Year 11 Unit 1 Food Studies Excursion- Willum Wirran

Did you know that Pigface, which grows in abundance in the Frankston area, is an Indigenous food and medicine source? Its leaves can be used like aloe vera to treat burns and infections, or can be roasted on hot coals and eaten with meat.

Year 11 students from our Unit 1 Food Studies class learnt all this and more during our excursion this term to Willum Warrain Aboriginal Association.  The weather gods smiled upon us with sunshine and blue skies as we drove to Hastings to participate in a cultural awareness and immersion tour as part of our VCE outcome to develop knowledge and skills about food production and consumption among Victoria’s first peoples. We were excited to have a day to share learnings from the oldest living culture and explore the grounds and gardens of the centre.

Students were keen to learn about language groups, totems, ceremonies, and culture, asking many questions and even having the opportunity to wear some possum skin cloaks before heading outside to tour the bush tucker garden, trying the different ingredients native to our area, such as the Pigface fruit (you suck out the centre, which tastes a bit like a salty kiwifruit), native mint, and three different types of saltbush (Old Man Saltbush, Coastal Saltbush, and Seaberry Saltbush). After having the opportunity to taste and use some of those ingredients and more Indigenous foods for lunch, the students were invited to participate in a smoking and cleansing ceremony, followed by a number of dances including the Barrimal (emu) and Gangurru (kangaroo) dances and the Bunjil (wedge-tailed eagle creator - male) and Waa (crow creator - female) dance.

We had just enough time to check out the Indigenous Plants Nursery next door - and yes, we would love to plant some at McClelland and start our own Indigenous Bush Tucker Garden!

It was an experience that made us all appreciate how lucky we are to have such a wonderful resource so close by. We really encourage you to go if you ever get the opportunity.

 Students’ comments:

“It was so much fun, and made learning more engaging as we were immersed in it”Hermione

“It was a highly beneficial learning experience, as we had the opportunity to be educated on our sacred Indigenous culture” Skye

“I benefitted from the hands-on experience of discovering the Indigenous ingredients growing in the Bush Tucker gardens. It has really helped me in my studies.” Owen

 “We were taught the difference between a Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country and experienced a Smoking Ceremony.” Shanelle

“We learnt about kinship systems and loss of language and culture due to government policies such as the Stolen Generation.” Cooper

 “I enjoyed creating, cooking, and eating kangaroo burgers using Indigenous spices as well as sampling different Indigenous food products.” Selina

 “As a person who is interested in culinary area and culture, I appreciate the history that was shared with us. I benefitted from the context of Aboriginal culture to apply to my Food Studies subject, and additionally, I adored spending time in the outside world and learning how to use specific ingredients in dishes through experimentation.” Ayla

“Thanks to Thelma McFarlane for supporting us on the excursion, helping write this article, collecting quotes, taking pictures and in class theory and pracs, we appreciate your support with our awesome students” Merks