Projects — Brave and Curious

Our Team Projects Contact

**MAPPING BOODJAR - WHADJUK NOONGAR COUNTRY (WALYALUP FREMANTLE, WA)**
This project was completed in 2021, with BC working closely with Noongar Boodjar Language Cultural Aboriginal Corporation, Barbara Bynder and Farley Garlett (Karda Designs), The University of Notre Dame, Curtin University and Kim Mahood. Mapping Boodjar was funded by the AIATSIS Indigenous Research Exchange Grant.
Mapping Boodjar involved an extensive collaborative research process with a group of Whadjuk Noongar Traditional Owners (including a lively, meandering day on a small bus led by the Elders), followed by a collaborative, public mapping week where the information to be shared was painted on a large cultural map.
The map is in an exercise in gathering, layering, omitting, including and expressing, led by the Elders. In these processes, our role is to facilitate, listen and document, and the intent and shape of the project becomes clear only through the wishes of Traditional Owners. This is a trusting process we have participated in on a number of projects, and that Kim Mahood has developed over a number of years in Australia’s deserts.
The map documents and visualises Whadjuk Noongar knowledge and language within an urban landscape to promote culture, embed Whadjuk knowledge into built environment practices, and generate opportunities for community development and transformational learning.

**FLINDERS RANGES GEOLOGICAL SITES - ADNYAMATHANHA COUNTRY (FLINDERS RANGES, SA)**
The South Australian Government is currently leading a bid for World Heritage listing of a fascinating network of geological and palaeontological sites throughout the Flinders Ranges. These sites tell incredible stories of the ‘Dawn of Animal Life’ and BC have been on the ride of working out how to present and preserve a number of the sites for a few years.
Together with TRC Tourism, we have been working closely with expert palaeontologists, local station owners, Adnymathanha Traditional Ownersm, DEW and NPWSSA staff to respond sensitively to this unique Country and rock across a range of works - from strategic master planning, management planning and concept design through to construction project management. These works have primarily been undertaken within Brachina Gorge, Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park and at the newly proclaimed Nilpena Ediacara National Park.
A site we get really excited about is Nilpena. Here, ongoing management, design and construction works need to balance the fragile nature of a ‘working’ paleontological site, providing a visitor experience and remaining true to the pastoral station context and Aboriginal heritage. Keeping fossils on Country is a unique, respectful process and we’ve had the opportunity to eat plenty of flies and get our hands dirty, working on stabilisation works on the hillside.

**SWAMS HEALTH HUB CULTURAL VISIONING - WARDANDI NOONGAR COUNTRY (BUNBURY, WA)**
SWAMS (South West Aboriginal Medical Services) provide crucial, culturally led Aboriginal Medical Services to a large number of communities across South West WA. Having received funding to build a Health Hub precinct at Jaycee Park, Bunbury, SWAMS have both the exciting opportunity and challenge of constructing a building and precinct that caters to a broad and complex range of cultural, community and medical needs.
We have been commissioned by SWAMS to collaboratively develop Health Hub Guiding Themes and Cultural Direction to enhance the cultural identity and build community ownership of this significant project. Extensive consultation with Wardandi Elders and SWAMS First Nations Staff members has allowed us to identify a proposed cultural direction that underpins a unique and appropriate Noongar place and experience whilst providing the highest quality health and wellbeing experiences.
The collaborative design process identiﬁed themes, appropriate cultural knowledge and key spatial actions for the Health Hub. Sharing these findings with SWAMS, the architect and other key stakeholders means that clear, consistent cultural direction can guide important decisions across a range of scales – from organisational strategy and master planning through to aesthetic decisions and material selections.

**YIPTI YARTAPUULTIKU ABORIGINAL CULTURAL PLACE - KAURNA COUNTRY (PORT ADELAIDE-ENFIELD , SA)**
*Kaurna and Aboriginal peoples connected to the City of Port Adelaide Enfield have sought the development of an Aboriginal Cultural Centre for over 20 years.*
Since 2020 BC have been developing and supporting the collaborative design process to make this need a reality. The project so far has included stages of visioning, master planning, feasibility, design, interpretation, cultural mapping, place design, focusing on governance and ongoing management models. Importantly, this process has involved Aboriginal champions Rodney Welch and Susan Dixon leading engagement, with BC facilitating from a supporting role. It has been fantastic to work with an open and curious team on this project, including Port Adelaide Enfield staff, Ashley Halliday Architects and WAX Design.
The Aboriginal Cultural Centre project, now officially named ‘Yitpi Yartapuultiku’ – ‘Soul of Port Adelaide’, is to be the largest and most significant investment in public open space, environmental restoration and social infrastructure ever undertaken in Port Adelaide. Importantly though, the approach involves aspirations beyond the physical, and is not simply providing a new public facility. This has been a culturally guided healing and learning process for all participants and is envisaged to significantly improve and enhance public amenity for community and visitors alike for generations to come.
*The project has been recognised even before construction (below), and we look forward to ongoing involvement, with the project breaking ground at the end of 2023.*
*2023 International Architecture Exhibition la Biennale Di Venezia – Australian Pavilion Exhibition.*
*SA Awards for Planning Excellence 2022 – Ministers Award.*
*SA Awards for Planning Excellence 2022 – Planning With Country.*

