Gwydir wetlands, 11.30am–12.15pm
Join Gomeroi/Kamilaroi traditional custodians, water managers and educators Phil Duncan, Brad Moggridge and Jason Wilson for an in-depth conversation about the internationally recognised Gwydir wetlands. Hear about the cultural and ecological significance of this unique place and how custodians are caring for it and sustaining culture in the face of significant challenges. Gomeroi/Kamilaroi custodian and artist Aunty Anna Duncan will also be part of the conversation.
Molonglo Country – Walking conversations, 11.45am–12.15pm and 1–1.30pm
Hidden within Lake Burley Griffin, the Molonglo River is a defining feature of Ngunnawal Country. In the morning session, join traditional custodians Uncle Wally Bell and Aunty Karen Denny, together with Catchment Studio’s Nicola Lambert, on a walk to discover the Molonglo’s cultural significance and learn how thinking through Country is helping redefine how Canberrans live with and care for urban waterways. In the afternoon, join Melissa Bell and Rebecca King, leaders in Ngunnawal language revival, for a kid-friendly walk around Acton Peninsula.
Creative flows, 1–1.45pm
Explore how art, curatorial and creative practices can connect us with the more-than-human world of rivers and wetlands, and create opportunities for imagining the future of these places. Hear from digital designer Mitchell Whitelaw from the ANU School of Art in conversation with artist, designer and researcher Zoë Sadokierski.
Rivers through time, 2–2.45pm
The landscapes through which the Murray–Darling rivers flow are richly layered with the stories and lives of countless generations. Join environmental historian Emily O’Gorman, Ngarrindjeri/Kaurna archaeologist Chris Wilson and geographer Lesley Head for a lively conversation that considers how thinking with the past can help us understand this region and ensure its future.
What is a river?, 1.30–2pm and 2.30–3pm
Three poet–scholars wonder what a river is, how it remains a river even when dry, the grief that this occasions and the need to restore the story the river must tell. Join Barkindji man Paul Collis, Jen Crawford and Paul Magee from the Centre for Creative and Cultural Research at the University of Canberra. The trio are collaborating with Barkindji and Nyempa people living along the Barka/Baaka (Darling River) in far west New South Wales to create A Book that Opens, an archive of spoken knowledge about river management.
Add your own responses to What is a river? and join the conversation happening in the Great Southern Land gallery.