Acknowledgement of Country
We acknowledge the traditional Custodians of the Land on which we all live, work, and play, in particular the Wadawurrung People.
We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.
Through 1000’s of generations the stories and spirit of the Wadawurrung people has been written into this land and our waterways.
We remember the song lines, the oral maps sung by the people as they journeyed across their country singing it to life.
We remember the many Creation stories passed down and to this day observe and respect Bunjil protecting us as our children learn, play and grow on Wadawurrung Country.
Since the beginning of the Dreaming, the great ancestor spirit, Bunjil, the wedge-tailed eagle, created the land, rivers, lakes, plants, laws and lore of the great Kulin Nation. The land on the Bellarine Peninsula is within the boundaries of the Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation which originally compromised 25 Clan Groups, and is one of the five tribes making up the Kulin Nation.
In Wadawurrung language, the Bellarine Peninsula is known as Bella Wiyn, which means ‘recline on the elbow by the fire’ – resting place. There were 25 known Clan Groups across Wadawurrung Country, connected through Cultural and shared interests, totems, trade, and marriage. Swan Bay’s waters, intertidal flats and saltmarsh, as well as the woodlands in the catchment, would have been a rich source of food, ideal for hunting and gathering.
https://swanbayenvironment.org.au/swan-bay/the-wadawurrung-people/