MUNARRA CENTRE FOR REGIONAL EXCELLENCE
Traditional Custodians - Yorta Yorta, First Nations-led
Location – Shepparton, Victoria
Client – Department of Premier and Cabinet, First People State Relations, Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA), University of Melbourne
Architecture – ARM Architecture
Construction - TVN on Country
The Munarra Centre offers pathways-based education with Yorta Yorta knowledge and culture embedded in its curriculum. This includes activities on Country that are proven to better academic and employment outcomes for First Nations students, and contribute to prosperity for the entire community.
The Munarra Centre for Regional Excellence is a world-leading, First Nations-led education, sporting and community gathering space in Shepparton, on Yorta Yorta Country.
The project was shaped by an extensive co-design process to support and platform educational, community and cultural programs. The design team, led by ARM Architecture, working collaboratively with Bush Projects and the broader stakeholder and consultant team, worked within a process involving ongoing workshops, gatherings and engagement with community member groups and representatives.
The design features extensive artworks by members of the community representing personal cultural narratives, developed in workshops led by Kaiela Arts and Spacecraft Studio. The landscape features local plant species and materials, nominated by local community elders for their cultural uses and roles in forming a connection to Country.
The project comprises two parts: an upgraded Rumbalara Football and Netball Club to the north and a new community and academic building of the centre to the south.
Forming a connective link between the sites, a meandering path reflects the nominated thematic of the local river systems - the Dungala and Kaiela - and shapes a learning landscape designed to host cultural workshops such as weaving, outdoor classes and social gathering. A series of external courtyards support various programs of learning, social use and play, a centralised internal courtyard hosts outdoor learning, events and ceremony, developed in close collaboration with stakeholders.
The northern site includes the upgraded Rumbalara Football and Netball Club, featuring new netball facilities, renovated clubrooms, and a unifying canopy that reflects the colours of the Rumbalara logo, celebrating community identity. The renovation honours and maintains the exiting character of the clubhouse’s rich history. The new external deck of the club forms an outdoor community hub and gathering point, integrating an external canteen and serving area and spectator seating.
Munarra Limited, an all-First Peoples board, oversaw the project and will manage future operations. The project was delivered by the Department of Premier and Cabinet, First People State Relations, Victorian School Building Authority (VSBA), and supported by a financial contribution from the University of Melbourne.
Significantly, the Centre was built by Indigenous-owned company TVN On-Country. The project is the largest ever awarded by the Victorian state government to a First Nations owned and operated company.
The consultant team included ARM Architecture, Kaiela Arts, Spacecraft, Codus, MGAC, PLP Building Surveyors & Consultants, Spiire, Vivid Wayfinding, WSP, and 21-19 Pty Ltd. Landscape contractors: Michael Hatton Landscapes.
