AILDM LANDSCAPE

Design Awards 2006

Category 4
Commercial Design under
$90,000.00

Dadirri Healing Garden
Prince Charles Hospital, Chermside
Dadirri .
Inner deep listening &
quiet still awareness
Is a symbolic & tangible
gesture of reconciliation to
the indigenous people who
are clients of the Prince
Charles Hospital Health
Service District & to the local
indigenous community.

Project Details
Location: Prince Charles Hospital
Hamilton Rd, Chermside.
Zoning: Commercial
Council conditions: As outlined by aboriginal elders council.
Hospital Engineering Dept. required low
maintenance garden so staff were not
burdened with extra maintenance
activities on top of heavy workload.
No Council conditions .
No Vegetation protection orders exist.
Budget: $ 30,000.00

Design Brief & Approach
Dadirri healing garden is a joint project between a government community health
department, a hospital & local aboriginal community. The intention of the healing
garden was to provide a quiet place for social workers, professional medical staff,
patients, workers, the local aboriginal community, & general public to use for
various purposes.
It was recognised that many community service patients felt more at ease
discussing problems outdoors rather than in a medical office. This is particularly
true with the indigenous community who traditionally have strong links with the
Australian landscape.
Dadirri should be a special place for people to meet, to listen & learn from one
another in the true spirit of reconciliation.
The idea for the garden came from the Noonga Reconciliation Group, this
included staff from the health service department and local aboriginal elders. The
group and myself attended a reconciliation learning circle which learned the life
experiences and culture of the indigenous people and the meaning of Dadirri as
written by Miriam Rose Ungenmerr.
The group brainstormed and established a brief for the healing garden. A site was
selected on the hospital grounds. The site was a an overgrown stand of native
plantings which had been established previously as a memorial garden for a doctor
at the hospital whom had passed away. A circular exposed aggregate pathway was
originally a feature to this garden and it had to be retained as part of the original
memorial.

Design Brief & Approach
In essence the brief required that the
garden be a restful place for people to
go to listen and talk. It was to be a spiritual
place and therefore have a strong link to
the land and native bush. Seating for small
groups and individuals was essential.
Some form of water needed to be
incorporated as it is regarded as the
deep spring within us and visually the
movement and sound helps in achieving a
quiet still awareness.The Contemplative Way of Dadirri..
The use of natural materials was to be encouraged to recreate a native bush
land setting. Sandstone blocks form amphitheatre seating as well as lining a dry
creek bed lined with water worn river pebble. Main pathways could not be
concrete as this was regarded as not a natural product. Allowance was made to
retain the existing path because of its memorial significance. Crushed
decomposed granite was selected for new pathways.

Design Brief & Approach
Signage would be required at the entry to guide visitors through the garden
which would show a poster detailing the story of Dadirri and a map of plant
species used in the garden.
Brochures would also be available at the entry sign for visitors to take away.
Plant names, bush food, bush medicine identification signage would be
produced by a local workshop group. These would be placed at plant s
throughout the garden.
Planting selection was quite specific. It had to be native and local to the area
where possible. It needed to represent a food source. Also as the garden was
viewed as a healing garden the inclusion of native medicinal plants was to be
encouraged.
Research and assistance came from the local council Raven Street Bush
Reserve. The elders provided information and stories of healing qualities of
various native plants.

Plan
Soft Landscape Layout
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Daddirri" Planting schedule
Botanic Name Common Name Code Pot size Qty
Archontophoenix cunninghamiana Piccabeen Local 45litre 10
Backhousia citriodora lemon Myrtle Bush Food 300mm 6
Melaleuca quinquinerva Swamp Paperbark Local,Bush Food 300mm 5
Syzygiumleuhmanii Riberry Bush food 45litre 7
Backhousia citriodora lemon Myrtle Bush Food 300mm 6
Acacia fimbriata Brisbane Wattle Local,Bush Food 200mm 7
Allocasia brisbanensis Cunjevoi Local 200mm 13
Callistemon salignus White Bottle Brush Local 200mm 6
Hibiscus heterophyllus Native Rosella Bush Food 140mm 3
Lomatia silaifolia Crinkle Bush Local 140mm 9
LeptospermumpolygalifoliumWild may local 140mm 6
Microcitrus australasica Finger Lime Bush Food 200mm 6
Ozothamus diosifolius Sago Flower Local 140mm 6
Solaniumcentrale Bush Tomato Bush Food 140mm 4
Austromyrtus dulcis mediumMidium berry local,Bush Food 140mm 21
Blechnumindicum Swamp water Fern Local 140mm 24
Lomandra hystix Creek Matt Rush Local 140mm 24
Lomandra longifolia Long Leaf Rush Local 200mm 6
Themediatriandra Kangaroo Grass Local 140mm 24
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Poster

Photos

Photos

Photos