Centennial Park Cultural Garden

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An unutilised small space at the Robertson Road Gates of Centennial Park has been transformed into a welcoming cultural garden, influenced by a Dharawal Dreaming story about the banksia (Waddhangarii). The Centennial Park Cultural Garden is a physical connection to Cadigal Country and a celebration of the critically endangered Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub that was once prevalent on this site. The narrative of the garden is the result of a collaborative design process that included input from Traditional Knowledge Holders.

The site at one of the Park’s main entries, Robertson Road Gates, was identified as a location that would welcome First Nations visitors, providing a feeling of cultural safety and allowing park visitors to feel connected to Country as they enter the park.

The Centennial Park Cultural Garden incorporates language, storytelling and traditional ecological knowledge into the design, interconnecting design and Country while complementing the broader Centennial Park landscape. Working with Bidjigal Elder Uncle Vic Simms, the design team has incorporated an Indigenous narrative that evokes the ecologies that were once so prolific on the site.