Together with the Kooparoona Niara Cultural Trail instigator Greg Murray and the stakeholders who made the project came together, Her Excellency and Mr Warner took in the beauty and culture the Deloraine riverbank yields. 

She said the walk was an “excellent achievement”. 

Mr Murray said seeing the trail come to fruition was a dream come true. 

The idea for a “simple” bush tucker trail started when he was working for Colony 47, and ended with a trail with more than seven components. 

It incorporates a host of ideas from the community: The pavers were made by school pupils, sculptures of local wildlife were created by the region’s artists, and the Aboriginal community created garden beds and a yarning circle. 

“Growing up here, I started to reflect on what a beautiful place it was. I thought to myself, how can we utilise this and create something that is attractive to tourists?” Mr Murray said. 

“By bringing the tourists into the town it would help boost the local economy and the small business confidence and create some opportunities for the up-and-coming generations.”

The trail was a way for Mr Murray to connect cultural passion with his “beautiful little town” of Deloraine. 

Meander Valley mayor Craig Perkins said the trail has increased the visibility of Aboriginal history in the area. 

“NAIDOC Week started about four years ago [in Deloraine] and it went from nothing to one of the biggest NAIDOC celebrations in Tasmania,” he said. 

“It’s all built around a connection … which just hasn’t been there before.”