FLAGSHIP PROJECT

Magic Lands

Ngarram

Where Two Worlds Collide

Based on a true story from Mrs Mary Clarke, 1979, Framlingham Mission.

Genre: Period Drama, MA 15+

An escaped convict and a Wadawurrung woman, bound by love, Lore and Sky-Spirit law, fight to survive as colonisation ignites a silent war across their Country.

Movie Treatment

Magic Lands: Ngarram teaser – below was created in collaboration with First Nations and local communities on Wadaweurrung country, offering an early glimpse into the cinematic world of MLA’s first major community project.

Synopsis

In the early 1800s in southern Australia, British convict William Buckley, on the run from a Crown penal colony, is discovered months later unconscious at a sacred burial ground by a Wadawurrung family. Believed to have returned from Ngarram — the Sky Realm of Ancestors — he is taken in and accepted as family.

For decades, Buckley lives within Wadawurrung lore, learning language, seasonal cycles, and a deep spiritual connection to the land and its animals. He later meets Purra, a young woman fleeing an arranged marriage, whose defiance and spirit unsettle both custom and fate. Their bond grows in secrecy, crossing boundaries neither fully understands.

In 1835, Buckley’s past returns as settlers arrive claiming land, and Purra’s family reclaim her in accordance with lore and in preparation for what is coming.

As invasion spreads across Kulin Country and the settlements of Melbourne and Geelong are established, Buckley and Purra are torn between worlds, each fighting to survive as a silent war unfolds across the frontier.

Historical and Cultural Significance

Developed since 2016 through archival research, oral histories, and collaboration with First Nations communities across Victoria and Tasmania, the film presents early nineteenth-century southern Australia through both Indigenous and settler perspectives.

With cultural authority and consent, the project seeks to portray this era with authenticity while contributing to a deeper understanding of Australia’s shared history.

  • Two Indigenous people sitting on the sand with traditional tools and food, outdoors in a natural setting.
  • Filmmakers filming a scene outdoors with a man raising his hand and a young girl holding a stick, near a small campfire, in a wooded area with leafless trees and rocks.

Ngarram: Meaning and Cultural Background

Across south-eastern Australia, the sky is understood as a living realm of creation, ancestral presence, and law. Among several Indigenous nations and language groups, Ngarram (with related variants such as Ngarrang, Ngarran, Ngarram-djarr) refers to the Sky Realm or Sky Spirit — the domain that sustains cosmic balance, moral order, weather, seasons, and the cycles of life.

This understanding aligns with the cosmologies of the Wadawurrung and the broader Kulin Nations, in which:

• Bunjil (the wedge-tailed eagle) is the creator, law-giver, and protector of balance, dwelling in the Sky Realm.

• Waa (the crow) is the messenger and cultural guide, moving between sky and earth.

Both operate within Ngarram, the higher realm that holds Law, Spirit, Order, and the living rhythms of Country.

Ngarram is not mythology — it is a living knowledge system, connecting Land, Sky, Law, Spirit, and People through ceremony, observation, and oral tradition.

FILM STORY & CREATIVE PRODUCTION

Developed since 2019, Magic Lands: Ngarram – Where Two Worlds Collide has been shaped through collaboration and consultation with First Nations Elders, Traditional Owners, cultural advisers, artists and community representatives, alongside an experienced and growing network of producers, writers, directors, actors, story editors, designers, musicians, historians, educators and specialist production contributors.

Working alongside the project’s cultural advisory network, the creative team brings together First Nations knowledge, historical research and professional screen expertise to inform the film’s storytelling, cultural protocols, language, music, costume, production design and historical interpretation — helping shape a cinematic, culturally informed and historically grounded production told with integrity and ambition.

First Nations Collaboration

Developed since 2016 through archival research, oral histories, and collaboration and consultations with First Nations communities across Victoria and Tasmania, the film presents early nineteenth-century southern Australia through both Indigenous and settler perspectives.

With cultural authority and consent, the project seeks to portray this era with culture authenticity while contributing to a deeper understanding of Australia’s shared history.

EXPLORE FURTHER

Community Voices

Main and Supporting Characters

William Buckley (1780–1856)

Escaped British convict who lived with the Wadawurrung People for over 30 years. Later served as interpreter between Wadawurrung leaders and early settlers during the establishment of Geelong and Melbourne. His life bridged two worlds.

Purra (Purranmurnin Tallawurnin) (1803–1869)

Wadawurrung woman of the Buninyong region near Ballarat. Remembered as a resistance figure, musician and healer. Her story is referenced in mission-era journals, including records associated with Framlingham.

Fanny (Dates Unknown)

Daughter of William Buckley and Purra. Recorded in historical accounts, including Untold Stories (Jan Pritchard). Portrayed as a Wadawurrung woman connected to resistance and survival during early settlement.

John Pascoe Fawkner (1792–1869)

Early Melbourne settler, publican, businessman and politician. A prominent colonial figure during the formation of Melbourne.

Henry Batman (1803–1839)

Brother of John Batman. Served in early colonial administration roles, including policing and land management during the expansion of settlement.

John Batman (1801–1839)

Grazier and entrepreneur from Van Diemen’s Land. Key figure in the Port Phillip Association and the attempted treaty with Wurundjeri Elders prior to formal British colonial governance.

Caroline Newcomb (1812–1874)

Governess to the Batman children. Later managed a large pastoral property near Geelong. Known for her relationship with Anne Drysdale and her role in early colonial society.

Nannymoon (Dates Unknown)

Wadawurrung resistance figure. Portrayed as a complex character navigating loyalty, survival and shifting alliances.

Murrindanuck (1799–1840s)

Grandson of Murrangurk. A Wadawurrung resistance figure from the Monmart People. Grew up alongside Buckley after his adoption into the Wadawurrung community.

Warrora (“Pigeon”) (Dates Unknown)

Originally from Shoalhaven, New South Wales. Associated with John Batman’s expeditions, including involvement in events in Van Diemen’s Land and the Port Phillip region.

Elizabeth Callaghan / Batman (1802–1852)

Escaped convict and wife of John Batman. Mother of eight children. A complex figure within early colonial Melbourne society.

Indigenous Communities and Languages Represented

Victoria / Australia:
Wadawurrung (Wathaurong), Eastern Maar, Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung, Boon Wurrung, Gunditjmara, Yorta Yorta, Dja Dja Wurrung, and Taungurung.

Language & Dialect Representation:
English accents reflecting British, Scottish, Irish and broader European origins.

Buckleys pamphlet, Hobart 1852.