Boodjar

 Boodjar is a Noongar word meaning place, land, earth. Perth is located in Whadjak Noongar country and this is where I was born and spent most of my life. I grew up near the Swan River and have had the natural area around the river as my playground as a child and as an adult and have a deep attachment to the natural spaces of this place, which are increasingly disappearing under a coating of concrete and steel. As a land use planner concerned about the future liveability of the area where I grew up I often think about how things could be rather than what they are. This involves looking back to what country was like and how it was used and managed by the Noongar.  This blog is a collection of my thoughts, often derived while walking or running, around planning for the place now known as Perth and the broader region.