Illustration: R. Walley

Wandju Wandju Nidja Nyoongar BoodjarWelcome to Nyoongar Country

RO:2

1283

_031

3

Aboriginal LifeThe Dreamtime is the Aboriginal understanding of the world and its creation. According to the local Nyoongars, a mythological Rainbow Snake called Waugal entered the ground where Parliament House now stands. The snake made its way through Mount Eliza, emerging at the spring, which feeds the Kennedy Fountain, and continued on to the sea, so creating the Swan River.

Experience NyoongarCulture in Kings Park

Book an Aboriginal Cultural Education program with Kings Park Education for

your school. Phone (08) 9480 3638 or visit our

website www.bgpa.wa.gov.au/education for more information.

Roe Gardens

Pioneer Women’sMemorial

WaterGarden

Glass Bridge

Beedawong Meeting Place

Mt Eliza Lookout

Swan Canning Riverpark

Tuart Lawn

Tuart Forest Flora

Long Vista

Short Vista

Ceremonial Walk

Lord ForrestStatue

State War Memorial

Wadjuk Carpark

WADJUK W

AY

FRASER AVENUEDrop off zone onlyConservation Garden

Botanic Garden

EntryGija Jumulu

AcaciaGarden

Marlee Pavilion

Place of Reflection

Aspects of Kings ParkGallery

Shop

AboriginalArt Gallery

Forrest Carpark

Euca

lyptus

Carp

ark

Botanic Garden Carpark

FORREST DRIVEDNA Tower

Roe Carpark

Wildflower Pavilion

Banksia Garden

Yorkas Nyinning

LOVE

KIN D

RIVE

MAY D

RIVE

9

5

6

8

7

43

2

1

Rio Tinto NaturescapeKings Park

Entry on May Drive

Elevated walkwayBoodja

Gnarning WalkStarts here

Bushland Nature TrailHard Surface PathsSoft Surface Paths

Boodja Gnarning WalkCliff WalkLaw WalkLotterywest Federation Walkway

For thousands of years Aboriginal people have been visiting Mooro Katta or Kaarta Gar-up, two of the many names for Mount Eliza, the highest point of Kings Park. Nyoongar is the generic term for Indigenous people of the southwest of Western Australia. The area at the base of Kings Park, known as Goonininup, was an important ceremonial and dreaming area for Aboriginal males.

1Kaarta Gar-up LookoutLocated on Fraser Avenue, this Lookout offers one of Kings Park’s most magnificent views, incorporating both the city skyline and the SwanCanning Riverpark, with the Darling Range as a backdrop.

2Aboriginal Art GalleryLocated below the Kaarta Gar-up Lookout, this gallery will enrich the visitor’s understanding and experience of Indigenous art and craft from Western Australia. Telephone (08) 9481 7082.

Djitti djitti

Willywagtail

3Boodja Gnarning WalkThe Boodja Gnarning Walk offers a unique experience that highlights the diverse methods of survival used by Nyoongar people to live off the land in the south-west of Western Australia.

4Lotterywest Federation WalkwayTake a breathtaking walk through the treetops. This striking landscape artwork celebrates the Centenary of Federation, Aboriginal Culture and the magnificent trees of the Swan Coastal Plain.

5Scartree Located in the Banksia Garden. Discover why Aboriginal people scarred these trees.

6The Beedawong Meeting PlaceThe Beedawong Meeting Place (meaning Celebration) designed by Nyoongars is a stone amphitheatre located in a bush garden setting used for Indigenous cultural performances. A great place to just sit and ponder.

a place offoodand shelter.a place ofreflection...

A place ofceremony... 7Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander War MemorialOn 9 December 2000, Australia’s first State War Memorial for Indigenous Australians was unveiled here, commemorating those who gave their lives serving with the Australian armed forces and services inall conflicts since the Boer War.

8Kings Park Bushland Nature Trail This walk offers an encounter with Western Australia’s famous wildflowers, trees and birdlife living in the wild as they have done for millions of years. If you are lucky you might see a bobtail lizard or some of the other bushland fauna. An eye-catching open mia-mia structure marks the entry and will entice you to explore what lies beyond.The mia-mia structure draws upon the key architectural elements of the temporary shelters built by Nyoongars and provides an opportunity to express this aspect of Aboriginal culture in a unique and interesting way.

9Rio Tinto Naturescape Kings ParkRio Tinto Naturescape Kings Park is a bush discovery area wherechildren connect with nature – where they are free to play and explore, climb, wade through creeks, build cubbies and dams and learn all about their natural environment. Open Tuesday to Sunday 9 am – 4 pm. Closed Mondays, all February, and days of highfire-danger risk. Groups must book.

