Beeliar Wetlands

When Beeliar Nyungar controlled the areas, they lived alongside the wetlands now within the bounds of the metropolitan area. To this day there are sixteen Aboriginal campsites within the metropolitan area, predominately located on "the banks of North and Bibra Lakes". Beeliar Nyungar created many well-used trails to and from watering holes, which became "the main transport routes between the Murray and Swan River Nyungar Groups and the area was an important place of trade activity for Aboriginal people". == History and recognition ==

The area around Cockburn was colonized in 1829 when European settlers first arrived, however only in the 1890s did the City of Cockburn start growing at a rapid rate and undergo urbanisation. "Cockburn has evolved into a fast-growing local government area." Currently there are thirteen groups of Aboriginal clans still living in the areaone of which is referred to as the Whadjukthat and vice versa from the Indigenous groups in these areas. Aboriginal use The Beeliar clan are the traditional owners of the land before settlers arrived; they are one of the many Whadjuk clans living in and around the area that would become the Perth metropolitan region. Ancestors of the clan believe that their spirits will always be linked to the nature of the Cockburn land. In Western Australia the Nyungar people used to control and live on this land during that time. The name Nyungar is given to anyone who "occupied and continue to occupy the whole South West" of Western Australia. The word is accepted as meaning , in the indigenous language; common modern spellings include , and , however, they all translate to the same meaning. The Beeliar people were "one of the clans of Whadjuk group of Nyungar". Beeliar was later found to translate to as the tribe used to occupy the land nearest to the river, the land we now know as the City of Cockburn is where the Beeliar used to live; they referred to it as , meaning . "Words in the Nyungar language can be written in many different ways due to regional dialectic differences and the absence of a common orthography." == Nature ==

and Bibra Lake|357x357px The Beeliar land is known for its extensive wetland system throughout the Cockburn area. The locals have always valued these wetlands as they have always held great spiritual significance for the Nyungar people. This land was also valued for its ability to provide food, medical, and manufacturing resources. The Beeliar land is often referred to as "Beeliar Boodjar", "Boodjar" being the Noongar word for "land"; this land is still frequently visited by the Nyungar people. When the Indigenous tribes controlled this land it had two main campsites: the "Coolbellup (North Lake) and Walliabup (Bibra Lake). Nyunagr continued camping in the Cockburn area through the 1980s." To fulfill social and cultural obligations, the Beeliar Nyungar and other Nyungar clans used well-established trails that linked wetlands together. ==Human Impact==

Roe 8 damage The extension to Roe Highway known as Roe 8 had been planned to pass through the Beeliar Wetlands. There had been significant opposition to the highway, including legal challenges and public protests. Work on the project was suspended after a change of government in the March 2017 state election, with the incoming Labor government intending to cancel the project. a group of volunteers have begun spreading mulchfrom the woodchipped original treesas the first steps toward restoring the cleared area. The Beeliar area was previously owned by the Beeliar people. Therefore, it has become important to the community to preserve this land. The land of The Beeliar Land holds great significance to the original owners and their ancestors and is viewed as having great education factors for new generations, therefore any damage to this land will cause emotional distress to locals. "The plan has met with years of protests by local government, environmentalists and residents who are concerned about the economic, social and environmental issues associated with the development." A large issue people had was the damage caused by a plan to build the highway, Roe 8, the damage that building this highway would cause would take decades to restore. "Work on the first stage of the $1.9 billion Perth Freight Link, an extension of Roe Highway across the wetlands, stopped just 24 hours after the Liberal-National alliance lost power in a landslide election defeat." After being made to halt work "Opponents to the federal-backed Perth Freight Link have committed to persevere and take their case to the High Court after the Government of Western Australia won an appeal to reverse a decision that invalidated environmental approval for the $1.9 billion project." The plan for the highway is to cut through the spiritual lands of the Beeliar wetlands but conservationists prepared to resist in order to stop the first stage of work. The case that halted work on the highway is referred to as "Jacob v save Beeliar Wetlands": ==See also==