Noongar Whadjuk People – Traditional Owners

The City of Belmont acknowledges the Noongar Nations, specifically Whadjuk people as Traditional Owners of the land on which we live and work.
 
Noongar means ‘a person of the south-west of Western Australia’, or the name for the ‘original inhabitants of the south-west of Western Australia’ and they are one of the largest Aboriginal cultural blocks in Australia. Noongar are made up of 14 different language groups. Alternative spellings include:
 

• Nyungar
• Nyoongar
• Nyoongah
• Nyungah
• Nyugah
• Yunga

Noongar Boodja

Noongar boodja (country) covers the entire south-western portion of Western Australia, from the west coast at a point north of Jurien Bay, easterly to a point north of Moora and then roughly south-east to a point on the southern coast between Bremer Bay and Esperance.
 
Noongar peoples travelled for hundreds of kilometres on foot within this area to trade with other families. Albany Highway was once a Noongar track linking family groups between Perth and Albany.
 
(Source: Courtesy of South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council - Kaartdijin Noongar - Noongar Knowledge)
 

Bilya Kard Boodja Lookout

Bilya Kard Boodja Lookout is located at Tanunda Drive in Ascot. This lookout was unveiled in 2015 as a celebration of the area’s Noongar heritage.
 
‘Bilya’ means river, ‘Kard’ means hill and ‘Boodja’ means land or country. The lookout sits on the highest piece of land along the Swan River in the City of Belmont. A ‘Moor Barndi’ black bream sculpture is featured in the park, decorated with artwork depicting the Noongar seasons and capturing city views from the lookout.
 
The sculpture was designed and created by Peter Farmer Junior and Kylie Graham from Peter Farmer Designs. They chose the black bream as it is an important totem of the river and Noongar (Whadjuk) people in the Perth area. The sculpture also depicts the food sources that the Derbarl Yerrigan (Swan River) has to offer and the six seasons of the Noongar culture.
 
Bilya Kard Boodja Lookout won the 2017 Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) WA Cultural Heritage Landscape Architecture Award.
 

National Reconciliation Week

Each year National Reconciliation Week (NRW) celebrates and builds on the respectful relationships shared by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other Australians.
 
The dates which begin and end this special week (25 May and 3 June) are significant milestones in Australia’s reconciliation journey:
 
27 May – This is the anniversary of Australia’s most successful referendum and a defining event in our nation’s history. In the 1967 referendum, more than 90% of Australians voted to give the Commonwealth the power to make laws for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and recognise them in the national census.
 
3 June – This date commemorates the High Court of Australia’s landmark Mabo decision in 1992. This decision officially recognised that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have a special relationship to the land, which paved the way for land rights or Native Title.
 
For more information on the National Reconciliation Week, please visit the Reconciliation Australia website.
 

NAIDOC Week

NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee.
 
NAIDOC Week is held each year in the first full week of July. It a celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and achievements and is an opportunity to recognise the contributions that Indigenous Australians make to our country and our society. (Source: www.naidoc.org.au)
 
The City of Belmont celebrates NAIDOC Week with a flag-raising ceremony and morning tea on the Monday of NAIDOC Week. A range of other activities are held throughout the week. Please visit the Events Calendar for more information.