Dubbo Regional Council has awarded the design tender for the proposed Wiradjuri Tourism Centre to Peter Stutchbury Architecture.
The centre will be a display and interpretation facility for sacred Aboriginal carved trees.
The council sought expressions of interest from architects, who were asked to demonstrate previous experience in the construction of Indigenous cultural centres and/or resting place. Twenty-seven submissions were received and five were shortlisted.
The council noted that Stutchbury had worked alongside Yuin elder Uncle Max Dulumunmun for more than 23 years “learning about the Spirit Lines and the voices of all living things,” including “Grandfather Sun, Grandmother Moon, Mother Earth and Father Sky.”
“Working with Uncle Max has allowed me to draw on the relationships between humans and their environment as an elemental way of being. Slowly, the language of the land is being revealed: to keep knowledge you want, give it away,” Stutchbury said.
The project will enable the repatriation of Dubbo Wiradjuri Scar Trees and other artefacts held at the Australian Museum. The Wiradjuri Technical Advisory Panel is in discussions with the Australian Museum regarding a long-term loan of the artefacts.
Dubbo Region Mayor Stephen Lawrence said local Indigenous communities, including the Aboriginal Lands Council, Dubbo Aboriginal Working Party, and Traditional Owners, had been consulted during the initial phase of the project.
The proposed Wiradjuri Tourism Centre will complement a separate project to create a new Wiradjuri Gardens within the existing Dubbo Botanic Gardens.
The centre is expected to be delivered in mid-2022.
