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Back to Nature: Aug 31

At Hanging Rock Aaron & Holly reflect upon its significance to Wurundjeri, Dja Dja Wurrung & Taungurung people.

This week on Back to Nature Aaron and Holly are on Wurundjeri country near Melbourne, where they take in the mysteries of Hanging Rock- Ngannelong.

We begin this episode at Organ Pipes National Park, on the eastern edge of an ancient lava flow. Aaron and Holly meet Indi Clarke, who has a strong connection to this place, strengthened by his relationship with Wurundjeri elder Aunty Di Kerr, whom we join for a yarn. Aunty Di shares how people are traditionally welcomed onto Wurundjeri country by a Wirrigirri, or Messenger.

Aaron and Holly venture into the Macedon Ranges, where bushrangers used to ambush travelers in the mid 19th Century. In the forest, Aaron and Holly discuss the incredible ‘Wood Wide Web’, the mycorrhizal network of mycelium fungi that allow trees to exchange resources with one another. This cooperation shows how living things are interconnected.

At Ngannelong – Hanging Rock, Aaron and Holly reflect upon its significance to Wurundjeri, Dja Dja Wurrung and Taungurung people. The story of Picnic at Hanging Rock came to its author, Joan Lindsay, in vivid and mysterious dreams. Joan Lindsay explored non-linear notions of time, and resonated with Einstein’s belief that ‘The distinction between past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.’

Nearby, Aaron and Holly visit a 26,000 year old greenstone quarry called Wil-im-ee Moor-ring, with Uncle Dave Wandin as their guide. With Uncle Dave, Aaron and Holly connect with a sacred rock, before learning about the quarry site. The rare greenstone deposits here were made into axe heads, that were traded along an extraordinary and far-reaching trading network.

8pm Tuesday on ABC.

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