Albany 2026: Barmup Strawberry Hill to host spectacular cultural map of Albany’s Menang history

An intergenerational collaboration which has created a cultural map of Albany and beyond as part of the city’s bicentenary celebrations will be a spectacular feature at Strawberry Hill Barmup, when renovations are completed there later this year.

The map is under wraps at the moment, awaiting its big reveal, but it was finished last week and is ready to be a key part of the reinterpretation of the history of the building which will house it.

Strawberry Hill at Barmup, on Middleton Road, was the first farm in Western Australia, established by the government in 1827.

However, Barmup, meaning place of the tall trees, was a meeting point for Menang people long before European colonisation and it is the acknowledgement of that history which prompted the creation of the map.

A project that has been a year in the making, the map is a collaboration between the Community Arts Network and the National Trust, focusing on Menang families and created by them across seven workshops at the Noongar Centre on Serpentine Road.

It started with community engagement and an information session in May last year which attracted more than 60 people.

That led to the creation of a reference group of elders who identified family members to ensure fair representation and an intergenerational mix.

Project producer Nduta Gathoga, of the Community Arts Network, spoke at the last workshop on March 19 and said it had been important to span the generations.

“We got the elders together and built consensus on the locations that would be mapped,” she said.

“That was triggered by the elders sharing places of significance to them and their families, and then that opened up the conversation.

“So that’s why, when you do eventually see the map, you’ll see that it extends beyond just Albany, because the stories come from far and wide, but that is the core of this project.

“It gave the elders an opportunity to share knowledge, share memories, create art, and most importantly, pass that on to the next generation.”

For artist and elder Edith Penny, the project has been an enjoyable way of creating important cultural histories.

“I grew up in Albany as a child, I’ve been here, and I’ve been to school here,” she said.

“I thought I’d like to do the fish traps, something I think is very important for Albany.

“I mean, the fish traps are something that the Aboriginal peoples have done even before white men came to Australia.

“So, I think this mapping that we’ve done in Albany is very lovely — everyone has put their part in it, and we’ve all enjoyed one another’s company.

“The finished project is very good; I think everyone in the room is very happy with our art, and they’re all happy to have played a part in it.”

Elder Deanna Eades shared her experiences, highlighting the collaboration between elders and younger generations.

She emphasised the cultural significance of the grass tree, detailing its various uses in her family’s history.

“I chose to do the wildflowers, the Cranbrook bell and a few others like the Christmas tree, the wattle and some other things,” she said.

“And a black boy, because when mum and dad lived out in the bush in tents, the black boy was a thing that kept our family going because every part of that plant was used for something.”

Emerging elder Sarah Williams said it had been a privilege to take part in the project.

“It’s actually been wonderful and it’s going to be a wonderful contribution to the bicentenary from the Menang people,” she said.

“I’m so proud of everybody.

“When people go and look at it, they’re actually going to start knowing a little bit about our culture.

“They’re going to learn about the history of the person that they know, so I’m quite proud that I was given the opportunity to be a partner.”