**WAGYL’S NOOROOK THROMBOLITIES CONCEPT STUDY - BINDJAREB NOONGAR COUNTRY (MANDURAH, WA)**
Thrombolites are the reason we are all here! In the very beginnings of life on earth, when the air was less than 1% oxygen, clumps of cyanobacteria pumped oxygen into our oceans and air and transformed life forever. The Thrombolites that exist today at Lake Clifton, Yalgorup National Park are a threatened living relic that represents that ancient community, important to local Bindjareb Noongar people, visiting tourists and the international science community, including NASA.
This study was commissioned by Visit Mandurah and the Peel Development Commission as they saw opportunity to enhance the visitor experience at this globally significant site. Through extensive collaboration with key local experts and stakeholders we were able to understand the pressure that this fragile lake environment was under and consider the challenge of capturing the visitor’s imagination in such a way that they respond with the respect and reverence that these fizzing bacteria rocks deserve.
With TRC Tourism, we proposed enhancements that involve an iconic boardwalk, alternative walking trails and world class scientific and cultural interpretation. The design aims to create a local, unique, and meaningful visitor experience that ties economic strategy in with local businesses. Importantly, this strategy will manage increasing visitor numbers to preserve and celebrate the ecological and cultural integrity of the Wagyl’s Noorook Thrombolites.

**SISTER KATE’S PLACE OF HEALING VISIONING AND MASTERPLAN - WHADJUK NOONGAR COUNTRY (PERTH, WA)**
BC has the ongoing privilege to work closely with Sister Kate’s Home Kids Aboriginal Corporation (SKHKAC) to nurture a vision and development plan for the SKHKAC Bush Block which aligns to the cultural values and mission of the Corporation.
The Bush Block is a 2.7 hectare area in Queens Park, Park a partial wetland on the former site of Sister Kate’s, a home for Aboriginal children of the Stolen Generation and a place that holds great significance for those who lived there. The property was purchased by the Indigenous Land Corporation (ILC) in 2008 to be of benefit to those indigenous people who resided at Sister Kate’s, their descendants, other Stolen Generation groups and the wider Aboriginal community.
Through ongoing workshops, BC has supported SKHKAC’s vision to create a ‘place of healing’ and a shared direction for imminent development. In close collaboration with SKHKAC our work facilitated the spatial planning and programming of the site including cultural and site environmental healing programs, cultural awareness training, bush learning, art, music, including a SKHKAC administration building, raised boardwalks for all abilities access and storytelling spaces.
Our collaboration facilitated a path towards SKHKAC land ownership from ILSC and the complex, yet rewarding process of developing a culturally living sustainable economic, environmental, social and cultural healing Indigenous Estate. The project master planning has won state and national design industry awards (AILA) for community contribution.

**PENTAL ISLAND CULTURAL MASTERPLAN - LATJI LATJI, TATI TATI, WAMBA WAMBA BARAPA BARAPA AND WADI WADI CLANS (SWAN HILL, VIC)**
*‘Pental Island is an ancient living classroom.’*
Framed by the Little Murray and Marraboor Rivers, Pental Island is a cultural space in the heart of Swan Hill. At the moment, Pental Island sits across from Swan Hill’s Pioneer Settlement, underused and under-appreciated. We are working with the local Aboriginal Community together with the Swan Hill Rural City Council to re-imagine Pental Island as a community led Aboriginal tourism precinct.
Through workshops and informal yarns we were told about fantastic existing Aboriginal programs, makers and champions in the region, and understood that Pental Island could be a place to support and grow the existing exciting stuff. Together, we have designed an approach that will build upon the local history of the island as an Aboriginal education space and reconnect the local community to their place – Country needs people. Importantly, this ties in with the capacity of the local community to build an authentic and engaging cultural tourism experience for visitors.
We are now navigating the challenge of bringing this to life with the local Aboriginal Community and the City Council – schematic design will provide places for tourism to tie with the existing Pioneer Settlement, whilst balancing the requirements of community needs and caring for native flora and fauna. Economic strategy and ongoing consultations will ensure a pragmatic approach that leverages existing opportunities and connects to the broader town and region.

**ABORIGINAL DEVELOPMENT MANAGER PROGRAM SUPPORT AND REVIEW - WHADJUK NOONGAR COUNTRY (PERTH, WA)**
BC worked with DevelopmentWA to develop, support and review the Aboriginal Development Manager (ADM) pilot program to improve Aboriginal engagement and the integration of Aboriginal culture within development projects whilst providing ongoing economic opportunities for Aboriginal businesses and people.
An important objective of the program was to create a strong, lasting and influential partnership with Aboriginal communities, to ensure that their voices were incorporated into three of the state's most significant land development projects –the Subi East Redevelopment, Ocean Reef Marina and Alkimos Central.
*Currently, the ADM Program is focused on Noongar Boodjar, Perth metropolitan region, however DevelopmentWA hope to expand this across the State into the future.*

We acknowledge that the work of Brave and Curious takes place on the stolen lands of many First Nations communities across the landmass now known as Australia.

We acknowledge our responsibility to work in solidarity with First Nations peoples, communities and nations who have lived in reciprocal care with these lands long before the onset of colonisation. As an essential part of our work, we commit to centring First Nations' perspectives and actively working towards First Nations self determination.

BC are a carbon positive consultancy. We calculate our annual emissions and offset double the carbon tonnage with our friends Carbon Positive Australia. We take responsibility for local ecology and global climate in our design responses.