The region where the Point Hut Pond playground upgrade is located holds an ancient cultural and spiritual connection to the Ngunnawal people and has for thousands of years.
This region is traditionally known to the Ngunnawal people as Tuggeranong meaning ‘cold place’ and is rich in cultural resources like the Murrumbidgee River.
The region also holds multiple songlines created and maintained by the Ngunnawal people to access various significant cultural sacred sites and locations. These include the Yankee Hat Rock Art at Namadgi, the Rock Shelters at Birrigai, Tidbinbilla and Jedbinbilla ‘where boys become men’ initiation grounds and the Brindabella Mountains where the Ngunnawal people would invite neighbouring nations to participate in the annual Bogong Moth ceremony.
The Murrumbidgee River, which is cared for and occupied by the Ngunnawal peoples for a variety of reasons, underpins cultural and land management practices supporting trade, ceremony, hunting and land boundary systems.
Point Hut Crossing has been used for many years to sustain the local ecosystem which also incorporates local aquatic species and vegetation.
The cultural theme for the playground upgrade is Dhawura Ngunnawal - Ngunnawal Country.
The artwork by Bradley Mapiva Brown, artist and cultural consultant, reflects Dhawura Ngunnawal by featuring the culturally sacred Murrumbidgee River, creation of songlines (pathways) and ceremony. Bagariin Ngunnawal Cultural Consulting provided recommendations to showcase the playground theme.
Those in the final design are:
- artwork applied to play equipment
- Maliyan Nest (Wedge tail eagle protector)
- slides representing the Murrumbidgee River
- natural elements
- climbing net representing the use of fishing traps on the Murrumbidgee River.
