Merri Merri Wayi - meaning Merri Merri (and) Us - is the Woi-wurrung language name granted to the collaboration by Wurundjeri Elder Aunty Gail Smith and formally registered with the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation.

The language speaks to the heart of this initiative, a collaboration where all of ‘us’ can get involved to create regenerated, safe, thriving and healthy places for communities to connect to each other and to the Merri Creek.

The Merri Creek is an iconic and important ecosystem with more than 40,000 years of human interaction and Traditional Ecological Knowledge from the Traditional Owners. This initiative acknowledges the past, present and future role the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung peoples have in their Country.

The Merri Creek has come a long way. The efforts of people who volunteer and continue to work to protect Merri Creek, most notably the Merri Creek Management Committee and Friends of Merri Creek, have brought the creek back from pollution, weed infestation and neglect.

But as more and more people live along and use the creek, we can do more to enable our natural and urban worlds to thrive along the creek. 

Building a safe, connected and welcoming place along the Merri Creek today means supporting the environmental health of the creek, strengthening the social outcomes for communities, and learning from the culture of Indigenous peoples, who have done both for generations.