We are providing new and increasing engagement opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students through outreach and leadership programs, for the University community through partnerships and collaborations, and for the general public through our Indigenous Orations and other events.
Outreach and leadership programs for Indigenous secondary and tertiary students
In collaboration with other universities and organisations, we offer a range of outreach and leadership programs for Indigenous students. Access more information about these programs below.
Our Orations
We facilitate two key public orations each year that focus on issues of importance to First Nations People: the Dungala Kaiela Oration and the Narrm Oration.
Relationships and partnerships
The University is building strong reciprocal relationships with Indigenous Australia. For more information about our University-wide strategic relationships and partnerships, visit their websites below.
Wominjeka
A Wominjeka (Woi-wurrung word for welcome) happens towards the commencement of the academic year to acknowledge the Wurundjeri people and their Elders past and present, upon whose land we study and work, and to welcome and acknowledge Indigenous students and staff. All members of the University community and the general public are invited to Wominjeka.
Billibellary's Walk
Billibellary’s Walk is named after the Ngurungaeta, or clan head, of the Wurundjeri people at the time of Melbourne’s settlement. The walk is a cultural interpretation of the University’s Parkville campus landscape.
The walk is designed to help participants hear the whispers and songs of the Wurundjeri people that lie within the University of Melbourne's built environment. The walk alerts us to signs and stories that may not be apparent to visitors, but which provide some insight into the experience of the Wurundjeri people of the Woiwurrung language group who have walked the grounds upon which the University now stands for more than 40,000 years. It is intended to provide the impetus for further exploration of issues pertinent to the Aboriginal community.
The walk is intended to operate as a self guided walk using the Billibellary’s Walk smartphone application and/or downloadable map and narrative.
Acknowledgements: Billibellary's Walk was developed by a research team comprising of Onemda VicHealth Koori Health Unit and Murrup Barak with input from a reference group which included Ms Shawana Andrews, Ms Ngarra Murray, Mr Craig Torrens and more recently Mr Warwick Padgham. The support of the following individuals and groups was critical:
- Wurundjeri Tribe Land and Compensation Cultural Heritage Council Inc – staff and members
- Aunty Margaret Gardiner – Wurundjeri Elder
- Aunty Joy Murphy-Wandin – Wurundjeri Elder
- Office of the Provost, The University of Melbourne – Learning and Teaching Initiative Grant