A $35 million Aboriginal Cultural Centre developed in consultation with local custodians of Country will officially open in Port Adelaide on Sunday 1 June.
Named Yitpi Yartapuultiku (‘the Soul of Port Adelaide’) in the Kaurna language, the Centre is situated on the banks of the Port River and was developed in collaboration with Kaurna Custodians and the Yitpi Yartapuultiku Aboriginal Working Group, the City of Port Adelaide Enfield (PAE), Ashley Halliday Architects and WAX Design.
The new Centre has been designed to create an immersive cultural experience that restores and reconnects people, culture, and Country, and will host guided tourism experiences, art exhibitions, nature play spaces, community services and educational programs that invite exploration in a rich natural setting.
Port Adelaide is home to a resident pod of approximately 40 bottlenose dolphins. Another 300 dolphins visit the area – including the Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary – regularly.
Yitpi Yartapuultiku is also intended to be a shared space for collaboration and connection where all peoples can connect through storytelling, art, culture and environment – building understanding and creating a stronger, more inclusive future for all South Australians.
Uncle Lewis and Aunty Pat Waria-Read, Aboriginal Elders and contributors to Yitpi Yartapuultiku’s co-led design, said: “The opening of this cultural centre on Kaurna Yarta is a powerful step forward for our people and the wider community. This is more than just a building – it is a living space where Kaurna knowledge, language and stories can be shared respected and passed on to future generations. It stands as a place of truth telling, healing and pride.
“We welcome everyone to walk with us, to learn from this land and its First Peoples, and to help carry our culture forward with strength and unity,” they added.
Yitpi Yartapuultiku has been welcomed by fellow Port Adelaide residents Vitalstatistix, whose Artistic Director, Jennifer Greer Holmes, tells ArtsHub: “Vitals is thrilled to have Yitpi Yartapuultiku as our neighbours. We’ve been eagerly anticipating the opening of this incredibly significant cultural place and can’t wait to collaborate when the time comes.
“Our community stands to benefit greatly from such a unique initiative and the team who have worked on it have our thanks and congratulations for their hard work and enormous efforts. We hope that this is a step towards the entire precinct benefiting from an arts and culture-led revitalisation, in which First Nations stories and people are both valued and highly visible.
“This is an exciting development locally, nationally and internationally, and is something that the Yartapuulti/ Port Adelaide area can be very proud to have on our doorstep and river front,” Greer Holmes says.
The free opening day of Yitpi Yartapuultiku is this Sunday 1 June – which also marks parnatti (the shift from autumn to winter) and waitpi (windy season) – includes a Cultural ceremony and performance, an exhibition, Aboriginal maker stalls and family-friendly activities.
Attendees are asked to book in advance so that Council knows how many people to expect on the day.
More than just a building
Yitpi Yartapuultiku is the largest ever project undertaken by the City of PAE Council and launches during National Reconciliation Week, which this year has the theme of ‘Bridging now to next’.
City of PAE Mayor, Claire Boan, said in a media statement: “Yitpi Yartapuultiku is a place for everyone to come together to share life with one another.
“People can enjoy play areas, sculptural art, and a revitalised public parkland featuring large event spaces, walking paths, fishing spots, and dolphin viewing areas. It boasts state-of-the-art facilities, flexible meeting spaces, and a commercial kitchen, making it ideal for any type of gathering.
“Yitpi Yartapuultiku is more than a building. It’s a space where all people can come together to learn, share and grow,” Boan said.
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Ashley Halliday, Director at Ashley Halliday Architects and lead architect for Yitpi Yartapuultiku, noted that “Yitpi Yartapuultiku has been designed with the collective skill, knowledge, and passionate contributions of many, underpinned by strong Aboriginal cultural direction and PAE support”.
Warwick Keates, Director at WAX Design and lead landscape architect for Yitpi Yartapuultiku, added: “This project is a testament to the visionary thinking, generosity, and courage of the Kaurna community. Being part of this incredible co-design process, and seeing Yitpi Yartapuultiku come to life, has been an honour and privilege.”
Learn more about Yitpi Yartapuultiku.
