On a tranquil stretch of Merri Creek, not far from where a woman was allegedly brutally raped last week, about 200 people watched in silence on Saturday morning as Auntie Annette Xiberras performed a smoking ceremony.

“Thank you for coming to take time to give respect and cleanse the area and the badness that has happened,” the Wurundjeri elder said softly.

Members of the public gathered for a cleansing ceremony at Ceres, near Merri Creek, on Saturday. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui

“When someone goes out for a bit of fun and her personal safety is taken away, it puts a bit of fear in everyone’s hearts."

Auntie Annette invited those present to breathe in the fragrant steam. The ashes were special, she said, they were mixed with those from the first tent embassy and had passed through every tribal group in Victoria.