Where the Grass Trees Grow, the Turtles Roam and the Waugal comes up to breathe

Day 32, A plant a day, Xanthorrhoea preissii , 25 November 2020

Where the grass trees grow, the turtles roam, and the Waugal comes up to breathe, country of the Bilya clan of the Whadjuk people

More explorations today in Manning Park and to the south, part of the country of the Bilya clan of the Whadjuk people. I went further South as I could see a few very large grass tree flower spikes. Grass trees don’t typically grow at the beach, but they can be happy in coastal locations

24 November 2020, Up the limestone hills, at the southern side are some grass trees, around the lake there are paperbarks and turtles!

24 November 2020, View to the south, over Derbal Nara (Cockburn Sound) plus direction plaque, giving a few of the place names of Whadjuk country, also map from https://www.derbalnara.org.au/maps

These balga (grass trees) growing so tall on top the limestone hill.

Balga on the limestone ridge overlooking Derbal nara (Cockburn sound) and Boorloo in distance (Perth city) 24 November 2020

So many flowers on each flowering spike, with busy bees, and pesky white mediterranean snails (probably Cernuella virgata)

24 November 2020, Close up of the flowering spikes, and the Mediterranean snails, this grass tree is on the limestone hill (where Waugal rested, white limestone is his goona or excreta) overlooking Derbal nara (Cockburn sound)

Balga are enormously important to Noongar people. The uses of this plant are many — for ceremony, for firestarting and torches, for making glue, for tools (fishing, as stalks float, walking sticks, etc), for medicine, for food (young leaves and also central parts are edible, grubs living in the balga, nectar, bird attracting), for thatch for mia mia, for direction finding, for catching water and much more. Our beautiful friend Leah recently gave us a baby grasstree — it will be many years before it is as tall as these.

I think this one is Xanthorrhea priessii , although the thick green leaves are supposed to be diamond shaped in cross section, which my photo below doesn’t illustrate too well

Cross section of thick green grass tree leaf, more square than diamond shaped in cross section. Plus roaming freshwater turtle (escaped toy, making a bid for freedom in the lake)

I finished my visit by walking round the lake paying attention to the signs warning us of turtles crossing — and yes there was a turtle! Coincidentally, I also came across a turtle on Day 23, and featured in my story Treasures and the Conostylis

Sea turtle Healing Beach, also making a bid for freedom , Day 23 16 November 2020 , Menang Boodja , Healing Beach , Lowlands Coastal Reserve

The Noongar people cultivated the plants and husbanded the animals of the richly biodiverse sandplains, hills, wetlands and coastal lakes. The land is rich in resources, ducks, bandicoots, turtles and other fauna are still surviving in bushland areas. Midgegooroo of the Bilya clan was one of the traditional owners at the time of European settlement and is one of the earliest freedom fighters in the Aboriginal resistance to European occupation.

Manning Park Lake . part of the country of the Bilya clan of the Whadjuk people, the Lake systems are where the Waugal came up to breathe.

The Waugal made Derbal Yerrigan (the Swan River) and the lakes. Places where the Waugal rested were made known by the presence of limestone, which was its goona or excreta. https://www.noongarculture.org.au/spirituality/

24cNovember 2020 Limestone hill where the Waugal rested, Manning lake in distance . Melaleuca huegelii in flower

“Sometimes Waakal (Waugal) went kardup boodjar (under the earth) and sometimes it went yira boodjar (over the earth) and it made bilya [beeliar] (rivers), the kaart (hills) and ngamar (the waterholes)” Len Collard https://www.wheatbeltnrm.org.au/sites/default/files/knowledge_hub/documents/RTKlitweb_0.pdf

As balgas are such iconic plants , they also feature in the native garden story at Elizabeth Quay and the newly opened Boola Bardip (Wa Museum).

Balga (grass trees) at Elizabeth Quay 25 November 2020, part of traditional Noongar story depicted in landscaped native garden

Balga celebrated at Boola Bardip (WA Museum), displaying Kodj (axe) made by Brett Nannup, and Balga resin collected by Moya Smith in the 1990s

Looking out for turtles also at the museum…

Turtle exhibits at Boola Bardip (WA Museum)

Writing this daily blog featuring a plant a day and walking daily is my fundraising effort for Bush Heritage #groundworkchallenge . To join my team or donate go to https://www.groundworkchallenge.org.au/fundraisers/sheilamurray/2020?fbclid=IwAR2HbNn0YsCCc3tiSK-_lbF5xLsssaD8wjGHaUwVYrRqYxM-kdJkijoj2N0

Manning Park and adjacent bushland are on Whadjuk Boodja — country. I celebrate the strength, resilience and capacity of the Whadjuk Noongar people who are the traditional owners of the land.

Manning Park and adjacent bushlands are managed by the local community (and I think management input also from City of Cockburn). . Bush Heritage Australia manage many other wonderful reserves.

Follow me on instagram and twitter @lowlandsbeach . https://www.instagram.com/lowlandsbeach/

https://twitter.com/lowlandsbeach

and on Linked in https://www.linkedin.com/in/sheila-murray-2730491bb/