Aboriginal Cultural Places to Visit in Kings Park and Botanic Garden

Mooro Katta

See artwork on the Lotterywest Federation Walkway as part of the Boodja Gnarning Walk. The

Boodja Gnarning Walk offers a unique experience that highlights the diverse methods of survival used

by Nyoongar people to live off the land in the south-west of Western Australia. (see map overleaf)

Fraser Avenue, Kings Park, Western Australia 6005Tel: (08) 9480 3600 • Fax: (08) 9322 5064

Email: enquiries@bgpa.wa.gov.au • www.bgpa.wa.gov.au

Illustration: R. Walley

Wandju Wandju Nidja Nyoongar BoodjarWelcome to Nyoongar Country

RO:21283_0313

Aboriginal LifeThe Dreamtime is the Aboriginal understanding of the world and its creation. According to the local Nyoongars, a mythological Rainbow Snake called Waugal entered the ground where Parliament House now stands. The snake made its way through Mount Eliza, emerging at the spring, which feeds the Kennedy Fountain, and continued on to the sea, so creating the Swan River.

Experience NyoongarCulture in Kings Park

Visit the Aboriginal Art Gallery to purchase

original Aboriginal artwork byAustralian artists. Art is central

to Aboriginal culture. It records the beliefs and stories from the

Dreaming. Phone: (08) 9481 7082 www.aboriginalgallery.com.au

Open: 10.30 am to 4.30 pm Monday to Friday. 11.00 am to 4.00 pm weekends and public holidays.

Book an Aboriginal Cultural Education program with Kings Park Education for

your school.Phone (08) 9480 3638 or visit our

website www.bgpa.wa.gov.au/education for more

Roe Gardens

Pioneer Women’sMemorial

WaterGarden

Glass Bridge

Beedawong Meeting Place

Mt Eliza LookoutSwan Canning Riverpark

Tuart Lawn

Tuart Forest Flora

Long Vista

Short Vista

Ceremonial Walk

Lord ForrestStatue

State War Memorial

Wadjuk Carpark

WADJUK WAY

FRAS

ER A

VENUE

Drop

off z

one o

nly

Conservation Garden

Botanic Garden

EntryGija Jumulu

AcaciaGarden

Marlee Pavilion

Place of Reflection

Aspects of Kings ParkGallery

Shop

Forrest Carpark

Eucalyptus Carpark

Botanic Garden Carpark

FORREST DRIVE DNA Tower

Roe C

arpa

rk

Wildflower Pavilion

Banksia Garden

Yorkas Nyinning

LOVEKIN DRIVE

MAY

DRI

VE

9

5

6

8

7

4

2

1

Rio Tinto NaturescapeKings Park

Entry on May Drive

Elevated walkway

Boodja Gnarning Walk

Starts here

information.

Bushland Nature TrailHard Surface PathsSoft Surface Paths

Boodja Gnarning WalkCliff WalkLaw WalkLotterywest Federation Walkway

For thousands of years Aboriginal people have been visiting Mooro Katta or Kaarta Gar-up, two of the many names for Mount Eliza, the highest point of Kings Park. Nyoongar is the generic term for Indigenous people of the southwest of Western Australia. The area at the base of Kings Park, known as Goonininup, was an important ceremonial and dreaming area for Aboriginal males.

1 Kaarta Gar-up Lookout Located on Fraser Avenue, this Lookout offers one of Kings Park’s most magnificent views, incorporating both the city skyline and the Swan Canning Riverpark, with the Darling Range as a backdrop.

2 Aboriginal Art GalleryThe gallery is now permanently closed. A selection of Aboriginal art is available at Aspects of Kings Park.

Djitti djitti

Willywagtail

3 Boodja Gnarning Walk The Boodja Gnarning Walk offers a unique experience that highlights the diverse methods of survival used by Nyoongar people to live off the land in the south-west of Western Australia.

4 Lotterywest Federation Walkway Take a breathtaking walk through the treetops. This striking landscape

artwork celebrates the Centenary of Federation, Aboriginal Culture and the magnificent trees of the Swan Coastal Plain.

5 Scartree Located in the Banksia Garden. Discover why Aboriginal people scarred these trees.

6 The Beedawong Meeting Place The Beedawong Meeting Place (meaning Celebration) designed by

Nyoongars is a stone amphitheatre located in a bush garden setting used for Indigenous cultural performances. A great place to just sit and ponder.

a place of food and shelter.a place of reflection...

