The A Healthy Coliban Catchment project is more than an environmental effort. It represents progress toward acknowledging our (Dja Dja Wurrung People’s) rights as Traditional Custodians, strengthening cultural values, and empowering Djaara (Dja Dja Wurrung People) to be self-determined in Caring for Djandak (Dja Dja Wurrung Country). For us, gatjin (water) is not just a resource.

"As gatjin moves through Djandak: seeping into our soils, entering our groundwater, flowing down our waterways, and pooling in our wetlands, it shapes and nourishes our landscape. It is integral to the health of our People and our Country." Dhelkunyangu Gatjin Strategy

Waterways such as the Dindilong Yaluk (Coliban River) are central to Djaara cultural identity. Our rivers provide places to camp, hunt, fish, swim, and hold Ceremony. They offer food, medicine, and resources and contain cultural heritage sites that connect us to our Ancestors. The health of the Dindilong Yaluk directly impacts our stories, ceremonies, well-being, and the vitality of our natural resources.

"Today, though our Country is vastly changed, it still holds many important values that have survived, as we have survived. We feel a cultural responsibility to care for our Country as it binds us to the past, present, and future." Djaara Nation Statement – Water Is Life

Djaara's involvement in the project’s governance, planning, and execution is essential. Our Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), developed over thousands of years, generation on generation, provides valuable insights in caring for Djandak and gatjin. By incorporating our perspectives and governance into this project, there is an opportunity to address past wrongs, such as the dispossession of our lands and waters, and the environmental damage that followed.

“Our rivers are the veins of Country. It is a big task to heal our waterways so that they can continue to be the lifeblood of our Country.” Goal 5 Rivers and Waterways (Dhelkunya Dja)

To do this, Kapa Gatjin (to know water), Djaara’s water advisory group conduct Aboriginal Waterway Assessments (AWA) across the catchment to bring Djaara’s voice and develop culturally appropriate recommendations that protect and heal Country, returning spirit to gatjin. It demonstrates how we can bring our traditional knowledge and, traditional ways of knowing along with the western sciences to care for our waterways.

These recommendations include activities such as revegetation with native food, medicine, and fibre plants; pest and weed management; Djandak Wii (cultural fire); as well as infrastructure like signage to educate and share our stories with the broader community. Cultural understanding and community engagement are key in fostering respect for our cultural heritage and knowledge.

The A Healthy Coliban Catchment project provides a baring (pathway) to co-manage waterways with contemporary authorities, organisations, and the community, combining our traditional cultural knowledge with modern practices. It is a journey towards healing the land, water, and People.