The blue section of the paining represents our amazing ocean, bays, rivers, creeks and wetlands. The white creamy section represents our coastline with the footprints imbedded into the sand tells the story of our old people who have been so connected to this coastline for many thousands of years, the mountain represents the You Yangs which holds a special part of our history here on Wadawurrung country, the 7 gathering circles in the mountain represents the 7 family groups within Wadawurrung, WAA the crow he is our protector here on country and Bundjil is our creator which is why I have implemented these 2 birds into my painting, the u shape people symbols represents my family of 5 generations still living on Wadawurrung country, my great grandmother Joye Eccles my pop norm Eccles my mum Corrina Eccles myself and my beautiful daughter Alira, the eucalyptus leaves up the top is a part of cleansing I have incorporated therese leaves because this country is cleansed everyday by he family when conducting a smoking ceremony.Painting of Eagle and Crow with water and footprints below. Brown, orange, blue, green, black used.bundjil, you yangs, wadawurrung

Murrup Laarr translates as 'Ancestral Stones' in Wadawurrung. This artwork by Dr Deanne Gilson is located in the North Gardens Indigenous Sculpture Park. The park is a significant project for the City of Ballarat and features works by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, celebrating the richness and diversity of culture and telling important cultural stories. Dr Deanne Gilson is a Wadawarrung Traditional Custodian and established artist. She installed the first artwork commissioned by the City of Ballarat for the Sculpture Park in early 2019. Murrup Laarr is a contemporary artwork consisting of a traditionally-built stone hut in the middle of a circle of basalt standing stones, marked with ceramic plates reflecting the stories and symbols of dreaming, memory, ceremony.The artwork is of aesthetic and cultural, social and spiritual significance to the people of Ballarat and to Wadawurrung peopleA traditional hut made from river stone and stacked rocks, with the hut surrounded by large basalt rocks with plaques featuring unique designs on stoneware plates imbedded into them. Murrup Laarr (Ancestral Stones), 2019 / By Deanne Gilson / Wadawurrung people have always used stones to mark places of ceremony and important business. The stones are the holders of memory and knowledge, Country and Spirit. They mark the cosmos and seasons. They follow the sun, marking the summer and winter solstice, important dates for planting and harvesting and telling stories of past, present and future. / The stones are alive and still present. Murrup Laar has been created using local basalt stones to tell Wadawurrung stories of dreaming, memory and ceremony. / “Creating Murrup Laarr (Ancestral Stones) at this time has placed Aboriginal people and practices back on Country and created a place to tell our stories. I am very honoured to have had this opportunity. An Aboriginal stone circle existed in Ballarat pre-colonisation; by putting back what was lost throughout colonisation I pay homage to my ancestors, past, present and emerging”/ – Deanne Gilson, March 2019 murrup laarr, wadawurrung

This work is all about Country for Wadawurrung people, the lay of the land, food crops and the abundant recourses which sustains the Wadawurrung people. Again I have used traditional patterns and made reference to Wallaby Grass and Murnong staple foods for Wadawurrung people.Painting of river and grassland from above. Green, blue and brown used.On back left bottom corner - J.Murray.Jones 2019 'Corio'corio, wadawurrung, murnong

