New look brings Wadandi culture to holiday parks

A new overarching brand for the Shire of Augusta Margaret River’s holiday parks has been developed and released in collaboration with Wadandi cultural custodians.

Yiradjinda translates to ‘Under the Stars’, and will cover the Shire’s three caravan and camping grounds – Turner Holiday Park, Flinders Bay Holiday Park and Alexandra Bridge Campground.

The Shire initiated the new brand as part of its Jenna Yen Mundamung (Walking Together) Strategy, which aims to recognise and celebrate the ongoing contribution local First Nations people make to the community and in caring for the local environment.

Shire President Julia Meldrum said she was excited to bring a message of unity, connection and shared responsibility for the environment to the region’s many visitors.

“We’re incredibly grateful to the local Wadandi Cultural Custodians for sharing their rich knowledge and culture with us and believe Yiradjinda provides an opportunity to continue our journey together and deepen the experience for visitors staying in our beautiful parks on Wadandi Boodja (Country),” she said.

“At its heart, Yiradjinda is about connecting to and looking after the beautiful environment we all call home.

“It brings together the existing history and charm of the parks and intertwines cultural knowledge that encourages people to take notice of the flora and fauna around them.”

Ms Meldrum said each of the parks would retain their existing historical names, and would also be given a Wadandi name.

“We introduced dual-naming of key buildings across the region in 2023 and are delighted to have Wadandi names for each holiday park too,” she said.

Alexandra Bridge Campground will be named Nala Boonur Keelip (Our Tree Camp), Flinders Bay Holiday Park named Nala Waartu Keelip (Our Ocean Camp) and Turner Holiday Park named Nala Watajelup Keelip (Our River Mouth Camp).

The brand will be displayed through new park signage and staff uniforms, with the Shire planning to develop visitor experiences to create further understanding of Wadandi culture.

“We’ve found that people staying in our parks are increasingly asking for information about local First Nations people and culture so we’ll be launching a new website that better reflects the experience of staying on Wadandi Boodja and phase two of the project will involve developing in-park experiences with Cultural Custodians and nighttime activities for all to enjoy,” Ms Meldrum said.

Wadandi Cultural Custodian, Zac Webb said the new brand demonstrated the Shire’s commitment to sharing and respect of local Wadandi history and culture.

“The word Yiradjinda holds real significance for the Wadandi people,” he said. “We’ve camped under the stars since the world was soft and have used them as marker points when travelling across Country at night. The stars tell us of song, dance and lore, and the connection that exists from the sky, to the sea and to the land.”

The brand was designed in collaboration with artist Tim Kerr at Brainstorm Design, featuring original artwork from Noongar artist, Kim Kiosses. The artwork features Meeka (the moon), Mia Mia (shelters), Bilya (the river) and Boodjara (the earth) all Yiradjinda (under the stars).

The new website can be found at yiradjinda.com.au, and the new brand is expected to be in parks in late-November.