Noongar stories woven into the heart of Perth’s newest campus

Edith Cowan University has unveiled two significant public artworks at its new ECU City Campus in Perth, created in collaboration with Whadjuk Elders to honour the deep cultural history of Boorloo and the Noongar people of southwest Western Australia.

The works mark a milestone in the transformation of the $853 million campus — jointly funded by the Australian, Western Australian and ECU — which will bring approximately 10,000 students and staff into the Perth CBD.

Wadandi/Menang/Kaniyang/Goreng/Bibbulmun artist Lea Taylor has delivered an integrated artwork etched into the pavement outside the campus on Yagan Square. The work evokes the underground waterways that continue to flow beneath Whadjuk Country, with sweeping lines tracing the path of the Waagyl — the Rainbow Serpent and life-giving rainmaker — whose presence shaped the land. Circular forms represent the lakes that once sustained the Whadjuk people, now concealed beneath the concrete and glass of the modern city.

Installed in Karak Walk, the laneway running between Yagan Square and Queen Street, a duo of large-scale sculptures by Kamilaroi artist Reko Rennie draws on the tail feathers of the Karak (Red-Tailed Black Cockatoo) and the Ngoolark (Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo), while also evoking Lake Goologoolup and its surrounding wetlands.

Both artists worked under the guidance of Whadjuk Elders, the traditional custodians of the land on which the campus stands.

ECU Vice-Chancellor Professor Clare Pollock said the works speak to enduring knowledge and cultural continuity. “These artworks speak to enduring knowledge, culture and connection across generations, reminding us of the deep history embedded in this place,” she said, adding that the university sees truth-telling and cultural respect as central to its educational mission.

ECU Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Students and Education) Professor Braden Hill noted that public artworks extend learning beyond the lecture theatre. “Public artworks like these remind us that education does not only happen in classrooms, but also in public places, through encounters, story and reflection.”

Planning and Lands Minister John Carey described ECU City Campus as a game-changer for the inner city, while Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister Patrick Gorman welcomed the works as a new landmark for Perth, giving students, locals and visitors access to the story of Boorloo’s 50,000-year cultural history.

The artworks are now on permanent public display at ECU City Campus, Boorloo/Perth.