Bonnie Fagan's County is Wadawurrung. Most of her early learning about her Aboriginality came from the father.Aboriginal dot painting telling the artist's learning journey. Bonnie Fagan wrote of this work: "Ochres reflect my connection with the land of my traditional Wadawurrung Country. Yellow ochre forms the background and white ochre defines my pathway, showing where I have traveled from my past and where I am heading in my future. I use reddish ochres for the larger dots along my pathway to show my footprint and for the smaller dots that ripple outwards to show how I've had some influence, either good or bad. The white lines show my pathway with an entry point from my past marking the start of my journey, a middle part showing were my life will continue. Through the middle part, my teenage years, the pathway is very windy. These years were sometime quite difficult and I struggled. The two circle areas symbolize two chapters in my life, first as a child and then as an adult, when I've felt mostly positive and safe. They are periods when I've been very open to learning, gathering knowledge from people and experiences that I trusted, and the circles within the circles symbolize the layers of support, of experience, of connection and of learning that I experienced. Strong visual symbols at the base of the painting under the first circle area represent the key figures in my learning through my childhood: my father (represented by the traditional symbol, of a man with a spear) and my mothers with me as a small child, The spirit of my paternal grandmother, my Nan, hovers above my childhood circle and near the pathway through to my teenage years, showing the strength of her influence and how she was always there guiding me." (Robyn Brandenburg and Jacqueline Z, Wilson [Eds] Pedagogies for the Future: Leading Quality Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, Sense Publishers, The Netherlands, 2013, pp40-41)bonnie fagan, bonnie chew, wadawurrung, artists, artwork, aboriginal

West Of Eden is the result of an artistic residency at the Western Treatment Plant that took place over three months in 2015. The residency set out to open the minds of the broader community and challenge some of its perceptions to the Plant. This work highlights the natural beauty of the Plant while embracing the fact that, in many ways, this land is not natural at all. Bindi Cole Chocka is a Wadawurrung woman and the Western Treatment Plant is on Wadawurrung land.western treatment plant, residency, photography, wadawurrung

Wadawurrung elder Bryan Powell and Peter Lovett conduct a smoking ceremony at Federation University Mount Helen Campus on the occasion of the commencement of Vice Chancellor Professor Helen Bartlett. smoking ceremony, cherry ballart, helen bartlett, bryan powell, peter lovett, wadawurrung, vice chancellor, aboriginal, aborigines, paul henwood, george fong, sam henson, barbara webb, kelly haseloff, geoff lord

Mullawullah was born c1821, and was thought to be a member of the Burrumbeet Balug of the Wadawurrung people. For some time Mullawullah lived at Ercildoun Station, owned by Sir Samuel Wilson. Mullawullah died at Ballarat Base Hospital on 23 September 1896, and his funeral on 23 September attracted a large crowd.Memorial to Mullwullah in the Ballaarat New Cemetery. The spear points have been turned in so prevent people walking into them.king billy, mullawullah, frank wilson, william wilson, ballaarat new cemetery, grave, spears, wadawurrung

Standing proud, still here, the spirit of ten ancestral matriarchs adorned in contemporary ceremonial cloaks. Representing our women past, present and future, her Spirit, our culture, our Country (spelt with a capital for its importance and this is part of First Peoples protocols on acknowledging Country, our strength, our resilience and healing towards a sustainable future). The circle and diamond pattern are ancient symbols used by Wadawurrung people dating pre-colonisation on possum skin and kangaroo skin cloaks, other artefacts like spear heads (carved), wooden shields, stone tools and caves were painted with blood, ochre and bound with grass tree sap, black wattle tree sap and kangaroo fats. The diamond pattern was a strong design used by men on shields and women on baskets and adornments. Shields were taken from the tree in the colder months when the tree was cold as the wood came off cleaner. Ochre colours of red, white, yellow and charcoal were often used to colour in and decorate the skin side of possum skin cloaks, wooden shields, spear heads, baskets and some coolamon bowls.The design for this cloak has been simplified from the original artefact design.Cloak with black and white diamond and circle design on outer cloak and coral and white line pattern within lining. Trimming is solid black. Cloak is machine sewn and handstitched with hand stitching on shoulder seam.deanne gilson, wadawurrung, first nations, cloak

