State Government support through the BushBank program – an initiative focused on biodiversity outcomes such as seed collection, nurseries, and large-scale revegetation – has enabled Taungurung to take an important step forward on and for Country.  A vision has seeded: the establishment of a Biocultural Resource Centre on Taungurung biik (Country).

‘Biocultural’ is a term that brings together two inseparable ideas: bio – the living world of plants, animals and ecosystems, and cultural – First Peoples knowledge, traditions, language and ways of relating to Country.  Biocultural is the understanding that culture and ecology are not separate but deeply connected and that healthy ecosystems depend on cultural knowledge and care. This Centre brings together a native plant nursery with a broader purpose of weaving cultural knowledge, land management, revegetation, research, and reforestation into a single, living system of care for Taungurung biik.

At the heart of the Centre is the plant nursery in Alexandra. Named Wanwarren Yungurdi in Taungurung language, it means walking in lush, green vegetation. True to its name, the nursery is already flourishing. At full capacity, it aims to produce around 30,000 plants each year. These plants will support revegetation across Taungurung biik, contribute to commercial projects, and include species of cultural significance – particularly those used for food and fibre.

Every plant grown at Wanwarren Yungurdi begins its journey on biik. Seeds and plant material are carefully collected to reflect the diversity of Taungurung landscapes, from the Mountains and Stone Country to Murrnong Country and Waring Country, honouring the unique identity of each place.

Grounded in self-determination and guided by aspirations for biik, the nursery creates more opportunities for Taungurung people to actively participate in caring for biik. Community members can harvest seed, grow plants, and build relationships with them – learning cultural stories of the plants, their uses, and their role within the landscape. In doing so, the nursery facilitates cultural knowledge, supports meaningful employment, and strengthens the capacity of culturally informed natural resource management practices delivered through Biik Land Management services.    

Beyond its cultural and social impact, Wanwarren Yungurdi also contributes to economic sustainability through the sale of seed and tube stock. Its revegetation work plays a direct role in restoring biodiversity across biik, bringing benefits not only to ecosystems, but to the health and wellbeing of people and community.

As the nursery’s collection of bush tucker and fibre plants continues to grow, wawa biik will help share the stories of connection and regeneration with the wider community, celebrating the people and plant relationships and the impact of this self-determined caring for biik enterprise. 

The greenhouse door is always open for community. Already, the nursery has become a place of connection. Taungurung Park Rangers and wawa biik guides have spent time tending seedlings, sharing stories, and tapping into the knowledge of the nursery team including Benn Duke, Jason Laverty and Cath Olive.

On one visit, the wawa biik team dropped in with their morning coffee, curious to explore the greenhouse and witness its growth. They wandered out happy, hopeful, and holding a small plant in their coffee cup – a fitting reminder that this place fills your cup in more ways than one.

For community, Wanwarren Yungurdi is more than a nursery. Standing among the seedlings, there is a shared vision taking root — one of restored habitats, thriving ecosystems, and a healthy biik for generations to come.

Thanks to Cath Olive and Jason Laverty for their insights for this article.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anne Burns is a proud Nira balluk woman of the Taungurung Nation. Having worked for the Taungurung Land and Waters Council in the Partnerships and Agreements team for four years, she’s now also a wawa biik guide sharing her passion for Culture and Country with the broader community. Anne believes there are wonderful things that can be achieved through having conversations together on Country. As the jovial, friendly and warm person that always greets you with a smile and a story, yarning with Anne is always a joy.

A humble, yet enormously skilled and knowledgeable cultural guide, she loves any opportunity to be out on biik (Country) leading walking tours, facilitating weaving workshops and tuning in to what biik is telling her. When you cut to the heart of what motivates her, you’ll find a proud mother and grandmother who wants to contribute her life’s work to creating a better place for her grandchildren.

In today’s world of work, purpose should no longer be just a buzzword — it should be a guiding principle.

At wawa biik, our purpose is to nurture an inspired and connected community of First Peoples and allies that take pride in their shared custodianship of Taungurung Culture and Country. In this era of the ‘Great Reflection’ where people are keen to align their personal values with their work and contribute to society in meaningful ways, we believe a wawa biik private experience with your colleagues can provide value that extends beyond the tour. Here’s how:

Where would we be without birds? Not only do they bring happiness and joy to our lives but they provide so many benefits to our ecosystems and are crucial to our survival. Birds are great indicators of healthy Country.  They respond early to any changes to habitats and can give us warning signs about impacts of climate change.  Preserving our native bird species and their habitats is so important.

Birdlife Australia runs an annual Aussie Bird Count to inspire everyone to take notice of our little feathered friends and get familiar with bird movements.  As they say, noticing birds is the first step towards caring about them – and where conservation begins. Here on Taungurung biik we have so many landscape types and therefore so much birdlife to understand and protect. Big shout out to our BIIK crew and all our land manager partners who are actively monitoring the wildlife and restoring vital habitats. Here’s our list of birds and bird related stories you need to know about: