Weekly updates
2 May 2025
Final weekly update
INTEGRATED ART
Where is it up to and where is it going?
Six cast metal tiles have been installed throughout Lord Street and Dr Couzens has been working on the stories and audio recordings which will accompany the tiles and the overall integrated art project. These will be able to be accessed via a QR code which will be placed near each tile and the Mosaic.
The installation of the Mosaic is planned to begin in May in a revised location at the foreshore.
Kooweetpa-yee - ‘Story Place’ is the mosaic wayfinding work
The Mosaic design and install is a collaborative work between the Artist Team and local artists and community members. This was facilitated through workshops and involved community in the creation process. The mosaic was originally intended to be a creative wayfinding work located adjacent to the History Museum Centre and public toilets and comprises an in-ground mosaic, inset into an abalone shaped sculptural form.
However, it has during the design and production stages morphed into a more significant cultural story work within the overall Artwork concept. Accordingly, the location of Mosaic has been shifted to the foreshore near the surf club ramp as a more prominent and meaningful gathering point. The following statement is from the Artists
"The Mosaic now speaks to Country, to the ever-presence of Keerray Wooroong Ancestors, Elders and community, to our other than human Kin, the Meerteeyt Meerreeng (Sea Country) and Mornong Meerreeng (Sky Country). It is interwoven in its intention to be a visual communication of the Shared History of Keerray Wooroong and the settler community.
Deep spiritual and cultural meaning sits within some of the imagery in particular Koontapool (whale) and the Possum cloak figures- all images are made with purposeful intent to express love and kinship with Country and all our relatives."
-Vicki Couzens Keerray Wooroong Project Lead Artist, Lee-Anne Clarke Keerray Wooroong Mosaic Artist, Libby McKinnon Mosaicist specialist (settler)
Where the mosaic will go (in blue)
Surfers carpark
Works will begin next week to remove the vandalized timber bollards and insert housings for steel bollards. The steel bollards (those in the roadway) are removable and will be installed at a later date. We are very appreciative of the cooperation and contribution from GORCAPA and for their suggestions and guidance. Other safety devices are also being considered for that area and GORCAPA will undertake engagement on those.
Norfolk Island Pines/Banksia tree
We commissioned a further Arborist inspection and report on the Norfolk Island Pines (Araucaria Heterophylla) and the remaining Banksia Tree (Banksia integrifolia) in Lord Street. A comparison was undertaken of the pre-development assessment from 2023 and the condition of the trees as at March 2025. No change in vitality was reported and the report assumes that all of the Norfolk Island Pines will remain as viable long term streetscape components.
Unfortunately, it is a different story with the Banksia. Based on the trees structural condition the Arborist report recommended that the tree “must be removed and cannot be retained as a streetscape component, while the tree may present like it could have the potential for retention it’s a high probability that the tree will not be able to compartmentalise the wounds on the severed structural roots and it will almost certainly lead to root/basal decay therefor due to the risk of potential total tree failure it must be removed.”
We will now plan for the safe removal of the Banksia in the near future.
McIntyre Fountain
The foundation plinth for the McIntyre Fountain is being sourced to enable the re-installation of this heritage fountain on the Foreshore.
Planting of the streetscape
Planting of the street level garden beds and raised planter boxes will occur progressively over the coming months. With the very dry weather conditions of the past 12-18 months it is important that any new plantings are given the best chance to survive both the weather and the rabbits.
The rain gardens in Lord and Cairns Streets will be completed by mid-May with placement of the boulders and the planting of the important lower parts of the drainage system. More information on the rain gardens/bioretention basins can be found in the April Update published in The Beacon Newsletter.
The project hub is now closed
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