What an amazing night with Trevor Walley, Ngaarda Media, ICRAR (International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research) and Millennium Kids, stargazing at Lake Walyungup. These experiences don’t just happen — they are years in the making, grounded in relationships and trust, connecting First Nations knowledge with modern science.
Being invited onto Country is a profound privilege.
I’ve just started reading Astronomy: Sky Country by Karlie Noon and Krystal De Napoli, and two lines (from the introduction) in particular have stayed with me:
“In Aboriginal thinking, Country is not just land, it is a worldview.”
“All that exists has a place in the Indigenous worldview. It is a continuum that takes everything into its orbit, including land, waterways, sea and sky — all are incorporated into our understanding of Country with little separation.”
As someone working in urban forestry, I’m beginning to shift more deeply into this relational way of seeing. Systems thinking has its place, but it still relies on boundaries — on defining what sits inside the system and what sits outside it. A relational worldview is different. It is boundless, expansive, and rooted in the understanding that everything is connected, always.
Trevor’s guidance to see, hear and smell what is around me continues to help me step into that way of being.
And then… looking through the telescope at the rings of Saturn. A moment where connection to place was somehow both grounded and expanded — a reminder of how small we are, and how deeply we belong.
Thank you to everyone for allowing me to be part of this. It’s an experience I will carry with me for a long time. 🌌🌱
By Heather Johnstone, MK Member
Image Courtesy: Trevor Walley
