Harry and Meghan learn First Nations history on Melbourne walk

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle spent Thursday morning on a guided Scar Tree Walk in Melbourne, using a public appearance to learn about First Nations history along the Birrarung and through some of the city’s most visible Indigenous landmarks. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were joined by local press as they walked, while members of the public stopped to watch and take photos.

The route began at the Koorie Heritage Trust in Federation Square and followed the Birrarung, or Yarra River, through Birrarung Wilam, the River Camp, before crossing William Barak Bridge and finishing at the Scar Trees in Yarra Park near the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The bridge is named for William Barak, a Ngurungaeta, or elder, of the Wurundjeri-willam clan, the Traditional Owners of Narrm. The meeting place of the Wurundjeri people now sits beside the MCG, giving the walk a sharp reminder of how Indigenous history still runs through the modern city.

The Koorie Heritage Trust says the tour is led by knowledgeable First Peoples guides and is designed for groups and organisations, lasting about 1.5 to 2 hours. Its purpose is not just to point out sites, but to share the rich cultural history of Narrm and the continuing connection of First Peoples to Country. The trust describes the Scar Trees as a protected cultural heritage site and says the walk offers a glimpse into more than 60,000 years of living culture within a modern city landscape.

Scar trees, sometimes called canoe trees or shield trees, were formed when bark was removed for canoes, shelters, weapons, tools, traps and containers. They could also carry artistic or spiritual meaning. By ending the walk at the scar trees in Yarra Park, the tour linked those uses directly to place, showing how cultural knowledge survives in the landscape itself rather than in museum displays alone.

The Melbourne stop came during a four-day Australia visit that ABC News said would focus on mental health, community resilience and support for veterans and their families, alongside private meetings and special projects. ABC News said Harry and Meghan, travelling under their titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex, would also take part in ticketed events, giving the trip a commercial edge as well as a charitable one.

The visit marked seven years since the couple last came to Australia in 2018, when they were newly married and Meghan was pregnant with their first child. For First Nations groups, the test is whether that kind of global attention ends at a photo opportunity or helps widen public understanding of Country, culture and the continuing role of Indigenous knowledge in a city built around it.