To Know, to Hear, to Understand: Heart in Country

Ngarrngga are honoured to have collaborated with the takila milaythina-ti Heart in Country team to develop its accompanying education resource. This article provides and overview of the experience and the accompanying material for educators.

takila milaythina-ti Heart in Country is a 22-minute immersive multimedia (audio visual) feature presentation, created by Dave mangenner Gough and Darryl Rogers, with music by Ian Chia.

In this show, members of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Community of Northwest Tasmania invite you to join in a cultural journey through rhythms of day and night, rest and play, kinship, and care. 

takila milaythina-ti Heart in Country invites reflection upon what it means to have and hold your heart in Country. It also encourages appreciation of Country as the foundation for relationships of mutual care to flourish between people, land, water, food, fire, and culture across time. 

Erin Woodcock, a collaborating educator of eighteen years' experience working with kindergarten through to adult learners, describes opportunities to learn with takila milaythina-ti Heart in Country: 

‘takila milaythina-ti Heart in Country offers an insight into traditional Tasmanian Aboriginal cultural practices and community spirit, providing opportunity for viewers and educators to engage in meaning making through collaborative discussions about the film.’

Experiencing takila milaythina-ti Heart in Country 

You may have already had the opportunity to see takila milaythina-ti Heart in Country. You will be excited to hear that further opportunities to experience it are on the horizon. 

Recently, takila milaythina-ti Heart in Country was shown in the 2025 Dome Under Film Festival at the Melbourne Planetarium on 31 January 2025.  

Towards the end of March, takila milaythina-ti Heart in Country will feature in Tasmania’s original arts festival and Australia’s only state-wide celebration, Ten Days on the Island. Two showings are scheduled: one at The Hedberg in Nipaluna/Hobart for Saturday 22 March, and another at Hive in Ulverstone for Saturday 29 March.  

Beyond these showings for Ten Days on the Island, Hive presents takila milaythina-ti Heart in Country in Tasmania's largest planetarium on the first Saturday of each month at 1 pm.  

Dr Martin George, Principal Astronomer at Hive, is very pleased to have such a show available:  

‘Planetarium domes around the world present a variety of topics further to those directly related to astronomy and space. I hope that this show will be seen more widely in Australia, and perhaps overseas.’  

Alan Nicholas, Education and Public Programs Officer at Hive, emphasises the resource's role in enabling teachers and students to engage with takila milaythina-ti in relation to broader educational offerings at Hive. 

‘It is extraordinary to have the powerful cultural work takila milaythina-ti available to school students as part of an enriching excursion to Hive. The educational resource, thoughtfully developed by Ngarrngga in consultation with educators and creators, is a crucial element in deepening students’ engagement with the work.’ 

To book a class screening of takila milaythina - ti Heart in Country, we encourage schools to contact Hive. Their education staff  can help you arrange an onsite workshop to use the resource with their education staff and curate a special day of discovery.  

You can find out more and book an excursion to Hive here: https://www.hivetasmania.com.au/school-visits/. 

Supporting your engagement with takila milaythina-ti Heart in Country – The education resource 

The resource includes further information about its creators and the key messages they want you to consider when engaging with takila milaythina-ti Heart in Country.  

The education resource can be freely downloaded here. 

Emerging from collaborative conversations between Ngarrngga, artists, cultural practitioners, astronomers and educators, the resource encourages deep thinking and conversations about the significance of your own connections and relationships with people, communities, and places around you. 

The resource outlines pathways for respectfully engaging with and building understanding of the profound significance that Country, culture, and community holds for Aboriginal Peoples.Through these pathways, Erin Woodcock describes how: 

‘The education resource lends itself to discussions across various curriculum areas, such as Science, Arts, HASS and English, that can be taken up and explored further with early childhood through to adult learners.’ 

Designed by, with and for educators, the resource brings together a wealth of information to support reflection, inquiry and learning for all audiences engaging with takila milaythina-ti Heart in Country. 

The questions, activities, and information within the resource offer educators a foundation to guide students in developing personal connections, articulating values, and making meaning. Educators are invited to tailor these in accordance with their own and their students' personal connections and curiosities.  

Coming to know, hear and understand Heart in Country 

The education resource indicates a range of connections to be made with Australian Curriculum content, capabilities, and priorities for years 5 and 6. These connections are indicative and by no means exhaustive. 

We encourage educators to take up a forthcoming opportunity to see takila milaythina-ti Heart in Country and use this resource to engage students with this special work. 

In experiencing takila milaythina-ti Heart in Country, we hope you find cause to think deeply about the significance of your own connections to and relationships with people and places around you. 

Keep an eye on Ngarrngga and Hive’s socials for further announcements regarding where and when takila milaythina-ti Heart in Country will feature near you.