Marshall’s new bridge and shared-use path on Barwon Heads Road have been named to honour Wadawurrung language and story.
The new bridge over the railway line is now known as ‘Narriyu’, and the Barwon Heads Road upgrade’s shared-use path is ‘Karndoor’.
The words are Wadawurrung for ‘top of the hill’ and ‘track’ respectively.
Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation (WTOAC) led a smoking ceremony on 30 July to commemorate the namings.
WTOAC chose the names as part of its collaboration with Major Road Projects Victoria (MRPV) on the upgrade.
MRPV engaged WTOAC to incorporate informed, meaningful Wadawurrung design in the upgrade and to highlight connections with Wadawurrung landscape, language, culture and communities.
“Using Wadawurrung language and telling stories through design is an opportunity for the wider community to learn about Country,” WTOAC chief executive Liam Murphy said.
“To see Country from the top of many hills, people will walk the Karndoor path, just like our people did for thousands of generations across this landscape following the tracks made by animals to get to the water and wetlands.”
As the Registered Aboriginal Party for the Barwon Heads Road Upgrade project area, WTOAC works to support Wadawurrung Traditional Owners’ aspirations and protect their cultural heritage in line with the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006.
“We are grateful to Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation for choosing the names for the Narriyu bridge and the Karndoor path,” Major Road Projects Victoria project manager Matt Armitstead said.
“The names are another example of WTOAC’s valuable contribution to the upgrade.”
The upgrade has added 4km of lanes to the road between Belmont and Charlemont. The project has also upgraded intersections and removed the level crossing at Marshall, replacing it with the Narriyu bridge.
More information about the bridge, including its Wadawurrung art and design elements, is available at bigbuild.vic.gov.au/projects/mrpv/barwon-heads-road-upgrade
