A yarn with Cath Olive about ‘The Arb’

February 4, 2023

It is a warm January morning and the cicadas are making a racket. Cath’s dog ‘Indi’ takes off into the wetlands, making a splash as dragonflies circle above.  A grasshopper takes perch on Cath’s arm as we amble along the daanak trail yarning about all things plants, partnerships and her favourite patch.

Where did you get your love of plants from?

Plants are in my blood. My dad was an avid horticulturalist, and my nan a keen gardener. From the earliest age, my family took me camping and my dad and I would go plant hunting. The natural world is where I am happiest and content. I have been lucky to have been able to share this love of plants for the last 30 years through my various jobs, generally on Taungurung country – currently at the Arb.

Tell us about the Arb's backstory

The Arb was originally a sheep station in the 1850’s. When the Hume Hwy was re-aligned in the 1980’s, the land was used as a base by VicRoads to store heavy machinery and soil. It was gifted to the community of Euroa in 1993 and became Euroa Arboretum. In the early days, there were only a handful of mature trees and most of the groundcover was introduced pasture grasses and weeds. By the late 1990’s, the direction of the Arb changed somewhat and it shifted from a classic Arboretum of mixed, non indigenous species to reflecting the plants and landscapes of the local Strathbogies and plains.

What are you most proud of here?

Actually, I’m most proud of the people – the community and our staff. Some of the original committee from 30 years ago are still active participants. The commitment and out-pouring of love for this place and what we do is pretty amazing. It is a joy to come to work and to be among such a positive team. However, if I had a favourite ‘patch’ it would have to be the grassland. And I have a particular patch of grassland I love the most. Its colourful, diverse, full of insect activity and skinks, (no snakes that I have found yet). Sometimes in Spring when the weeds are swamping me and I’m a bit overwhelmed, I go for a walk through this patch and allow myself to breathe and smile.

Any unique species that you’re trying to cultivate here?

Oh, we have lots of unique species. In fact, the site is what was known as a Granitic Outwash Grassy Woodland – it’s a unique community of plants found on the edge of the Strathbogies from Violet Town to Seymour. Its almost lost from the landscape, with just a few little patches remaining along the rail line between Longwood and Seymour. There are a number of plants that are found almost no where else – including the Euroa Guinea Flower – completely unique to this part of the world and flourishing at the Arb. We specialise in growing and harvesting rare and difficult plants for seed and tubestock.

How have you collaborated with the Taungurung community here at the Arb?

Grassy Woodlands would have been a significant part of the food bowl for Traditional Owners. They were managed carefully to provide food and medicine for the mob. In restoring a grassy woodland, we felt it was imperative to look to traditional methods of management and adapt them to suit the current landscape challenges. Uncle Shane Monk has been part of our cool burns for several years – adapting our timing and understanding of burning and the response of weeds and native plants. We work alongside Taungurung to bring science and cultural knowledge together to manage country.

Tell us about the wonderful dance circle you've created at the Arb

We needed a place for workshops, a place to gather for events, and I was determined it needed to be a place to reflect our partnership with Taungurung. As an aside, I was lucky enough to walk the Larapinta track in central Australia a few years ago. Country that has ceremony still occurring has a great sense of spirit and power to me. I don’t believe we can restore and heal country without restoring language, song and dance and bring back the spirit of the place. To collaboratively create that space with Taungurung, to create a space for ceremony, I hope brings spirit and healing not just to the Arb, but to the Taungurung people and others that visit and participate at the Arb.

What are your aspirations for the Taungurung/Arb partnership

I think we have many common goals – learning country, listening to country, healing or restoring country. The Arb is a microcosm of those goals, but I hope that we can support each other to achieve those goals across the landscape, and bring the wider community on that journey of discovery and restoration too.

Take a closer look at the beautiful images on the wawa biik website and newsletter. You may notice they communicate not only the warmth and excitement of the wawa biik journey, but also hint at the pride and connection that the photographer Hunter Callaghan has to his mob and Country. Hunter belongs to the Nira-illim Bulluk Clan of the Taungurung Nation and was born and raised in the western suburbs of Naarm, Bunurong Country. He works as a content producer for RMIT University but is also a freelance photographer driven to capture the faces and places that tell the Taungurung story. Check out our yarn with Hunter to find out more about his culture and photography. Link in bio

 
#gonagambie #tahbilk #kooriepride #culture #taungurungcountry #nagambielakes #visithighcountryvictoria #visitvictoria #supportlocal #blog #photography
Now presenting - the wawa biik Taungurung Cultural Experiences video premiere!

wawa biik (hello Country in Taungurung language) offers immersive cultural experiences that contribute to the positive future of Taungurung culture and Country. This video provides insight from the wawa biik guides (Uncle Shane and Aunty Jo, Taungurung Elders) into the available experiences and the deep connection to Country shared by Taungurung people. 

Special thanks to Ryan from @luminairepictures and the @wawabiik team for dedication to such a moving outcome. 

Let us know what you think in the comments below.

We look forward to seeing you out on Country!

#gonagambie #euroa #tahbilk #culture #nagambielakes #visithighcountryvictoria #visitvictoria #taungurungcountry #tourismaustralia
“Our wawa biik experiences are built on dhumbak gadhaba (yarning together). We create a safe space for everyone to share and be part of the conversation. We acknowledge that we are all coming to biik (Country) from different places, experiences, understanding and knowledge and that’s ok. Our yarns are about sharing our culture, story and experience but this can only happen when we are there respecting each other, listening to each other, and to biik, our Country, so that we can walk together” - Aunty Jo 

 #culturaltours #tourism #travel #Victoria #explore #SeeAustralia #culturalexperience #culture #history #Taungurung #taungurungcountry #gonagambie
Debbie’s melt in your mouth lemon myrtle cookies have become a much-loved staple of our wawa Euroa experience.  Debbie Redding of Debbie’s Delights has been baking delicious food for over 37 years but more recently has enjoyed learning and experimenting with Indigenous ingredients, including our delicious wawa biik morning teas. As a small business owner living and working on Taungurung Country, taking part in the wawa biik partnership program has given Deb the opportunity to connect with Taungurung Elders and deepen her connection to the land. Deb’s philosophy is all about sharing good food, laughter and quality time on Country with family and friends – we are delighted to have Deb as part of our extended team. Check out our yarn with Deb, link in bio! 

#gonagambie #tahbilk #kooriepride #culture #taungurungcountry #nagambielakes #visithighcountryvictoria #visitvictoria #supportlocal #euroa
Great day on Country today! Thank you to this beautiful group for coming along on our wawa Nagambie Experience. 

#gonagambie #tahbilk #kooriepride #culture #taungurungcountry #nagambielakes #visithighcountryvictoria #visitvictoria #supportlocal