Welcome to Naarm - the lands of the Kulin Nation

AIEC 2024 will be held on Naarm, the Indigenous name for the area known as Melbourne, and Naarm is the traditional lands of the Kulin Nation.

The Kulin Nation is a collective of five Aboriginal clans: Wurundjeri, Boonwurrung, Wathaurrung, Taungurung, and Dja DjaWrung. 

Their collective territory extends around Port Phillip and Western Port, up into the Great Dividing Range and the Loddon and Goulburn River valleys. The Kulin Nation has inhabited the area for an estimated 40,000 years and prior to colonisation was a nation of more than 20,000 people.

The Kulin Nation lived by fishing, hunting and gathering, making a good living from the rich food sources of Port Phillip and the surrounding grasslands. Birrarung, today also known as the Yarra River, also played a crucial part in Kulin Nation culture. This whole area was where thousands of people gathered for ceremony and celebration, for trade and to hold inter-Nation business.

To learn more about Naarm, the Wurundjeri and the Kulin Nation, please visit the Naarm Lounge at AIEC in the Exhibition Hall. 

More information

Artwork

This artwork represents the Australian International Education Conference (AIEC) 2024 in Melbourne/Naarm, Australia and showcases this year’s theme, 'the human element'. Designed and created by First nations visual artist, Emma Bamblett from Kinya Lerkk. Emma is a proud Wemba Wemba, Gunditjmara, Ngadjonji, and Taungurung woman working in Naarm.

In the central blue section of the artwork is Bunjil, the eagle, and Waa, the crow soaring across the lands of the Wurundjeri people to showcase the Country and Land that AIEC will be meeting upon. It’s highlighted in the middle of the artwork to pay our respects and give thanks to the Wurundjeri people.

The green section to the left with the hill formations represents the many Country and Lands that delegates, guests and speakers are coming from to share information, showcase and celebrate this year's theme ‘The Human Element’. The footprints walking throughout the blue section represent the student pathways and voices. This leads into the middle where there are red circles with curved lines connecting to represent the networking and meetings that will be held at the conference.

The orange section with the yellow circles and sitting symbols surrounding represents the conference and the many ways that delegates will be involved through learning, connecting, discovering and engaging. The red sections with the different size lines represent the connections that will occur throughout the week. They move in different directions highlighting interactions at the conference.

The bright colours and bold design represent the power of personal connections, community engagement, cultural understanding and shared in-person experiences where delegates prove that human connections remain at the very heart of international education.

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Key dates

21 March - Call for proposals opens

12 April - Call for proposals closes

30 May - Registration open

July - Program released

31 July - Super early bird registration closes

13 September - Early bird registration closes

22–25 October – AIEC 2024