Owned and operated by Justin Martin, a qualified tour guide and Aboriginal artworks specialist, Justin’s traditional lands stretch over the Perth metropolitan region and a large part of the mid-west of Western Australia. These tribes are formally identified as the Wadjuk, Ballardong, Widi and Budimia people.
Our tours and artworks are based around history, facts and creation stories that are hundreds of years old. The stories and dot paintings are passed down from generation to generation.
Our goal at Djurandi Dreaming is to positively educate and showcase our Aboriginal Culture in Western Australia while conserving culture, language and country.
We are proud to share our culture with you…
Photograph © Tourism WA
Photograph © Dave Van Eldik
Photograph © Tourism WA
Photograph © Trevor Walley
Photograph © Tourism WA
Photograph © Tourism WA
Photograph © Tourism WA
Photograph © Tourism WA
Photograph © Tourism WA
Photograph © Tourism WA
Photograph © Tourism WA
Photograph © Tourism WA
Photograph © Tourism WA
Story telling, talk about seasons, symbols and tools, language, local knowledge.
I supply paint, brushes, gum nuts and a big piece of canvas with a story behind the piece everyone comes through and helps paint it while I explain what it all means. The organisation then keeps the piece.
I take the group for a walk through the local forest / nature reserve. We look for bush tucker, animals, insects and talk about the seasons and how it changes the environment, and the importance of spiritual acknowledgement for Nyungar people.
Our incentive was to share cultural awareness and education to all tour participants. Djurandi Dreaming tours are designed around the culture of the traditional Nyungar people of the south west of Australia and the Yamitji people of the mid-west of Australia.
We love to engage our customers in great activities, secluded locations and visual surprises that make you stop, take a breath and appreciate this beautiful country we belong to.
I grew up spending time on country with my close and extended family. We hunted yonga / marlu (kangaroo), weitj / yellabidi (emu), bungarra (goanna), crabs and marron. We spent time fishing and swimming in the summer seasons of Birak and Bunuru. We would also gather bush tucker like quandongs, tree gum, bardi grubs and bush pear.
Te AIATSIS Map of Indigineous Australia
I come from a large family with two brothers and three sisters. My father is Greg Martin a Yamatji man from the mid-west of Western Australia, and my mother is Cheryl Martin nee Walley a Nyungar woman from the southwest of Western Australia.
We belong to a strong group of tribes called the Widi, Budimia, Wadjuk and Ballardong people. My traditional lands stretch over the Perth metropolitan region and a large part of the mid-west of Western Australia. We have a very special connection to the Derbarl Yerrigan (Swan River), being directly descended to some of the last known survivors of the Swan River Settlement.
Roughly about the age of four or five years old I was always interested in my great grandmother’s Jane Martin (deceased) dreamtime stories. She would often grab me and cuddle me, then tell me extraordinary dreamtime stories as if to lay claim to me as a child. It was within these moments that my great grand mother (Jane Martin) gave me an important connection to life and culture. An identity of who I am and where I come from, a creative traditional story line that has lasted thousands of years “stories that shaped peoples conscious”.
As years passed my father (Greg Martin) took on the role as storyteller and would reinforce the stories. My family had a lot to do with my understanding of the dreamtime and the creation of the country.
I first started to get interested in teaching my culture around 10 years ago, I started painting and remembering more of the stories I was told growing up. My dot painting is an art passed down from generation to generation. The one person who really showed me the meaning of dot paintings and how to dot paint was my Grandmother Joan Margret Martin nee Lewis (deceased), a well-known Aboriginal Artist. My Grandmother was one of the main people in my life that helped me to become the artistic person I am today. Painting and story telling to me is a form of meditation and spiritual healing.
Today I am blessed with the company of my Nanna – my Mum’s Mother and respected Nyungar Elder, Theresa Walley. Her knowledge has been inspirational in developing Djurandi Dreaming. Spending time with her on our country with our children passing down language, dreamtime stories and works of creation to our next generations. My Nanna will be a special guest sharing her knowledge on some of our tours.
I hope you enjoyed my story, and that it has given you creative thought of my dreamtime culture and way of life.
Justin Martin
Owner / Operator
The person who showed me the meanings of West Australian Aboriginal art was my Grandmother Joan Margret Martin nee Lewis (deceased), a well-known Aboriginal Artist. She helped me to become and shaped me to be the artistic person I am today.
Growing up my Grandmother showed me what it takes to be an Aboriginal artist. From describing each of her newly finished paintings, to the current ones in detail, the meanings of each painting. How she got her colours by mixing paint, to the specific ways she stroked the paintbrush. She even showed me how to frame canvases using second hand frames. She always used Jo Sonja’s acrylic paints which is what I also use in my paintings, I think it’s has the perfect thickness and texture for dot paintings.
Even though I was exposed to so much artistic creativity I never actually painted until I went through what I call a spiritual awakening. After a near death experience I always thought about painting my dreams. Not long after that my Grandmother, my Nanna Joan passed away so I started painting for meditational purposes, trying to channel her spirit for answers and guidance. Even though I couldn’t speak to my Grandmother whilst I was painting I would seek the answers I needed. This is why painting to me is a form of meditation and spiritual healing.
Today when I paint I endure the companionship of my children. Always wanting them to paint with, or along side of me, passing down our dreamtime stories and works of creation.
I paint on flat canvas as well as stretched canvas always using quality paints. I paint for recreational purposes as well as painting custom pieces by request.
Recent art projects have included:
Custom pieces are available by request to suit your needs, quality framing included and other pieces for sale when available.
