Integrating Indigenous knowledge into our campus
Macquarie aspires to integrate Indigenous knowledge into our learning, teaching, and research. We are committed to creating opportunities for the continuation of Indigenous knowledge and culture.
In 2022, Macquarie University’s main campus in Macquarie Park adopted a new name – Wallumattagal Campus – to recognise the Traditional Custodians of the land on which the University is situated, the Wallumattagal Clan of the Dharug Nation.
The name honours Australia’s first peoples’ profound and lasting spiritual connection to country and culture. It also acknowledges their contribution to sustaining our environments and celebrates Indigenous cultures as a critical part of our national identity and history.
The renaming of the campus builds upon mutually respectful relationships with Indigenous Communities and is one of a number of significant measures undertaken under the Macquarie University Indigenous Strategy 2016–2025.
Hear how to pronounce Wallumattagal campus
Embedding Dharug culture into our campus
Ngarra Nuru is dedicated to ensuring Indigenous perspectives extend beyond academic units and are woven into the fabric of Wallumattagal Campus. We are committed to supporting the revitalisation of Dharug dhalang (language) and its integration into university life.
As cultural leaders, Ngarra Nuru provides guidance in embedding land-specific knowledge, customs, and lore across Macquarie University. Working closely with internal and external stakeholders, the team utilises Dharug dhalang to name spaces, projects, scholarships, and other initiatives, ensuring that Indigenous culture is respectfully incorporated.
All uses of Dharug language and cultural elements are endorsed through our deep connections and relationships within the Dharug community before being used across the University.
If you have questions about Dharug culture, language, or integrating these aspects into your department, office, or team, please contact us at ngarranuru@mq.edu.au
The ‘Walking on Dharug Country’ app is a guide to the cultural landmarks and areas of cultural significance to Aboriginal peoples that are scattered throughout Macquarie University.
The app uses GPS to understand your location on campus, and then you can either find one of the 20 plus markers near your location, or you can choose to go on the app’s guided cultural tour of the University.
There are 3 ways to discover sites and landmarks in the app:
- What’s near me: shows the closest site to your current location
- Start the Tour: Allows you to select a starting point and than set out on a tour of the others.
- View Map: Indicates all the markers and allows you choose which one to view.
The free app is available to download on smartphones. It can be found at the App Store or GooglePlay Store by searching “Walking Dharug Country.”
The Budyari Ngurra (Pron: boodge-ari noo-ra) Walking Track at Wallumattagal Campus takes you on a physical and cultural tour, passing many beautiful landmarks and places of interest within the University.
The three-kilometre circuit loops through remnant native vegetation, the protected and endangered Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest. It passes the Macquarie University Lake, Art Gallery, Frank the bear and more.
Budyari Ngurra means Good Country in Dharug language. The words emphases the beauty of the land and remind walkers they are walking on beautiful Dharug Country.
Download the PDF map for a comprehensive outline of the points of interest along the Budyari Ngurra track.
Acknowledgement and Welcome to Country
Welcome to Country is a traditional ceremony by Indigenous Elders or Custodians to welcome visitors onto their land. For thousands of years, crossing into another group's land required permission, with hosts offering safe passage and spiritual protection while visitors respected their rules. Though adapted for modern times, the key tradition of welcoming and ensuring safe passage remains unchanged.
A Welcome to Country ceremony is to be undertaken ONLY by a local Indigenous Custodian, locally recognised Indigenous Community spokesperson or locally recognised cultural service provider. The Welcome to Country must occur at the beginning of your event and is to be the first item on the program’s agenda. The local Indigenous Custodian will choose what words they use, and the Welcome can be conducted through speech, song, ceremony, or a combination of these.
For more information about Welcome to Country performances, Cultural considerations, remuneration and if one is relevant for your event, head to the Welcome to Country Policy.
Submit a ticket to organise a Welcome to Country on campus.
An Acknowledgement of Country is a way for the wider community to demonstrate respect for the local Indigenous community and land. It can be performed by Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. An Acknowledgement of Country should be performed as the first item on the program agenda.
Events or ceremonies that should include an Acknowledgment of Country:
- internal meetings
- committee meetings
- cross-faculty meetings
- week 1 lectures
- Faculty or group-specific orientation sessions
- local forums or presentations.
See examples of wording for an Acknowledgement of Country
Places on Wallumattagal Campus
Explore sacred spaces and places on campus that hold cultural significance for the University’s Indigenous community, staff and students.