You learn the name, you learn the Country, and respect its history - This Place

Our Culture

Added by First Languages Australia

Description 'This Place' is a partnership between the ABC and First Languages Australia inviting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to create a short video about a place name, and the story behind it. Share with ICTV with support from the Community Benefit Fund.

When you think about the names of towns and landmarks in the area where you live, how many of them have Aboriginal names? And what do you know about the meaning of those names?

According to author and historian Bruce Pascoe, 60-70% of Australian place names are Aboriginal, and embedded in those names is an intimate knowledge of the land and its history.

Pascoe is a Bunurong, Punniler panner and Yuin man who lives on the southern end of Yuin country, near Mallacoota.

He is one of the people behind ABC’s This Place project, capturing the meaning behind Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander place names around Australia. He talks about the inspiration for the project, the cultural significance of the land he lives on, and the meaning behind the name Mallacoota, and the rich system of rivers where he lives.

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