Yarra Ranges Shire Council celebrates the launch of ngurrak barring on Thursday 23 April in Sherbrooke Forest, Kallista. The event honours the project’s strong partnership with Traditional Owners with a Call to Country by Wurundjeri woiwurrung woman, Chenile Chandler, and a Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony with Aunty Joy Murphy Wandin AO. Formalities will be followed by a performance by the Djirri Djirri Dancers, and artist talks.  

The following day a series of ngurrak barring artist and designer-led conversations, history and heritage presentations, and guided bushwalks will offer a deeper immersion into the cultural and environmental experiences ngurrak barring will continue to deliver. 

The trail pays tribute to the extraordinary legacy of artists, activists, writers and creatives who have drawn inspiration from the Dandenong Ranges, a tradition that continues to thrive in the vibrant communities of “the Hills”. 

The extensive trail network is segmented into five curated themes: Country, Community, Resilience, Ways of Seeing and Activism. Each theme has its own Architectural Node – collaborative explorations that allow visitors to pause and reflectthrough an Indigenous lens – crafted by First Peoples design studiosDjinjama and COLA Studio. 

Among the new commissions is Thrivance: Then Now Next created by Yorta Yorta and Dja Dja Wurrung artist, Tiriki Onus, in collaboration with Jenna Lee and Jamie Ferguson.  

Drawing from the Onus family archive, the work pays homage to the legacy of  Tiriki’s grandfather, William ‘Bill’ Onus, a trailblazing Yorta Yorta activist and artist who founded Aboriginal Enterprises in Belgrave, and to Tiriki’s father, William ‘Lin’ Onus, whose celebrated paintings of Sherbrooke Forest are represented by his piece, Birrikala Djini Bunnarong Bugaja (Butterflies in Sherbrooke Forest) included in the interpretive signage along the trails. 

Another major work, Storm Leaves, comprises five site-responsive sculptures by Australian artist Anton McMurray.  Placed at five of different entry points to the ngurrak barring trails, these sculptures were created in response to the devastating storm that struck the Dandenong Ranges in June 2021 and are carved from salvaged timber from the estimated 25,000 trees that fell during the storm.  

The interpretive signage throughout the network celebrates the artists, creatives and collectives that have been inspired by the area, including Arthur Streeton, Tom Roberts, and Edna Walling. Further storytelling captures both the historical and contemporary creative culture of the area.  

The name ngurrak barring was gifted by Senior Wurundjeri Elder and Indigenous Advisory member Aunty Doreen Wandin-Garvey, acknowledging the Wurundjeri people’s enduring connection to goranwarrabil. Endorsed by Yarra Ranges Council and the Wurundjeri Woiwurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation in 2022, the project was formally known as RidgeWalk. 

ngurrak barring | RidgeWalk has been shaped through partnership between Yarra Ranges Council, State and Federal Government, Wurundjeri Woiwurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation, Parks Victoria, local residents, artists, businesses, schools and community organisations. 

Yarra Ranges Mayor, Cr Richard Higgins said the site-specific design of the node was a snapshot of the extensive care and detail that went into the wider ngurrak project.

“Projects like ngurrak barring are multifaceted. The arts and culture walk celebrates the long history of creatives inspired by this beautiful region, while also shining a light on the vibrant, contemporary creativity that surrounds us. The ‘Hills’ townships are full of unique businesses, galleries and retail spaces that speak to that ongoing inspiration.”

On Monday, 30 March, the community gathered to celebrate the rejuvenated Village Green. Following formalities, including a Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony, the Djirri Djirri dancers led children from Sassafras Kindergarten and Primary School, in a dance workshop.

Cr Richard Higgins said the event was a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge the many community members and groups who contributed feedback during the project’s engagement phase.

“Extensive community consultation went into the redesign of this important community space,” Cr Higgins said.

“This is the only one of the five nodes that will sit in a township. It was important to make the space work for both residents and visitors. The node will act as a gathering place, shelter and meeting point. Community feedback highlighted the need for power to be connected to the structure to support local events.”

“We also heard how important a play element was, and we’re delighted with the new seating, wider pathways and beautiful landscaping.

“It was an honour to work with the Dandenong Ranges RSL to contribute the new backdrop to the cenotaph.”

Cr Higgins said Council was pleased to see the space already being embraced by locals.

“The local township group will hold their Easter event in the Green this weekend. It’s wonderful to see the community making this space their own.”

The project has also enabled significant infrastructure improvements.

“Alongside the revitalised Village Green, ngurrak barring has upgraded more than 14 kilometres of walking trails and delivered five new pedestrian crossings in the Dandenong Ranges,” Cr Higgins said.

Council’s Major Projects team has also commenced preliminary works on new public toilets opposite the Village Green.

ngurrak barring is a 39‑kilometre arts and culture walking trail through the Dandenong Ranges, featuring eleven permanent artworks, five architectural nodes and storytelling signage along interconnected paths. The project is delivered in partnership with the Federal and State Governments.

In the following statement, Tiriki outlines his role in continuing this legacy:

I have the great honour in this space of being a custodian for the stories of my family, my family’s stories here on this Country, which is not ours. Yet, through the love and the diplomacy that have been shown to us by those who speak for this place, we’ve managed to contribute our stories here and the stories of my family and my community, are not just those of resilience or strength, they’re not stories of survival, they are stories of thrivance. I feel quite humbled to be part of this story.

Central to the artwork is a series of sculptural signposts that represent both a tribute to past activism and a statement of ongoing cultural resilience, blending archival materials and diverse art forms with contemporary storytelling.

Some of the signposts pay homage to the legacy of Tiriki’s grandfather William ‘Bill’ Onus, a trailblazing Yorta Yorta activist and artist who founded Aboriginal Enterprises in Belgrave (only a few hundred metres from the site of the work). This vibrant business was not only a highly successful tourist destination, it also became an important and influential cultural and political hub, supporting many artists and activists who came to work there during the 1950s and ‘60s.

The installation also celebrates the life and artistic evolution of Lin Onus, Tiriki’s father, whose pioneering fusion of Aboriginal and European artistic traditions addressed both political and aesthetic themes. The work also references Lin’s organisation of the first ever forced land rights claim in February 1971, which took place in Sherbrooke Forest.

The final pole, left intentionally blank, symbolises an unwritten future, inviting reflection and a sense of possibility as well as acknowledging the next generation of the Onus family.

This work was commissioned by Yarra Ranges Council for ngurrak barring | RidgeWalk, a 39 km interconnected arts and culture trail running through the Dandenong Ranges. The project has delivered 14 km of new and improved walking tracks, pedestrian crossings, permanent sculptures, and heritage interpretation.

The walk connects townships, supports the local economy, and celebrates the creative and cultural significance of the area, that has seen some of Australia’s most significant artists drawing inspiration from the Dandenong Ranges.

ngurrak barring | RidgeWalk is jointly funded by the Federal and State Governments and Yarra Ranges Council.