Vignette 105: Kaurna Wirltu Tidna

The Kaurna Wirltu Tidna mural welcomes everyone coming to the University’s North Terrace Campus, creating a sense of belonging and place on Kaurna Country. 

In 2022, following consultation with Uncle Rodney O’Brien, the University’s Cultural Advisor, Aboriginal artist Cedric Varcoe was commissioned to develop an original artwork related to the Kaurna nation. The artwork prominently features the claws of the Sea Eagle and the Southern Cross, which is featured on the University’s crest. 

The Sea Eagle is an important cultural emblem for Kaurna people and is the emblem of the University’s Wirltu Yarlu Aboriginal Education. 

Varcoe says his mural talks about the eagle claw but also includes symbolism for coming together and sharing important aspects of stories, connection and belonging.

The artwork features the Milky Way, and a flowing river representing Karrawirra Pari, which is now known as the River Torrens, on whose banks the campus is built. 

Varcoe, a Ramindjerri yuraldi man of the Ngarrindjeri nation, and Narunga artist, painted the original artwork on canvas. It was then scaled and adapted for the Hub’s glass façade. At an impressive 41 m long and 5 m wide, the mural took four days to install.

As a place of conversation and connection, the Hub is a fitting place for the mural.

The University of Adelaide: 150 Years of Making History.  Providing a place. p.144