Emu Trax Aboriginal Services:

ART- EDUCATION-CULTURE-CONSULTANCY

Art with a story. Tracks for the next generation.

Emu Trax provides Aboriginal art and creative services, professional development and cultural competency training. Commision artwork a speciality with detailed storylines.

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About

Aboriginal Experience That Comes from a Lifetime of Work

Original paintings, storytelling and learning by Daryl Nayler WALBUNJA YUIN GUNDUNGURRA KOORI

Emu Trax Aboriginal Services is not built around a recently acquired interest in Aboriginal culture. It comes from a lifetime of Aboriginal identity, lived and professional experience and working relationships.

Daryl Nayler is an Aboriginal educator, registered secondary teacher, VET trainer and assessor, community development practitioner and independent consultant with a career spanning secondary school education, flexible learning, Aboriginal, government, health, justice, disability, employment services, vocational education RTO's and the automotive/transport industry.

PROFESSIONAL REGISTRATION & CREDENTIALS

VICTORIA – VIT Registered Teacher No. 375983: 2012–present Classroom Teacher Range 2.6
NEW SOUTH WALES – NESA Registered Teacher No. 1436816: 2023–present Proficient Teacher
QUEENSLAND – QCT Registered Aboriginal Teacher No. 877908: 2014–present Highly Accomplished HA
VET TRAINER & ASSESSOR TAE40116 TAA40104 • BSZ40198 • LLN credential/training
JUSTICE OF THE PEACE – VIC JP No. 12950 2012–present Victorian JP Hall of Fame
OTHER NSW WWCC: WWC2371617E MR truck, bus, car Victorian driver licence Indigenous Art Code No. 00008193

EDUCATION & QUALIFICATIONS

• Graduate Diploma of Education (Secondary) Victoria University, Melbourne | Teaching majors/specialisations: Humanities and Wellbeing; professional practice included History, Geography, Social Sciences, student wellbeing, behaviour/engagement, differentiation and secondary placements.

• Bachelor of Social Science — Community Development | Victoria University

• Diploma of Adult & Community Education | RMIT University

• Diploma of Community Services | Kangan Institute

• Certificate IV in Training & Assessment — TAE40116 | IVET Institute

• Certificate IV in Training & Assessment — TAA40104

• Certificate IV in Training & Assessment — BSZ40198

• Language, Literacy & Numeracy (LLN) credential/training — RMIT University

Traditional Lands

Emu Trax Aboriginal Services acknowledges that we live, work and operate on the traditional lands of the Barapa Barapa people.

A life in art, learning and community

I began drawing as a child in Brisbane. I left school at 14 and entered the workforce, but art stayed with me. When I returned to study and worked alongside Aboriginal people, Elders and community organisations, I found encouragement and a deeper sense of responsibility for the stories I share.

HAND PAINTED Acrylic originals, strong linework and vivid colour. Animals, waterways and journeys shape each painting. A kookaburra may welcome a new day; pelicans can speak to companionship; an emu track can ask what we leave behind.

STORY LED Each work carries an artist profile and a story that can open discussion at home, in a school or in a workplace. The paintings express my lived experience and observations; they do not claim another community’s Dreaming stories or restricted knowledge. ART WITHIN REACH I offer original art at accessible prices, as well as commissions and educational art projects. Buy directly from the artist and know whose hands made your piece and what story inspired it.

EXPLORE • ASK ABOUT A PAINTING • COMMISSION A WORK

Biography

Daryl Nayler is an Aboriginal artist, educator, community practitioner and storyteller whose work is deeply connected to Country, family, identity, cultural memory and belonging. Daryl’s Aboriginal identity is Koori, with Walbunja Yuin and Gundungurra ancestry, connected to the lands and communities of Braidwood and the Southern Tablelands of southern New South Wales. His Aboriginal identity comes through his mother's family line of the Willoughby's of Braidwood. His father is not Aboriginal. Like many Aboriginal families, his family experienced the disruption, displacement and cultural pressures that accompanied colonisation and its continuing effects across generations. His art is a way of remembering, honouring and bringing learning stories of through colour, symbolism and relationship between people, place and culture, while acknowledging the strength of Aboriginal people and culture to survive, adapt and continue.

