Ovingham Level Crossing Kaurna Dreamtime Stories

PTP Alliance, SA Dept for Infrastructure and Transport, Kaurna Elders, Arup, Ovingham Council, Aspect Studios

Bowden Adelaide Kaurna Country

The project was initiated by the Public Transports Project Alliance in collaboration with the South Australian Government, in an effort to create new community open spaces following the removal of the Ovingham Level Crossing.

This initiative offered an opportunity for professional art teams to develop creative designs for the abutment walls and piers of the new Torrens Road Bridge, with a focus on meaningful interpretation of the local Kaurna Dreaming Story to acknowledge and honour traditional ownership. 

The Ovingham Kaurna Reference Group worked closely with Artbox, the PTP team, and the landscape architects to incorporate a design reflective of elements from the local Kaurna Dreaming Story.

Artbox facilitated a mentoring opportunity for emerging Kaurna/Ngarrindjeri/Kothaka artist Harley Ngrakani Hall to work alongside experienced muralist Mike Makatron. The creative team maintained consultation and cultural training with Kaurna Elders, Aunty Buster and Aunty Lynette. Their inputs were invaluable to the mural design, with each iteration incorporating continual feedback from Aunty Buster and Aunty Lynette to ensure correct cultural representations.

The final mural pieces are vibrant artistic conceptualisations of the Dreaming stories that are central to Kaurna Country.

The wall details the Kakirra (moon) phases above the Kaurna totem animal Tarnda (male red kangaroo), depicted sitting in a circle, the meeting place of the Kaurna people. Kakirra and Tarnda are depicted in both a traditional view from above, and a partial western landscape view. The landscape illustrates the Karrawirra Pari (River Torrens) as it weaves its way within the red earth through Adelaide, from the hills to the sea.

The pier murals detail four red gums and four birds local to the area. Colour backgrounds depict campsites of clans in the region, portraying men, women and children sharing around campfires. Lines detail the connection between Kaurna people, symbolising one blood. Cross-hatch weaving and pattern work represents the Aboriginal people, signifying the legacy, lifeblood and importance of the oldest living culture in the world.

Culture and spirit are intertwined within these murals. The result is the visualisation of local Dreaming stories, which allows the community to build knowledge, connection, and pride in the First Nations histories of Kaurna Country. It is this deeper knowledge and understanding which creatively embodies the process of reconciliation.