Shellharbour City Council's Aboriginal interpretive playspace, Yirran muru (Dharawal for 'many pathways'), has just won its 11th award, shortly after celebrating its second-year anniversary.
Caption: Yirran muru playspace. Image courtesy of Shellharbour City Council.
Shellharbour City Mayor Chris Homer said the continued recognition is a proud moment for the whole community.
"Yirran muru is more than just a playground. It's a place where children and families of all ages, abilities and backgrounds can connect with Aboriginal culture and history in a fun and meaningful way," he said.
"It's wonderful to see it now recognised on the world stage."
The Monocle Design Awards celebrate impactful and inspiring projects from around the world, across areas like architecture, furniture design, to community-building initiatives. This year, winners were selected from 27 countries across six continents, setting a global standard for design excellence.
Opened in 2023, Yirran muru was co-designed by Council and the local Aboriginal community. The playspace sits in the native gardens behind the Shellharbour Civic Centre and acts as a miniature map of the Dharawal region. It shows the traditional travel paths of the Dharawal people, with stepping stone paths that lead from the ocean to the mountains.
The blue play zones represent the ocean and Lake Illawarra, sandpits symbolise the beach and coast, and a large stone semicircle represents the Illawarra escarpment.
Important local landmarks are featured as play elements, each offering a unique Aboriginal way of learning and sharing knowledge, such as storytelling, constructing and deconstructing, and using symbols.
Landmarks include Jubborsay (Lake Illawarra), Merrigong (the Illawarra Escarpment), Gang man gang (Windang Island) and gadhu (ocean). Interpretive signs throughout the playspace help visitors understand the Dharawal heritage and culture.
Full List of Awards:
- Best Playground, Monocle Design Award 2025
- Winner - AILA 2024 Landscape Architecture National Award
- Winner - Playspace Award (under $500k category), Parks and Leisure Australia National Awards of Excellence 2024
- Winner - Playspace Award of Excellence, NSW Landscape Architecture Awards 2024
- Regional Achievement Award, NSW Landscape Architecture Awards 2024
- Winner - First Nations Community Partnerships, NSW Local Government Excellence Awards 2024
- Winner - Playspace Award (under $500k category), Parks and Leisure Australia Regional Awards of Excellence 2024
- Winner - Education and Interpretation, National Trust Heritage Awards 2024
- Highly Commended - Aboriginal Heritage, National Trust and Heritage Awards 2024
- Winner - Diversity and Inclusion, 2024 Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia (IPWEA)
- Silver - Landscape Excellence Awards 2023
Yirran muru was designed by Landscape Architect and Horticulturalist, Fiona Robbé, from Fiona Robbé Landscape Architects.
Learn more about Yirran muru on the Shellharbour Civic Centre Website.
