How partnerships through planning has delivered a co-designed cultural centre
Developed in collaboration with the City of PAE, Yitpi Yartapuultiku Aboriginal Working Group, Ashley Halliday Architects and Wax Design, the project is the largest ever undertaken by the City of PAE.
A shared journey
The journey towards the realisation of Yitpi Yartapuultiku was marked by a commitment of respect, deep listening, collaboration and shared learning between the City of PAE, the Yitpi Yartapuultiku Aboriginal Working Group, Ashley Halliday Architects and Wax Design.
The entire process was undertaken together, to respect the Aboriginal connection to the site, and every aspect of the design and development has been shaped by cultural knowledge of Kaurna people. Cultural practices and narratives have been seamlessly integrated, ensuring an authentic representation of heritage.
This unique cultural place is a testament to the unity of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, where everyone can come together to share, learn and experience the rich tapestry of our heritage.
A co-design approach
In March 2022, the City of Port Adelaide Enfield Elected Members endorsed a concept plan and business case for the project and agreed to start on detailed designs. The occasion was momentous, with Project Custodian Group members present, some of whom have been actively advocating for a centre for over twenty years.
We undertook an intensive culturally embedded co-design processes with Custodians to establish a concept plan for the centre. The shared design direction included strong cultural principles developed in partnership with leadership from Custodians. The concept plan set up a framework to ensure that the delivery and ongoing management of the centre is grounded in people and place.
At its core, Yitpi Yartapuultiku aims to heal the land and bring the community together, while offering unparalleled opportunities for events, community programs and tourism.
You can follow the initial planning journey of Yitpi Yartapuultiku on our YouTube page including the first in our series of videos titled Creating an Aboriginal Culture Centre in Port Adelaide. Or, explore the concept design map.
Yitpi Yartapuultiku is:
- - A place for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people to learn, experience and be immersed in Aboriginal culture.
- - A culturally safe place to gather. A place to practice, share, celebrate and record culture past, present and emerging.
- - A place to connect to Country and culture.
The Yitpi Yartapuultiku Working Group (YYWG) was a large group of Aboriginal community members who worked consistently and collaboratively on the design development for Yitpi Yartapuultiku from 2023 until the centre opened in June 2025. The YYWG was identified as a collective of Aboriginal people who represented the council region and who provided cultural authority and leadership for and on behalf of the community and Yitpi Yartapuultiku.
Council worked closely with community to develop the Yitpi Yartapuultiku concept design. The project design team worked through a co-design process with a group of Project Custodians and with council’s Aboriginal Advisory Panel. More information about the Aboriginal Advisory Panel can be on the City of PAE webpage. The concept design was informed by a clear set of Cultural Guiding Principles, developed with our community.
A tender process was undertaken to select the principal contractor to construct Yitpi Yartapuultiku. This process ensured that the project achieved value for money, high quality, respect for cultural principles and design direction, employment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and engagement with Aboriginal supply chain.
Sarah Constructions was selected as the builder for the project.
Decisions are made through the Kaurna-led Leadership Group. All new programs, stories and artworks require Elders’ approval and Indigenous Cultural Intellectual Property (ICIP) clearance.
The total construction budget for Yitpi Yartapuultiku was $35.2 million. This included all civil and environmental works, 4Ha of landscaping, living shoreline transformation, a 2,100 square metre cultural centre building, interpretive signage and artworks, car parking and paths.
The Commonwealth Government provided $2.3 million through its Urban Rivers and Catchments Program for the creation of a Living Shoreline at Yitpi Yartapuultiku - a re-naturalisation of the shoreline that supports the health of the river system and enhanced biodiversity.
The Commonwealth Government also provided a further $2.18 million as part of the Preparing Australian Communities - Local Stream grant program which has enabled the Yitpi Yartapuultiku development to play a vital role in reducing the risk of floods in the natural environment and built environment by constructing a living shoreline and developing a flood mitigation investment program.
The balance of the project funding was provided by the City of PAE in accordance with its Long-Term Financial Plan.
Naming Yitpi Yartapuultiku
The Aboriginal Cultural Centre was built at the reserve formally known as Western Region Park (where Old Port Road meets Bower Road, north west corner). The project group met with local Elders to discuss ideas and concepts, and together decided on the Kaurna name Yitpi Yartapuultiku. This means ‘Soul of Port Adelaide’: Yitpi meaning 'Soul', Yartapuulti being the name that the Kaurna people gave to the land around the Port River, and ku meaning ‘of’, a Kaurna joining word.
On Tuesday 16 August 2022 a naming ceremony was held onsite, which included a Welcome to Country by Senior Kaurna Elder Lewis O’Brien, a Smoking Ceremony by Michael O’Brien and three ceremonial fires.
