Doolan Leisha Eatts telling her grandmother’s story. Photo by Poppy van Oorde-Grainger

THE untold stories of Galup (Lake Monger) are rendered into virtual reality to bring the wetland’s history to the present in an upcoming free production.

The nine-minute VR film was created by Noongar theatre-maker Ian Wilkes and artist and filmmaker Poppy van Oorde-Grainger, with an oral history from elder Doolann Leisha Eatts, based on their lakeside performance ‘Galup’ at the Perth Festival.

Ms Eatts, who died this year, had recounted a story passed down by her grandmother about colonists massacring Aboriginal people at the lake around 1830. 

Ian Wilkes telling the lake’s story. Photo by Dan Grant

“It’s a dream of mine, [for] 71 years… I wanted my story told, wanted it put out,” Ms Eatts had said when recounting the story. 

This version is a 360-degree VR experience set an hour before sunset, with Wilkes leading the viewer on a tour and relating the hidden story of an ancient wetland as rush-hour traffic passes by in the background.

Entry to the Galup VR Experience is free at WA Museum Boola Bardip from July 3 to 17 for Naidoc Week. Book a free ticket via galuptruth.com