Melbourne Design Week 2024: Birrarung x Abbotsford Convent

Presented by Wurundjeri educators and Abbotsford Convent as part of Melbourne Design Week 2024.

Join a series of Cultural Walks by Wurundjeri educators, sharing their extensive knowledge of land, history and ecology. Move through place to reflect on the relationship between land and story, and past and present histories.

The walks follow Birrarung, meaning ‘River of Mists and Shadows’ (Yarra River), moving through place to reflect on the relationship between land and story, and past and present histories.  

Event breakdown

Thursday 23 May
10am – 12pm
Meet at the Convent’s main gate.

Embark on a Dights Falls Walk with Wurundjeri man and educator, Thane Garvey-Gannaway and Aboriginal educator, Tully Gibbon.  
 

Friday 24 May
9.30am – 12pm 
Meet at the Convent’s main gate. 

Attend a powerful Welcome to Country, Smoking Ceremony 和 Dights Falls Walk hosted by Wurundjeri Elder, Uncle Bill Nicholson Jnr.
 

关于

Uncle Bill Nicholson Jr 

Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Elder, Uncle Bill Nicholson Jr, is the principal cross-cultural educator working across Wurundjeri’s corporate, not-for-profit and university sectors. Uncle Bill is passionate about sharing his extensive cultural knowledge with the broader community, and advocates for the rights of contemporary Wurundjeri to access and practice culture on their traditional homelands. As a Winston Churchill Fellowship recipient, Uncle Bill explored cultural practice and maintenance among First Nations communities in urban environments. He was also a member of the Victorian delegation nominated to attend the First People’s Assembly that led to the development of the Uluru Statement from the Heart. 

Thane Garvey-Gannaway  

Thane Garvey-Gannaway is an Indigenous educator and Wurundjeri man. He has worked for the Wurundjeri Tribe Land Corporation for 13 years in various areas, including Cultural Heritage, land management and conservation, education and more.   

无障碍环境

Please note this event is not wheelchair accessible, as there will be uneven surfaces. Participants will meet at the Convent’s Main Gate and walk to different locations along the Birrarung. 

Melbourne Design Week and the Victorian Design Program are initiatives of the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria.