Famous Australian architect on board to design an iconic building at Mungo National Park

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04 Apr 2011

Australia’s most famous architect and only Pritzker Prize winner, Glenn Murcutt AO and design partner Wendy Lewin visited the iconic Mungo National Park on April 2nd to view the site of a potential new interpretive and research centre, commissioned by the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife.

CEO of the Foundation, Ms Leonie Gale said the Foundation has ongoing involvement in the conservation of Mungo since it was established as a national park.

“Mungo National Park is a crucial part of our planet’s geological and evolutionary history. This centre will be a gateway to the World Heritage listed Willandra Lakes Region, showcasing its spectacular landscape and its enduring history and culture..

“The Foundation is working in partnership with the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and a community consultation reference group to prepare a prospectus and Design Brief for the new centre.

“Once the design is complete we will begin a fund raising campaign for the centre,” Ms Gale said.

“There has been consultation with the Paakantji, Ngiyampaa, and Mutthi Mutthi Aboriginal people, local landholders and local community groups including the Willandra Lakes World Heritage Area Community Management Council and Technical and Scientific Advisory Committee, along with the Mungo National Park Joint Management Advisory Committee.

“We are very excited that Glenn Murcutt and Wendy Lewin are on board to design the new centre, which is planned to be sustainable, and sensitive to the environment and Aboriginal values.

“With the collection of Murcutt’s working drawings held in the NSW State Library being its most visited collection, a Murcutt designed building would be a destination in itself,” Ms Gale said.

National Parks and Wildlife Service Regional Manager Steve Millington said the centre has the potential to provide new opportunities for visitors to learn about the significance of the natural and cultural values of the World Heritage Area.

“The plan is for a new centre at Mungo National Park to be an entry point for park visitors to discover the wonders of this world heritage listed landscape, a meeting place, a centre for scientific research and a keeping place for Aboriginal cultural items.

“It will house exhibitions and tell the fascinating story of the region’s 50,000 years of Aboriginal heritage and the dramatic changes in climate and landscape. Human remains discovered at Mungo in 1969 give evidence that the Indigenous tribes of Australia constitute the oldest living culture in the world.

“It is intended that the centre provide opportunities for employment, revenue generation and community engagement for the region with a special emphasis on the traditional owners and the tribal groups.

“Any new centre will complement the current Visitor and Information Centre which was recently upgraded as a key educational resource.”

The Foundation is the only organisation in Australia whose philanthropy is an investment in the public estate,for all to enjoy.

The Department of Environment Climate Change and Water, which the NPWS is part of, is responsible for Mungo National Park which is jointly managed with the local Aboriginal community.

Famous Australian architect on board to design an iconic building at Mungo National Park

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