First Nations designers will deliver a new park at Sydney's harborside

A new project in Australia led by First Nations designers will give Sydneysiders a special mythology-showcasing destination at a formerly empty concrete berth along the harbor following the results of an international competition organized by the government of New South Wales.

Located in the city’s Barangaroo district, Harbour Park will be a small (4.57-acre) but significant development along the 8.69-mile harborside walk connecting Glebe to Woolloomooloo.

The winning design for the park was spearheaded by AKIN, a consortium of five studios led by Yerrabingin, Architectus, Jacob Nash Studio, Studio Chris Fox, and Flying Fish Blue. Arup was also tendered to the project as the team’s engineering consultant, helping to deliver a plan which the organizers line out as following:

• a timeless landscape with extensive planting, canopy cover, waterways and ponds
• nature play for all ages and abilities with shallow water pools, interactive water features, meandering pathways, toilets and a kiosk
• a series of significant public artworks that will be places of exploration, play, education, shade and celebration
• a large event lawn at the northern end of the site for community and cultural events and ceremonies, capable of hosting up to 6,000 people.

Speaking on behalf of the architects, Yerrabingin co-founder Christian Hampson said: “We are incredibly honored and humbled to be part of such a defining public project, weaving together the threads of landscape, art, and architecture.”

“For us, this is much more than a park — it's a place for us to celebrate an enduring culture and to move with Country, acknowledging and experiencing our collective past and present while dreaming of our future,” he continued. “This design is a new chapter connected to the most ancient of stories, carved in the Sydney sandstone: the story of Country and of us, its people.”

The team also shared its design will showcase the history of the Gadigal Aboriginal group and several First Nations design methodologies to create a place that is “rich in culture and deeply connected to Country.”

Former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating served as chair of the selecting body, which chose from a group of five separate finalists. 

His colleague, the current Acting Premier of New South Wales, Prue Carr, stated finally: “Harbour Park is on the traditional lands of the Gadigal, who have been the custodians of the land and waterways for millennia. The park continues the precinct’s commitment to honoring the role of First Nations people, the history of the site and its wider context. The new park will be an inclusive, family friendly place, with experiences for all ages and abilities. I am looking forward to seeing this incredible design come to life.”

A construction timeline for the project is expected shortly.