2024 Cumberland Plain Research Funding Grant Recipient

Lead investigator: Dr Emilie Ens (Macquarie University)

Co-Investigators: Associate Professor Liz Cameron (Newcastle University) & Leanne King (Wollombi Aboriginal Cultural Experiences)

Project Summary: Edible root parts feature in human diets globally. But what edible roots did the First Australians eat on the Cumberland Plain at the time of European colonisation?

In the Sydney Basin, we hear about bush tucker fruits and nuts, but far less about edible roots. In Victoria, the murnong (Microseris lanceolata, scapigera and walterii) has recently regained widespread awareness as a staple edible root species and is now being grown in Western Sydney. But did it occur on the Cumberland Plain prior to 1788? 

This project will draw on multidisciplinary techniques to explore whether and where species of murrnong and other edible root species occurred on the Cumberland plain at the time of colonisation. The project is a collaboration between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal women and will collate knowledge/data from Indigenous knowledge custodians, historical literature, scientific and cultural heritage databases, and field inspections. This information will be mapped and analysed and used to guide restoration of culturally important traditional food grounds of the Cumberland Plain. This research will address culturally informed restoration of species and cultural practice and offer new approaches to biocultural restoration.