In March 2025, the Booln Booln Cultural Centre officially reopened under the ownership and leadership of Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative. 

Booln Booln is a lively Aboriginal cultural centre where stories are shared, language is honoured, and visitors – from locals to travellers – are invited into a space that puts First Nations voices front and centre.

Thinking of visiting? Visit our Booln Booln page for details.

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What is Booln Booln Cultural Centre?

Booln Booln is located on Wadda Wurrung Country, in Grovedale. Previously known as the Narana Aboriginal Cultural Centre, the site has now been taken into community hands – something that has been dreamed about for decades by local Elders and families.

Now, with full ownership and visioning led by the Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative, Booln Booln is a place made for the community and by the community, open to anyone who wants to support and learn about the continuation of the world’s oldest living culture.

At its core, Booln Booln is a space for cultural education, community gathering, and local enterprise. It brings together art, learning, food, and ceremony under one roof, with a focus on inclusion and connection to Country. As an Aboriginal cultural centre, its foundation is not tourism; it’s truth, voice, and cultural education.

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Why is it called Booln Booln?

The name ‘Booln Booln’ is the Wadda Wurrung word for lyrebird.

As the Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative CEO, Simon Flagg, said at the Booln Booln Open Day, ‘the lyrebird is the speaker of all languages. For us, Booln Booln is not only a space for community from all different walks and different mobs, but it’s also a space for the non-Aboriginal community to come together where we can all speak and share the same language.’

In a way, the Booln Booln centre itself is like a lyrebird, echoing the stories of community and speaking them back into the world.

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What you’ll find at Booln Booln Cultural Centre

The café 

The Booln Booln Café is run by Blak Brews, an Indigenous-owned tea and coffee business led by Troy and Cerisa Benjamin (who also happened to take out the top prize on Gordon Ramsay’s Channel 9 show Food Stars). The café serves flavourful Blak Brews teas with Indigenous ingredients, barista-quality coffee, and meals that hero native ingredients.

On Fridays, the café hosts a ‘Native High Tea’: a regular favourite where native ingredients like kakadu plum and lemon myrtle appear on the plate, with all dishes curated by a Michelin-trained pastry chef.

If you want to taste culture with heart, this is where to start.

Gift shop

In our gift shop, you’ll find local Aboriginal art represented on canvas, in carved tools, in jewellery, and in handmade objects. We also sell products like hand creams and natural oils made with native ingredients. Every purchase supports a local creative. All of the stockists in our real shop have a real connection to our local community. 

Function spaces

Our flexible function and meeting rooms are equipped with everything you need, including a projection screen and video-conferencing capabilities, to host community gatherings, business meetings, and special events. We can hold up to 90 people for community gatherings in a beautiful space surrounded by nature. We also offer catering as part of our function bookings, with a range of menu items that include native ingredients that will impress your guests. 

Bush gardens and cultural trails

Surrounding the centre are native gardens and interpretive walking trails. Friendly emus and wallabies wander the grounds. Along the paths, you’ll learn knowledge passed down through generations about plants used for medicine, weaving, food, and how bushland has always been an integral part of Aboriginal culture. It’s a way of learning that’s rooted in the land.

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Programs and cultural exchange

For schools and kindergartens, there are excursions and incursions run by Wathaurong’s cultural educators. Students can learn about Wadda Wurrung Country and Dreamtime stories, and walk on Country with Elders. We also offer Cultural Ceremonies, like Welcome to Country and smoking/cleansing ceremonies.

And of course, Booln Booln is now home to many of Wathaurong’s community events, like the recent Gather Art & Connection Space, which offered people a creative space to connect with community and culture.

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Why Booln Booln Cultural Centre matters for Aboriginal culture

The importance of Booln Booln can’t be overstated. Spaces like this don’t happen often, and when they do, they are hard-won.

For years, the site was used to represent Aboriginal culture, but not fully governed by Aboriginal people. Now that’s changed. The community has taken the reins, and with that comes power, safety, and authenticity.

Local artists earn income through the shop, young people learn and lead, families come together, and the broader community is welcomed into something meaningful.

Booln Booln isn’t just about looking at the past. It’s also about the present and the future of Aboriginal culture as it lives, adapts, and flourishes.

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Come and visit Booln Booln

If you’re searching for an Aboriginal cultural centre that invites you into something deeper, Booln Booln is your place.

Want to visit? Visit the Booln Booln website or simply stop by for a cuppa and a yarn. You can also check out Wathaurong’s events page to see what’s happening at the centre.

Booln Booln is a place where Aboriginal culture is lived and shared, and where you’re welcome to walk alongside it with care and curiosity.