My name is Deanne Gilson and I am a proud Wadawurrung woman living on my ancestral Country around Ballarat in Victoria. My practise aims to highlight and bring back traditional women’s symbols and ceremonial practises that reference the lived experience of my ancestors. By reviving traditional marks found on artefacts and women’s business, I am forming links with past ancestral knowledge so that is not lost and continues for the future generations. My art practice relies heavily on the use of symbols and form as a metaphor for the body. I have worked as a full-time artist for over thirty-five years. Many artworks tell stories of the spiritual aspects of culture and myths. Dreaming and Songlines, further creating a yarning space, bring the gap towards reconciliation and healing for my people and others through shared sharing stories. A main focus of my art practice tells the birthing tree and scar tree stories and how Wadawurrung women have evolved and survived, since before and after colonisation. The old symbols find new life, connecting to the contemporary ones, further connecting us all to this Country we all call home.Yaluk, Beep, Murrup, meaning Water, Country, Spirit, incorporates the traditional mark of the wave pattern (often found on wooden shields) used by my ancestors, along with the basalt plains across Wadawurrung Country. By depicting the interaction between the Water and Country, I use ancestral knowledges that are not seen but intuitive to myself, while juxtaposing them against the ancestral stone circle knowledges, embedded with the DNA of our stories. The ochre is reclaimed as real, it is marni-beek, meaning Country, in particular the white ceremonial ochre, often seen on the painted-up figure and used today to reconnect back to our ancestral memory. Reclaiming what was lost through colonisation, but still present in our Dreaming that flows on today through the water spirit. Country has no time limits and water connects to our bodies, which are made up of water. We as a clan, are still here today, living and being on Country, our ancestral spirits live on through us. The original painting is a contemporary account of using ochre to reclaim ancestral knowledge and to be part of the ceremony that is yaluk, beep, murrup. wadawurrung, deanne gilson, water, country, spirit, first nations art

This piece represents the landscapes of Wadawurrung Country. It involves the oceans, the cliffs, the river, the mighty You Yangs. The circles depict gathering on Country. Be this Indigenous, Non Indigenous or both entwined.Painting of series of mountains and rivers. Brown, blue, green, yellow, white used.On bottom right-side of canvas - AJ Howellwadawurrung country, you yangs

306 p., illus.non-fictionThe story of William Buckley.william buckley, john batman, victoria history, kulin nation

Created for Ballarat Apron Festival to present Ballarat's Aboriginal history, to be displayed along side the Festival's Ballarat Apron. Oil painting on handmade treated canvas apron. Two large thick cotton ties at waist and loop for neck. marlene gilson, ballarat, wadawurrung, aboriginal

Whilst my main focus for the artwork design was on the Hotels on Main Road, I felt there was an opportunity to tell a broader story of Main Rd and combine/include some interesting pieces of information from many stages of the history of Main Road. Considering that at one point in time there would have been at more than six hotels in this very short section of street….there’s no doubt Main Rd was an epicentre of communication and festivities for the Goldfields of Ballarat. “No matter what luck he had, every miner needed supplies, food and something to entertain him when he was not searching for gold.” Described as being an overcrowded jumble of muddy streets loosely arranged around mining camps...and loud, muddy, colourful and sometimes illicit. I wanted the artwork composition to consist of overlapping images and text to reflect this sense of hustle and bustle. Main Road Mural tells the broader story of the history of Main Road in Ballarat. In 2018, the City of Ballarat commissioned local Ballarat artist Travis Price to create an artwork to align with the Main Road Revitalisation Project and deliver a key component of the storytelling (heritage interpretation) project that spans the length of the shopping precinct. The artwork is featured on a prominent site in the shopping precinct of main road and tells the story of Main Road through depicting key timeline events. Main Road, as its name suggests, was one of the main entries to the mining areas of East Ballarat. It had several names: Main Street before 1858, Plank Road between 1858 and 1868 and Main Road from 1868 onwards. The centre of mining life, it was crowded, prosperous, raucous and dirty. Painted mural on shop wall in Main Road, BallaratBallaarat, Gold Fever, The Royal Standard Hotel, Flood, Boxing Saloon, Plank Road, Kulin Nation, 3350, Election, East, Grog House, The Scandinavian Hotel. Images; Chinese lantern, Pick & Shovel, Miners Licence burning.main road history, ballarat hotels, gold fever, wadawurrung, kulin nation

