We envision a world where Boonwurrung ancestors are acknowledged and respected. We strive to ensure that the good work of N'Arweet Dr Carolyn Briggs AM is upheld and continued. Our mission is to ensure that future generations of the Boonwurrung are understood and accepted as the First People of Melbourne, and all of Boonwurrung Country.
We invite all visitors to proudly share in Boonwurrung history, culture, and connection to Country. Our vision is to share Boonwurrung culture as a foundational part of our ongoing story.
July 2023
Senior Boon Wurrung Woman Caroline Martin gave a Welcome to Country at the event; and spoke about the timber screen design featured in the garden, which continues the legacy of her ancestors through the design of the garden being inspired be her possum skin cloak artwork.
Boonwurrung Storyteller Jaeden Williams performed a smoking ceremony, dance and story to celebrate with the children from the Alfred Child Care Centre and to cleanse the garden and people of negative energy, and promote the protection and wellbeing of visitors.
2019 / Albert Park Preschool
We helped to develop Australia's First Carbon Neutral Kindergarden through embedding Boonwurrung language and culture in the Kindergarten's philosophy, in 2019.
We engaged with and shared Boonwurrung language to students at Haileybury Brighton ELC who then entered and won the Name ExoWorlds competition name a star and exoplanet. The Haileybury entry used Boonwurrung words; Australia’s star HD 38283 in the constellation Mensa is named Bubup (child) and the exoplanet is named YanYan (boy).
City of Melbourne - 2018
Led the Welcome to Country with the Mayor of Melbourne to celebrate the opening of the Visitors Hub at the Town Hall for the City of Melbourne in August 2018.
Biik Bundjil is a cultural organisation focused on embedding Boonwurrung culture into modern society, founded in 2018, Biik Bundjil has worked with many Kindergartens & Schools across Boonwurrung country and have developed long lasting relationships with many collaborators and partners.
Biik Bundjil has recently begun a new component of its organisation called Djindibik Murrup, whose main focus is to work towards healing the collective trauma in our First Nations communities. This is through a variety of one on one therapy sessions and Emotional Intelligence Seminars. Our seminars bring awareness to how individuals see and discuss trauma, and they help build tools for trauma prevention and healing, teaching the understandings of our personal connection to Country and Spirit.
Jaeden Williams is a proud Yalukit Willam man of the Boonwurrung; founder and director of Biik Bundjil, a Boonwurrung educational organisation, Jaeden is also a Hypnotherapist and Success Coach, he has been working in the Emotional Wellbeing sector for over 5 years.
Ngarra Kulin
Ngarra Kulin is a proud Boonwurrung and Wiradjuri man based in Birrarrung-ga (Melbourne), the home of his Boonwurrung Ancestors.
Ngarra Kulin has been honing his creative skills in acrylic paint on canvas and conceptual design. Originally a Carpenter, he has combined both skills and sees his art from start to finish, from creating to stretching and framing his own work, as well, carving his Ancestral iconography on selected pieces at the request of the collector.
His intricate art style is both spiritual and symbolic, his art practice is a stunning mix of the old ways of being, and is at one with the present.
Ngarra Kulin is solely dedicated to his creative practice, and his works are largely shaped by spending time on and with Country, seeing, feeling and listening to what can’t be seen but stunningly capturing all those moments in between.
Caroline Martin
Caroline Martin is a direct descendant of the Briggs family and Custodian of Boonwurrung Country, her Ancestral lands extend from the Werribee River, inland Melbourne, Port Phillip, and Western Port Bays and along the Mornington Peninsula coast to Wilsons Promontory.
Caroline is an experienced Senior Manager and Senior Policy Adviser in a broad range of environments including Arts and Culture, Tourism, Early Childhood, Education, Employment, and the Victorian Public Sector and has been working and consulting in Aboriginal Affairs for more than 35 years.
Caroline also has many years of experience as a public speaker at a range of local, national, and international conferences, as well as many years’ experience officiating events, as a Master of Ceremonies (MC) for small, medium, and large-scale forums and events.
In December 2015, Caroline resigned from her position of 12 years, Manager Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre at Melbourne Museum, to create her own consultancy business, Yalukit Marnang.
A highly valued achievement of Caroline’s whilst managing Bunjilaka was developing the community engagement methodology for the Bunjilaka Re-development Project, more particularly the establishment of the Yulendj (Boonwurrung word for Knowledge) Group; and was responsible for the overall advocacy, management and facilitation of First Nations community engagement and involvement in the development of the First Peoples exhibition, Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre at the Melbourne Museum which opened in September 2013. First Peoples has won national and international awards and is viewed as best practice in community engagement.
We had such an amazing workshop with Jaeden Williams. There were nearly 70 people who attended the workshop, with children as young as 10 months old. Jaeden skillfully held the attention of all the young Bubups for a whole hour of storytelling, language, acknowledgement, interactive stories and ritual. The children loved Jaedens engaging stories and larger than life energy. Everyone was particularly moved by the smoking ceremony and we could tell that it touched the hearts of the children. An experience they won't ever forget. We are very excited to have Jaeden guide us on our learning journey into Boonwurrung culture and look forward to his next visit.
- Jake, Yarraville Sacred Place Family Day Care
Thank you, Jaeden! Your presentation was amazing. I really enjoyed it when you shared your intriguing knowledge. The way you teach is incredibly fun, calling us bubups was my favourite part. It was interactive, fun and listening to stories is fantastic. I really recommend it for all kids. It also changed my mindset, and now I am going to do many things differently to make me and others happier.
- Coco, Year 7 Student