Watermarks 2011
Eileen Alberts and Chris Johnston, ‘Water Country: Sharing the Gunditjmara cultural landscape’.
Chris co-presented Water country: sharing the Gunditjmara cultural landscape with Eileen Alberts, RAP Cultural Heritage Coordinator at Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation, on restoring a nationally significant Aboriginal cultural landscape at Lake Condah.
The Gunditjmara landscape is rich with meanings, stories and places. The Gunditjmara have been fighting for the return of their land for decades and have achieved remarkable successes. They are now leading on cultural heritage management, and engaged in a whole landscape approach. Water is a key part of the Gunditjmara cultural landscape and the completion of the weir at Lake Condah Project is one of significance.
Rapporteur’s address by Chris Johnston
In her Rapporteur’s address Chris drew many of the conference threads together, from the idea of cultural flows, to the need for dialogue between different forms of knowledge. Chris reflecting on the need for our heritage to engage in broader policy debates around water.