The new nine-kilometre curated Yananurala walk from Pirrama (Pyrmont) to Wallamool (Woolloomooloo) offers an enthralling connection to Country with eleven interpretive markers highlighting historically significant Indigenous Australian people and places.
The name Yananurala is derived from the Gadigal language and translates to ‘walk Country’.
The walk is led by Indigenous curator Emily McDaniel and is part of the Eora Journey which brings Aboriginal histories and stories to life through public artworks and installations.
Yananurala includes audio and text-based installations that highlight the historical and cultural significance of sites along the harbour foreshore.
The walk will also interpret new and old Aboriginal stories through public artworks at Pirrama (Pyrmont), Barangaroo, Ta-ra (Dawes Point), Warrane (Circular Quay) and Woolloomooloo.
A bara – the traditional shell hook crafted and used by Gadigal women for fishing on the harbour – has been selected as the icon for the walk to be used on wayfinding signage and maps. The crescent shape of the hook also reflects the natural coves of Sydney Harbour and the sails of the Sydney Opera House.
Waanyi artist Judy Watson has created a six-metre tall bara that will take pride of place on the Tarpeian Precinct Lawn above Dubbagullee (Bennelong Point), as a monument to the Eora, and one of the stops along Yananurala.
Artist impression of bara by Judy Watson. Image courtesy of the artist and UAP
Other elements along the planned walk include:
- Installations that explain four sitelines or relationships between places of historical and cultural significance;
- A series of audio and text-based installations that respond to hidden harbour histories at locations along the foreshore;
- An environmental, artist-led project to build on research around badu (water) and acknowledgement of Country as land, water and sky;
- A public artwork at Pirrama (Pyrmont), next to the Australian Maritime Museum, to recognise Aboriginal peoples’ relationship to water;
- A public art project at The Hungry Mile, Barangaroo, recognising the role of Aboriginal people in Sydney’s maritime history;
- A public art project at Ta-ra (Dawes Point) that highlights the site where Patyegarang gifted the Sydney Aboriginal language to William Dawes, recording it for future generations in his notebooks;
- A public art project at Circular Quay linking Aboriginal history associated with the Government Boatshed to the resilience of Aboriginal communities; and
- A community public art project that recognises the history and enduring presence of Aboriginal people in Woolloomooloo.
Yananurala is part of the City of Sydney’s Eora Journey program to recognise the heritage and living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the public domain. It is delivered by the City’s public art program, City Art.
Book your Pyrmont or Woolloomooloo holiday accommodation on Search and Stay and visit for Yananurala more information.