What is a Traditional Owner?
Traditional Owners are Aboriginal people with family ties to a particular area, knowledge about traditions, observances, customs or beliefs associated with the area; and have responsibility under Aboriginal tradition for significant Aboriginal places located in, or significant Aboriginal objects originating from, this area. The Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 recognises Traditional Owners “As the primary guardians, keepers and knowledge holders of Aboriginal Cultural Heritage”
The Traditional Owners of the lands along either side of the Werribee Yulluk (River) and across Wyndham are the Bunurong and Wadawurrung people.
What Traditional Country am I on?
In Wyndham, the traditional lands on the western side of the Werribee Yulluk (River) is Wadawurrung country and Bunurong country on the eastern side of the river.
You can check what traditional country a building or park is on in any area of Victoria via the Victorian Aboriginal heritage Council website, which has an interactive map where you can zoom into any area.
What are Registered Aboriginal Parties?
Registered Aboriginal Parties (RAPs) are representative corporations, inclusive of all Traditional Owners of an identified Country. More information can be found here.
The Registered Aboriginal Parties in Wyndham are Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation and Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation.
View a list of other Registered Aboriginal Parties around Victoria.
Difference between Acknowledgment of Country and a Welcome to Country?
First Peoples in Australia are the oldest continuing cultures on Earth. A central part of these cultures are Welcomes to Country and Acknowledgements of Traditional Owners. A Welcome or Acknowledgement is a way to recognise the complex ownership and land stewardship that existed before colonisation and continues to this day. It is important that all Victorians know more about how to acknowledge and respect the land that they live on.
A Welcome to Country can only be delivered by a Traditional Owner on their Traditional Country. Anyone can deliver an Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners.
How do I book a Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony?
Once you have determined the traditional country that the cultural ceremony will occur on, you can book in a Welcome to Country or Smoking Ceremony via that Registered Aboriginal Parties website.
View a list of all Registered Aboriginal Parties (RAPs) in Victoria and an interactive map.
In Wyndham, the traditional lands on the western side of the Werribee Yulluk (River) is Wadawurrung country and Bunurong country on the eastern side of the river.
You can book a Welcome to Country or Smoking Ceremony with either of Wyndham’s Registered Aboriginal Parties here - https://www.wadawurrung.org.au/services or here - https://www.bunuronglc.org/bookings.html
What is Treaty?
First Peoples of Australia have long called for Treaty but for many in the wider community the idea of Treaty may still be a cause for confusion. Quite simply, a treaty is an agreement between parties.
The First People's Assembly of Victoria are the driving force behind Victoria's pathway to Treaty and after nearly a decade of walking the path to Treaty with First Nations communities, and with generations of resistance and activism from First Peoples, Australia’s first Treaty was signed by the Victorian Government in November 2025. Treaty will provide the opportunity for all Victorians to acknowledge our past, heal and move forward together.
Find out more about what was negotiated and the First People's Assembly of Victoria.