MLA Educational Series
Explore in this course on Ecology and native plants, animals of Australia and connection to Indigenous knowledge systems. Discover bush foods, ecology, medicine and the relationships between species, land and people across Victoria and Australia.
Written, Collaborated and delivered by
James Vegter and Uncle Reg Abrahams
Colonial Names, Introduced Species & Environmental Change
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Introduced Animal Species
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Endangered Animals in Victoria: Indigenous Knowledge, Colonisation and Ecosystem Loss (Copy)
Explore endangered animals and birds in Victoria and how colonisation disrupted ecosystems and Indigenous land management. Discover how species loss connects to cultural loss—and how Indigenous-led restoration is healing Country.
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Introduced Animals in Victoria: Invasive Species, Colonisation and Ecological Collapse (Copy)
Learn how introduced animals like rabbits, foxes, cats, and deer transformed Victoria’s ecosystems. Learn how colonisation disrupted Indigenous land management—and how restoring balance through Indigenous knowledge is healing Country.
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History of Sheep in Victoria: Colonisation, Wool Industry and Impact on Indigenous Land (Copy)
Discover how sheep transformed Victoria’s landscapes and economy during colonisation. Explore the rise of the wool industry, environmental change, and the impact on Indigenous land, culture, and ecosystems.
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How 24 Rabbits Changed Australia: The Rabbit Plague, Colonisation and Ecological Collapse (Copy)
Understand how the rabbit plague began in Victoria and transformed Australia’s ecosystems. Explore its impact on Indigenous land, native species, and agriculture—and how one colonial introduction reshaped an entire continent.
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How Foxes Changed Australia: Colonial Introduction and the Collapse of Native Wildlife (Copy)
Uncover how foxes were introduced to Victoria and became one of Australia’s most destructive invasive predators. Discover their impact on native wildlife, Indigenous food systems, and ecological balance—and why they remain a major threat today.
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Mice and Rats: Invasive Rodents, Plagues and Colonial Impact on Country in Victoria (Copy)
Learn how mice and rats spread across Victoria after colonisation, causing plagues, crop loss, and ecological disruption. Discover their impact on Indigenous food systems, native species, and why outbreaks still occur today.
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Cattle and Colonisation in Victoria: Land, Rivers and the Dispossession of Indigenous Communities (Copy)
A powerful look at how cattle transformed Victoria during colonisation—shaping land, rivers, and economies while disrupting Indigenous communities and ecosystems. Discover the history of pastoral expansion and its lasting impact on Country.
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Colonial Dogs: How Introduced Breeds Changed Victoria’s Land and Culture (Copy)
Understand the history of dogs in colonial Victoria—from dingoes to imported European breeds. Discover how dogs shaped hunting, farming, and frontier conflict, and their impact on Indigenous communities, wildlife, and ecological balance.
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Cats in Australia: Feral Predators, Colonisation and Wildlife Decline in Victoria (Copy)
See how cats became one of Australia’s most destructive invasive predators. Learn how they spread across Victoria, impacted Indigenous food systems and wildlife, and continue to threaten biodiversity today.
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Introduced Native Plants and Species
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Introduced Weeds and the Loss of Native Flora in Victoria
Explore how introduced weeds transformed Victoria’s ecosystems and Indigenous cultural landscapes, replacing native grasses, murnong, wetlands, and medicinal plants across Wadawurrung, Wurundjeri, and broader Kulin Nation Country.
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Endangered Native Plants and Grasslands in Victoria: Ecology, Culture and Renewal
This article explores endangered plants in Victoria through Indigenous ecological knowledge, anthropology, environmental science, psychology, and cultural restoration.
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Magic Lands Alliance (MLA) Educational Series
The MLA Educational Series is a comprehensive, interdisciplinary learning program grounded in First Nations knowledge systems, scientific research, and historical truth-telling. It is designed to connect learners to Country—through geology, ecology, culture, language, and story—tracing relationships across deep time into the present.
The articles currently available on the Magic Lands platform represent the first stage of this educational series—a growing body of research and storytelling focused on the science, history, and culture of Victoria, Australia. These works form the foundation of a much larger learning framework, bringing together knowledge from across Wadawurrung Country and beyond.
Developed alongside the feature film Magic Lands – Purra and Buckley’s Chance, the series offers a rich exploration of Victoria’s landscapes and the knowledge systems of its First Peoples. Drawing on more than 800 referenced articles and years of research across Victoria, Australia, and global contexts (Vegter, 2025), the program integrates disciplines including archaeology, geology, ecology, and Indigenous cultural sciences to reveal the interconnected story of land, life, and identity.
As the Magic Lands film projects move through production and completion, on-Country cultural infrastructure will be developed, enabling the full delivery of structured courses, immersive education experiences, and Indigenous-led tourism initiatives. These next stages will transform the series from a digital knowledge base into a living, place-based learning environment.
At present, the educational content is freely accessible online (as of April 2026), ensuring open access to knowledge during this foundational phase. Over time, this will evolve into a supported education and tourism model that sustains long-term cultural, educational, and community outcomes.
Grounded in collaboration with First Nations communities, the MLA Educational Series invites learners to engage deeply with the enduring relationships between people, Country, sky, and sea—before, during, and after colonisation.
Written and delivered by
James Vegter and Trevor Abrahams