ABORIGINAL MELBOURNE A TOUR BY NICOLA INSKIP
ABORIGINAL MELBOURNE A TOUR BY NICOLA INSKIP (541197) ASIA PACIFIC MODERNITIES TUTOR: TOMMY JOO SEMESTER 2/2013
INTRODUCTION Today, cities internationally are expanding at unpredicted rates- the city of Melbourne is no exception. Settled less than 200 years ago in 1835, Melbourne has since grown to support hundreds of thousands of people. What is less evident within the City of Melbourne is the heritage of the place prior to 1835. Despite the apparent permanence of the city, prior to 1835 Melbourne as we know it today did not exist. The place which has become known as Melbourne belonged to the people of the Kulin Nation. Encompassing the entire Port Phillip region, the Kulin Nation comprised of people from at least 5 different language groupsthe Boonwurrung (Boonwur-rung), Dja Dja Wurrung (Jar-Jar-Wur-rung), the Taungurung (Tung-ger-
rung), the Wathaurung (Wath-er-rung), and the Woiwurrung (Woy-wurrung) commonly known as the Wurundjeri. Evidence suggests that this part of southern Australia has been populated for up to 40,000 years. For generations the Koories (the people of the Kulin Nation) successfully adapted to climatic and environmental changes as temperatures rose and fell and with them, the sea level and coastline. Despite the long history of the Koorie in the region, the history of the Kulin Nation is easily overlooked in preference of colonial memories of place. This tour will guide you through the city of Melbourne picking up traces of the landscape and culture which are disappearing in the expansion of the city.
Presland, Gary. 2001. Aboriginal Melbourne: the lost land of the Kulin people (Forest Hill, NSW : Harriland Press, 2001), 1-5.
An early view of Melbourne from the south of the Yarra.
The city of Melbourne less then 200 year after settlement.
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TOUR LOCATIONS: KOORIE HERITAGE 1 TRUST 295 King Street Melbourne
FLAGSTAFF 2 GARDENS
Corner of Latrobe and King Streets
BUNJIL STATUE 3 Intersection of Flinders Street and Wurundjeri Way
THE TRAVELLERS 4 Sandridge Bridge
SCAR: A STOLEN 5 VISION North Bank of Yarra ENTERPRIZE 6 WHARF North Bank of Yarra
KOORIE HERITAGE 01 TRUST 295 King Street Melbourne Opening hours Mon: 9am – 5pm Tues: 9am – 5pm Wed: 9am – 5pm Thurs: 9am – 5pm Fri: 9am – 5pm
Located at the corner of King Street and Little Lonsdale Street, The Koorie Heritage Trust is a cultural centre aiming to bridge the cultural gap between the Koorie People and the wider community in contemporary Melbourne. Here there is an opportunity to gain insight into the presence of the Koori in 21st century Melbourne as well as engage with their cultural heritage through the exhibitions and educational programs facilitated here. The Trust hosts thousands of artefacts, artworks and photographs. Artefacts here include, grinding stones, axe heads, shields, fish and eel traps and, most uniquely, possum skin cloaks. The trust also
has a large collection of contemporary art and memorabilia. Having gained a greater understanding of local indigenous history and tradition as well as an appreciation of ongoing presence of Koori in Melbourne, the next stop on the tour is Flagstaff Gardens.
Koorie Heritage Trust ‘Wominjeka’ http://www.koorieheritagetrust.com/ about_us (accessed October 1 2013)
Image 1: Members of the Koorie Heritage Trust
Image 2: Parrying shield showing geometric carvings
Image 3: Exhibition on the upper level of the Cultural Centre
FLAGSTAFF 02 GARDENS Cnr King Street and La Trobe Street, Melbourne
Encompassing the highest natural landform in Melbourne, Flagstaff Garden gains its name from the Flagstaff erected there in 1840, five years after settlement. The flag pole was used to communicate news from the Bay to the settlement of Melbourne. By the 1860’s the flagstaff was superseded by electric telegraph and was no longer used as a means of communication. Today, the Flagstaff pole remains at the highest point of the park but is now dwarfed by the surrounding buildings. Once providing 360° views of Melbourne and the surrounding landscape it is no longer possible to see the entire bay or mountain ranges, only glimpses in
the distance between buildings. What is not evident on the site is the significance of this spot of the Koori who traditionally used it in a similar way. The top of the hill provided a vantage point from which smoke signals could be seen. Furthermore the Landscaping of this park reflects the loss and replacement of native vegetation of eucalypts and wattle bushed with foreign plant species which continue to dominate the park. From the Flagstaff Gardens the tour moves down Spencer Street towards Southern Cross station.