The Campsite mural features Bunjil (wedge-tailed eagle) the creator and spiritual leader for Aboriginal people of this land. The Baarlijan (platypus) is a representation of the local Aboriginal community who have come from different Aboriginal nations and have made Ballaarat their home. The circular motifs represent campsites of different sizes located across Ballaarat, indicating that Ballaarat was and continues to be an important meeting place. Campsite (2020) is a re-commissioned artwork based on the original Campsite Mural installed in Alfred Deakin Place for the Commonwealth Games in 2006. The Campsite mural features Bunjil (wedge-tailed eagle) the creator and spiritual leader for Aboriginal people of this land. The Baarlijan (platypus) is a representation of the local Aboriginal community who have come from different Aboriginal nations and have made Ballaarat their home. The circular motifs represent campsites of different sizes located across Ballaarat, indicating that Ballaarat was and continues to be an important meeting place. Commissioned by the City of Ballarat. Painted mural on six weatherproof sheetsbunjil, baarlijan, aboriginal history, ballarat history, wadawurrung

Standing proud, still here, the spirit of ten ancestral matriarchs adorned in contemporary ceremonial cloaks. Representing our women past, present and future, her Spirit, our culture, our Country (spelt with a capital for its importance and this is part of First Peoples protocols on acknowledging Country, our strength, our resilience and healing towards a sustainable future). The colours of this cloak refer to natural pink ochre and indigenous flowering plants on Wadawurrung Dja. The pink ochre is sourced by Deanne Gilson at Black Hill in Ballarat, Victoria. Men also made woven dilly bags to hold their possessions in. The basket making was an ongoing aspect of daily life for Wadawurrung people and often done in cooler months when the weather was too bad to go outside. Many women and family groups had their own style and techniques that were traded amongst other groups. Wadawurrung women had a particular stitch they used and incorporated elaborate symbols into the basket designs. Tammy Gilson’s weaving represents this stitch. This cloak pays homage to them and the changing seasons as they created, particularly the cooler months leading into the warmer season when several gum blossom flower. This cloak was worn once by artist Deanne Gilson at a formal opening at the Art Gallery of Ballarat in 2022. A Welcome to Country ceremony was performed while wearing it.Pink native flower in baskets motif on a pink background on outer cloak, pink and white diamond and circle design in lining. Solid black trimming. Cloak is machine sewn and handstitched with hand stitching on shoulder seam.deanne gilson, wadawurrung dja, first nations art

'King Billy' of Ballarat is also known as Frank Wilson, after the surname of an owner of Ercildoun Estate. He was buried in a Wesleyan burial plot at the Ballaarat Old Cemetery on 26 September 1896. The Anglican burial ceremony was organised by the community who thought 'King Billy' to be the last of his tribe. The Ballarat Star of 25 September 1896 stated: that Billy and his subjects 'once virtually owned all the land comprised of the City of Ballarat and its immediate surroundings 'so 'it can be considered only fair that six feet of ground should not be denied for his burial' The Australian Natives Association and the Australian Historical Records Society (later Ballarat Historical Society) took a major role in the burial of Frank Wilson. "As public interest and compassion grew, noteworthy citizens of Ballarat and two key Christian denominations appeared to jostle for pre-eminence in the ritual to follow. Whilst the 'venerable Archdeacon Mercer' from the Anglican Church took the funeral service, the cemetery trustees arranged that the body was placed in 'a central site in the Wesleyan section of the cemetery'. Frank was recorded as a Roman Catholic. The coffin was carried to the grave by several Methodists, including Justice of the Peace, Glenny, and Member of the Legislative Assembly, Kirton, as well as Old Colonists' and noted citizens. (https://www.academia.edu/3246304/2001_Remembering_King_Billy_Journal_of_Australian_Colonial_History_vol_3_2_61-80) Three Images relating to King Billy of Ballarat as illustrated in the Evening Echo Historical Edition 1904. * Image of a group of Aboriginal people. They are most most probably Wathaurung (Wadawurrung) . The picture includes ten standing males, two holding a boomerangs. Six females sit on the ground in front, three hold hats. A seated child wears a hat. * The burial of King Billy in the Ballaarat New Cemetery, 26 September 1896. * King Billy's Grave in the Ballaarat New Cemetery. wathaurung, wada wurrung, wathaurong, king billy, aborigines, aboriginal, frank wilson, mercer, ballaarat new cemetery, glenny, burial, mullawullah

