Collaborating with the Noongar community to develop a shared vision for a significant river site

Project: Community Vision for Minninup Pool

Situation:
Minninup Pool, on the Collie River, is a sacred and significant place that has been cared for by the Noongar community for thousands of generations.

An engagement, heritage assessment and visioning process established the Noongar community’s long-term vision for this place.

Results:
Alongside cultural archaeologist and anthropologist Myles Mitchell, we collaborated with the Noongar community, the Shire of Collie and other stakeholders to create an agreed vision.

The foundation of this project was the engagement strategy, which aimed to provide opportunities for all local Noongar community members to contribute, while maintaining a core team of Elders to lead the project and uphold cultural protocols.

The resulting strategy report presented a local Noongar vision for Minninup Pool that protects and celebrates the cultural heritage values of the place and considers opportunities for nature-based tourism. This will guide all future stages of concept development for the site.

Scope:
Community engagement - Landscape architecture - Facilitation

Client:
The Shire of Collie

Collaborators:
Noongar Elders and Leaders: Joe Northover, James Kahn, Shirley Hayward and Norm Hayward; Noongar community of Collie; Dr Myles Mitchell, (Anthropologist, Archaeologist and Facilitator)