We start the tour in Victoria Gardens, an expansive recreational parkland and botanical area, with waterside views. The Noongar name for the area is Mardalup (Claisebrook), which is part of Goongoongup (East Perth). Prior to 1829 this area was connected to a series of fresh waterways that linked Claisebrook water to lakes and swamps as far north as Herdsman Lake. This area continues to be significant to Noongar people, not only as a place associated with the Dreaming Path, but as an important water resource, as a camping ground, and as a significant meeting place.
Around Victoria Gardens you will notice a number of artworks, which relate to Claisebrook’s Noongar history. Illa Kuri, by Toogarr Morrison, comprises twelve granite stones located throughout Victoria Gardens. They represent the lost lakes and the sacred Dreaming Path, which runs through Mardalup. Another artwork, Yoondoorup Boorna, by Alma Toomah, is a river gum log that was removed during redevelopment and re-instated in Victoria Gardens. The log is burnt and has a split trunk and was used as a hiding place by people who camped along the riverbank. The artworks provide insight into Noongar associations with East Perth. However, as the only method of communicating this place’s Aboriginal significance, they have a limited capacity to convey the many ongoing intangible and tangible connections of the history of East Perth post-contact. We will explore some of East Perth’s ‘missing’ Aboriginal heritage later in the tour.
[Images]
1. Victoria Gardens - "Mardalup" (Claisebrook Cove)
2. Townsite of Perth in Western Australia, 1838, A. Hillman, State Library of Western Australia, 9024.P4G45.
3.Victoria Gardens, Claisebrook Cove waterfront, 2017
4. Illa Kuri by Toogarr Morrison, Victoria Gardens, 2017
5. Yoondoorup Boorna by Alma Toomah, Victoria Gardens, 2017
