Jury citation
Brambuk sits within Gariwerd (Grampians) National Park, which is the home of the Jadawadjali and Djab Wurrung peoples. Completed in 1990 and constructed from local materials, the building is embedded in Country. Approached via a slow walk past ancient wood canoes, carved trees and a croaking billabong, it crouches low and is surrounded by an endemic garden of medicinal and edible plants. As we walk, an emu flashes past – an important ancestor checking who is here, who is visiting.
We acknowledge and congratulate the Jadawadjali and Djab Wurrung peoples for creating a centre for cultural activities, meetings, learning and gathering that they have embraced and maintained for more than 30 years. We acknowledge and show deep respect to Gregory Burgess, the architect who worked in partnership with the Traditional Custodians and the community to make the project from the ground up. The centre’s development was led by a collaboration involving the Winda-Mara Aboriginal Corporation, the Goolum Goolum Aboriginal Co-operative, the Framlingham Aboriginal Trust, the Kerrup-Jmara Aboriginal Elders Corporation, and the Gunditjmara Aboriginal Cooperative.
Burgess camped on site with Countrymen and women to develop the first sketches and concepts, with deep engagement and participation from the local Indigenous community continuing throughout the entire process. Many of the materials in the building – from the stone making the floor, walls and hearth, to the large timber posts and radially sawn timber – were sourced regionally. Brambuk was built of Country and has become of Country.
The experience of Brambuk is very personal – everyone will see and experience something different, whether it is Brambuk or Bunjil (two great ancestors of the region), the five clans embedded in the plan, the rock formations of Gariwerd, or something else. This is what makes Brambuk an exceptional place and piece of architecture. As with all timeless places, it gives you what you need at the time you visit it.
Brambuk was awarded the Sir Zelman Cowan Award for Public Architecture in 1990, and it is correct that it should be honoured with the Enduring Architecture Award, 33 years on.
Brambuk: The National Park and Cultural Centre is located in Halls Gap, Victoria on Jadawadjali and Djab Wurrung Country.
Project credits
Architect: Gregory Burgess Architects; Project team: Gregory Burgess, David Mayes, Deborah Fisher, Simon Harvey, Des Cullen, Peter Ryan, Anthony Capsalis, Ian Khoo; Project manager: Alan Simpson; Building foreman: Jim Bell ; Structural and civil engineer: Peter Yttrup; Colour consultant: Guy Walker.
