Cultural canoe

A Port Melbourne Business Association initiative, the “Water Journeys” artwork was designed by First Nations artist Simone Thomson (Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung, Yorta Yorta) and funded through a Victorian Government Living Local - Suburban Grant.

SW Art Consulting and Lump Sculpture Studio also played an important role in bringing Simone’s vision to life and our Council proudly facilitated the process.

The more than four-metre high artwork symbolises migration, cultural journeys and deep connection to place. Crafted in Corten steek with a natural rusted finish, it evokes bark canoes, vessels crafted with skill, ingenuity and a deep knowledge of Country.

Made from stringy bark trees, and at times from river red gum or river reeds, these canoes were shaped by fire, heating and bending the bark, sealing the form with clay and mud and binding it with handwoven rope.

These canoes carried people across rivers and bays, and were used for fishing, travel, and ceremony. Fishing itself was more than sustenance; it was a practice of relationship and respect, guided by seasonal rhythms, kinship, and lore, and grounded in a profound understanding of the living waterways.

Simone said: “This has been a journey in itself getting to this point, but I am so thrilled to see this beautiful story of our bark canoes and the relationship and profound knowledge of our living waterways guided by the seasonal rhythms of Country in its new home.”
 
Historic Station Pier has a strong connection to migration. During World War II, it was the welcoming point for many immigrants and today represents the hopes, fears, joys and sorrows of all whose first memory of Melbourne was stepping onto its boards.
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