project
Larrakia Cultural Centre - Landscape
| Client | Rossi Architects |
| Location | Darwin, NT |
| Completion Year | 2026 |
| Sector | Landscape Architecture |
| Project Manager |
Fiona Eddleston
Director & Landscape Architect
Fiona Eddleston collaborated with Rossi Architects and Sue Dugdale and Associates on the Larrakia Cultural Centre’s landscape design, developed through deep listening with the Larrakia people. The design supports cultural maintenance, ceremony, and storytelling, integrating bush tucker and medicine plantings, outdoor art galleries, and pathways that share stories of Country. Diverse ecologies and shaded spaces create an immersive experience, anchored by the Barramundi Stage amphitheatre for performance and Welcome to Country ceremonies.
Key highlights
Embed cultural authenticity and respect through deep collaboration and listening with the Larrakia people, ensuring the landscape reflects their values, stories, and connection to Country.
Create spaces for cultural practice and storytelling by designing areas for ceremony, performance, and cultural maintenance that support ongoing traditions.
Promote education and public engagement with dedicated presentation spaces and interpretive landscapes that share Larrakia culture with visitors.
Support ecological connection and knowledge sharing through integrated bush tucker and bush medicine plantings that enable intergenerational learning.
Design an immersive, place-based environment that reflects diverse local ecologies and incorporates features like outdoor galleries, storytelling pathways, and the Barramundi Stage for cultural performance.
Project Story
Our Landscape Architect Fiona Eddleston was working with Rossi Architects and Sue Dugdale and Associates on the culturally important Larrakia Cultural Centre. The landscape design for the Larrakia Cultural Centre has been developed through deep listening and collaboration with the Larrakia people, ensuring the site is respectful, meaningful, and culturally responsive. The design creates spaces for cultural maintenance, ceremony, and storytelling, offering a layered experience of Larrakia Country. Public engagement is supported through a presentation space that celebrates Larrakia culture and provides educational opportunities for visitors. Bush tucker and bush medicine plantings are carefully integrated across the site, supporting intergenerational knowledge sharing and connection to Country. The design incorporates curated outdoor galleries for showcasing Larrakia art within the landscape, where pathways and sculptural elements tell stories of place. A shaded, immersive environment reveals the diverse local ecologies, from open grasslands to tropical monsoon vine forests and coastal zones with tidal rockpools for children's play and cultural use. At the heart of the cultural landscape is the Barramundi Stage amphitheatre, designed for sand performance and dance, with access to saltwater essential for Larrakia Welcome to Country ceremonies.
