Introduction

Welcome to this Gumbaynggirr-led Learning Experience. You are invited to join us in a different way of learning and living—one that is sacred, important, and deeply connected to Country.

This online learning experience is an invitation for Natural Resource Management Practitioners to slow down, listen deeply, and reflect on how we come into relationship; with each other, with Country, and with ourselves. It is an ongoing story of learning how to do better, and be better, together on Gumbaynggirr lands. There is no checklist here, and no final destination.

The workshop unfolds in five parts. Each part encourages you to move gently, take your time, and pay attention to how learning feels from a Gumbaynggirr-led perspective. Each part includes a reflexive practice for you to engage with in your own time. This is about reflecting on your own journey and learning a different way of being together.

Part One: Slowing Down, Listening, and Opening Ourselves
We begin by inviting you to shift pace. Find a comfortable space, perhaps outside, and take a moment to breathe. This part is about softening, listening differently, and allowing a new way of knowing and being to come through. We invite you to read and reflect on the opening message not as content to absorb, but as a moment to feel your way into.

Part Two: Deep Listening to Country
Here, we explore what it means to listen to Country—not just with our ears, but with our bodies, hearts, and attention. This is about recognising Country as teacher and kin, and deepening our sense of place and relationship.

Part Three: Living the Story
You will be invited into the story of The Dunggirr Brothers and the Caring Song of the Whale. This is not a story to simply hear and move on from, but one to live with. What does it mean to carry a story? To respond to it with care and responsibility? This part helps us reflect on the ethics of listening and acting in relationship with what we learn.

Part Four: Consent, Limits, and Gumbaynggirr Protocols
In this section, we consider the importance of consent and knowing our place—especially for those working in natural resource management or on Country. From a Gumbaynggirr-led perspective, we learn what protocols are, why they matter, and how they guide respectful action.

Part Five: Integration

In this final section, you are invited to learn from Gumbaynggirr Custodians about some important places on Gumbaynggirr Country through a series of workshops on Gumbaynggirr Country.

Throughout this workshop, you are encouraged to pause often. Breathe. Ask yourself: Where am I? What can I see, feel, hear, smell? What are my responsibilities here? What and who am I listening to?
There’s no rush. No ‘right’ way to do this. Just your own story, unfolding, as you walk gently toward a different way of being.

Let’s begin.