Walk Birrarung to hook into Walk for Truth finale

The walk will begin with an 8:30 a.m. assembly at Yarra Flats Entrance Road (plenty of parking) gathering near the bank of the Birrarung before setting out together in solidarity with Travis Lovett’s Walk for Truth. From there, participants will walk alongside the Birrarung, following one of the living cultural arteries of Wurundjeri Country. At points the river will be visible, while elsewhere it is hidden behind regrowth and the impacts of urbanisation and colonisation that have reshaped the landscape.

Along the route, participants will be invited to notice these layers of history. The walk passes through places celebrated in the paintings of the Heidelberg School, whose works helped shape a settler vision of the Australian landscape while often erasing the continuing presence and custodianship of First Peoples. The route also reveals the physical transformation of the river itself — sections straightened and engineered, wetlands drained, and ecosystems disrupted. The noisy presence of the Eastern Freeway stands as another reminder of how infrastructure and development have fragmented Country and disconnected communities from the river.

The walk is intended not only as a physical journey but also as a reflective one. There will be moments to pause, listen, and consider the continuing impacts of colonisation, alongside the enduring strength, survival and leadership of First Peoples communities. At the end of the route, participants will walk the Wurundjeri Trail, reconnecting with stories, knowledge and pathways that long predate the modern city.

The event will conclude indoors at Victorian Guide Dogs, where participants will gather at approximately 11 a.m. to connect electronically with the finale of Travis Lovett’s Walk for Truth — the historic journey from Parliament House in Naarm to Parliament House in Kamberra — joining with others across the continent in truth-telling, reflection and collective commitment to reconciliation.

If you are not able to do the walk due to health or ability needs but would like to attend the hook-up, please get a ticket and email reconcileboroondara@gmail.com and we will give you further information so you can attend.