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Sovereign Hill acknowledges the Wadawurrung people as the Traditional custodians of the land on which we operate. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and to all of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who live and work on Wadawurrung Country. We acknowledge their unceded sovereignty over Wadawurrung Country, and the ongoing hardship and trauma as a result of colonisation. The history and continuous culture of the Wadawurrung people is an important part of our shared story.

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Regular Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 10am-5pm | Mondays: Pre-booked school groups only.King's Birthday: We are open Monday 9 June, 10am-5pm for the public holiday.Gold Rush Centre &amp; Rare Trades Centre: Open for pre-booked workshops &amp; tours only.

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Wadawurrung Cultural Precinct

Title of artwork: Wadawurrung Cultural Tree of Knowledge  Artist: Dr Deanne Gilson, Wadawurrung Ba-gurrk (woman) Year: 2024 Medium: Ironbark, aluminium, and acrylic medium Size: 6 metres high 
Artist statement
"This artwork is inspired by walks on Wadawurrung Dja (Country), observing the Australian birds and trees spoken of in the Creation Story, all watched over by Bundjil the Creator Spirit and the Emu Constellation hovering over from a tree stump at the high end of the hill. She Reclaims back ancestral knowledges through painting and gathering Indigenous bush medicine and food plants. Reflecting upon the need to teach future generations and share knowledge through yarning, painting, contemporary adornment making and sourcing natural materials from Dja."

Birds

Title of artwork: Wurring Wurring Traditional Shield 
Other details: Male elders' shield using ancestral marks Artist: Dr Deanne Gilson Wadawurrung Ba-gurrk (Woman) Year: 2024 Medium: Bronze and yellow box Size: ?
Artist Statement
"This piece was originally carved from red gum by Traditional Custodian Robert Gilson (my brother) and later re-created in bronze by myself. The traditional marks that have been carved on the bronze shield feature a diamond pattern, inspired by ancestral shields held in museums, symbolising and mapping the journeys of people across Wadawurrung Dja (Country). It stands as a marker of protection and strength, while honouring the resilience of the Wadawurrung people, who have lived off this land for over 65,000 years."

Traditional Shield

Title of artwork: Welcome Shields  Artist: Dr Deanne Gilson Wadawurrung Ba-gurrk (Woman) Year: 2024 Medium: Yellow box and printed Aluminium Size: ?
Artist Statement
"Each design carries personal symbolic meaning, with many representing birds from the Creation Story, as well as the bush and healing plants found on Wadawurrung Dja (Country). Bundjil the Eagle-Hawk and Waa the Crow, Wadawurrung totems, are depicted as Bundjil, the Creator Spirit, and Waa, ancestors watching over us. Contemporary feather designs on the back of the shields represent different birds, while the shields themselves symbolise the protection, strength, and resilience of the Wadawurrung people, now reflected in modern designs that watch over and protect all on Dja."

Shields

Dr Deanne Gilson is a Proud Wadawurrung artist, Blak Designer, Cultural Educator and mum.
Gilson’s practice is inspired by daily walks on Wadawurrung Dja (Country), depicting the birds from her Creation Story, including the Indigenous trees, bush foods and healing plants. She seeks to reclaim back and give a voice to her ancestral knowledges, that were interrupted and sleeping after settlement. Including the voices of her matriarchal women, she reclaims back and overturns issues created by the male and female gaze, with the aim to create new pathways for Indigenous women to tell their stories from a place of truth-telling and equality. By doing so, Gilson is an advocate for strengthening the voices of future generations, leaving a cultural map that extends the sharing of knowledge through yarning, painting and making from Country.

Deanne Gilson is a proud Wadawurrung woman, multidisciplinary visual artist, and Blak designer.