GLaWAC

28/08/2026

In 2026 all Gunai/Kurnai people are being asked to make a decision about whether to initiate a new Native Title claim for Yiruk (Wilsons Prom) and West Gippsland.

Next week we continue our series of information sessions about that Native Business, with yarns for mob in Morwell, and in Melbourne.

Ask questions, stay informed.

Morwell (GLaWAC Community Hub)
Tues. Sept. 1 , 5pm – 7pm

Melbourne – Aborigines Advancement League
Wed. Sept. 2, 5pm – 7pm

Both of these info sessions will also be online if you can't be there in person.

RSVP and more info at
https://gunaikurnai.org/native-title-and-treaty-business/

27/08/2026

Narkabundha (“boundless sea” in the language of our ancestors), was tired from playing with fish, rushing over rocks and rolling up and back on the sand.

She searched the coast for somewhere to rest. At last she found a quiet place with tall gum trees for shade and soft earth to lie on.

Narkabundha lay down to sleep. She wriggled down into the soft sand, turning her body this way and that until she was comfortable.

This place became Warnangatty (Lake Tyers), a place where Narkabundha still rests among the trees.

🌊Narkabundha, or Narka bundha, is the cultural name we are proposing to attach to the Sea Country Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) that GLaWAC has been working on for the past few years, to conserve and protect cultural and environmental values along the Gippsland coast.🌊

Gunaikurnai people have occupied, used and managed coastal land and sea environments for many thousands of years.

Our relationship with these cultural landscapes continues, even where the evidence of our previous occupation now lies beneath the ocean.

We're seeking feedback from Gunaikurnai community to support the name Narkabundha, or Narka bundha, Indigenous Protected Area (IPA), or seek other preferred options.

Other cultural names relating to Sea Country that have been suggested are:
🐟 Binnajerra (Outer barrier/Boole Poole)
🦅 Walmajeru (western end of Lake Reeve)

Thoughts and suggestions from mob much appreciated.

You can email your suggestions to [email protected] or text 0408 954 364.

Thank you.

25/08/2026

From the beginning of time people have longed to see the earth as the bird does – from high up in the sky, looking down on Country.

The view from up there offers a unique perspective - revealing more than we humans can see from the ground.

And when your job is to study and understand what is happening on Country, that bird’s eye perspective can be very useful.

Which is why GLaWAC is investing in drone training for our staff who work on Country.

Earlier this month seven GLaWAC staff did some drone training through the University of Melbourne, with Mick Welsh-Dalton, Harry McDonald, Logan Hudson, Tyler Hood, Deon Baxter, Kelvin Moffatt and Callum Morton taking the controls of a DJI Phantom 4 drone down on the footy oval at Lakes Entrance.

The training also involved some of the less fun aspects of operating a drone – such as filling out the flight plan paperwork so our drone operators are ticking all the boxes with the relevant authorities.

Adding this skill set to our Gunaikurnai Rangers not only means we can capture more stunning photos and videos of Country to share with community, it also expands our ability to do autonomous mapping and surveying, supporting GLaWAC's on-Country monitoring and data collection.

24/08/2026

"It's very rewarding travelling on Country and being able to access and assess the sites that our ancestors occupied before us," says GLaWAC Ranger Coordinator Rob Baxter.

"Being given the opportunity to protect these sites from further damage comes with a huge responsibility that our Rangers are very capable of upholding. We are very fortunate to be given this opportunity as guardians of Country."

That sense of purpose is at the heart of what GLaWAC's On Country Rangers have been doing lately – getting out across Country, working with the RAP team and building their skills in cultural heritage assessment.

On the ground, that has meant visiting sites in the Mitchell River National Park – some first recorded back in the 1970s and 1980s – as well as places around Shoreline Drive in the Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park.

Rangers even plan to fly drones to cover more ground, gathering the information needed to work out priorities for protection.

And it doesn't stop when they leave the field. Rangers Logan Hudson and Shakiah Tungai, along with RAP Site Monitor Amelia Harrison, recently headed to the Monash archaeology labs to sort through material from excavated sites – adding another layer to their understanding of the places they work to protect.

There are so many ways to deepen our knowledge of Country, and we are keen to take advantage of them all so we can protect it for generations to come.

📸Lab photo courtesy of Bruno David, Monash University

20/08/2026

An oil and gas company called Woodside Energy is shutting down a few of its oil production platforms off the Gippsland coast, and it wants to get feedback from mob about what it should do with the steel structures that are left down on the ocean floor.

In order to hear from community, Woodside is putting on a community information session at GLaWAC’s Kalimna campus on Wednesday, August 26, 9am - 4pm.

