As part of the Department for Infrastructure and Transport's Fleurieu Connections Alliance (FCA) project, local students are helping to preserve and celebrate traditional Kaurna culture.
Led by CPB Contractors and its Alliance partners, the FCA project is delivering innovative cultural immersion workshops to foster cultural understanding and leave a lasting legacy in South Australia.
Under the guidance of local Kaurna artists from Aboriginal Urban Design, the workshops give students the opportunity to learn about the traditional history, symbols and stories of the region. They also cover practical skills such as how to grind and mix ochre paint, which participants then utilise to create visually striking cultural poles.
Measuring two to five metres tall, these striking poles will become permanent fixtures within the four rest bays along Main South Road’s shared-use path. Once complete, the rest areas will incorporate traditional carvings, seating, and interpretive signage to tell the story of Kaurna culture in that specific location.
CPB Contractors Project Director Justin Redelinghuys explains that this cultural project is part of the FCA project’s broader Kaurna Indigenous Urban Art strategy.
“This strategy will see larger art installations on overpasses and other structures along the Main South Road and Victor Harbor Road Stage 1 Duplication projects. These installations will carry themes of fishing and the sea, holding significant meaning for the Kaurna people of the Fleurieu Peninsula,” adds Justin.
Over 100 students from four local primary schools have already participated in this innovative program, contributing to the preservation and celebration of Kaurna culture.
CPB Contractors is delivering the Main South Road Duplication and Victor Harbor Road Stage 1 as part of the Fleurieu Connections Alliance with the Department for Infrastructure and Transport, Aurecon and GHD.