wawa dharrang meaning 'hello tree', is an immersive 5-hour cultural experience on Taungurung Country. The dharrang (tree) has provided resources, resilience and life to Taungurung Ancestors for millennia.  Healing Country is not just about revegetating the land but is about activating cultural practices on Country for the wellbeing of Taungurung People and Country. This experience led by Taungurung artist and Elder Uncle Mick Harding celebrates the story and art of culturally modified trees - a cultural practice that is as important today as it has been for 60,000 years.

Uncle Mick is a proud Taungurung Elder of the Yowong-Illam-Baluk and Nattarak Baluk clans of the Taungurung Nation. He is a multi-disciplinary artist specialising in wood working, sculpture, and printmaking through his business Ngarga Warendj (Dancing Wombat).

His recent art project called ‘We Scar Many Trees’ involved creating a series of culturally modified trees as a sculpture trail, commissioned as part of the ‘Art on the Great Victorian Rail Trail’ which runs through the heart of Taungurung Country. Working alongside his sons Mitchil and Corey, this project was one of his most proud as it involved passing on his cultural knowledge to his sons.

Join this personalised journey led by Uncle Mick, Mitchil and Corey, commencing at the Yea Wetlands with a Welcome Smoking Ceremony.  Travel by wawa biik bus to visit three of their culturally modified trees and hear the backstory of this work including their approach, their materials, their tools and their cultural connections which guide and underpin every aspect of their art practice.

Next, we visit and spend time with a culturally modified tree that is hundreds of years old.  Located in a quiet bushland reserve, taking in the beauty, grandeur and significance of this dharrang is a visceral experience. 

Head back to Yea for a delicious bushfoods BBQ served up on daanaks (wooden food carriers) created by Uncle Mick.  Tuck into meats, relishes and damper featuring vibrant bush flavours sourced from across Australia.  After lunch, learn to make rope using stringybark, a traditional skill that has been passed down through the generations.  

To finish, we give thanks to Country, reflecting on the respect and care that Taungurung People have for dharrang as an integral part of their living cultural landscape.