Public Records Office Victoria ‘Flagstaff Gardens’ http://prov.vic.gov. au/whats-on/exhibitions/water-stories/a-garden-city/flagstaff-gardens (accessed October 1 2013)
Image 4: Top of Flagstaff hill
Image 5: Survey of Melbourne by Robert Russell in 1837 showing native vegetation and flagstaff hill
Image 6: Keep your eyes open for these little guys throughout the Gardens. Possums are a protect native species.
03 BUNJIL Intersection of Flinders Street and Wurundjeri Way Can be viewed from the bridge over Wurundjeri Way on Collins Street
This statue by Bruce Armstrong stands at 25m tall and is made of timber and aluminium. His eyes are made of glass. Designed in consultation with the local indigenous community, this statue represents Bunjil, an eagle, the creator of the Kulin People. Bunjil is an ancestral being who watches over and protects the land. This statue was placed in his current location in 2002.
immediate area where it can continue to watch over the people of Melbourne. As you progress to the next site, a bridge over the Yarra River, take note of how the landscape of Yarra has changed. See image 9 for and illustration of this
In 2013 it was announced the Bunjil would have to be relocated to make way for a new commercial and residential development on the site. Several new locations have been suggested and it is the artists and traditional land owners desire for the sculpture to remain in the Jason Dowling ‘No room for Bunjil in Docklands plan’ The Age http:// www.theage.com.au/victoria/no-room-for-bunjil-in-docklands-plan20130801-2r2b5.html (accessed October 1 2013)
Image 7: Bruce Armstrong’s sculpture overlooking the city
Image 8: Detail of Bunjil
Image 9: An early view of Melbourne from the south of the Yarra
04 THE TRAVELLERS Sandridge Bridge, Between south bank and Flinders Street Station.
Once a railway bridge, Sandridge Bridge was repurposed as a pedestrian walkway and installation titled ‘The Travellers’ in 2006. This installation features 10 towering stainless steel sculptures. Nine of the sculptures are placed along the bridge and recognise the migrants from all over the world who have come, over water to Melbourne. Most significantly, the tenth sculpture in this installation acknowledges that the people of the Kulin Nation were Melbourne’s first people. Situated on the southern bank of the Yarra, Gayip, the sculpture representing the Aboriginal period of Melbourne, watches as the travellers arrive. City of Melbourne, ‘Travellers Fact Sheet’, Sandridge Bridge Precinct Redevelopment, accessed October 1 2013 http://www.melbourne.vic.gov. au/AboutMelbourne/ProjectsandInitiatives/MajorProjects/Documents/
Image 10: Gayip, the sculpture representing the Aboriginal period of Melbourne
Image 11: View of the bridge showing sculptures crossing the river.
SCAR: A STOLEN 05 VISION Flinders St, Northbank, Yarra River, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000
A collaborative project between artists Karen Casey, Craig Charles, Glenn Romanis, Maree Clarke, Ray Thomas, Ricardo Idagi and Treahna Hamm, Scar: A Stolen Vision engages with the indigenous tradition of tree scarring. Traditionally scar trees were created when the bark of a tree was removed to create canoes, shields or to mark territories or graves. Ultimately scar trees express the presence of indigenous people and their connection to the land. The majority of scar trees created pre-settlement have been destroyed.
The installation utilises recycled pier post from the Docklands which have been carved, burnt, painted and reshaped to impart stories about the artist, their culture and history. The project is a modern form of tree scaring which links the heritage of the artist with their contemporary reality. This installation highlights what while the culture of the Koorie has changed drastically over the last hundred years it remains deeply rooted in its heritage as it evolves with the city around it.
City of Melbourne, ‘Scar: A Stolen Vision, Outdoor Artworks, accessed October 1 2013 http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/AboutMelbourne/ ArtsandEvents/Documents/publicart_outdoorartworks.pdf
Image 12: The scar poles.
Image 13: Detail of painting and carving on the scar poles
ENTERPRISE 06 WHARF Flinders St, Northbank, Yarra River, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000 Beside Queens Bridge.
Located on the Northern bank of the Yarra River, Enterprise Wharf marks the location where the ships of the settlers arrived and started the city in 1835. What is no longer evident on the site is the defining factor which caused this spot along the river to be selected but also made this place of particular significance to the Koori. Where Queens Bridge stands was once falls and rapids (see image 15). The falls meant this was the furthest point along the river ships could sail. The falls also stopped the salt water from the bay reaching the fresh water beyond the falls (see image 16). Enterprise Park marks what had been an ideal place for a settlement.
To the Koori, this place had also been significant. The falls likewise provided access to fresh drinking water and acted as a food source. The falls also provided a natural bridge across the river. More importantly this place was also chosen by the people of the Kulin Nation as a meeting place where all the different tribes and language groups of the Kulin Nation would meet to resolve conflict, trade or performs ceremonies before returning to their own lands. The falls were destroyed in 1860’s.
