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Watermarks has always been more than a public art project.
It has been a journey led Ngunnawal Custodians, families, and community members—walking with water, listening to story, and learning what it means to bring Country back into the centre of how we live.
Through this work we’ve come to understand ceremony, song, and living Country design not as extras, but as frameworks of care, cultural foundations for healing, and living design systems.
01 - Collecting of Ngunnawal Water Stories
In late 2024, Ngunnawal Custodians from several families have come together to share the water stories that flow through Sullivans Creek—stories of care, memory, and Country.
Key themes emerged from these yarns, such as the 'gadi' (snake) and this went on form the foundation of the Watermarks project.
02 - Ceremony
Each step of Watermarks has been held by ceremony—story gatherings, painting days, working bees, launches. Ceremony is how we pause, listen, and move forward in right relationship. It reminds us that restoration and healing Country is not only about planting trees or repairing drains, but about tending to the connections between people, water, and Country.
03 - Artist Workshop
In May 2025, members of the Ngunnawal community came together in an artist workshop facilitated by Ngunnawal artist Bradley Mapiva Brown. The artwork took the form of a snake, and individual members contributed their own designs and interpretations to create the body of the snake. The head was designed by Ngunnawal custodians Wally Bell and Karen Deny, representing their place within the Ngunnawal community. The final snake design can be seen below.
04 - Song
The stories shared by Ngunnawal Custodians have flowed into song and film, carrying water knowledge into forms that can be sung, remembered, and shared. Song is cultural infrastructure—holding healing, memory, and presence in ways that live beyond any single project.
05 - Creating Dirana
(Watermarks Song)
As a response to the water stories, and the theme of the snake - Ngunnawal singer-songwriter Alinta Barlow created the song 'Dirana' celebrates the connection of 'gadi' (the snake) to the local waterways. With help from the Winanggaay Ngunnawal Language Aboriginal Corporation, Dirana features lyrics in Ngunnawal along with English. The song was recorded at the ANU Yil Lull recording studio and produced by Aboriginal man Will Kepa.
06 - Street Art Installation
The creative response of the snake and song were then translated into a street art installation along the concrete drains of Sullivan's Creek between Masson St Bridge and Condamine St Bridge. The bridges themselves formed part of the installation, as the snake head and tail emerge from the creek and wrap around the bridge and footpaths as a painted street art installation. The body of the snake and the lyrics of the song, were painted along the sides of the drain, flowing inline with the water. Local artist Byrd, was commissioned to install the piece, with workshops open to the artists to help paint the head and tail of the snake.
07 - Dry Creek Bed Working Bee
As part of the preparation for the Watermarks Launch event - two working bees were held at the Ngunnawal Dry Creek Bed to weed, mulch and plant out the garden beds. Thanks to help of the Free Rangers, we were able to plant 70+ natives, and spread 20m3 of mulch.
08 - Ngunnawal Voices Documentary
Local film maker Sammy Hawker, was commissioned by the Ngunnawal Watermarks Working Group, to create a short documentary celebrating the story of the Watermarks project. The documentary features interviews with key working group members as well as the stories and connections of Ngunnawal people to our local waterways.
09 - Project Signs
To further increase engagement and understanding of the project, a series of signs were installed along Sullivans Creek between the head and tail of the snake. The signs were designed by Catchment Studio and allow viewers to learn about waterways through a Ngunnawal lens thanks to the wording provided by the Watermarks Working Group. The signs were mounted on local tree trunks, chosen by Ngunnawal Custodians Wally Bell and Karen Denny. Each sign includes a QR code, encouraging viewers to dive deeper into the project through a series of slide shows and videos.
10 - Launch Event
The launch event, held on the 5th of September at the Ngunnawal Dry Creek Bed, was a celebration of whole watermarks project. The night featured a cultural fire, a yarning circle involving all the members of the Watermarks Working Group, as well as the premiere of the Dirana and the documentary. The event was attended by over 100 people.
11 - Living Country Design
At the Ngunnawal Dry Creek Bed and along Sullivans Creek, design has been guided by Ngunnawal knowledge and seasonal cycles—through planting, rebuilding, and embedding art and language in public space. These are not just installations; they are living designs that keep relationship with Country at the core. Demonstrating Ngunnawal Custodians' ongoing and relational knowledge of water management on Ngunnawal Country.
Together, these threads weave a different picture of what Ngunnawal led project can be. Watermarks demonstrates Ngunnawal leadership, vision, and the strength of relationship to Country and community—a relationship rooted in connection to place that guides practices, protocols, and ways of caring for Country.
Healing Country is not only about ecological repair. It is about making space for Ngunnawal sovereignty, story, and culture to shape how we care for the places we share.
This is a framework for Living Country Centred design that carries memory, belonging, and a request for each of us living on Ngunnawal Country to built a connection and take responsibility for the generations to come.
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Policy & Planning – The Sullivans Creek Re-Naturalisation Options Report and the Kenny Report carry this work into planning frameworks.
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Community & Storytelling – HerCanberra article and on-Country events share the stories more widely.
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Academia & Education – Following Sullivans: Learning Country Project , Byrd and Faith Project , Water Country Symposium. Documenting the slow, deep relational work of learning with water and Country.
12- Relational Tributaries
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Ngunnawal language, song, and film shared through Watermarks belong first and foremost to the Ngunnawal people.
If you are interested in learning or sharing these works, please contact us to arrange a yarn with Ngunnawal Custodians about what this would look like, and to ensure permission and protocols are respected.
13 - Protocol Notice
14 - Acknowledgements
Ngunnawal Watermarks Working Group:
Wally Bell, Karen Denny, Bradley Mapiva Brown, Melissa Bell, Rebecca King, Alinta Barlow
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Waterstories Contributors:
Wendy Brown, Mary MudFord, Tina Brown, Nevada Brown, Justine Carla Bamblett, Steven Mudford, Fred Monaghan , Robert Monaghan, Wally Bell, Alinta Barlow, Rebecca King, Melissa Bell, Tegan Denny
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Ngunnawal Watermarks Artists:
Mellissa Bell, Justine Carla Bamblett, Rebecca King, Wally Bell, Karen Denny, Alinta Barlow, Tegan Denny, Krista Brown, Bradley Mapiva Brown
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Djirana (Song):
Singer Song writer - Alinta Barlow
Vocals - Wally Bell, Jude Barlow, Tyahn Bell
Producer - Will Kepa
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Signage:
Words - Melissa Bell, Rebecca King
Designs - Lydia Downe (Catchment Studio)
Creation - Modern Creative
Wood - ACT Timber Yards
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Street Art Installation:
Byrd, Thea Zaraftis
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Documentary:
Sammy Hawker
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Production:
Nicola Lambert, Lydia Downe (Catchment Studio)
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Sponsors:
ACT Government, ICON Water, Create Australia, Molonglo Catchment Group, The Tradies (Dickson Tradies)