‘Naa marni are you all good? Puki Puki tampi'dlu, nartangka wapi'dlu, marnintya.' (Welcome, let us recognise the past, act in the present and build a better future.)
The Soul of Port Adelaide
Yitpi Yartapuultiku meaning ‘Soul of Port Adelaide’ in Kaurna was opened in June 2025.
Located on the corner of Old Bower Road and Port Road in Port Adelaide, Yitpi Yartapuultiku is an Aboriginal Cultural Destination, years in the making. Since its inception, this innovative project has worked to establish a unique cultural connection within our local community, while creating a destination where people from all backgrounds can share, learn and experience our rich heritage.
Developed in collaboration with the City of PAE, Yitpi Yartapuultiku Aboriginal Working Group, Ashley Halliday Architects and Wax Design, the project is the largest ever undertaken by the Council and contributes towards economic growth, employment and tourism opportunities in PAE.
To find out how you can visit and immerse yourself in local culture including art exhibitions, workshops, guided walks and more visit our dedicated Yitpi Yartapuultiku page.
To find out more about the journey of Yitpi Yartapuultiku including its development and construction, please read on.
The journey towards the realisation of Yitpi Yartapuultiku was marked by a commitment of respect, deep listening, collaboration and shared learning between the City of PAE, the Yitpi Yartapuultiku Aboriginal Working Group, Ashley Halliday Architects and Wax Design.
The entire process was undertaken together, to respect the Aboriginal connection to the site, and every aspect of the design and development has been shaped by cultural knowledge of Kaurna people. Cultural practices and narratives have been seamlessly integrated, ensuring an authentic representation of heritage.
This unique cultural place is a testament to the unity of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, where everyone can come together to share, learn and experience the rich tapestry of our heritage.
Yitpi Yartapuultiku will include indoor and outdoor activity and performance spaces, a family-friendly park and playground, public amenities, state-of-the-art facilities, meeting rooms and event spaces. Yitpi Yartapuultiku is targeting a 6 Star Green Star rating, representing world leadership in better, healthier and more responsible buildings.
In March 2022, Council endorsed a concept plan and business case for the project and agreed to start on detailed designs. The occasion was momentous, with Project Custodian Group members present, some of whom have been actively advocating for a centre for over twenty years.
We undertook an intensive culturally embedded co-design processes with Custodians to establish a concept plan for the centre. The shared design direction included strong cultural principles developed in partnership with leadership from Custodians. The concept plan set up a framework to ensure that the delivery and ongoing management of the centre is grounded in people and place.
The centre now offers a diverse and engaging program of activities and experiences for people of all ages and backgrounds. It is an inclusive and family-friendly environment, welcoming individuals to connect, play and learn. The versatile spaces, both indoors and outdoors, accommodate a wide range of cultural and community events, from intimate gatherings to vibrant festivals. Guided tours, immersive cultural education experiences and dynamic programs, ensuring an authentic and enriching experience.
At its core, Yitpi Yartapuultiku aims to heal the land and bring the community together, while offering unparalleled opportunities for events, community programs and tourism.
Explore the Yitpi Yartapuultiku interactive map
Download the Yitpi Yartapuultiku concept design plan
We are currently seeking expressions of interest from anyone wanting to collaborate with us to deliver programs and activities that will bring Yitpi Yartapuultiku to life as a space where people can meet, learn, experience, grow and develop strong cultural connections.
Whether you are an individual, community group or organisation, if you have an idea for a program, event, project, workshop or other activity, we would like to hear from you.
Project information
Yitpi Yartapuultiku is:
- A place for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people to learn, experience and be immersed in Aboriginal culture.
- A culturally safe place to gather. A place to practice, share, celebrate and record culture past, present and emerging.
- A place to connect to Country and culture.
You can follow the initial planning journey of Yitpi Yartapuultiku on our YouTube page including the first in our series of videos titled Creating an Aboriginal Culture Centre in Port Adelaide video
Yitpi Yartapuultiku Working Group
The Yitpi Yartapuultiku Working Group (YYWG) was a large group of Aboriginal community members who worked consistently and collaboratively on the design development for Yitpi Yartapuultiku from 2023 until the centre opened in June 2025. The YYWG was identified as a collective of Aboriginal people who represented the council region and who provided cultural authority and leadership for and on behalf of the community and Yitpi Yartapuultiku.