Presland, Gary. 2001. Aboriginal Melbourne: the lost land of the Kulin people (Forest Hill, NSW : Harriland Press, 2001), 22-23..
Image 14: Enterprise Wharf is marked by a sculpture title ‘Constellation “ by Bruce Armstrong and Geoffrey Bartlett
Image 15: Melbourne from the falls, from a sketch Oct. 1838 by Robert Russell
Image 16: An early survey of melbourne showing the falls with salt water on one side and freah water on the other.
BIBLIOGRAPHY City of Melbourne, ‘Travellers Fact Sheet’, Sandridge Bridge Precinct Redevelopment, accessed October 1 2013 http://www.melbourne.vic.gov. au/AboutMelbourne/ProjectsandInitiatives/MajorProjects/Documents/ The_Travellers_Factsheet1804.pdf City of Melbourne, ‘Scar: A Stolen Vision, Outdoor Artworks, accessed October 1 2013 http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/AboutMelbourne/ ArtsandEvents/Documents/publicart_outdoorartworks.pdf Jason Dowling ‘No room for Bunjil in Docklands plan’ The Age http:// www.theage.com.au/victoria/no-room-for-bunjil-in-docklands-plan20130801-2r2b5.html (accessed October 1 2013) Koorie Heritage Trust ‘Wominjeka’ http://www.koorieheritagetrust.com/ about_us (accessed October 1 2013) Public Records Office Victoria ‘Flagstaff Gardens’ http://prov.vic.gov. au/whats-on/exhibitions/water-stories/a-garden-city/flagstaff-gardens (accessed October 1 2013) Presland, Gary. 2001. Aboriginal Melbourne: the lost land of the Kulin people (Forest Hill, NSW : Harriland Press, 2001)
ILLUSTRATIONS Cover: Koorie Heritage Trust ‘Shield Detail’ http://www.koorieheri-
tagetrust.com/collections/images_and_resources__1/image_gallery (accessed October 1 2013)
Image 1: ‘About us’ Koorie Heritage Trust < http://www. koorieheritagetrust.com/about_us> Image 2: ‘Parrying shield’ Culture Victoria, 2013
<http://www.cv.vic.gov.au/stories/art-and-artefacts/5636/shield Image 3: Blue Bottle Design ‘Koorie Heritage Trust Cultural Centre’ <http://www.bb3.net.au/project/koorie-heritage-trust-cultural-centre> Image 4: ‘FLAGSTAFF GARDENS’ Melbourne Fresh Daily Image 5: Robert Russell ‘Survey of Melbourne’ 1837. Flagstaff Gardens: Sign. Image 6: Blake ‘Playing Possum’ <http://www.flickr.com/photos/44687468@ N08/4174699269/> Image 7: ‘Bunjil tipped to stay in Docklands’ Docklands News, 2013 < http://www. docklandsnews.com.au/editions/article/bunjil-tipped-to-stay-in-docklands_9126/> Image 8: Joe Armao ‘Giant sculpture will have to go... Bunjil, currently situated at Docklands’ The Age 2013 < http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/no-room-for-bunjilin-docklands-plan-20130801-2r2b5.html> Image 9: Reinhold Hofmann, ‘Melbourne 1836’ The State Library of Victoria <http:// gallery.slv.vic.gov.au/image.php?id=863> Image 10: Bernard Ho ‘Art in the City’ Flickr <http://farm4.static.flickr. com/3409/3574840047_36420c7d30.jpg> Image 11: ‘Crossing the Sandridge Bridge’ nixpixmix < http://nixpixmix.blogspot. com.au/2012/03/bridges-on-yarra.html> Image 12: ‘SCAR: A STOLEN VISION’ Visit Melbourne <http://www.visitvictoria.com/Regions/Melbourne/Activities-and-attractions/ Aboriginal-Victoria/Scar-A-Stolen-Vision.aspx> Image 13: ‘Detail of poles in “Scar – A Stolen Vision’ Melbourne Art and Culture < http://melbourneartcritic.wordpress.com/2012/01/> Image 14: Geoffrey Bartlett and Bruce Armstrong ‘Constellation’ 1997 < http://www. geoffreybartlett.com/art-works/constellation/> Image 15: Robert Russell ‘Melbourne from the falls, from a sketch Oct. 1838’ State Library of Victoria < http://guides.slv.vic.gov.au/content. php?pid=135047&sid=1356409> Image 16: Robert Hoddle ‘Town of Meblourne 1837’ Public Records Office
Despite the long history of the Koorie in the region, the history of the Kulin Nation is easily overlooked in preference of colonial memories of place. This tour will guide you through the city of Melbourne picking up traces of the landscape and culture which are disappearing in the expansion of the city.