Sculpture Trail

Emus (Weitj, Wetj, or Waitj)

The emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) is the second-largest living bird by height. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird.

Emus are soft-feathered, brown, flightless birds with long necks and legs, and can reach up to 1.9 metres (6.2 ft) in height. Emus can travel great distances, and when necessary can sprint at 50 km/h (31 mph); they forage for a variety of plants and insects, but have been known to go for weeks without eating. They drink infrequently, but take in copious amounts of water when the opportunity arises.

Breeding takes place in May and June, and fighting among females for a mate is common. Females can mate several times and lay several clutches of eggs in one season. The male does the incubation; during this process he hardly eats or drinks and loses a significant amount of weight. The eggs hatch after around eight weeks, and the young are nurtured by their fathers. They reach full size after around six months, but can remain as a family unit until the next breeding season. The emu is an important cultural icon of Australia, appearing on the coat of arms and various coins. The bird features prominently in Indigenous Australian mythology.

In the 1930s, emu killings in Western Australia peaked at 57,000, often because they caused crop damage. In the 1960s, bounties were still being paid in Western Australia for killing emus.

Since then, wild emus have been granted formal protection under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

Threats to their survival include predation of their eggs, roadkills, and fragmentation of their habitats.

Echidna – nyingarn

Echidnas, sometimes known as spiny anteaters, are quill-covered monotremes (egg-laying mammals) belonging to the family Tachyglossidae. Echidnas and the platypus are the only living mammals that lay eggs. Echidnas live in Australia and New Guinea.

Echidnas evolved between 20 and 50 million years ago, descending from a platypus-like monotreme. This ancestor was aquatic, but echidnas adapted to life on land.

The echidnas are named after Echidna, a creature from Greek mythology who was half-woman, half-snake, as the animal was perceived to have qualities of both mammals and reptiles.

Echidnas are medium-sized, solitary mammals covered with coarse hair and spines. The spines are modified hairs and are made of keratin, the same fibrous protein that makes up fur, claws, nails, and horn sheaths in animals.

Echidnas have short, strong limbs with large claws, and are powerful diggers. Their claws on their hind limbs are elongated and curved backwards to aid in digging. Echidnas have tiny mouths and toothless jaws. The echidna feeds by tearing open soft logs, anthills and the like, and using its long, sticky tongue, which protrudes from its snout, to collect prey. The ears are slits on the sides of their heads that are usually unseen, as they are blanketed by their spines. The echidna also possesses the second-lowest active body temperature of all mammals, behind the platypus.

The diet of some species consists of ants and termites. Echidnas use their electroreceptive beaks to sense earthworms, termites, ants, and other burrowing prey.

Echidnas do not tolerate extreme temperatures; they use caves and rock crevices to shelter from harsh weather conditions. Echidnas are found in forests and woodlands, hiding under vegetation, roots or piles of debris. They sometimes use the burrows of animals such as rabbits and wombats. Individual echidnas have large, mutually overlapping territories.

Despite their appearance, echidnas are capable swimmers.

Echidnas are very timid animals. When they feel endangered they attempt to bury themselves or if exposed they will curl into a ball similar to that of a hedgehog, both methods using their spines to shield them. Strong front arms allow echidnas to continue to dig themselves in whilst holding fast against a predator attempting to remove them from the hole.

 Although they have a way to protect themselves, the echidnas still face many dangers. Some predators include feral cats, foxes, domestic dogs and goannas. Snakes pose a large threat to the echidna species because they slither into their burrows and prey on the young spineless puggles.

Some precautions that can be taken include keeping the environment clean by picking up litter and causing less pollution, planting vegetation for echidnas to use as shelter, supervising pets, reporting hurt echidnas or just leaving them undisturbed. Merely grabbing them may cause stress, and picking them up improperly may even result in injury.

Waugyl

The Waugyl (also written Waugal and Waagal and variants) is the Noongar manifestation of the Rainbow Serpent in Australian Aboriginal mythology, from the culture based around the south-west of Western Australia. The Noongar describe the Waugyl as a snakelike Dreaming creature responsible for the creation of the Swan and Canning rivers and other waterways and landforms around present day Perth and the south-west of Western Australia.

The Waugyl created many local landscape features between the Porongarups (Spirit (=Borong) gathering (=Gar) place (=Up)) and off the coast of Fremantle. It was delegated to protect the rivers, lakes, springs and the wildlife. Waugyl sacred sites tend to be natural sun-traps, located beside bodies of water. The Noongar people were appointed as the guardians of the land by the Waugyl. The Waugyl was seen by certain tribal elders who spoke to the dreamtime being.

It is custom to toss a handful of sand into the river to announce ones presence to the Waugul spirit and show that you come in peace.

The Darling Scarp is said to represent the body of the Waugyl, which meandered over the land creating the curves and contours of the hills and gullies. The being is strongly associated with rivers, lakes like Lake Monger, and is supposed still to reside deep beneath springs. As the Waugyl slithered over the land, his track shaped the sand dunes, his body scoured out the course of the rivers; where he occasionally stopped for a rest, he created bays and lakes. Piles of rocks are said to be his droppings, and such sites are considered sacred. As he moved, his scales scraped off and become the forests and woodlands of the region.