You will be able to hear directly from Woodside staff, learn about the different options, and ask questions about what decommissioning could mean for Sea Country and community.

All the info is here: https://gunaikurnai.org/what-to-do-with-old-oil-production-platforms-on-country/

This event is catered, so please RSVP so we have an idea of numbers! Thank you!

19/08/2026

GLaWAC continues to create new opportunities to grow the skills of Gunaikurnai people and build the economic strength of the Gunaikurnai community.

Last month Bryce Baxter and Andrew Jonkers got some hands on training in how to safely and properly use a Lucas Mill.

Thanks to our mates at TAFE Gippsland and instructor Kevin Nunn, Andrew and Bryce went to work on some hardwood logs and slabs that had to be cleaned out of Buchan Munji as part of our post-flood recovery work.

“I’ve always been keen to work with timber, so it’s great to have the opportunity to do some training on the Lucas Mill,” Bryce said. “It’s also deadly we’ll be able to use these boards for projects on Country.”

Learn more at https://gunaikurnai.org/learning-the-lucas-mill-builds-skills-at-glawac/

18/08/2026

We see a future in which the energy industry invests thoughtfully in a thriving and prosperous Gunaikurnai community, and protects the land and waters on which it relies.

Our vision of that future is laid out in “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow," GLaWAC's new Energy Strategy which we proudly launched today at the Gippsland New Energy Conference.

Featuring artwork by Robbie Farnham, our Energy Strategy also makes clear what our goals are for mob, including:

🔋More opportunities for jobs, training and economic development.
💧The chance to heal Country damaged by old energy systems.
💡Greater authority in how projects are planned and approved.

We encourage all community to dive in and learn more at

This powerful statement by the GLaWAC Elders Council describes perfectly why GLaWAC is keeping a close eye on the new wave of energy development that is coming to Gunaikurnai Country – things like wind turbines, solar, batteries, transmission lines and other technologies.

17/08/2026

The Morwell Community Hub will be closed tomorrow, Tuesday 18 August, while our staff attend the Gippsland New Energy Conference in Traralgon.

With Gippsland undergoing major changes in how we produce and use energy, the conference brings together community, industry and government to talk about what the region’s energy future looks like.

Having GLaWAC staff in the room and at the table means we can share Gunaikurnai perspectives and make sure our community’s voice is heard.

We appreciate your understanding, and we'll be back to normal operations on Wednesday 19 August.

To learn more about the Gippsland New Energy Conference visit https://gnec.com.au/

13/08/2026

The land and waters of Gunaikurnai Country have powered Victoria’s energy industry for more than a century.

But for too long our people and Country have seen little benefit of that industry, and carried much of the impacts.

Now, a new wave of energy development is coming to Gunaikurnai Country, and GLaWAC is making sure that the government and energy companies take into account the interests of Gunaikurnai people.

For the past few months GLaWAC has been meeting with a number of the companies proposing new energy projects on Country.

Our goal is simple – that Country, community and culture are respected and protected, and that clear benefit-sharing arrangements are in place.

That work continues next week when GLaWAC attends the Gippsland New Energy Conference in Traralgon.

GLaWAC Director Brian Stevens will give a keynote address about how First Nations knowledge can contribute to a more sustainable future for Gippsland.

Later in the conference, GLaWAC’s Grattan Mullett, Aunty Lena Morris, Director Nick Johnson and GLaWAC CEO Nick Ashburner will host a panel discussion with offshore wind developers about how energy companies can create respectful partnerships with Traditional Owners.

We are at the table, making sure the hopes and ambitions of Gunaikurnai people are represented.

Here’s more information about the Gippsland New Energy Conference: https://gnec.com.au/ (We’ll let you know how it goes.)

If you’re interested in keeping track of new energy projects on Country, reach out to us here:
https://gunaikurnai.org/energy

12/08/2026

A few of our Civil Works and Landscape crew members were out in the incredible Mitchell River National Park on Brabralung Country today, putting the finishing touches on what has been a massive job at Angusvale Campground.

For the past several months GLaWAC has been leading a much-needed upgrade at Angusvale, in partnership with our mates at Parks Victoria.

Chris Hood, who has been one of the spearheads of this project, was on the tools again today with Ian Harrison, Phillip (Noop) Solomon and Aaron Cooper, alongside one of the deadly contractors we’ve been working with, Jacob O'Donnell of O'Donnell Excavations.

It looks great down there, and the finish line is in sight.

We’ll have more to share about the upgrades at Angusvale in the next few weeks.