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The Swan River Derbarl Yerrigan Experience

Perth has a long history of harmoniously combining Western and Whadjuk Nyungar Cultures, with the Swan River being the sacred home of the Waugal, a rainbow serpent to maintain and celebrate the Nyungar way of life and traditions for this and subsequent generations.

PerthBeyondSuccess gave opportunities to international students to learn about the significant meaning of BeyondPerth.

When I first came to study at Curtin University, what I knew about Perth was Perth CBD, Elizabeth Quay, Optus Stadium, Freemantle market, and UWA.

Now, PerthBeyondSuccess has enabled me to understand the underlining Whadjuk Nyungar culture and the Swan River legacy, and the Peninsula Farm as one of the earliest pioneers in the Perth metropolitan area. Now, we have learned the Peninsula Farm is the Swan River Colony’s first farm, their daily lives, challenges, and triumphs.

Another success story we learned was about the first Aboriginal settlement in the 19th century and the discovery of the belief of Waugal in Captain Stirling’s explorations.

Also, I had a chance to learn about Woodbridge as a national trust site. Woodbridge is located on the land of the Whadjuk people since Dreamtime. It was worth learning about Woodbridge’s significant role in developing education in Western Australia from 1895 and being recognised as the National Trust of Western Australia in 1968.

PerthBeyondSuccess is a very important means for international students to learn about Perth’s past history to appreciate Perth today, now being ranked as the sixth livable city in the world.

I am very lucky to study in Perth and now have learned about the rich history and Ngungar culture with the generous help and support of #PerthBeyondSuccess. This makes my time in Perth a great success and complete. I will be proud to share with my friends and colleagues at home about my great experience and fond memories of Perth, friendly and kind people and more importantly the history of Aussie and Ngungar cultures living in harmony.

Thank you very much StudyPerth, Lotterywest, the Government of Western Australia, and the University of Western Australia for providing international students with this excellent educational and pleasant experience. I thoroughly enjoyed the Swan River Derbarl Yerrigan which was pleasant and informative. I also met lots of other international students.

In particular, I would like to sincerely thank Professor Ben Smith, Dr Yu Tao of the University of Western Australia, and Sandra Harben, Curtin University Nyungar Culture Advisor for sharing their knowledge and experiences about the rich history of Perth and Nyungar culture.

Credit: https://www.watoday.com.au/.../perth-cracks-top-10-cities...

#StudyPerth #Lotterywest #PerthBeyondSuccess

Sakuntha Supakoonsrisak

From Bangkok, Thailand, 16 August 2021”