Sustainability Story

narrm ngarrgu, City of Melbourne.

‘Telling stories of country, culture and colonisation.”

The City of Melbourne respectfully acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land we govern, the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong / Boon Wurrung peoples of the Kulin and pays respect to their Elders past and present. 

We acknowledge and honour the unbroken spiritual, cultural and political connection they have maintained to this unique place for more than 2000 generations. 

We accept the invitation in the Uluru Statement from the Heart and are committed to walking together to build a better future.

Libraries in the City of Melbourne reflect the thriving, vibrant mix of people living in the city’s boundaries. 

Local and international students, young people, tourists and families living in high rise apartments are all regular visitors to the City of Melbourne’s libraries, which are as different as its demographics. 

The City of Melbourne has the following branches: City Library, East Melbourne, Kathleeen Syme, Library at the Dock, North Melbourne, Southbank and narrm ngarrgu. It also hosts two toy libraries, the Hotham Hub in the CBD and the Chapel in Carlton. Over 140 people work across these 9 branches.

narrm ngarrgu (pronounced nahrrm narr-GUW) opened in November 2023 in the busy Queen Victoria Market precinct. The name ‘narrm ngarrgu’ translates to ‘Melbourne Knowledge’ in Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung language. The library is a beautiful study in a retrofit that centres the living culture of First Nations people.* 

Library management and staff worked alongside Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Elders, artists and community to reflect their knowledge systems and bring the new Library and Family Services centre to life.

The Library features a dedicated children’s library, a new family services centre as well as maker spaces. A community rooftop terrace features native plants, a giant eel trap and coolamon as well as a children’s play area.

The building is also home to public artworks by renowned First Nations artist Maree Clarke (Mutti Mutti, Yorta Yorta, Boon Wurrung and Wemba Wemba) as well as curated contemporary artworks, and heritage items found on site during construction.

The project was an opportunity to celebrate everyday art as well as provide an essential piece of engagement in the ongoing story about colonisation in Victoria. 

Maree was commissioned to produce a suite of artworks that tells the First Nations story of the narrm ngarrgu site, as she explains:

‘In the children’s library I’ve designed the carpet to represent the seven seasons of the Kulin Nation through plants and animals. 

I’ve also designed the forest on the mirror glass that’s down the passageway so children will again be able to see themselves reflected in the forest on their way to the beautiful library. 

We also cast my husband’s coolamon [image below] in cast iron and fabricated a six metre eel trap [image above] with a three metre flute that is on the terrace for the children to climb on and crawl through. 

The main library carpet with the beautiful watercolour with the maps of the Kulin Nation over the top, people will get to learn about the five clans of the Kulin Nation. 

And what better place to learn about that, than in a library.”

Maree collaborated with artist Hillary Jackman, designers and artisans from Artery Cooperative, a prominent Melbourne-based artist collaboration, as well as the project designers to create a richly layered immersive environment. 

Anne-Marie explains that;

‘The City of Melbourne library team wanted to work within a framework that celebrated Aboriginal culture and the arts right from the very beginning. We worked alongside Aboriginal Melbourne, which advises the City of Melbourne on Aboriginal culture, reconciliation and action.  So we took this as our starting point, to centre Aboriginal culture, art and achievements, not just aesthetically but politically. At the beginning of narrm ngarrgu the building was just a shell. That blank canvas was a perfect opportunity for us to explore how we could celebrate Aboriginal culture. We had an Aboriginal lead in the design and development team. We got Maree Clarke involved, we used art from within the City of Melbourne’s collection as well as new art. The aim was to make a culturally safe space and we wanted the process and the outcome to be a celebration of First Nations culture.”

According to Lori:

‘The feedback we have from Aboriginal communities has been clear for a long time. Don’t just invite us to NAIDOC [National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee] week or to your event opening. Be authentic, be deep and start a long lasting relationship. For example, we have a partnership with Killara, a First Nations organisation that provides social and community programs. We provide space for Killara and other organisations like them in the library and their presence helps to make First Nations people feel welcome and a part of this place. At our recent Seniors Festival, events were 100% led by First Nations people – including the catering! One of the pivotal things narrm ngarrgu does is connect young Aboriginal people with libraries through the podcasting studio, maker space and art making spaces.

Groups like Yarn Strong Sista, a First Nations early childhood education organisation, can book spaces for free. 

But we can’t build these types of relationships by just staying inside the library.  We need to go to events held by First Nations communities – art exhibitions, conferences, festivals and gigs – and talk to people, make connections to bring back into the library space.” Anne-Marie sums up her pride in the new library: ‘narrm ngarrgu has been so successful since it opened last year. 

It’s what our community wanted and it’s getting used a lot. First Nations groups needing somewhere to meet, students coming in to study for exams, story time for young children, artistic creations in the maker space – these are just some of the things happening here on a regular basis. We have made room for people to think and reflect in a very busy city place. We love it.”