Growth of Aboriginal bush tucker garden to allow for expanded educational program and workshops

A garden which aims to preserve and share knowledge of Aboriginal bush food and medicine is set to grow at the Museum of the Goldfields. The museum’s Aboriginal Food and Medicinal Garden was established in 2022 to showcase native plants and share Indigenous knowledge. The garden will now be expanded to incorporate a greater variety of plant species through a partnership between WA Museum and mining giant Gold Fields. The project will also allow for an expanded educational program and workshops that raise awareness of Aboriginal knowledge and cultural practices. On Friday, Gold Fields announced it had entered a three-year partnership with WA Museum and the Foundation for the WA Museum. Gold Fields will be the presenting partner of two projects — the Aboriginal Bush Food and Medicine Garden expansion, and the creation of digital audio guides for all four regional WA Museum locations. The bush food and medicine garden was close to the heart of former museum manager Cara Haymes, who died from cancer in 2022. Ms Haymes had been working tirelessly on the project before her resignation. The garden — located in the entrance courtyard — was unveiled and formally dedicated to the former museum manager during a ceremony in April 2022. Gold Fields said the expansion would see a greater variety of plant species which would encourage beneficial insects and wildlife into the garden. The partnership will also support the creation of digital audio guides at the Museum of the Goldfields, Geraldton Museum, Museum of the Great Southern in Albany, and Gwoonwardu Mia in Carnarvon. WA Museum chief executive Alec Coles said the guides would help enrich visitor experiences at the WA Museum’s regional locations. “Our regional museums sit at the heart of their communities, sharing a plethora of stories featuring the people and places of our State,” he said. “With Gold Fields’ support, we are able to share more collections, knowledge and stories with museum visitors in Kalgoorlie, Geraldton, Albany and Carnarvon.” Foundation for the WA Museum chief executive Coralie Bishop said the expanded Aboriginal Bush Food and Medicine Garden as well as the digital audio guides would provide exciting new opportunities for WA Museum visitors to explore and share their identity, culture, environment and sense of place. The new partners announced the funding at an event at Boola Bardip on Thursday evening. Speaking at the event, Gold Fields’ chief executive Mike Fraser said the company aimed to “create enduring value beyond mining”. “We are thrilled to be supporting such an iconic Western Australian organisation that is focused on telling Western Australian stories through its diverse voices,” Mr Fraser said.