‘Homes can take so many forms. The Dja Dja Wurrung are contributing positively to healing Country and its People. This Centre will be a place for us to work together to create a future for Central Victorians that would make all of our Dja Dja Wurrung Ancestors proud’.
- Dja Dja Wurrung Group, CEO Rodney Carter
Y2 Architecture has worked with Dja Dja Wurrung Corporation and Community to create a vision for their site enriched with meaningful experiences and cultural connections and showcase Djandak’s work. Cultural heritage and placemaking have informed design decisions through aesthetic choices, materiality, integration of landscaping and site rehabilitation. Together we have developed a concept that embeds storytelling, connecting to Waa, Bunjil, Barramul, Mindi, the Milkyway and significant local landscapes.
Central to this process has been the inclusion of the voice of the Dja Dja Wurrung people. A series of ongoing Wartaka sessions with the community has provided a culturally safe a supportive environment that has embedded their voice into the design and function of their community hub. By incorporating the existing cultural practice of Wartaka (meeting of importance), the design is enriched with contextual meaning. The process has provided the opportunity for grassroots ownership of the project by the whole Dja Dja Wurrung community.