Bundabun - Turtle

In 2023 a new passive play area was developed featuring a large scale sculpted turtle ‘Bundabun’.

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‘Bundabun – Turtle’

 

Markings on Bundabun’s neck and legs represent the slow flowing water of Diamond Creek.

 

Large circular markings on Bundabun’s shell represent the waterholes turtles inhabit. The long wavy lines extending from each circle symbolise the creeks and rivers joining to one another across Country. When the rains come, the turtles move in large groups searching and hunting for food. The smaller connected circles around each waterhole are the journey tracks of Bundabun representing its life and relationship to our sacred waterways.

 

Each section of the lower row of the shell is shaped as a 'U'. In the Aboriginal way, a person is represented by the 'U' symbol. From the bird's eye view - this is the shape a person makes when sitting on the ground, cross legged. The 'U' symbols around Bundabun represent the students of the school. Within each 'U' are line markings representing the turtle’s connection to the land. This is where they dig the sleeping place for their eggs and bury them in the soil for several months before they hatch – the cycle of life.

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Simone Thomson

Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung / Yorta-Yorta