The grave of Mullawullah in the Ballarat New Cemeteryaborigines, mullawulla, king billy, ballarat, wadawurrung, ballaarat new cemetery

This ring belonged to Captain William Henry Bacchus who was one of the first British colonists to establish a farming property on Wurundjeri and Wadawurrung First Nations people lands 55 kilometers west of Melbourne. The land occupied by Bacchus in 1838 came to be known by the early colonists as Bacchus’s Marsh before later changing officially to Bacchus Marsh. The ring is believed to have been made to commemorate the death of Captain Bacchus’s father Wm (William) Bacchus in Somerset, England in 1788.This ring has significance because it is an object associated with a significant historical person in the history of the region of Bacchus Marsh. It is a rare, probably unique example of an 18th century mourning ring connected to the local community. It also has aesthetic value as an object and is in excellent condition.Gold ring with blue and black coloured inlay. Contains writing on the outsideWM Bacchus Esq OB: 10th JUNE 1788 Æ: 38 bacchus family, rings, william henry bacchus 1782-1849

Aunty Marlene Gilson is a Wathaurong (Wadawurrung) Elder who lives on Country in the Ballarat area. A self-taught artist, Gilson has received considerable acclaim and attention for her painting of historic encounters, in particular with regard to the retelling of events in which early colonial depictions excluded First Nations people. Marngrook Football depicts the first game of Australian Rules football played between Ballarat and Geelong while a parallel game of Marngrook takes place within view.

Mullawullah died on 23 September 1896. His funeral on 26 September attracted a large crown. IN 1897 the Australian Natives Association and the Ballarat Municipal COuncil raised money to this gravestone. Photos relating to the grave of King Billy in the Ballaarat New Cemeteryking billy, ballaarat new cemetery, frank wilson, william willson, wadawurrung, mullawullah, aboriginal

Large blue poster with the shape of Australia depicted in white. Tribal lands have been placed onto the plan with numbers relating to names listed on the left of the poster.aborigine, aboriginal, aboriginal tribes, aborigines advancement league, koorie, wadawurrung, dja dja wurrung

Buninyong Bivium (2016) by Cliff Burtt engages with the geography and history of the Buninyong region in both pre and post settlement. The town of Buninyong is dominated by the profiles of Mt Helen and the extinct volcano Mt. Buninyong. Traditional land of the Wadawurrung people, today the area remains a significant site for the culture of indigenous people and their connection to the land. The profile of this sculpture is based on topographical mapping of the area, depicting sections of the landscape. The gaps between the elements of the work can be viewed as representations of the shafts sunk into the earth by the early gold miners and compound curves on the upper surfaces are mirroring the topography of the area, while cut-aways in the sides are suggestive of rock strata.The artwork is of aesthetic and social significance to the people of BallaratCorten steel sculpture made of five unique sculptural pieces secured to at concreate base at pavement levelbuninyong, cliff burtt, sculpture, public art, mining, ballarat

