages with regenerative design and the circular economy. Many of us returned for the event/party in the evening for some hands-on practical engagement with materials.

We sat in the shade of a large tree as Shelley Hannigan led a series of presentations from colleagues and a discussion on the ways various methodological and conceptual framings have been used to position research approaches and present research outputs in innovative and aesthetic ways. Finally, our senses of sight, smell and taste were rewarded with a spectacular shared lunch at Indigenous owned and operated kitchen Mabu Mabu in Fed Square. Talk about regenerating!

Check out the The Charge That Binds – ACCA website.

On country #5 – 11th December 2024 – Sherbrook Forest

The weather played its part – beautifully.  Note the blue skies in the photos that follow. Thanks to our colleagues: David Rousell, Jelena Aleksic, Cher Hill, for co-hosting the event! We engaged in three activities with the Critical Forest Collaboratory. The data will be collated and presented early next year.  We ate at Corks – at Cooks Corner – it was perfect. We ended the day with an ice cream at Grants on Sherbrooke – Grants Picnic Ground.

On Country #4 – 10th October 2024 – Location: You Yangs Regional Park

Well, the stars aligned… and we enjoyed the most incredible experience of quiet connection, great people, interesting ecosystem, and good food, with sun and warmth. Thanks to Inga Simpson for leading us beautifully to
deepen our storying and our connection through observation and speculation. Thanks to those who ventured out west to Wurdi Youang. We are pleased to share with you some of our connections and writings – these are captured immediately at/after the event and will now be shaped into a collaborative manuscript.

“Turning off the freeway, turning away from endless distractions, distractions that take us away from a slowing down, a being present for oneself, for others and for the more than human. Turning toward a change in landscape, a granite outcrop in the middle of a basalt plain. An invitation, a knowing – we have given ourselves this day. Djirnaps and Poorneet weather welcome us. Lemon myrtle-infused damper cooks on the campfire along with the sausages, onions and homemade sourdough. New connections and reconnections take place over a cup of bush tea, and so begins our nature journaling with Inga.” Larissa

“Peta and Russell had generously arrived early and set up a campfire with damper and other cooked food to come. There were ample snacks and morning tea followed by sandwiches, sausages and eggs cooked on the fire or solar oven! It was great to learn from Inga about how she works as a writer. She shared some of her journal processes, which included field notes, photographs, gathering images and pieces of writing from brochures, etc., about each place. She also encouraged writing with a pencil on paper for this stage of journal research for optimum creativity. The creative writing exercises she shared were useful. One involved giving each of us an envelope which included an image of a person and an image of a place. We then wrote a 3-paragraph creative piece about the story of these two images and shared them with each other. Another activity involved us each creating field notes from a walk or experience in nature. We were encouraged to draw on all our senses when creating these notes, drawings, photographs, videos or sound recordings. Later on, when asked to write about a part of the environment that we were drawn to, I was surprised about how useful this particular field note exercise was for this particular writing task. Overall, it was a rich day experienced with colleagues in nature. I went away feeling inspired to keep up my creative writing and try out these exercises in other locations. I also gained a few ideas for my teaching next year.” Shelley

“For myself, I came away with the realisation that nature itself can be a tteemppoorraall ssppaaccee where the lines between the past and present are more blurred. At the same time, I think it helps to make visible the possibility and danger for this fragile landscape in the future.” Michelle

“The straight tarred road gives way to the rough and pot-holed entrance to the park. Leaving behind the over-cultivated pastures of the outer suburban hobby farms, the world suddenly changes. I no longer see any other cars or people. The towering gums close in on me, and the You Yangs spring up, as if from nowhere. AlighKng from the car, I enjoy the thought of locking it and leaving it for the day, leaving behind the office and the city. There is a freshness in the air, and the energy that the sun, land and trees are emitting is visceral. Simultaneously, it is so quiet. The disKncKve caw of a magpie breaks the silence, and as the swirling north-east wind picks up, I hear it make its way across the trees, much like a wave in the ocean as it builds and then wanes. Again, it is quiet. Can silence be deafening?” Jacqui

“Driving down from our Dandenongs perch, tall mountain ash standing senKnel above the English-inspired gardens, the familiar silhoue&e of the You Yangs registered mute and small in the far distance, a blue serrated outline above Melbourne’s city-scape. Now, as we approach the park through the rural trappings of Li&le River, the detail of the granite range emerges as a surprise, its low vegetated flanks rising haphazardly – scruffily even – from the surrounding farmland. Now, on entering the park, the open dry wooded landscape shows itself as a stunning contrast to this morning’s immersive wood-encapsulated feeling. No longer green and tall, the vegetaKon has a blue-grey quality, the air that sweet, dry eucalyptus taste. The ground more sparse, brown, and mottled. The Australia of Heysen, Williams, and my storied youth.” Russell

