On Thursday, 6 November, the Year 1 students from Vasse Primary School travelled to the stunning Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse site to participate in the Kaya Cape Experience, led by Noongar custodian Josh Whiteland from Koomal Dreaming.
The day began with a guided walk along the trail to the Whale-watching platform. Students explored the coastline, learned about the traditional uses of local plants, hunted for evidence of local fauna, and took in the beautiful scenery, including the ships sitting just off the shore.
Back at Josh’s meeting place, the children were introduced to a range of artefacts: spears, digging sticks, boomerangs, shields, tapping sticks, and didgeridoos. Josh shared stories of Country and demonstrated how each item was used. The students then took part in traditional dances—the girls learning the Emu (Wetj) dance and the boys learning the Kangaroo (Yongka) dance.
Earlier in the week, the Year 1s baked Lemon Myrtle biscuits, which they enjoyed under the shade of the Peppi trees after the experience. The Lemon Myrtle biscuits were a big hit and made for a lovely treat to enjoy together during our experience.
Inspired by their visit, students paired the lighthouse sketches they created during the excursion with acrostic poems, once back at school. Here are a few of their pieces:
Light
Interesting
Giant
Human Made
Tall
Helps the Ships
Outstanding
Up high
Shore Line
Emu in the Sky
by Brighton
Light
It is very high
Great View
Helps the ships
The door is red
History
Old – 1903
Up high
Shore
Epic Museum
by Tommy
Light keepers house
It is extremely cool
Great Museum
History
The door is thick and red
Helps the ships
Old 1903
Up high
Shore line
Emu in the sky
by Ellora
Lemon Myrtle Biscuits
Ingredients:
- 250 g self-raising flour
- 2 tsp dried lemon myrtle
- 180 g butter, slightly softened
- 125 g sugar
- 1 egg, beaten
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 180 °C.
- Sift flour and dried lemon myrtle into a bowl, then rub in butter until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add sugar and beaten egg and mix to form a stiff dough.
- Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead gently until smooth.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for about 30 minutes.
- Roll out dough to about 5 mm thickness and cut into roughly 30 biscuits.
- Place on a greased baking tray and bake for 12–15 minutes, until golden.