Dr Janice Newton has had a long term interest in Indigenous Studies and Aboriginality, and has published papers linking Aboriginality to the counterculture and to artists and musicians. She has published a paper commenting on Ballarat's response to the death in 1896 of King Billy, the so called 'last of his tribe'. Janice has recently taught courses on 'The Anthropology of Indigenous Art' and 'Indigenous History' at Federation University Australia.56 page soft covered booklet outlining the life of Ballarat's Mullawallah (also known as King Billy or Frank Wilson). Numerous photographs. The book 'Mullawallah: The Last King Billy of Ballarat' is an initiative of Victorian Interpretive Projects. It is available for purchase for $15.00 (additional for postage). Please email [email protected] for further details. Images include: Ercildoun, Lake Burrumbeet, Lal Lal Falls, William Buckley, Warrenheip, King Billy and his Camp in McCree's Paddock, King Billy and His Tribe, Carl Walter King Billy, Mary of Carngham, Rosa of Carngham, King Billy (Bullip Bullip), Queen Mary of Buninyong, Queen Marie of Ballarat, Queen Mary and King Billy and their original mia mia, Football at Ercildoune, Thomas Jerusalem, Samuel Wilson, Frank the last of the Ballarat Tribe, The Burial of King Billy, King Billy's Grave. mullawullah, frank wilson, king billy, aborigines, wathauwrung, wadawurrung, aboriginal, ercildoun, ercildoune, lake learmonth

This is an Aboriginal artwork that depicts a Goanna Totem. Designed by Ballarat-based, Gunditjmara artist Aunty Diana Nikkelson, the design is inspired by the artist’s totem and is a tribute to the first artists of the region, the Wadawurrung people. It acknowledges Aboriginal survival and the dynamic regeneration of the Aboriginal art and culture in the region. The artwork is in-set to the basalt paving along Police Lane by a series of etched footsteps, which evolve from human footprints to goanna prints as viewers approach the rear of the Art Gallery of Ballarat. The artwork was originally located only outdoors and half of it was brought into the Art Gallery of Ballarat in 2011, when the former Federation Plaza was enclosed to form the Art Gallery of Ballarat's McCain Annexe. The artwork was created in 2006 as part of the cultural festival of the Commonwealth Games. The artwork is of cultural and aesthetic significance to the people of BallaratSand blasted petroglyph forms into bluestone on laneway surface. The carved inlay of the Goanna Totem design into the bluestone of Police Lane (beside Art Gallery of Ballarat) continues inside the building.goanna totem ballarat, goanna totem, diana nikkelson, aboriginal, dreaming, nikkelson, gunditjmara

Standing proud, still here, the spirit of ten ancestral matriarchs adorned in contemporary ceremonial cloaks. Representing our women past, present and future, her Spirit, our culture, our Country (spelt with a capital for its importance and this is part of First Peoples protocols on acknowledging Country, our strength, our resilience and healing towards a sustainable future).The sacred banksia tree was a favourite for Wadawurrung people. Flowering before deep Winter, the banksia was used for spear making and other wooden tools. The sap was drunk as a sweet drink and the seed pods used for water straining and fire sticks. The banksia tree flowers at the time when fire sticks farming is practiced marking the days before the coldest days and nights and the hotter days.White, orange, and yellow banksia design on outer cloak, yellow and white circle and diamond design in lining. Solid black trimming. Cloak is machine sewn and handstitched with hand stitching on shoulder seam.deanne gilson, wadawurrung dja, first nations art, cloak

Standing proud, still here, the spirit of ten ancestral matriarchs adorned in contemporary ceremonial cloaks. Representing our women past, present and future, her Spirit, our culture, our Country (spelt with a capital for its importance and this is part of First Peoples protocols on acknowledging Country, our strength, our resilience and healing towards a sustainable future. The murnong was one of the main food sources for First Peoples before colonisation as it grew right across Wadawurrung Dja. The introduction of the sheep and cattle saw the murnong eaten roots and all and it quickly became less plentiful. The tubers were eaten raw or roasted on a fire. Water could be added to make a paste for small children to eat. The woman’s wooden digging stick that was used to gather and harvest plants was often buried with the woman for her afterlife and is considered sacred women’s knowledge. All parts of the plants and trees were and still are honoured as sacred medicine, healing plants and bush food knowledge.Yellow flower and female figure motif on black background on outer cloak, black and white diamond, and circle design in lining. Solid black trimming. Cloak is machine sewn and handstitched with hand stitching on shoulder seam.deanne gilson, wadawurrung dja, first nations art, cloak, murnong