About us
Living with Nature - Green Links for locals:
connecting you to our environment
On this site you will find information and links to:
- environmental info for Nillumbik in the Yarra Valley
- Australian native plants, local Indigenous plants
- Bush Foods, Native food plants & Recipes
- Aboriginal Reconciliation
- Sustainability links
- Local Environment Projects & events
- Creating habitat gardens / bird gardens and more...
Living with Nature - Photography by Susie Walker
Inspired by the diversity of native Australia, Susie’s images evoke the spiritual side of nature and the photosynthetic cycles that keep us alive and connected to it. Susie's first exhibition in 2008 Photo Synthesis was a photographic synthesis of moods, colours, textures and time through six Australian seasons. This work was influenced by the Middle Yarra Timelines Project.
“...its a journey of discovery in awakening the senses to native Australia - its also about bridging the gap between cultures, by digging deeper into the psyche of the landscape... the ancient wisdom of this remarkable land. I am moved and inspired by the tension between its spiritual power and its precious fragility.”
Reconciliation & Sustainability
In 2006 Susie joined Nillumbik Reconciliation Group (NRG) where she saw the need for educating the next generation. She worked with the local council and Primary School – and designed and created an educational Reconciliation and Native Food garden on public land beside Hurstbridge Primary School.
The circular garden depicts six native seasons, an outdoor classroom and over 500 native plant species planted by the school children and used traditionally by Aboriginal people for food, fibre, medicine and tools.
This garden was named the Darrabi Aboriginal Bush Food & Reconciliation Garden in a smoking ceremony with Wurundjeri elders on Sorry Day 2007, and is open to the public for use in education, reconciliation, cultural and botanical events. Darrabi is a Wurundjeri word meaning ‘awaken’.
In 2007 Friends of Darrabi was formed to manage and develop the Darrabi garden and protect the surrounding bushland that filters inflows to the Diamond Creek.