Art from the Air

PICTURED: Rotary Club of Warragul President Lyn Bennett marked the opening of the Indigenous Garden by presenting Dr (Aunty) Eileen Harrison with a Paul Harris Fellowship. (Photo: Warragul and Drouin Gazette).

Designed and developed over six years, the Rotary Club of Warragul’s Indigenous Garden was officially opened on 2 May at Rotary Park in Warragul, Victoria.

The garden honours more than 60,000 years of Indigenous culture and art in Gippsland, celebrating and paying respect to the Kurnai people and their enduring cultural heritage.

Inspired by Art from the Air, a painting by renowned local artist Dr (Aunty) Eileen Harrison, the artwork has been thoughtfully re-imagined as a living landscape by designer Prue Metcalfe.

The project also marks the centenary of Rotary in Australia and New Zealand, celebrated in 2021.

Its completion reflects thousands of hours of dedicated community effort – planning, planting and construction by Rotary members, supported by Koori groups and local volunteers, who contributed their time at numerous working bees.

Financial support was generously provided by the Baw Baw Shire Council, Federal and State governments, the Rotary Club of Warragul’s local project funds, the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee 2022 Tree Planting Fund, and local businesses that supplied materials and resources.

Visitors can enter the garden from several points, symbolising the many paths we take in life.

Throughout the garden, pathways trace the tracks of Indigenous fauna: Goongera (possum), Naroot (wombat), Miowera (emu), Jirrah (kangaroo), Bataluk (goanna) and Balejan (platypus) – animals that once made this place their home.

The pathways invite visitors to explore and experience Aunty Eileen’s distinctive artistic style, expressed through plantings of carefully selected Indigenous grasses, shrubs and trees.

A natural sense of movement draws visitors toward the centre; into the heart of the painting and the heart of the garden.

For Aunty Eileen, the centre point represents the learning journey and the pursuit of knowledge.

At the centre of the garden stands a Yarning Circle – a place for reflection, storytelling and the sharing of wisdom between elders and younger generations.

Six carved totems, created by local chainsaw sculptor Paul Stafford under Aunty Eileen’s guidance, depict Kurnai stories. QR codes on the surrounding bench seats link to recordings of Aunty Eileen sharing these stories. The Yarning Circle also features artwork by the local Indigenous youth group, Deadly Daughters.

Painted bollards featuring animals significant to the Kurnai people line the pathways, while signage near the creek offers further interpretation.