The new Mungo Stories: Walk Together Mungo National Park mobile app offers an innovative way for visitors to experience NSW national park through 10 living stories narrated by First Nations Custodians that are only accessible on Country.
Three First Nations groups partnered with NSW Parks & Wildlife Services, SharingStories Foundation and Mildura Primary School students on the free Mungo National Park mobile app centred around the Willandra Lakes Region World Heritage Area of southwest outback NSW.
The stories are narrated by Elders and include animations illustrated by school students and Ngiyampaa artist Nola Taylor, sharing stories from the ancient landscape – renowned for its rich dispersion of fossils dating back some 50,000 years.
Unlocking Mungo National Park heritage
The Barkandji/Paakantyi, Mutthi Mutthi and Ngiyampaa communities worked together to create the culure app designed to offer visitors to the region a dynamic experience of the park’s vibrant heritage.
Each story can be discovered by the app user via story markers, which have been placed throughout Mungo National Park to immerse visitors in the knowledge and stories that live at important sites and places.
Using the app’s GPS map technology, visitors can find locations within the park and scan markers to unlock videos that share stories and knowledge from the three First Nations Groups.
The Mungo National Park mobile app is designed as an introduction to the region’s cultural heritage and complements tours run by the Mungo National Park’s Aboriginal Discovery Rangers.
Sharing culture on Country
Barkandji/Paakantyi Traditional Owner Uncle Ivan Johnston said the three tribal groups are proud to share their history, culture and stories with visitors to Mungo via the Mungo National Park mobile app.
“The Willandra lakes is a very special place, as it tells us about how our ancestors once lived, evidence of how they survived an ice age, clues to what animals they ate and how they hunted them. Not only is this place significant for Aboriginal people but also for non-Aboriginal people to learn about human history,” he said.
SharingStories Foundation CEO and Pitta Pitta woman Sharon Williams said an important part of the Mungo National Park mobile app is sharing the Custodian’s living stories in the place where they belong.
“We’re honoured that the Barkandji/Paakantyi, Mutthi Mutthi and Ngiyampaa communities have trusted us with their stories and have worked alongside us to see this modern day, digital storytelling project come to life,” she said.
“We hope to welcome a new generation of travellers – young and old – to learn the remarkable stories of Mungo.”
For more info, head to visitmungo.com.au
