The City of Sydney have created eleven interpretive markers along Sydney Harbour which will encourage tourists to engage with the area’s rich Indigenous history.

Titled Yananurala, the walk derives its name from the Gadigal language, translating to ‘walk Country’. Devised by the Council’s Indigenous Curator Emily McDaniel, Curator Hetti Perkins and the local Aboriginal community, Yananurala will bring Aboriginal histories and stories to life through public artworks and installations along the foreshore route.

“Yananurala is a harbour walk that weaves together the stories, memories and histories of this Country. These are the veins of Sydney – a living and breathing place,” McDaniel says.

“An Acknowledgement of Country in its truest form, Yananurala reveals the ongoing relationship between the Aboriginal people of Sydney and the harbour.”

Highlights of the walk include Tara at Dawes Point, where conversations between Patyegarang, a Gadigal woman, and Lieutenant William Dawes began; Barangaroo, a senior and influential Cammeraygal woman who first met British officers in 1790; Memel at Goat Island, an island historically attributed to Bennelong’s custodianship; the Gadigal women who fished from nawi (canoes) in harbour waters at Pirrama (Pyrmont); the Aboriginal people who worked on the wharves at The Hungry Mile; how the expansion of Sydney in the 1800s forced Aboriginal people to camp at the derelict Boatshed.

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore says the walk is an extension of the Council’s desire to promote Indigenous histories.

Yananurala City of Sydney Walk

“Yananurala continues our commitment to Aboriginal people that began in 2007 to ensure First Nations people, cultures and heritage are recognised in the city’s public spaces,” she says.

“Carefully and respectfully realising Aboriginal stories through art and interpretation, Yananurala highlights the way Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people know and experience Country.

“We’re grateful for the advice and support of the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council and the City of Sydney Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Panel. The project has brought together NSW Government agencies and cultural institutions to work in collaboration and partnership to develop this project.”

Daniel Coe, Member of the City of Sydney Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Panel, believes the walk provides opportunities for tourists and Indigenous artists alike.

“I love Yananurala. The cultural walk along the foreshore will bring our local stories and our local artists to interpret and strengthen our connection to the harbour, land and sky. This is a great opportunity for our community and the many talented artists we have here in Sydney.”

City of Sydney indicates future installations and artworks will highlight hidden harbour histories and relationships between places of cultural significance. Walkers can follow the route and discover additional information via the City of Sydney’s Culture Walks app.

Jarrod Reedie

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