Gwoonwardu Mia, the Gascoyne Aboriginal Heritage and Cultural Centre, is a multipurpose centre that celebrates the five Aboriginal language groups of the Gascoyne Region. The centre features a permanent exhibition, touring exhibitions, Jardilunji Mia training café, gallery, Artist-in-Residence program, conference and meeting rooms, a bush tucker and bush medicine garden and gift shop.
BURLGANYJA WANGGAYA: OLD PEOPLE TALKING - LISTEN, LEARN AND RESPECT
This multi-award winning permanent interactive exhibition unites and reflects the culture and stories of the five Aboriginal language groups of the region; Yinggarda, Baiyungu, Malgana, Thadgari and Thalanyji.
For the first time, the Aboriginal history of the region takes pride of place as part of a rich and vibrant history of the Gascoyne.
THE EXHIBITION FEATURES:
The Skydome – Made up of a series of time lapse night footage taken from different areas of the Gascoyne region showing how Aboriginal people were our first astronomers.
The light table – An interactive experience presenting animation, information, images and sound.
Artefacts and objects – such as shields and grind stones. There is a replica shell necklace on display that is dated at 33,000 years old and was found in the region (the original is held in the Western Australian Museum in Perth).
The Burrowing Bees - The big hairy bee that is unique to the Gascoyne region is called Mungurrgurra or sometimes Jurrabarri. They are also known as Dawson’s Burrowing Bee (Amegilla dawsoni) and are one of the world’s largest bee species.
EXHIBITION THEMES:
Stories for land and living – Dreaming stories tell us how the land is made. These stories are passed down through the generations like a gift and keep the land and culture alive.
Ancient and continuing culture – Archaeological sites from Shark Bay to Ningaloo show occupation by Aboriginal people between 35,000 – 30,000 years ago.
Station lives, station stories – The pastoral stations are central to the story of Aboriginal people, who remember the station days as hard but good times. They lived close to their land with their families.
Not just lying around – When non-Aboriginal people began travelling through the country, traditional material began to disappear. Sometimes things were found in the bush and removed because it was assumed they had been abandoned.
Mission lives, mission stories – The exhibition tells the story of how Aboriginal people were moved from the stations and their lives changed.
Carnarvon town – Aboriginal ancestors lived in the area known as Carnarvon long before it became a town.
ENTRY FEES:
General Entry to Gwoonwardu Mia is free.
Entry Prices to Permanent Exhibition, includes touring exhibition:
Adults: $10.00
Seniors & Concession: $8.00
Children: $5.00
Family (2 Adults & 2 Children): $25.00
For more information visit the Gwoonwardu Mia website