BoorYul-Bah-Bilya – Creating a new type of community catchment plan for rivers
BoorYul-Bah-Bilya is an exciting new initiative developed by Bibbul Ngarma Aboriginal Association that aims to address the global issue of declining river health by creating a new type of community catchment plan for rivers.
The BBB plan will consider the environmental, social, cultural and economic significance of rivers, enabling a better balance between their many values, and be created by the community for the community, using local knowledge and experience to design a plan that government, businesses, schools, residents and community groups can all contribute equally to.
BNAA’s first plan focuses on the Mandoon Bilya (Helena River), which flows from its headwaters in Ballardong and Gnaala Karla Booja through the Perth Hills into Whadjuk country and joins the Derbarl Yerrigan (Swan River) in Guildford. However, BNAA hope that the BBB program will have far-reaching impacts by creating a transferable and scalable process that can be applied to any river.
The Mandoon-Helena Catchment is an important landscape feature for the Bibbulmun Track. The Track’s northern terminus, the starting point for walkers heading south, is located within the Mandoon-Helena Catchment in Kalamunda. From there, the Track crosses through majestic jarrah forests, passing around Mundaring Weir and heading south past Beraking Brook and Mount Dale before leaving the catchment. It is home to five of the Track’s campsites: Hewitt’s Hill, Ball Creek, Helena, Waalegh and Beraking, making the Bibbulmun Track the perfect way to explore the beauty of the Mandoon-Helena Catchment.
BNAA are currently undertaking cultural mapping of significant places, people and events across the catchment, including community workshops and information sharing sessions, as well as vegetation mapping, environmental sampling, caring for country events, trails audits and much more.
We encourage everyone to complete this short BBB community survey to share your thoughts on the river and its future. https://www.jotform.com/form/242238241169051
For more information and to get involved, visit the BNAA website at www.bibbul.org
