The Gaimariagal People
New South Wales
For thousands of years, Car-ran-gel the Country now known as North Head has been important ceremonial grounds for local peoples. The sandstone promontory offered a place to gather and celebrate stories like those of Gawura, the whale, and Car-rang, the pelican; a sacred animal to the Gaimariagal people. These stories have been passed down through generations and played an important role in establishing Songlines that connect a vast kinship system.
CHROFI and Bangawarra designed two new viewing platforms for North Head Burragula and Yiningma offering breathtaking views of Sydney Harbour to hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. In addition to improving the safety and viewing experience of the existing lookouts, the project intends to be a catalyst for the future identity of Sydney Harbour National Park, as an environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable place that celebrates Country and continues the cultural traditions of local peoples for future generations.
Situated at the end of North Head Scenic Drive on the sandstone platforms of Car-rang-gel (North Head), the North Head Viewing Platforms rest upon the important ceremonial ground of the Gai-mariagal people. The sandstone promontory offers a place to gather and celebrate stories, playing an important role in establishing songlines and connecting a vast kinship system including D’harawal, Dharug, Gai-mariagal, Gundungurra and Guringai peoples, as well as many others.
An exemplary illustration of inclusive public infrastructure design and adaptation, the viewing structures rest among the native vegetation of North Head, connected by a meandering path through the coastal flora.
The impetus for the proposal emanated from bushfire and rockfall impact in 2020. Two new viewing platforms were commissioned, including the remediation of the surrounding landscape.
The outcome is sublime. Country remains at the heart of these gathering points. The southern platform, Burragula (“sunset”), references burraga, the long-nosed bandicoot that forages at sunset. Here solid sandstone plinths echo the mounds left by bandicoot burrows. The northern viewing platform, Yiningma (“cliff edge”), honours gawura – the whale – with the inclusion of a D’harawal ceremonial song that is sung to guide gawura on their yearly migration up and down the coastline.
Each platform organically interlaces its locale, allowing varied opportunities for outlook, either together or quietly alone. The restrained balustrade takes its tonal cue from the surrounding landscape and delineates spaces where one can contemplate the magnitude of the milieu.
Transcending design alone, with a premise driven by engagement of Indigenous knowledge and attention to landscape, the North Head Viewing Platforms encourage a new relationship with Country for the visitor, where one can contemplate one’s own place within culture and nature.
They are installations of depth and meaning that demonstrate the potential of public infrastructure as design excellence for both amenity and cultural enlightenment.
The Robert Woodward Award for Small Project Architecture
The North Head Viewing Platforms are an exemplar in designing on, with, and for Country.
The two new viewing platforms do what they need to – respectfully and with longevity in mind – whilst also providing a vehicle to share stories of Car-rang-gel (Country now known as North Head) a place that has always been an important ceremonial ground for local peoples.
Following a bushfire in 2020 and a series of significant rockfalls in the area, the architects saw the remediation of the landscape and the pragmatic need to address public safety as an opportunity to reframe the cultural heritage and future identity of North Head.
The two platforms wrap around two new ceremonial circles where all people can gather, learn and share stories. Both the southmost platform, Burragula (the time of sunset), and the northern viewing platform, Yiningma (a cliff edge), create poetic and generous ways of sharing of stories and opportunities for learning, and create a truly meaningful connection with Country.
NSW Medallion
Designing for, and with, Country embodies a profound commitment to honouring First Nations perspectives and values, and cultural and environmental sustainablities within the landscape. When done well, it can transcend conventional design paradigms by prioritising the interconnectedness of land, people, and culture.
The two new viewing platforms at North Head at a pragmatic level do what they need to, respectfully and with longevity in mind, whilst also providing a vehicle to share stories of Car-rang-gel (Country now known as North Head), a place that has always been an important ceremonial ground for local peoples.
At its core, this project is about fostering relationships with Country that are reciprocal and respectful. It involves engaging with Indigenous knowledge and recognises that Country is not merely a backdrop for human activities but a living entity with its own agency and significance. Both the southmost platform, Burragula (the time of sunset), and the northern viewing platform, Yiningma (a cliff edge) understands its responsibilities to engage meaningfully; creating poetic, generous ways to share stories and opportunities for learning, and create a truly meaningful connection with Country.
The Nicholas Murcutt Award for Small Project Architecture
The Robert Woodward Award for Small Project Architecture
The North Head Viewing Platforms are an exemplar in designing on, with, and for Country.
The two new viewing platforms do what they need to – respectfully and with longevity in mind – whilst also providing a vehicle to share stories of Car-rang-gel (Country now known as North Head) a place that has always been an important ceremonial ground for local peoples.
Following a bushfire in 2020 and a series of significant rockfalls in the area, the architects saw the remediation of the landscape and the pragmatic need to address public safety as an opportunity to reframe the cultural heritage and future identity of North Head.
The two platforms wrap around two new ceremonial circles where all people can gather, learn and share stories. Both the southmost platform, Burragula (the time of sunset), and the northern viewing platform, Yiningma (a cliff edge), create poetic and generous ways of sharing of stories and opportunities for learning, and create a truly meaningful connection with Country.
NSW Medallion
Designing for, and with, Country embodies a profound commitment to honouring First Nations perspectives and values, and cultural and environmental sustainablities within the landscape. When done well, it can transcend conventional design paradigms by prioritising the interconnectedness of land, people, and culture.
The two new viewing platforms at North Head at a pragmatic level do what they need to, respectfully and with longevity in mind, whilst also providing a vehicle to share stories of Car-rang-gel (Country now known as North Head), a place that has always been an important ceremonial ground for local peoples.
At its core, this project is about fostering relationships with Country that are reciprocal and respectful. It involves engaging with Indigenous knowledge and recognises that Country is not merely a backdrop for human activities but a living entity with its own agency and significance. Both the southmost platform, Burragula (the time of sunset), and the northern viewing platform, Yiningma (a cliff edge) understands its responsibilities to engage meaningfully; creating poetic, generous ways to share stories and opportunities for learning, and create a truly meaningful connection with Country.
The design by Chrofi and Bangawarra achieved the ambitious scope for the project on a modest budget. Burragula and Yiningma are thoughtfully located within the expansive landscape, focusing on the design principles of Connection with Country, durability, functionality, and aesthetics. The new structures provide a safe and accessible cliffedge environment for whale watching, quiet contemplation, cultural learning and artistic endeavour. References to Aboriginal Country have been subtly placed throughout the structures to provide visitors with a sense of discovery. The project has transformed a tired and worn precinct into a spectacular and vibrant destination, more aligned with the iconic setting.