Acknowledgement of Country

When I created this website in 2012, acknowledgements of country weren’t very common — not even in physical settings, let alone on websites. So I didn’t even think to include one. Even so, I was always quietly embarrassed about a gaping hole in my knowledge and writing.

There I was, trying to rekindle some sense of connection to the land and water of my suburban homeland, and I could say next to nothing about the people who lived there for tens of thousands of years, and whose knowledge of and connection to this country was deeper than mine will ever be. I could not even say what name the Turrbal people gave to the waterway that was the focus of my study.

It saddens me greatly to think that I may never know the Turrbal name for Western Creek, or for its sister creeks on what we call the Milton Reach of Maiwar, the Brisbane River. Of course, the loss of this knowledge is trivial next to the loss of the people and culture it belonged to; but for me it points to something especially callous and careless in how those people were pushed away.

As I relaunch this website in 2026, I offer this statement as a sincere and solemn acknowledgement of the Turrbal Tribe and their profound connection to the lands and waters of Maiwar and Meanjin.

I also pledge to expand and share my own knowledge about this connection at every opportunity as I continue my own journey through the creeks and landscapes Brisbane.