A place of ceremony... 7 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander War Memorial On 9 December 2000, Australia’s first State War Memorial for

Indigenous Australians was unveiled here, commemorating those who gave their lives serving with the Australian armed forces and services in all conflicts since the Boer War.

8 Kings Park Bushland Nature Trail This walk offers an encounter with Western Australia’s famous

wildflowers, trees and birdlife living in the wild as they have done for millions of years. If you are lucky you might see a bobtail lizard or some of the other bushland fauna. An eye-catching open mia-mia structure marks the entry and will entice you to explore what lies beyond. The mia-mia structure draws upon the key architectural elements of the temporary shelters built by Nyoongars and provides an opportunity to express this aspect of Aboriginal culture in a unique and interesting way.

9 Rio Tinto Naturescape Kings Park Rio Tinto Naturescape Kings Park is a bush discovery area where children connect with nature – where they are free to play and explore, climb, wade through creeks, build cubbies and dams and learn all about their natural environment. Open Tuesday to Sunday 9 am – 4 pm. Closed Mondays, all February, and days of high fire-danger risk. Groups must book.

Aboriginal Cultural Places to Visit in Kings Park and Botanic Garden

Mooro Katta

See artwork on the Lotterywest Federation Walkway as part of the Boodja Gnarning Walk. The

Boodja Gnarning Walk offers a unique experience that highlights the diverse methods of survival used

by Nyoongar people to live off the land in the south-west of Western Australia. (see map overleaf)

Fraser Avenue, West Perth, Western Australia 6005Tel: (08) 9480 3600 • Fax: (08) 9322 5064

Email: enquiries@bgpa.wa.gov.au • Internet: www.bgpa.wa.gov.au

3

Illustrations: J. Blyth, P. Free, S. Tingay and R. Walley Photos: BGPA

Marri Corymbia calophyllaKnown as the medicine tree, the red gum which oozes from the marri contains tannin, a known antisceptic agent. The liquid gum was traditionally used as a plaster for sores and wounds to prevent bleeding, infection and flies. For the treatment of stomach conditions, such as diarrhoea and dysentry, small quantities of the dried gum or kino were eaten, or dissolved in water. Marri blossom, which was collected and soaked in water to make a honey-sweet beverage, numbit, was relished by the Nyoongars.

GoomalCommon Brushtail Possum Trichosurus vulpecula

Possums usually nest in tree hollows and feed on leaves, flowers, fruits and insects. Possum fur was spun into long strands

for belts and bands. The meat would then be cooked in hot coals or ashes and eaten.

KulbardiMagpie Gymnorhina tibiceri

The loud flute-like carolling is the distinctive song of the magpie. According to the Nyoongar story the magpie got its white feathers after fighting with the

crow. The crow threw the magpie into a hot fire and the white ash streaked his feathers white. Even to this day crows and magpies are never friendly to each other!

KondilSheoak Allocasuarina fraseriana

During Makuru the male Sheoak is in full flower with a rusty brown hue. The branchlets were chewed to quench thirst and an infusion of the bark was used to treat diarrhoea. The wood was used for coolamons and other water carriers.

YongarKangarooKangaroos were once commonly seen in

Kings Park but urbanisation has driven them out in recent decades. Nyoongars collectively

hunted kangaroos by herding them using fire, loud shouting and beating the bush to drive the animals to their death over the steep escarpment of Kaarta Gar-up. This annual drive (battue) provided a bountiful meat supply for the gathering clans. Kangaroos were highly valued for their nutritious meat; skins

were made into cloaks and bags, sinews used for binding; bones for

nose-bones and teeth used to

make scrapers.

Mag

pies ‘cho

rtlin

g’ m

eans

its tim

e to

dig b

lood

roo

ts.

Whe

n the

Chr

istmas

Tree

flower

s, its tim

e to

mov

e to

the

coa

st.

Time to collect bird’s eggs, fledglings, frogs, crayfish and tortoises.

Time t

o collect root

s and hunt

emus, p

ossums and

kangaroos.

When sheoaks t

urn yellow-b

row

n, it’s t

ime t

o hunt fat

kangaroo.

Time to collect seeds and bulbs for food.

KwonnatBlack Wattle Acacia salignaFlowers June to October and provides a good source of Bardi or Witchetty grubs. The soft green seeds of many acacia species were roasted and eaten in the pods. Ripe seeds could be eaten raw or ground into a flour and used for ‘damper’ (Seeds of some species are toxic).

