Wadjup Waabiny Playspace Art
Learn more about the Noongar culture and artwork at Wadjup Waabiny Playspace, part of the Kent Street Weir Precinct.
Wadjup Waabiny playspace represents Whadjuk Noongar traditional culture and stories relevant to this area. Wadjup is a traditional placename associated with the broader ‘Canning Flats’ area and Waabiny in Noongar language means ‘play’.
Located near the Djarlgarro Beeliar (Canning River), on the Beeloo traditional lands, Wadjup Waabiny playspace features artworks from local Noongar artists and opportunities for cultural learning.
Its thoughtfully designed spaces and art foster rest, recreation, and community connection.
Coolamon sculpture
A Noongar maawit (baby) lies peacefully sleeping in a yandi (coolamon), held safely and surrounded by the strength of culture. From the very beginning, the maawit’s connection to moort (family), community and Boodja (Country) begins. The artwork represents love, protection, belonging, and the passing of cultural knowledge from one generation to the next.
Artist: Jodie Riley, October 2026.
Firestick Dreaming
Pavement etchings
The artwork represents our people, culture and traditions. Each element reminds us of the importance of caring for Country, respecting one another and learning from the knowledge passed down through generations.
Through this artwork, we share our stories with the wider community and celebrate our ongoing connection to Noongar Boodjar (Country). It reflects the gathering of our ancestors, the significance of the banksia and sacred waters, and the life and abundance they bring to our land and people.
Sensory panels
Since the beginning, the time of the Nyitting, Nyoongar have traveled Djarlgarro Bilya (Canning River). As seasons change, we travel the landscape and follow the water sources that nourish and maintain our way of life. We adapt and use what is available, ensuring nothing is wasted and the land is maintained.
As we journey across Djarlgarro Bilya boodjar, we listen, we see, we take note of all that surrounds us including plants and animals in varying levels of abundance throughout the changing seasons.
The land, our boodjar, provides ample bounty for us to harvest. Djarlgarro Bitya sustains us. We cannot live without it. Today and forever, we honor Djarlgarro Bilya. Boordah!
Six Seasons
This artwork represents one of the six Noongar seasons and reflects the continuing relationship between people, Country, plants, animals and waterways. Developed to express the unique characteristics of its season through recurring symbols of meeting places, pathways, movement, water, plants and animals, it forms part of a connected series.
Together, the six artworks tell a continuing story of Country, community and seasonal change, acknowledging the interconnected relationship between people and Boodja throughout the Noongar seasonal cycle.
First Summer (December – January)
Birak represents the beginning of the hot, dry time on Noongar Boodja.
The birds within the artwork represent the activity and movement of birdlife during the warmer season, while the flowering forms acknowledge the plants and changing vegetation observed across Country.
The prominent meeting places represent family and community coming together, while the connecting pathways and smaller meeting places reflect movement between people, places and Country.
Together, these symbols represent the warmth, movement and connection of Birak and the changes across Boodja that signal the beginning of the summer seasons.
Second Summer (February – March)
Bunuru represents the hottest and driest period of the Noongar seasonal cycle, when water becomes particularly important to people, plants and animals.
The sun represents the intensity and warmth of Bunuru, while the flowing lines represent waterways and places of water across Country.
The kangaroo and animal tracks acknowledge wildlife and its movement across Boodja during the season.
Throughout the artwork, meeting places and connecting pathways represent people travelling, gathering and maintaining their connections with family, community and Country.
Together, these elements tell a story of heat, water, movement and connection during Bunuru.
Autumn (April – May)
Djeran represents a time of transition as the intense summer heat begins to ease and cooler conditions return to Country.
The turtle represents the animals connected to freshwater environments, while the flowing water forms acknowledge waterways and wetlands and their continuing importance across Boodja.
The plant forms reflect the changing vegetation of the season.
The meeting places, pathways and repeated curved forms represent movement, gathering and the continuing relationships between people and Country.
Together, the imagery reflects the transition of Djeran and the changes occurring across water, plants, animals and the wider landscape as Country moves towards the cooler seasons.
Winter (June – July)
Makuru represents the coldest and wettest time within the Noongar seasonal cycle.
The flowing and curved lines throughout the artwork represent rain, water and waterways replenished during the winter season.
The turtle acknowledges freshwater environments and the animals connected to them, while tracks represent the movement of animals across Boodja.
The meeting places and connecting pathways represent people, community and continuing journeys across Country.
Together, the imagery represents water, movement and replenishment during Makuru and acknowledges the renewal that the winter rains bring to Country.
First Spring (August – September)
Djilba represents a season of transition and renewal, when the colder and wetter conditions begin to give way to increasing warmth and new growth across Country.
The many flowering circles and plant forms throughout the artwork represent the emergence of wildflowers and renewed plant life across Boodja.
The flowing lines acknowledge water remaining within the landscape following the winter rains.
The meeting places and connecting pathways represent family, community, journeys and the sharing of knowledge between people and generations.
Together, the artwork celebrates the renewal and growth of Djilba as Country begins its transition from winter towards the warmer months.
Second Spring (October – November)
Kambarang represents a time of increasing warmth, colour, growth and activity across Noongar Boodja.
The meeting places throughout the artwork represent family and community, while the connecting pathways represent journeys and the continuing relationships between people and places.
The smaller interconnected forms represent connection between Country, community and generations, while the repeated curved and flowing forms create movement throughout the artwork and reflect the continuing change occurring across Country.
Together, the imagery represents connection, growth and movement during Kambarang as Boodja transitions towards the warmer summer seasons and the seasonal cycle continues towards Birak.
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