"ESSENTIAL experience in Melbourne!"
Graham (BJ) Brayon, Uncle Jack Charles and Uncle Bootsie Thorpe at Fitzroy’s Atherton Gardens
Photograph by Chris Hopkins/The Age
Yalinguth is an award winning First Nations audio app and walking tour.
In the Woi wurrung language Yalinguth means ‘yesterday’. Yalinguth shares history through story, song and soundscapes.
There are two story walks to experience in Naarm/Melbourne - one in Ngár-go/Fitzroy and the other along the Birrarung/Yarra River in the CBD.
For more info about the self-guided app download the Yalinguth brochure.
To find out about guided tours download the info on Yalinguth Tours.
Visit our instagram or facebook for recent info and ‘point of view’ videos showing the experience and stories you’ll hear.
How it works
Yalinguth uses geo-located stories and sounds to take you on a journey through time. Elders guide us along the journey, and tell us that “we need to go back, to go forwards”.
Within the spatialised sound environment you navigate by audio cues, with a simple map showing your location and where to find stories, songs and poems.
Why Yalinguth?
“Without truth, we cannot heal, without healing, we cannot reconcile.”
Yalinguth aims to connect all communities to stories told by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. The purpose is to:
Educate listening, learning, gaining knowledge
Challenge truth telling, exploring identity, building empathy
Heal connecting to country, culture, rituals
Act reflecting to inspire agency and change
Yalinguth is also a celebration of the Elders who paved the way for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Rights in Victoria and Australia.
Awards
2022 Australian Good Design Awards
Winner – Indigenous Category
Highly Commended – App Design
2022 Victoria Premier’s Design Awards
Highly Commended - Digital Design
2022 Melbourne Fringe Festival
Winner – Best Words & Ideas (Fitzroy experience)
2023 Australian International Documentary Conference Awards
Nomination - Best Interactive/ Immersive Documentary (Fitzroy experience)
2023 Melbourne Fringe Festival
Winner – Best Words & Ideas (Birrarung experience)
2023 ALIA Victoria Landscape Architecture Awards
Winner - Community Contribution
2023 ALIA National Landscape Architecture Awards
Winner - National Award of Excellence for Community Contribution
2024 Australian International Documentary Conference Awards
Nomination - Best Interactive/ Immersive Documentary (Birrarung experience)
Aunty Rieo Ellis and Bobby Nicholls testing the Yalinguth app
Yalinguth Team
Partner Organisations
Melbourne Community Indigenous Film Collective
RMIT University – Masters of Animation, Games and Interactivity
Elder Advisors
Uncle Bobby Nicholls
Uncle Colin Hunter
Uncle Rob Bundle
Aunty Denise McGuinness
Aunty Rieo Ellis
Creative Director
Jason Tamiru
For details about the extensive team including storytellers, story gatherers and app creators see the App Credits.
Art and Design
The User Interface design and branding of Yalinguth has been inspired by the work of two young artists, Larna Massari and Graham (BJ) Braybon.
Larna and BJ were employed on the project to create beautiful drawings, icons, and designs that are featured throughout the User Interface of the app and across our marketing material.
Larna won the Yalinguth Art Prize in 2020, and her winning artwork inspired the design of the Yalinguth logo. Larna is a high school student from Melbourne, and a direct descendant of the Yuwaalaraay people.
BJ is a Yalinguth story gatherer, Gunaikurnai artist, and the grandson of Yalinguth storyteller and much loved community elder Uncle Bootsie Thorpe. BJ was awarded the Yalinguth Design Award in 2021.
Artwork by Larna Massari (left) Artwork by Graham (BJ) Braybon (right)
Newsletter
Our Supporters
A huge thank you to the following organisations, who have provided
funding and in kind support to make Yalinguth happen. A full list of supporters can be found in the credits
