Manly Vale Public School

The Wiradjuri tribe lives near Melbourne and Canberra in Australia. Wiradjuri people have inhabited modern-day Australia for over 60,000 years. Kirra, the tribe leader’s daughter, is very confident and extremely brave. She has short brown hair that shines in the sun which matched her eyes.

Kirra is an adventurous person who is always willing to seek new opportunities to find new places. However, her father Coen, the tribe’s leader, was the complete opposite. He feared for Kirra’s safety which meant that no one in the tribe was allowed to go anywhere.

“Now, everyone listen up. We have no fresh water or food, so we have to go on a long adventure to get all of the food and water,” demanded Coen.

The tribe always uses the river as a map to find their way to and from home. The tribe
entered the bright, rich and vibrant bushland to search for food and water but
something was wrong. The river was gone.
When the tribe had gathered all their delicious food and water, they decided to
follow the river back to the huts.
“What happened to our crystal-clear river streams?” Kirra asked getting worried.
“There-there gone!” Coen said panicking.
The tribe was lost in the bush for the first time. In order to go back home, they
needed a plan.

The tribe slowly started to doubt themselves getting even more uptight by the second. Though on the other hand, Kirra was building up an excitement for an adventure to find home. The tribe continues to go searching for a water source for months but on the way, they lose a few of their tribe mates which was a devastating tragedy. Not even a tiny water stream was found. The whole tribe couldn’t take it anymore, they slowly but surely started to crave food and water. They were still lost in the bush land with no way out, but Kirra had a feeling that the tribe would be able to find their way home.

“Dad, dad I can see a huge brick wall up ahead!” Kirra shouted.
“I can see it too, let’s go!” Coen yelled.
The tribe raced towards the massive brick wall.
“Let’s break down this wall!” the tribe shouted in sync. The tribe started to
smash the wall down with all their might. Crack! The wall had been destroyed and out came tonnes of water gushing out. The water gushed out traveling in a straight direction. The tribe decided to follow the water and hope that it will lead back to their home.

“Why did the river stream stop?” asked Coen.
“Oh, I know… We are home!” Kirra cheered excitedly.
As the tribe stepped through the forest leaves, they could hear the birds
chirping. They could see their huts in front of them. The Wiradjuri tribe were
saved by the rivers!

Author’s statement:

I have published this text which is set in Australia. The story is about an Aboriginal tribe that uses the river streams as a map to move around their local area. This shows that water isn’t just used for drinking but it also shows the connection First Nations peoples have to the land they live on. I wanted to highlight how important water was and still is to all Aboriginal people in a
creative writing piece.

Reconciliation means…

To me, reconciliation means connecting with all people including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It’s understanding First Nations cultures and finding ways to work together in the future. We need to have a shared language where all rights and responsibilities are equal for Indigenous people.

Author: Alice Larbey

Teachers Click Here

Many of these resources and activities have been developed in consultation with NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) to ensure that the program meets NSW curriculum outcomes for Stages 3, 4 & 5.