The Wurundjeri Seasons
at Coranderrk
At Coranderrk, the land has always kept its own calendar. Seasons are announced not by dates but by the flowering of the wattle, the rising of the eels, the chorus of the frogs — a living knowledge held in Country itself.
Palawa Artist Amanda Wright in front of her Wurundjeri Seasons Video Artwork, Biderap, on the Fed Square Big Screen January 2026
"The seasons signify change. During Biderap (high summer), the sun is much hotter so be careful where you step! Luk (late summer) provides an opportunity to rejuvenate, reflect, and learn. My favourite time of year is Guling (early spring), when the Silver Wattles are in full bloom, reminding us of Uncle Barak, our most courageous civil rights hero.”
— Wurundjeri woman Jacqui Wandin
Unlike the four European seasons, the Wurundjeri calendar recognises seven, each marked by shifts in the natural world. This cycle offers a richer, more attuned way of seeing — reminding us to pay close attention to the living landscape and our place within it.
The seasons can be distinguished by observing the environment: variations in climate, flora, vegetation cover, altitude, aspect, proximity to water, land-management practices, reflective surfaces, drainage patterns, and animal and plant behaviour. Aboriginal peoples also anticipated seasonal change by linking repeated natural events with patterns in the night sky.
Our knowledge of pre-European life in Victoria is often fragmentary and sometimes confusing. Nevertheless, it is important to note that the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation recognise the seven-season Kulin calendar as the most widely accepted.
A calendar for the upper Yarra region around Healesville was developed by a team led by Dr David S. Jones, in consultation with Wurundjeri elders. It follows a cyclical pattern of seven seasons, with two additional infrequent but overlapping events: fire (approximately every seven years) and flooding (approximately every 28 years).
Still from the new Wurundjeri Seasons at Coranderrk Video Artwork for 101 Collins Street for NAIDOC Week 2026.
Presented by Coranderrk and Little Projector Company, this is a living projection art series grounded in Wurundjeri seasonal knowledge and biocultural leadership. Seven seasons. One continuous cycle of knowledge and First Nations cultural authority. The Wurundjeri Seasons at Coranderrk does not document the past. It practises the present — knowledge not recovered, but continued.
By Jacqui Wandin and Uncle Dave Wandin, with projection art by Lee Ramseyer Bache and soundscape by Ex-Ponto (Ivan Masic).
Interested in partnering to create a Wurundjeri Seasons artwork for your organisation or place? Download the partnership information pack here
CURRENT EXHIBITION
NAIDOC Week, 101 Collins Street, Melbourne — July 5 - 12, 2026
We are grateful to our presenting partner 101 Collins Street for their funding which will support the development and delivery of a year-long research project exploring the seasons at Coranderrk.
ONGOING PLATFORM
The Wurundjeri Seasons at Coranderrk webpage serves as a comprehensive hub for ongoing seasonal research at Coranderrk. It will remain accessible on the Coranderrk website and will continually expand with videos, photos, research data and more as the project develops. This is the current webpage you’re viewing.
RESEARCH OUTPUT
The Community Seasonal Indicator Dataset, published in year two, involves volunteers, community members and visitors to Coranderrk logging seasonal indicators on an easy-to-use wall chart. This will record present day seasonal indicators through citizen science. The resulting dataset will provide an up-to-date picture of the actual patterns on Country. This is a necessary first step in establishing a baseline understanding of the current seasons at Coranderrk. The data will be compiled and published, then shared with the community and Coranderrk partners.
~``
PREVIOUS VENUE & PRESENTING PARTNERS
Wurundjeri Seasons Video Art Program, Fed Square Big Screen, 2026
Six emerging First Nations artists are creating seven seasonal video artworks for the big screen in Melbourne CBD’s main public space.
Biderap by Amanda Wright, Wurundjeri Seasons Video Art Program, Fed Square Big Screen, 2026
The Wurundjeri Seasons, Michelle Gugleime Park Projection Program 2025
This pilot programme explores Wurundjeri Seasons in the Merri-bek area through site-responsive video art in a new public space in Brunswick’s heart.
Waring, The Wurundjeri Seasons, Michelle Gugleime Park Projection Program 2025