A new community space that has been co-designed by Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Elders will open in Calder Park next month as part of the Calder Park Drive level crossing removal project.
Inspired by the history of the area, the new space includes seating, landscaping and historical markers designed in collaboration with the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation.
According to information released by Victoria’s Big Build, elements of Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung history of the Victorian Volcanic Plains – on which Calder Park is located – are featured, adding a rich layer of storytelling and honouring the ongoing place of First Peoples in the area,
The new space will open alongside the new shared use path, and includes welcome markers with the Woi-wurrung word for welcome, ‘Wominjeka’, and benches made from rammed earth.
A contemporary design has been etched into the ground representing a Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung gathering place, as well as footprints from both the extinct megafauna Diprotodon optatum, the largest-known marsupial to have ever lived, and the critically endangered plains-wanderer, a local species of wading bird.
The space also features designs inspired by native mat rushes, a group of plants used by the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people for weaving.
Victoria’s Big Build spokesperson said Wurundjeri Elders are encouraging visitors to the space to learn about Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung culture through information panels installed in the area.
