21 January 2026
Students and staff at Halls Creek District High School are connecting people to Aboriginal culture and preserving local stories with the help of virtual reality (VR).
Michelle Buss, Deputy Principal of Halls Creek District High School, said students from Years 3 to 9 attended camps and daytrips where Elders shared their knowledge in dreaming stories, history, bush medicine and bush tucker.
Students took part in a daytrip and leart about Kangaroo Rock Dreaming.
“From this, a particularly powerful story, called Kangaroo Rock Dreaming, emerged,” she said.
“This yarn was told to the students on-Country by school Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Officers (AIEO) and Gija man Eric Ramsey as it was told to him by his Elders.”
This sparked the idea of blending VR and Aboriginal culture together as staff saw how effective learning on-Country from Elders and the hands-on nature of learning in VR was.
To bring the story into VR, students worked alongside Elders, visiting important places on-Country and taking photos of the different areas.
“These photos were then turned into 3D models using a process called photogrammetry, which lets us recreate real places in the virtual world,” Miss Buss said.
Halls Creek District High School student trying out the VR world.
“Eric Ramsey recorded the story in language and English, and this guided how the virtual environment was built.
“Our technology partner supported the school by building things like the kangaroos’ movements and gave them AI so the experience feels alive.”
Students had a great time being part of this project.
“When I was blessing the rock in VR, I felt calm but nervous at the same time because it was strange being there in a game,” said Year 6 student Tyson Thomas.
“You got to get a stick or a rock and rub it on Kangaroo Rock so the Kangaroos will come. Our ancestors did this to get a feed long time ago,” said Year 5 student Charlotte Butters.
This year the school will start a digital technology program that will teach students to build and code their own VR experiences.
“Over the three-year program, they will learn how to capture places on-Country respectfully, how to turn real photos into 3D objects, and how to use simple coding to make things move or respond in the virtual world,” Miss Buss said.
Students and Elders will then be able to play their part in combining the ancient knowledge with the new technology, keeping culture alive together.
The VR world helps connect people to Aboriginal culture and preserving local stories.
Student, Azza Johnson said they’re excited for this year’s project.
“I am excited about coding my favourite place, The Snake Dreaming we saw at Violet Valley,” he said.
Principal Daniel Pollard said it’s vital to make these stories accessible for Aboriginal students as they become the knowledge holders of the future.
“They become guardians of the stories, they become theirs to share with tomorrow’s students,” Mr Pollard said.
Miss Buss said these opportunities are so important.
“It is an excellent example of two-way learning (Ngaparrjti Ngaparrtji) which we know is the best way to help our Indigenous students to take in knowledge and to feel valuable,” she said.
“The tech also helps with preservation of this ancient and priceless knowledge.
“The final VR world is shaped by culture, created with students, and grounded in Country.”
Watch Kangaroo Rock Dreaming on YouTube.