Client: Cardinia Shire Council
Project team:
Nuttshell – Design, illustration and project management
Kelp Creative – Traditional Owner consultation, research and content development
Aeroplane Workshop – 3D design and fabrication
In 2020, Nuttshell and Kelp Creative developed an Interpretation Plan for a site-wide approach for Cardinia Shire Council’s Deep Creek Reserve. Following extensive stakeholder consultation, including three Traditional Owner Groups, the plan uses an over-arching theme, sub-themes and stories to unite the diverse site. It features a wayfinding concept to improve visitor flow and a diverse suite of interpretive approaches including sound, sculpture, signage and play.
We were lucky enough to deliver the first project based on this plan at the start of 2022. Wetland Wonders is a storytelling trail that includes three boardwalks linking to a central viewing platform. The trail includes five key interpretation elements.
Visitors first encounter larger than life timber frog life-cycle sculptures created by Glenn Romanis. They learn about different frog species found at the site through an interactive audio sign.
Further along the boardwalk, visitors discover stories about water invertebrates and migratory water birds. Delivered through interactive spinning ‘pebbles’ – visitors match the pebbles through colour and content to learn about these remarkable creatures and how they indicate a healthy habitat.
The central deck includes two separate interpretive elements. The first is an illustrated sign explaining the importance of our waterways and the story of the three creeks that converge at the site. Further along, sitting at the head of the boardwalk, is a Waa totem created by Glenn Romanis and Mark Trinham. Celebrating the Kulin Nation ancestral story of Waa, ‘keeper of the waterways’, this story node also includes an interactive audio sign featuring the voice of Bunurong Elder, Uncle Mik, recounting his version of the tale.