The Waugyl stories may represent the survival in oral tradition of extinct Australian megafauna, as there was a python-like snake, Wonambi naracoortensis, with a length of five or six metres (sixteen or twenty feet).

Digging For Yams

Warrine (aka. Warran, Ijjecka, Dtjokoh, Warrany) is an edible native yam, harvested during the Noongar season of Kambarang (Oct – Nov). Traditionally, this species was grown extensively from Perth’s southern coasts all the way up to Shark Bay, with single yam fields often covering several square kilometers. After digging up the long tubers for food, Noongar farmers would replant its above-ground climbing stems for a subsequent crop.

Warrine tubers are long, thin and white. They can be eaten raw, but taste much better lightly roasted with butter or a pinch of salt. This native vegetable is a great ingredient in a variety of savoury and sweet dishes, like stews, pies, curries, tarts, dumplings and cakes.

Yellow flowers bloom in Makuru (May–July), producing triangular fruits that mature in  Kambarang (October). Harvest Warrine by digging up the tubers in late Winter, just after the flowers turn to fruit. Like sweet potatoes, sections of tubers can be used to grow more plants — with careful timing, you can grow up to three crops each year.

Fishing for Jilgies

Jilgies, or Cherax quinquecarinatus, are a small freshwater crayfish endemic to the south-west corner of Australia. It is one of two species known as gilgie, or Jilgi, which is a seasonal food source for people of the region.

Reaching a maximum of 130 mm, C. quinquecarinatus is one of the smallest in the genus Cherax. They vary in colour from light to black-brown.

The Jilgie lives in permanent and temporary water courses in the south of Western Australia. They can survive periods of drought through aestivation - burrowing down and entering a state of dormancy.

They are widely found within the region, having a greater range of environments. These can include permanent lakes and areas receiving water for 5–7 months of the year. It lives in complex and narrow environments, such as silty river beds between fallen trees, feeding on decaying organic matter and receiving protection from predation. The animal undergoes many moults and these decrease with age.

Sexual maturity can occur from two years and at half their fully mature size. Spawning occurs from late winter to early summer.

Connections

Midland has always been the gateway between the North and East  with groups travelling through Wyalunga National Park that is also connected to Bells Rapids and beyond to Toodyay to the North East then on to places Like New Norcia, Mogumber and Moora.

The Eastern area Families had links to the Wheat belt towns like Kellerberrin, Tammin, travelling to or from the area one would follow ancient song lines to the east towards the Ballardong Boodjara.

Midland is seen as a meeting place initially then the people would move into Perth for a specific reason like ceremony time or seasonal time significant sites in the area the Swan River, Waterholes and nice flat hunting ground and good grazing for Yonga (kangaroo) and Weitj (Emu) and Great Yam Boodja for the Families that lived in the area with a great variety of diets with the Swan River playing an important part in the landscape.

Witchetty Grubs For Food and Medicine

The thought of eating an insect may makes some people squeamish, but for many this is their main source of protein. The Australian Aboriginal communities have embraced the nation’s nature and lived off witchetty grubs for many years.

The witchetty grub is one of the most famous and popular from the nation’s bush tucker menu.

For many generations the larval stage of the large cossid wood moth has been chosen as a key source of protein by the Aboriginal communities. Growing up to 12cm in length, they bury themselves about 60cm below the ground feeding on the root sap of the Witchetty bush.

However, the name ‘witchetty’ is now used for any ‘fat, white, wood-boring grub’ including swift moths, longicorn beetles and other wood moths found in Australia; and are said to hold a similar taste.

Between November and January, Aboriginal women and children from many tribes would find these grubs by digging around the roots of the Witchetty bush. Historically, witchetty grubs have been a staple for Aboriginal communities, and today is still an important food and nutritious snack when living in the bush. Acting as a rich source of protein, it has been found that ’10 witchetty grubs are sufficient to provide the daily needs of an adult’.

The liquid centre of a raw witchetty grub tastes like almonds. Witchetty grubs can also be cooked on hot ashes or barbecued. When cooked, their skin becomes crisp like a roast chicken, whilst the inside meat becomes white and chewy. Depending on your taste buds, these cooked grubs will taste either like chicken or prawns with peanut sauce. Often eaten as an appetiser, they are a quick and easy meal, rich in protein.

Not only are witchetty grubs a staple food, but they also serve as one of the top Aboriginal bush medicines. By crushing the grub into a paste and spreading over injuries, burns and wounds are seen to heal more effectively.

Yoorn - Bobtail Goanna

Tiliqua rugosa is a short-tailed, slow-moving species of blue-tongued skink found in Australia. Three of the four recognised subspecies are found only in Western Australia, where they are known collectively by the common name bobtail.

T. rugosa has a heavily armoured body and can be found in various colours, ranging from dark brown to cream. It has a short, wide, stumpy tail that resembles its head and may confuse predators. The tail also contains fat reserves, which are drawn upon during brumation in winter. This skink is an omnivore; it eats snails and plants and spends much of its time browsing through vegetation for food. It is often seen sunning on roadsides or other paved areas.

The goanna lizards are traditionally cooked whole on hot coals, and their white meat is known for its oily texture and chicken-like taste.

The fat is also used as moisturising for dry skin.