Hello |Wominjeka

Welcome to The Cookie Van Australia.  We are a family of four, Janelle, Sam, Alex & Henry, respectfully travelling Australia. Come on our adventure as we uncover the wonders of our beautiful country.  

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We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which we live and explore. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We celebrate the stories, culture and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders of all communities who also work and live on the land we are honoured to experience.

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As we originate from Aspendale , Victoria our welcome is from the First People of the Bays (Port Phillip and Westernport) and South East Victoria, The Boon Wurrung people, whose land our home resides on. Boon Wurrung is the language spoken by one of the five tribes of the Kulin Nation. It shares over 90 per cent of its vocabulary with the Woiwurrung language(1). Wominjeka means Hello/Welcome in the Woiwurrung language of the Wurundjeri people of Kulin Nation – the traditional owners of Melbourne.

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We love this story of Melbourne as told by Aunty Carolyn Briggs, as it is not my story to tell, the link is here 

(1) An introduction to Boon Wurrung language from Aunty Fay Stewart-Muir available here

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Acknowledgement of Country is particularly important to us as we travel Australia. It is a privilege to be able to travel safely and see nature's beauty in our amazing country.  We are not experts on indigenous culture nor have familial ties to this community, so if you do identify of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Island descent, please let us know if there are any errors within our stories. We try our best to ensure indigenous and scientific accuracy in all we do.

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