Living Kaurna Cultural Centre, Warriparinga Wetlands
“windy place by the river”
The Warriparinga Wetlands are beautiful.
Rich in nature, with beautiful tall gum tress and wildlife at every corner. If you listen closely, you can hear the kookaburras laughing and the cockatoos screeching. Warriparinga means ‘windy place by the river’.
In Term 3 we were very lucky to visit the Warriparinga Wetlands and Living Kaurna Cultural Centre with Miss Orrins’ class. Our year 1/2 classes went on the excursion to explore the wetlands and learn about Indigenous culture at the site.
We hopped onto a bus and made our way down the big hill to arrive at Warriparinga. First, we had our fruit snack and then went exploring.
Then we split into small groups that were led by; Michael and Catherine, Tina and Alex, Jacqui, myself (Miss Nicole), Miss Orrin and Mrs Thompson. Groups made their way across the bridge to the wetlands and explored. Here we saw the beautiful native plants and trees that are local to the area. We met some of the volunteers that help protect and preserve the wetlands. They were really happy to see our school there.
We made our way down to the water, where we saw lots of different birds—including one very cute baby duck! If we looked closely we could see little tadpoles swimming around near the shore.
On our way back, we stopped to look at the huge Scar Tree. This tree is over 500 years old and stretches high into the sky. This tree is one of the few remining of its kind.
Once we explored the wetlands, we came back over the bridge and had our recess just in front of the cultural centre. After our lunch, we made our way to the logs and sat in a circle. There we met an Elder that welcomed us with a smoking ceremony. He shared the significance of the smoking ceremony to our group and explained how it is used to pay respect to all the spirts. The Elder explained that Indigenous people have a strong connection to the land and environment. We do not take too much, and we always give back. Students then broke into three groups and rotated different activies: weaving and beading with Aunty, listened to a Dreamtime story from an Elder, and made a Wodli with Uncle.
Wodli (wurleys)
Students were shown how to build a sustainable wodli that is made from foliage, bark, leaves and gum branches. A wodli provided shelter for Indigenous people in the cooler months.
Dreamtime Story
This area is significant because it is one of the very few places that has survived European settlement. The Indigenous cultural centre allowed all students to immerse themselves with the culture, the land and learn about the significance of Indigenous culture. But also learn about Indigenous way of life, how they lived and took care of the land.
Students’ thoughts
“I absolutely loved our excursion and learning about the land.” —Avah
“I enjoyed weaving with aunty” —Marlee
“The big tree was amazing” —Billy
“I learnt how Indigenous people made spears, shields and how to make a shelter.” —Dale
We had such a wonderful time exploring the wetlands and visiting the Living Kaurna Cultural Centre. Our students learnt so much throughout this visit.
I was impacted by this experience and learned so much from the Elders, what an unforgettable experience. I would highly recommend visiting the Living Kaurna Cultural Centre.
Thank you for reading about our excursion.
Miss Nicole
