For thousands of years, Boonwurrung bagurrk (women) have followed a walking barreeng (track) along the coast across the eastern part of Nairm (Port Phillip Bay), as they journey to their meeting place.
The journey was about connection to birrarang-ga (country), connection to the great spirits of Bundjil the eagle and Waang the crow, and connection with one another.
It was also about survival and agriculture, as the bagurrk (women) cultivated the murnong (yam daisies) and harvested the biik (land) and the warreeny (womats).
The area was a place of birth and renewal, and the bagurrk made their pilgrimage there regularly.
They were often accompanied by their leewurruk (sisters) and tutharrak (cousins) who had married into their neighbouring group, the Wurundjeri (Woi wurrung).
Young Boonwurrung bagurrk (woman) also underwent a ceremony of initiation on reaching puberty.
The journey along the coast was as important as the final goal.
This journey was part of the process of imparting the knowledge they would need as young bagurrk (women).
During their journey, the bagurrk (women) would stop at the laang baany (lagoon/rock pool), around what will become Black Rock and Beaumaris, and make weelam (camp).
They tended the murnong (yam daisy) patches there and collected fresh murnong.
Gurnbak (fish) were caught and iilk (eel) collected.
The bagurrk (women) also preserved foods that could be stored for their return journey.
Meats, including guyeem (kangaroo), were smoke dried, as were the iilk (eel) that travelled through the wurneet (creek/river) and baany taageek biik (swamp).
Walert-gurn (possum skin cloak) protected the bagurrk (women) from the cold and munmut (wind).
These walert-gurn (possum skin cloak), sewn together with the sinew of the guyeem moeebo (kangaroo), also served another purpose.
Inside the walert-gurn (possum skin cloak) were intricate drawings that included maps of the birrarang-ga (country).
The stories drawn within these walert-gurn provided the stories the older bagurrk (women) told their manggeep (daughter) as they travelled along the coast.
The walert-gurn (possum skin cloak) included details of important landmarks such as laang baany (rock well) and barreeng (track).
The journeys along the coast were also a time away - an opportunity for the bagurrk (women) to laugh, gossip and practise their singing and drumming.
The Boonwurrung bagurrk (women) were always part of the Ngargee (dance, ceremony), or celebrations, held near Rickett's Point.
At the Ngargee (dance, ceremony) the bagurrk (women) adorned their yarra (hair) with the purple flowers of the kangaroo apple and the yellow flowers of the murnong (yam daisy).
They used guyeem (kangaroo) and walertgurn (possum skin cloak), stretched tightly across their knees to form a drum.
It was their drumming that set the pace for the dance which was performed by the guleeny (men).
The bagurrk (women) also collected nuts, berries and herbs as they travelled along this strip of coast.
The kangaroo apple, picked before it was ripe, was used as a contraceptive for the bagurrk (women).
The journey along this barreeng (track) was taken over many, many years.