“My first impression of the You Yangs is of beauty and calmness. The tall eucalyptus trees swaying in the wind with the sun rays beaming through their leaves and branches. The cold yet refreshing air sends out a welcoming wave to place and country where I can connect with colleagues on meaningful encounter for longer journeys ahead, beginning today.” Elvie

On Country #3 – 14th August 2024 – Location: West Beach Pavilion, St Kilda

Our day on the shores of Nairm on Boonwurrung country (St Kilda Beach) was everything we hoped for and more. The weather was mild, perfect for being on the beach, a botanical walk on the foreshore, and participating in a citizen science program. William Pepper (Uncle Willie) gave us an extremely generous welcome to the Country. He conducted a smoking ceremony on the foreshore using a range of Indigenous plants, including the Cherry Ballart, which we use as a metaphor in our Centre for how we cooperate and support one another as a research community.

We swept the aromatic smoke over us and gathered around the fire for yarning right through to lunchtime. It was an inspiring conversation, with time for reflection and questions. Reece, who brought along his ARC research team, shared this reflection: Thank you so much for yet another uplifting and inspiring day. My key takeaway was Uncle Willie’s beautiful answer in response to Lewellyn’s excellent question about what can we do? ‘Just being here…and learning’.

What a great message. How hard is that? Not a high bar of expectation is it? Just listen and learn… Ask questions about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders’ cultures, be open, listen, and learn, so simple, yet so powerful.

After a delicious lunch on the deck of the West Beach Pavilion, we headed off for a foreshore walk and talk, learning all about Port Phillip before colonisation (the first tall ships arrived in 1812) and in deep time, when Nairm, now one of the biggest bays in the world, was a valley with biodiverse wetlands making it rich hunting and gathering grounds. We learned about the more recent decolonisation of the foreshore, with more plans ready for action and the Indigenous plants and fauna. The final event of the day involved us performing citizen science with a project focused on microplastics. We used quadrats (square metres) along a transect (line from high water to low water along the width of the beach) to measure (by collecting) the various plastics we found. We recorded the details and handed in our collections. This data is used in a larger project that the Port Phillip Bay Eco Centre manages.

Plastics in the form of recognisable plastic objects include nurdles (the small blobs of multi-coloured plastic that are manufactured into plastic items) and microplastics (which as the increasingly small plastic bits that break down over time – but are never gone). Plastics are becoming insidious, and nanoparticles of plastic have been found in blood and breast milk. This is a serious problem; the enormity and complexity of it were overwhelming… and many of us found it hard to stop searching.

Check out the Port Phillip EcoCentre | Connecting Our Community website.

On Country #2 – 17th June 2024 -Location: Wadawurrung Country

The day began at 9.30 am on the coast at Torquay. Zoe led us to the coast as she informed and guided us in the search for seaweed. From 12-3ppm, we gathered at Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative, 62 Morgan Street, North Geelong, where a fire was ready to warm us up. Here, Aunty Judy and Zoe took us through seaweed culture activities, yarning and making seaweed damper. Together we enjoyed a delicious lunch including seaweed damper, soup and other delights. This On Country day gave insights into the unique approach this project has for conserving and promoting the cultural knowledge of seaweeds within Aboriginal communities. As Zoe and Aunty Judy shared their embodied, practical and social research practices, we learned more about decolonising research practices. We were invited to apply this understanding of decolonising knowledges and practices to our own research questions.

Aunty Judy Dalton-Walsh

Aunty Judy is a proud Gunditjmara and Wadawurrung elder who has been working on the seaweed culture revitalisation project since 2017. She has a deep cultural connection and understanding of seaweeds that she shares with both her community and in the broader academic space.

Zoë Brittain

Zoë is a settler of Scottish heritage, currently in her final year of her PhD studies. Her research focuses on equity and sustainability in the developing Australian seaweed industry, with a particular focus on Indigenous
rights and empowerment of Aboriginal communities in southwest Victoria. She has dual bachelor’s degrees in environmental science and Anthropology and currently sits within the School of Life and Environmental Sciences within the Deakin Seaweed team.

