A new park at Barangaroo on Sydney Harbour is spiritually significant for generations of Indigenous women, an Aboriginal leader says.
The ABC accompanied Metropolitan Aboriginal Land Council board member Ann Weldon on an exclusive visit to the Barangaroo Point Reserve.
Mrs Weldon said the park was a tribute to a strong Aboriginal woman.
"Barangaroo was a protector, a keeper of our culture along with the warriors," she said.
"She was an incredible woman who stood up for her rights and her culture, she defied the authority of the day.
"She is remembered as one of Bennelong's wives
"I honestly think it's a good thing for Sydney," she said.
"It's important for younger Indigenous people to get a sense of what it was like before colonialism."
"It was a tarmac, like a concrete runway at an airport that we've built on top of to create this amazing headland," he said.
The park occupies six hectares along the foreshore at the north western end of Barangaroo and is about a quarter of the whole site.
"I honestly think it's a good thing for Sydney," she said.
"It's important for younger Indigenous people to get a sense of what it was like before colonialism."
"It was a tarmac, like a concrete runway at an airport that we've built on top of to create this amazing headland," he said.
The park occupies six hectares along the foreshore at the north western end of Barangaroo and is about a quarter of the whole site.
Almost 74,000 native plants have been planted on terraces and a new cove has been constructed, which doubles as an amphitheatre for concerts.
Mr van der Laan acknowledged the site is a special place for Indigenous people and said they were consulting with the Aboriginal community.
"We are looking to curate, for example, a major Indigenous artwork here on the headland," he said.
"We are recruiting guides through the Eora TAFE, we're sponsoring a program and guides on the site will be drawn from an Indigenous employment program that we have helped to create."
Mr van der Laan said half of the total Barangaroo development would be public space, but he confirmed that included streets and roads.
He could not be specific regarding what percentage of roads and streets would take up of the overall dedicated public space.
"There are a number of roads in the commercial area that include outdoor seating and entertainment areas. We certainly include those as part of our calculations," he said.
While there has been controversy surrounding the commercial use of public harbour front parks, Mr van der Laan confirmed "it's actually part of the authority's role to promote appropriate commercial use".
He could give few details on what types of commercial activities were being considered, but told the ABC that there had been huge interest in couples wanting to marry at the foreshore park.
The public headland park has cost $250 million, which has been funded through commercial development at Barangaroo South.
The investment in the commercial precinct so far is estimated at in excess of $6 billion.
"The total floor space has nearly doubled from the original plans. It was argued by the Labor government that it had to be done to pay for the park," he said.
Mr McInerney said one of the fundamental problems of the park development was that a 300 space underground car park and a very large "undetermined" space had to be accommodated.
"There's some concern that the design is not authentic for a harbour headland piece of landscape," he said.
Crown Resorts' revised application for a $2 billion casino and hotel development is before the City of Sydney and is currently on public exhibition.
Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore declined to be interviewed.
The Member for Sydney Alex Greenwich was overseas and was not available for comment.
Resourced: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-25/barangaroo-park-a-throwback-to-pre-colonial-sydney/6646980
The ABC accompanied Metropolitan Aboriginal Land Council board member Ann Weldon on an exclusive visit to the Barangaroo Point Reserve.
Mrs Weldon said the park was a tribute to a strong Aboriginal woman.
"Barangaroo was a protector, a keeper of our culture along with the warriors," she said.
"She was an incredible woman who stood up for her rights and her culture, she defied the authority of the day.
"She is remembered as one of Bennelong's wives
"I honestly think it's a good thing for Sydney," she said.
"It's important for younger Indigenous people to get a sense of what it was like before colonialism."
A modern interpretation from a time immemorial
The chief executive of the Barangaroo Delivery Authority, Craig van der Laan, described the site as "a modern interpretation of the headland that existed from time immemorial"."It was a tarmac, like a concrete runway at an airport that we've built on top of to create this amazing headland," he said.
The park occupies six hectares along the foreshore at the north western end of Barangaroo and is about a quarter of the whole site.
"I honestly think it's a good thing for Sydney," she said.
"It's important for younger Indigenous people to get a sense of what it was like before colonialism."
A modern interpretation from a time immemorial
The chief executive of the Barangaroo Delivery Authority, Craig van der Laan, described the site as "a modern interpretation of the headland that existed from time immemorial"."It was a tarmac, like a concrete runway at an airport that we've built on top of to create this amazing headland," he said.
The park occupies six hectares along the foreshore at the north western end of Barangaroo and is about a quarter of the whole site.
Almost 74,000 native plants have been planted on terraces and a new cove has been constructed, which doubles as an amphitheatre for concerts.
Mr van der Laan acknowledged the site is a special place for Indigenous people and said they were consulting with the Aboriginal community.
"We are looking to curate, for example, a major Indigenous artwork here on the headland," he said.
"We are recruiting guides through the Eora TAFE, we're sponsoring a program and guides on the site will be drawn from an Indigenous employment program that we have helped to create."
Mr van der Laan said half of the total Barangaroo development would be public space, but he confirmed that included streets and roads.
He could not be specific regarding what percentage of roads and streets would take up of the overall dedicated public space.
"There are a number of roads in the commercial area that include outdoor seating and entertainment areas. We certainly include those as part of our calculations," he said.
While there has been controversy surrounding the commercial use of public harbour front parks, Mr van der Laan confirmed "it's actually part of the authority's role to promote appropriate commercial use".
He could give few details on what types of commercial activities were being considered, but told the ABC that there had been huge interest in couples wanting to marry at the foreshore park.
The public headland park has cost $250 million, which has been funded through commercial development at Barangaroo South.
The investment in the commercial precinct so far is estimated at in excess of $6 billion.
Residents flag concerns with development
The chair of the Millers Point Resident Action Group John McInerney told the ABC: "I'm not sure we got a bargain there.""The total floor space has nearly doubled from the original plans. It was argued by the Labor government that it had to be done to pay for the park," he said.
Mr McInerney said one of the fundamental problems of the park development was that a 300 space underground car park and a very large "undetermined" space had to be accommodated.
"There's some concern that the design is not authentic for a harbour headland piece of landscape," he said.
Crown Resorts' revised application for a $2 billion casino and hotel development is before the City of Sydney and is currently on public exhibition.
Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore declined to be interviewed.
The Member for Sydney Alex Greenwich was overseas and was not available for comment.
Resourced: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-25/barangaroo-park-a-throwback-to-pre-colonial-sydney/6646980
