The New Economy Network Australia (NENA), together with the Enlivenment Network, is delighted to share the replay of a remarkable webinar exploring the Wilam-i Wunmabil Trail along Moonee Ponds Creek (Naarm/Melbourne). This living, evolving trail offers a powerful example of Collaborative Creative Community Practice, demonstrating how local culture, ecology, history and economy can be woven together in place-based regeneration.
The session brings together three distinguished speakers whose work embodies relational connection with Country, community and creativity. Wurundjeri Elder Aunty Julianne Axeford shares cultural knowledge and stories grounded in Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Country, providing a vital foundation for understanding the Trail’s meaning and significance. Troy Pedersen, Indigenous Liaison at the Chain of Ponds Collaboration, offers insights into the partnerships, negotiations and collaborative processes that underpin the restoration of Moonee Ponds Creek and its surrounding landscapes. Scott Killeen, Director of KELP Creative, discusses the role of experience design in creating purposeful, community-centred places that honour Country and activate deeper public engagement.
Together, their perspectives illuminate how regenerative local economies emerge from relationships—between people and place, across organisations and sectors, and through creative, culturally grounded collaboration. The Wilam-i Wunmabil Trail demonstrates what becomes possible when ecological repair, cultural revitalisation, and community participation are prioritised as interconnected elements of systems change.