Weaving on country

Weaving with Raffia at the Coorong

Recently, I have returned to weaving baskets with raffia, a skill I first learned in childhood and one that has quietly stayed with me over the years. Reconnecting with this practice has felt both familiar and new, bringing with it a sense of grounding, patience, and creative rhythm.

A renewed inspiration came after attending the Dupang Festival on the Coorong, where I had the privilege of sitting and weaving alongside Aunty Ellen Trevorrow, a respected Senior Ngarrindjeri Elder and master cultural weaver based in South Australia. Being in her presence, listening, observing, and working with fibres together, was a deeply meaningful experience that reminded me of the importance of knowledge passed through hands, conversation, and shared time.

I have found great joy in working with natural fibres, shaping them slowly into form while sitting in community. There is something meditative about the process—the repetition of weaving, the feel of the material, and the gradual emergence of structure from simple strands. It is a practice that invites stillness and attention, where making becomes a way of listening.

Sitting outside beside the Coorong, weaving while watching the landscape shift with light, wind, and tide, added another layer of connection. The natural environment became part of the experience, weaving itself into the rhythm of making.

These moments continue to remind me that weaving is more than a craft. It is a way of connecting—to place, to people, to memory, and to story.