The Australian Institute of Landscape Architects recently announced the 2024 NSW State Awards winners, including the Yirran muru Aboriginal Interpretive Playspace, crafted by Fiona Robbé Landscape Architects in collaboration with Shellharbour City Council.
The 34 winners chosen from 68 entries across 15 categories were revealed during a ceremony at Chatswood's Zenith Theatre.
The Playspace also received a Regional Achievement Award.
Located amidst the scenic Merrigong mountains (the Illawarra Escarpment) and stretching to the coast, Yirran muru (meaning 'many pathways') Playspace stands out in NSW for its immersive journey into Dharawal culture.
Celebrating 65,000 years of Dharawal connection to Country, Dreaming stories, travel routes, and language, the playspace integrates extensive community consultation.
Dharawal woman and cultural advisor and storysharer, Dr Jodi Edwards, explained the importance of community input: "We spoke to children in the local area from high school right down to preschool to see what they wanted."
"Essentially, they wanted to be able to run, jump, and play," she said.
"They don't need the parks with traditional slippery dips because they can just go there for that."
From these insights, Dr Edwards emphasised the need for a cultural landscape based on Dharawal stories, ensuring children could engage in their desired activities while connecting with their heritage.
"I had a cultural map that I showed them, and they developed it from there," she said.
"I helped shape some of the things that went in there like the shark calendar and the language wheel."
The Playspace is designed as a physical representation of traditional travel routes across Dharawal Country, featuring stepping stones and pathways that mimic the seasonal movements of the Dharawal people.
Key local landmarks are symbolically incorporated into the play elements, each offering unique Aboriginal methods of learning such as storytelling, hands-on construction and deconstruction activities, and the use of symbols.
Interpretive signage accompanies each landmark to enhance understanding of Dharawal heritage.
Dr Edwards highlighted the playspace's broader impact.
"It's about kids being able to be outside in the natural environment with the opportunity of having an environmental experience shaped in cultural identity and strengthened through our Lore and Law."
This innovative playspace not only provides physical, social, and sensory play challenges but also offers discovery-based learning opportunities, making it a significant educational and cultural asset for the community.