As an educator and community practitioner, Daryl has spent much of his life working with people, sharing knowledge and supporting others. His artistic practice now provides another way to teach stories. For Daryl, art is not simply about creating an image. It is about connection to the people who came before, to Country, and to the stories that continue to travel forward through generations. His work is created for audiences in Australia and internationally as an expression of Aboriginal identity, cultural connection to his "belonging place", resilience and contemporary Aboriginal storytelling — carrying forward stories from the past while creating new ones for generations to come. His work is contemporary. It is hand-drawn. It is story driven. And it is deliberately individual.

Recent work

Sharing Culture, Sharing Knowledge

In this artwork, the cockatoos sit together beneath the sun, connected by pathways that represent the sharing of knowledge, culture, and community. The large meeting circle reminds us that learning begins when people come together, listen, and respect one another's stories.

The cockatoos are messengers. They travel across Country, carrying songs, language, history, and cultural teachings from one generation to the next. The wattle growing beneath them symbolises growth, resilience, and the strength that comes from knowing who we are and where we belong.

The pathways connecting the circles show that culture is not kept by one person alone. It is shared through conversations, storytelling, art, caring for Country, and learning from Elders. Every person has a role in keeping culture strong by listening, learning, and passing knowledge on with respect.

This artwork teaches us that when we share our culture, we strengthen our communities. By valuing Aboriginal perspectives, respecting diversity, and learning together, we create a future where culture continues to grow and flourish for generations to come. y, UI Design

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Pelican – Keeper of the Waters

In this Koori-inspired artwork, the Pelican stands proudly beside the waterways of Country. For many generations, pelicans have been watched by our people as patient hunters, travelling across rivers, lakes and estuaries where life is abundant.

The pathways and circles surrounding the pelican represent the connections between water, people and Country. The flowing lines symbolise the movement of water that sustains all living things, while the gathering circles show places where families met to share stories, knowledge and food.

The pelican teaches patience, observation and balance. It waits quietly, understanding that good things come to those who respect the rhythms of nature. As it glides across the water, it reminds us to care for our waterways and protect the life they hold for future generations.

This artwork celebrates the pelican as a respected guardian of the wetlands, carrying the wisdom of Country and the enduring connection between people, water and culture.

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The Storks – Waterbird Gathering

In Country, the stork is seen as a powerful waterbird connected to rivers, wetlands and the cycles of life. In many stories, storks gather together at dawn and dusk, moving between waterholes and coastal lagoons, carrying messages of balance, renewal and connection to Country.

In this artwork, the storks stand and move together in a shared gathering, surrounded by flowing water paths and ancient lore symbols. Each stork is shown in a different colour, representing the diversity of life and the many different families, clans and stories that exist across Country. Their forms rise and bend like the wind, echoing the movement of water and sky.

The surrounding symbols represent knowledge passed through generations—tracks of ancestors, meeting places, and the unseen connections between land, water and sky. The circular patterns show gathering places where stories are shared, while the flowing lines represent travel routes used by birds, people and spirit across Country.

This artwork celebrates the storks as part of a living system of story and place. It reminds us that all waterbirds are connected to the health of Country, and that when we observe them closely, we learn about patience, movement, and the importance of caring for waterways and the life they sustain.

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The Lyrebird – Keeper of Song and Memory

In many Aboriginal cultures, the lyrebird is known as a master of sound and storytelling. It is a messenger of Country, carrying the voices of the land through its remarkable song. The lyrebird reminds us to listen closely—to the wind, the water, the animals, and the stories held in the earth.The intricate markings across the lyrebird’s body represent its gift of imitation and learning. Just as the lyrebird gathers and repeats the sounds of the forest, Aboriginal culture carries forward knowledge through story, song and oral tradition. It teaches us to pay attention, to remember, and to honour what we hear.This artwork celebrates the lyrebird as a keeper of song and memory—moving gently through Country, connecting all living things through sound. It reminds us that Country is always speaking, and when we listen deeply, we become part of its ongoing story.

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