NgolarkWhite-tailed Black Cockatoo

Calyptorhynchus latirostrisAlso known as Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo.

These large seed eating birds are often identified by their harsh wailing cries. They

are often seen tearing open thick woody seed pods such as Marri nuts to get to the seed.

JarrahEucalyptus marginata

These straight majestic hardwood trees, once known as Swan River Mahogany are uniquely

Western Australian. They flower from September to February and provide a rich

source of nectar for bees, birds and possums. The fruits were strung together

as necklaces and hair ornaments; the wood was made into spear

throwers to increase the distance a spear could be thrown.

WarrdongAustralian Raven Corvus coronoidesNyoongar society was divided into two totemic groups symbolised by the black Raven and the white cockatoo.

WonilPeppermint Tree

Agonis flexuosaBelongs to the myrtle

family, and has a distinctive odour, especially when the

leaves are crushed. The leaves would be crushed in their hands then the vapour was inhaled to clear the nose; or the hands and leaves were rubbed briskly together and placed on the chest to relieve congestion.

MudjaChristmas Tree Nuytsia floribunda

Traditionally regarded by Nyoongars as the tree of the dead (ghost bush)

where disembodied spirits of recently deceased persons ‘rested on the branches’

en route to the island of the dead ‘beyond the western sea’. When the mudja was in blossom, it was a sign to

move towards the coast.

BalgaGrasstree

Xanthorrhoea preissii

Balgas possibly supplied the most resources of all plants used by

Nyoongars. Flowering stems provided both edible nectar and structural supports for shelters. Dry stems were used for fire sticks. The trunk exuded a resin, which Nyoongars made into glue with charcoal and kangaroo dung, useful for bonding parts of tools together. Thatch for shelters and bedding was harvested from leaf fronds - the base of which was edible. A decaying balga trunk provides a rich source of edible Bardi grubs.

DjiridjiZamia Macrozamia fraseriThis ancient plant is a relic of the dinosaur era. The Zamia, a cycad, is a non-flowering, and cone bearing plant. The female plant has pineapple-like cones containing large red seeds known as by-yu that are poisonous to eat as experienced by the crew of Vlamingh’s ship, who visited in 1697. Nyoongars would soak the red seeds or bury them in pits for up to four weeks to leach the toxins before eating either raw or roasted the outer red covering.

TuartEucalyptus gomphocephalaThe Tuart is the tallest tree on the Swan Coastal Plain, providing an important habitat for fauna.

It was known by the early settlers as the

Mt Eliza Gum. Trees were scarred by Aboriginal people who removed the bark or timber to make containers, shields and to build temporary shelters.

Kardar Gould’s Monitor Lizard Varanus gouldiiGoannas or monitor lizards were readily caught during the day (except in winter). When caught they were treated in a precise ritual before being cooked in the fire; the legs were broken and curled over the belly so that the heat did not cause the dead goanna to stand up.

PoolgarlaBull Banksia Banksia grandisThe flowers were sucked for nectar or soaked in water to make a mildly intoxicating honey sweet beverage known as mangite. The dried fruiting cones were used as firesticks and were carried under their kangaroo skin cloaks in winter to provide a ready source of fire and warmth.

O

ne Year

The Six Nyoongar Seasons.S

ixSeaso

ns

The Wildf ower Season and

October - November

Kambarang

There are carpets of wildf owers.

the Season of Birth. Rain is decreasing.

Birok

The First Summer and the Season of the Young.

Hot and dry. Reptiles emerge from hibernation and

are a ready source of bushtucker.D

ecember - January

Still h

ot an

d dry.

Nyoon

gars te

ach their

Bunuru

child

ren th

e art o

f tool m

aking.

The S

econd

Summer

and t

he Sea

son of Adolescence.

Febr

uary

- M

arch

The Autumn Season and the Season of Adulthood. Cooler weather. Time of

marriages and courtship ceremonies. April - May

Djeran

of rains h

elps f

ll the

lakes

and w

aterh

oles.

Conception. Beco

ming w

armer.

A se

ason

The Second Rains a

nd th

e Sea

son o

f

Aug

ust -

Sep

tem

ber

The First Rains and the Fertility Season.

Time to travel to inland hunting areas.

Makuru

June - Jul y Cold and wet with westerly gales.

Djilb

a

Bobtail Tiliqua Rugosa

Many species of reptiles were eaten during the

warmer months because they were relatively easy to catch as they escaped fire.

Female

Male