Gateway Health delivers cultural programs in the local community that focus on Aboriginal culture, heritage, and the environment.
We offer cultural knowledge, education, and youth activity programs that are endorsed by Burraja – an Indigenous Cultural and Environmental Discovery Centre located on Gateway Island, Wodonga Victoria.
The programs are delivered to schools, local government agencies, and businesses. The aim is to improve the connection to knowledge, cultural understanding, and appreciation of local Aboriginal heritage.
We can tailor cultural activities to suit your needs.
Field trips
The aim is to introduce you to a locally significant site and to increase awareness of such sites in the local area. This session reinforces the concept of cultural practices and leads to the development of practical skills and self-reflection of cultural heritage. View local rock paintings and interpretation.
Who: Available to people of all age groups.
This is an outdoor activity that involves:
Group travel by road to Mt Pilot
Ground orientation and safety brief on arrival
Under supervision, walk the trail to rock paintings (group to split for Men’s and Women’s area where appropriate)
View and discuss rock paintings
Regroup at vehicle(s) – headcount
Return group travel by road to Wodonga
The location depends on the time of year and the resources available. Learn about traditional plant use and the cultural landscape.
Who: Available to people of all age groups.
This activity will be an outdoor activity requiring travel to a local reserve close to the Albury Wodonga region and involves:
Ground orientation and safety brief on arrival
Walk with the Activities Officer to:
Identify resource plants and their uses
Identify plants in the cultural landscape
Discuss plant uses and cultural responsibility
Regroup at vehicle(s) – headcount
Return group travel by road to Wodonga
Cultural learnings
Where: Burraja Cultural Centre
Who: Available to all people of all ages
Tours and traditional knowledge about native plans and their uses.
Learn about your family history and cultural identity including what nation(s) / country you belong to and what totem is associated with your country:
Learn about extended family through talking to your family
Record or map history in art form or recording
Network with AWAHS for any health issues or services
Where: Murray River
Who: Available to all people of all ages
Travel to a suitable fishing location on the Murray River where you will:
undertake ground orientation and safety brief
learn how to use a fishing rod
learn where, when and how to fish
hear stories about fishing and traditional foods connected to water
learn how to cook fish the traditional way
Where: Burraja Cultural Centre
Who: Available to all people of all ages
Hear about why people were put on missions, what life was like on missions, and how missions affected traditional knowledge and the people.
Where: Burraja Cultural Centre
Who: Children aged from 10 to 12 years old
Learn about traditional stories.
Where: Burraja Cultural Centre
Who: Available to all people of all ages
Learn about the traditional symbols and how they fit into the landscape, the meaning of colours traditionally used, and create a painting using the symbols.
Where: Burraja Cultural Centre
Who: Available to all people of all ages
Learn about traditional dance.
Where: Burraja Cultural Centre
Who: Available to all people of all ages
Learn what traditional games were played, what was involved in the games – skills, rules, materials, etc, and where the games came from.
Practical workshops
Where: Burraja Cultural Centre
Who: Available to women only
Learn about traditional methods of weaving, what plants to use and how to prepare them for weaving.
Under the instructions of a Women’s Activities Officer:
learn how to prepare reeds for weaving
learn the weaving technique to make a basket
make a basket
Where: Burraja Cultural Centre
Who: Available to people aged from 13 to 16 years
Find out about the skill of making a Coolamon and the cultural purpose of a Coolamon.
Learn how to take off a Coolamon from a tree, what bark/timber is traditionally used to make a Coolamon, how to prepare and shape a Coolamon, and how to maintain a Coolamon.
Where: Burraja Cultural Centre
Who: Available to men only
Learn how to:
prepare a didgeridoo – sand down, fill cracks, etc
tune dig
decorate with traditional design
Didgeridoos to be prepared off-site to reduce the risk of injury with power tools.
Where: Burraja Cultural Centre
Who: Available to all people of all ages
Learn about traditional hunting techniques and how to make a tool for hunting emu:
How to prepare and make an emu caller eg – sand down, fill cracks etc
How the Emu Caller works
Decorate emu caller with traditional design
Emu callers to be prepared off-site to reduce the risk of injury with power tools.
Where: Burraja Cultural Centre
Who: Available to all people of all ages
Learn about the traditional way to make a shelter and participate in the design and construction.
Under the instructions and supervision of the Project Activity Officer, you will learn about:
the different methods of making a shelter
the materials used to make a shelter
how to make a shelter
the traditional set of camps and protocols
Where: Burraja Cultural Centre
Who: Available to people aged from 13 to 16 years
Find out about the cultural aspect of fire in the landscape, traditional methods of fire-making, and resources used to make fire. This activity includes:
How to make a fire drill and base using traditional materials
Traditional uses of fire
A brief history of traditional fire in the northeast of Victoria
Fire safety
This activity can be paired with the collecting resin activity as the resources come from the same plant.
Where: Burraja Cultural Centre
Who: Available to women only
Source Possum skin and sit down with women Elders to learn how the possum skins were used for clothing etc.
Under the instructions of a senior Women Elder, learn:
how to turn possum skins into traditional items
how to prepare a skin
about traditional sewing techniques and materials – sinew, bone needle
about designs on possum skin rugs
Where: Burraja Cultural Centre
Who: Available to all people of all ages
Find out about traditional string making, learn how to prepare fibre for string making and what plants are used in this area.
Activity includes:
Group travel by road to Nail Can Hill Reserve with Wagirra Rangers
Ground orientation and safety brief on arrival
Collection of Stringy Bark to make fibre
Processing the fibre to make string
Making of different thickness of string for various uses
Where: Burraja Cultural Centre
Who: Available to women only
Learn about traditional jewellery, how to make a range of traditional jewellery using, where possible, traditional material such as reeds, feathers, seedpods, and design and make something that you can wear.
If you are interested in any of these activities send us an enquiry and we will get back to you with options and costs – email Burraja@gatewayhealth.org.au.
We work in collaboration with the Department of Justice Victoria (DOJ), Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS), Wodonga and Albury city councils, Department of Education & Training (DET), Wodonga TAFE, and Department of Environment, Water, Land and Planning (DELWP) to support the ongoing cultural learning and practices of Aboriginal people locally.
