Hidden Worlds: students paint Wurundjeri seasons

Reporter: Charlotte Dyer.

As spring arrives in Melbourne, Indigenous students have deepened their connection to culture through an art project exploring the seven Wurundjeri seasons.

Wurundjeri Country is currently shifting from Guling (orchid season) into Poorneet (tadpole season), and the work of 18 students capturing that seasonal change was exhibited at Swinburne University's NAIDOC 2026 celebration on 2 September.

The exhibition, Hidden Worlds on Wurundjeri Land, was created in collaboration between Swinburne's Moondani Vocational Centre of Excellence and School of Design and Architecture.

The Hidden Worlds on Wurundjeri Land exhibition. (Image: Supplied by Kate Robertson)

Moondani Toombadool Centre VET Indigenous Project Officer Nikki Madgwick said the project, which began at a camp for Indigenous high school students, had become a powerful way for young people to learn and grow their cultural knowledge.

"One of the students said they learned about the seven seasons, they hadn't heard about it before the project," Ms Madgwick said. "Helping them learn and grow their cultural knowledge and their journeys is really inspiring." 

Ms Madgwick said exhibiting the artwork gave students a chance to showcase their work and celebrate their culture.

"It's really exciting and really cool to have an opportunity for these kids to put on a resume that they've exhibited artwork and just be able to take pride in their culture," Ms Madgwick said.

Artwork panels representing different Wurundjeri seasons. (Image: Supplied by Kate Robertson)

Individual student pieces were combined into panels representing each season, using real bark, emu feathers, paint, paper collage and drawings.

"We've taken elements from each individual art piece that the students worked on and then fit them together in different art panels to represent each of the seasons," Ms Madgwick said.

The seven Wurundjeri seasons are Biderap (dry season) in January and February, Iuk (eel season) in March, Waring (wombat season) from April to July, Guling (orchid season) in August, Poorneet (tadpole season) from September to October, Buarth Gurru (grass flowering season) in November and Garrawang (kangaroo-apple season) in December.

The next phase of the project will transform the artwork into an augmented reality experience. 

A wheel mapping the seven Wurundjeri seasons. (Image: Supplied by Kate Robertson)