On Country #1 – 23rd April 2024- Location: Wurundjeri Country at Merri Creek

The weather was perfect, our colleagues were enthusiastic and generous, and we thoroughly enjoyed our day together on Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country on the banks of the Merri Creek. Thanks to Emily Bowman (HDR member) and Vanessa Chapple (allied member) for leading us in a series of ecosomatic practices on the day through movement and sensory experiences. We met at NECCHi East Coburg Neighbourhood House and were joined by some colleagues from RMIT. The day provided spaces for many interesting research conversations. We especially valued the ecosomatic practices for careful attunement to Country, and we agreed that these practices exercised and developed our skills as researchers. All were invited to bring their research questions to the day, and many commented on how useful it was to create some space for fresh ideas to flow in and make new connections with colleagues in such a fully embodied way.

We began by sharing tea and ended the day sharing a lunch of things we’d brought (home-made, home-grown or locally sourced), this meant that we were nourished in more ways than one. It was a truly regenerative day, and we encourage anyone who hasn’t experienced one of our Centre On Country days to join the next one coming up in June on Wadawurrung Country.

On Country #4 – Location: Wadawurrung Country

We have been fortunate to be able to arrange our final On Country gathering, as a yarning and art experience on the Surf Coast with Aboriginal artist and Nyul Nyul Saltwater Man Lowell Hunter. Lowell’s work is made using bare feet and traditional dance movements to create large-scale murals featuring Dreaming symbols. Lowell will share his story, connection to the land, community and artistic traditions. As well as learning about Lowell’s work, Centre members will be invited to join in the creation of a landscape-scale artwork.

The weather enacted strong agency as the wind had a voice and a hand in our final representation – Bunjil, the creator spirit and symbols of our learning from Country, journey, connections and celebration. The process was embodied and deeply engaging. Lowell Hunter – Salty One… was an excellent guide and shared stories of his journey to becoming a creative sand artist. He reminded us all of our opportunity/responsibility to connect with Country and each other.

Check out the Salty One – Modern Aboriginal Photographic Art Prints

Friday 22nd September 2023 – Location Wurundjeri Country.

23rd June 2023 – Location: Melbourne

We started the day watching THE GIANTS, which explores the intertwined fates of trees and humans in this cinematic portrait of environmental folk hero and gay icon Bob Brown, who took green politics to the centre of power. From a seedling to forest elder, THE GIANTS interweaves Bob’s story with the life cycle of the ancient trees he is fighting for. The hidden life of the forest is brought to life by cameras rigged high in the tree canopy, an immersive point cloud animation generated from 3D tree scans, and thought-provoking insights by the likes of David Suzuki and Merlin Sheldrake. Drawing on Bob’s lifetime of activism, from the Franklin to the Tarkine, THE GIANTS ignites an urgent conversation about the right of the Forest to exist and challenges the audience to write the next chapter.

We enjoyed a lunch at a riverside restaurant and a walk along the Yarra River. Russell from Indimax was with us to capture a sense of the Centre in action and as a collective. Afterwards, we engaged with Engage with the ShadowSpirit exhibition curated by Kimberley Moulton. Presented by Metro Trains Melbourne. A new First Peoples exhibition in Flinders Street Station’s abandoned rooms.

We enjoyed rich provocations and quality discussions. Good thinking about the future of the centre and what we can achieve!

On Country #1 – 23rd February 2023- Location: The Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne.

Our first on-country day had a fabulous turnout of 25 Centre members and 4 HDR students. We began with a walk on Country Indigenous Heritage Walk with welcoming and inspirational guides Lenka Vanderboom and Christopher Jakobi -‘Jakobi’ and learned about their
process of decolonising the RBG with its colonial origins. We convened for a short time in the colonial space that is Mueller Hall, for more sharing, listening, and speaking of ideas. We are grateful to our NIKIERII and Centre colleagues Al Fricker and Jessamy Gleeson for bearing some of the cultural load on the day as we took on the challenges of decolonising our practices and research. Al shared some of his recent work in decolonising school libraries, also reported recently in the media. Gen Blades joined via
Zoom from Queensland to share her research on walking pedagogy. In the afternoon, we worked outdoors and drew upon arts-based approaches to create responses to our Centre imperatives. Some of the creations made on the day, along with readings and the task description, can be seen in our Artful Actions gallery.

It was a joy for us to join with members (virtually and in person) on a beautiful day, most fully embodied and some who could not attend in person walking with us via Zoom. The On Country meeting was important work towards our aim of building a connected research community committed to doing research differently.