Elyse and I are wading through a field of native Kangaroo Grass, Themeda australis, near the Southern Highlands of NSW. We’ve had good rain this season, so the soil is a dream to dig and the dam is full and surprisingly clear. My Kelpie Rainey is working alongside us, her ears sticking just above the grass seed heads as they glisten and sway brown-bronze in the sun. We’re out here planting tube stock of various native plants under the guidance of Christian Hampson, CEO and co-founder of Yerrabingin, an Indigenous landscape, design and collaborative solutions start-up.
As we plant lemon myrtle, Backhousia citriodora, Elyse fills me in: “Lemon myrtle is one of my favourite plants because of its instantly refreshing and uplifting citrus aroma when you crush the leaves. It has a strong sweet taste in food and drink and powerful antimicrobial qualities when it comes to topical use.” I soon come to realise that this is just the tip of the iceberg of Elyse’s knowledge of and love for our native botanicals.
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Back in Eveleigh, Sydney, Elyse has an incredible role working for Yerrabingin. Yerrabingin, meaning we walk together, comes from the Indigenous language Mooktung, spoken by the Bidawul and Maneroo people of the south-eastern high country of NSW.
Led by Christian and Elyse, the Yerrabingin group seeks to disrupt conventional approaches to end Indigenous disadvantage. They do this by offering creative and exploratory experiences, spaces and opportunities to connect with Australia’s rich land and heritage. One of these is the Yerrabingin’s native rooftop farm and Indigenous cultural landscape garden in Eveleigh.
Elyse and I keep chatting. Speaking of her day job, she says, “There’s always something new for me to learn and knowledge there to share with the wider community and visitors to the space, whether it be about the endemic species of the area or its cultural history. For me, the majority of learning happens in the early stages of a project where we work with the community in developing the Indigenous design narratives.”
One of my favourite areas of the Yerrabingin cultural landscape garden in Eveleigh is the rammed earth yarning circle with its midden layer seating space. This was constructed using earth from the site with the help of the community. “The shell midden feature is an educational tool sharing the valuable information about past Aboriginal economy and land use,” Elyse says.
Back in the field of Kangaroo Grass, we meander on, leaving a trail of young Backhousias in our wake. Rainey checks our work as we go. In the distance, we can see Christian and another set of helping hands, Alex, planting native raspberries along the tree line. “What’s the plan?”, I ask. “2021 is going to be big for us,” says Elyse. “At the moment, as you can see, it’s full of lush Kangaroo Grass which we have been working on harvesting for native flour production, however the vision for Yerrabingin is to create an environmentally, socially and culturally sustainable destination.” As a new addition to the Yerrabingin cultural sites, this Southern Highlands location will showcase earth building, native permaculture and cultural heritage in a unique way. The farm will provide training and employment opportunities for young Indigenous people in horticulture, hospitality and design.
Elyse tells me that another of the Yerrabingin offerings is the production of native food and botanical products. Lilly Pilly Riberry (both Syzygium species from the Myrtaceae family) is a common garden or street tree identified by its small red fruit. “It is a rich source of antioxidants essential for cell regeneration,” Elyse explains. “Lilly Pilly extract has strong astringent properties that help to firm the skin. Its high vitamin C and fruit acid content make skin look radiant and youthful.”
Elyse tells me about another plant and Rainey’s ears stick up with curiosity. “Kunzea, or the common name ‘tick bush’, is an interesting one as native animals are often found sleeping underneath the plant to seek relief from ticks and other parasites. When extracted and used topically, Kunzea oil is readily absorbed and helps soothe irritated skin. It is a proven analgesic with anti-inflammatory, anti-infectious and anti-microbial properties.” I think to myself, “Would it be possible to stop purchasing the synthetic and costly tick treatment from the vet and instead use the natural form?”
Through conversation and appreciation for the land, I soon see how this landscape will transform and evolve with the knowledge and passion of people like Elyse, a proud Woiwurrung woman, and Christian, a proud Maneroo man. Elyse enthusiastically adds, “We want to collaborate with different communities and small farmers who share our passion for sustainability and ethically sourced, wild-grown, uniquely Australian raw ingredients and plants by helping them get to market.”
As we dig in the dark loamy soil, we realise we worked in the Kimberley around the same time and have a mutual love for tropical North West Australia. For Elyse, her inspiration began on this land. Last year, during COVID-19, the Yerrabingin team blended a face oil for the bearded men among us. “We wanted to create a nourishing all-around face product for men that has a warm earthy aroma,” she explains. Elyse sources the botanicals from Native Secrets, an Aboriginal-owned business in Dubbo that is doing great and innovative things in the native essential oil arena. One of the star products used in Yarrang is White Cypress wood or Callitris glaucophylla. “It has a strong place in Aboriginal culture (oars, resin and medicine) and now essential oil production. The benefit of this oil is that it promotes circulation that aids in the flushing of toxins and anti-bacterial properties to prevent the growth of bacteria.”
Yerrabingin has a couple of other products already in the pipeline to launch later this year in food, cosmetic and botanical oil production. “Distilling oils from parts of the native plant that typically wouldn’t be used is a way for us to do something unique and with minimal waste,” Elyse explains. With a passion for the breathtaking landscape around Broome and Beagle Bay where she worked, Elyse has always been up for an outback adventure and worked at sea as a vessel manager/deckhand. “I found myself constantly cleaning or throwing out leaked or leaking bottles of my liquid skincare. I started searching for a solid skincare regime — this was about four years ago and at the time there was nothing on the market, so that’s when I decided I would create my own.”
Elyse has always used natural cosmetics, so she had an idea of what ingredients she wanted to include. However, the hardest part was making the formulas solid. With the help of an amazing natural cosmetic chemist, the formulation process took around three years to perfect before By Will was created. With little to no water used in the formulations and manufacturing process, the efficacy of the formulas is sustainable in terms of water usage.
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Now that Elyse has mastered creating a natural, solid and efficient formulation, her vision for By Will is to create a more sustainable brand. “I’ll start with refillable packaging and then I’d like to draw attention to the excellence of Australian plants, focusing exclusively on Australian botanicals, hopefully using ingredients from Yerrabingin Farm and other Aboriginal businesses and communities.”
Byron Smith is happiest when exploring anywhere off the beaten track or in the water. He is a novice naturalist, the co-author of Slow Down and Grow Something and owner of edible garden business Urban Growers.