The Soul of Port Adelaide
The Aboriginal Cultural Centre was built at the reserve formally known as Western Region Park (where Old Port Road meets Bower Road, north west corner). The project group met with local Elders to discuss ideas and concepts, and together decided on the Kaurna name Yitpi Yartapuultiku. This means ‘Soul of Port Adelaide’: Yitpi meaning 'Soul', Yartapuulti being the name that the Kaurna people gave to the land around the Port River, and ku meaning ‘of’, a Kaurna joining word.
On Tuesday 16 August 2022 a naming ceremony was held onsite, which included a Welcome to Country by Senior Kaurna Elder Lewis O’Brien, a Smoking Ceremony by Michael O’Brien and three ceremonial fires.
To find out more about the collaboration and co-design process:
Watch more Yitpi Yartapuultiku stories on YouTube
Listen to episode #12 of the Green Adelaide Podcast featuring City of PAE Place Leader for Yitpi Yartapuultiku Rodney Welch and Director of WAX Warwick Keats on Spotify, or visit Green Adelaide for more podcast listening options available.
Listen to The Aboriginal Way podcast featuring Place Leader Rodney Welch, Site Coordinator Rikki Wilson and Chair of the PAE Advisory Panel Susan Dixon.
FAQs
The Aboriginal Cultural Centre is a community place providing a range of activities and opportunities for both First Nations and non-First Nations people. It is an authentic place to be immersed in local culture.
The centre has indoor and outdoor activity and performance spaces, public amenities, office and meeting rooms, extensive landscaping, artwork and entry statements and areas with access to the water.
The site, formally known as Western Region Park, is located on Bower Road, Port Adelaide and has direct connection to Yerta Bulti Country (the area around the Port River) and the rich cultural
history of the Kaurna People.
Council worked closely with community to develop the Yitpi Yartapuultiku concept design. The project design team worked through a co-design process with a group of Project Custodians and with council’s Aboriginal Advisory Panel. More information about the Aboriginal Advisory Panel can be found here. The concept design was informed by a clear set of Cultural Guiding Principles, developed with our community.
A tender process was undertaken to select the principal contractor to construct Yitpi Yartapuultiku. This process ensured that the project achieved value for money, high quality, respect for cultural principles and design direction, employment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and engagement with Aboriginal supply chain.
Sarah Constructions was selected as the builder for the project.
The following protocols were considered:
- Culturally Safe – A locally authentic, culturally safe place
- Cultural Practice – To bring back / repatriate cultural ways
- Connection to Country – A place to return to Country, foster deep understanding and respect for Country and each other
- Cultural Immersion – A place to be immersed in local culture.
- Cultural Learning – A place of learning through listening, observation, exploring and doing
- A Place of Healing – A place to remind us that healing is a shared process
During the construction phase, artwork titled "The Parnpa-parnpalya" (Kaurna for Conference) artwork was created by local Narungga Artist Ingrid O'Loughlin, to represent the project.
The story of the artwork reflects how many people gather on Country connecting our soul to place. A place to be safe, share, learn and experience together. A place we sense and feel through practices, environments and attitudes that bring us greater relationship, connection and belonging.
Ingrid’s artwork represents the Yitpi Yartapuultiku design journey. The City of PAE, the Yitpi Yartapuultiku Aboriginal Working Group, Ashley Halliday Architects and Wax Design are committed to collaboration and working together with respect, deep listening and a sense of shared learning to create a place that will provide a strong sense of community.
When Yitpi Yartapuultiku was launched in June 2025, a new identity was establish to move the project forward from construction to open to the public. You can see the new branding on the dedicated Yitpi Yartapuultiku page. The new artwork showcases the unique location and connection to culture, nature, activities and play, and is weaved throughout the site when you visit.
Decisions are made through the Kaurna-led Leadership Group. All new programs, stories and artworks require Elders’ approval and Indigenous Cultural Intellectual Property (ICIP) clearance.
The total construction budget for Yitpi Yartapuultiku was $35.2 million. This included all civil and environmental works, 4Ha of landscaping, living shoreline transformation, a 2,100 square metre cultural centre building, interpretive signage and artworks, car parking and paths.
The Commonwealth Government provided $2.3 million through its Urban Rivers and Catchments Program for the creation of a Living Shoreline at Yitpi Yartapuultiku - a re-naturalisation of the shoreline that supports the health of the river system and enhanced biodiversity.
The Commonwealth Government also provided a further $2.18 million as part of the Preparing Australian Communities - Local Stream grant program which has enabled the Yitpi Yartapuultiku development to play a vital role in reducing the risk of floods in the natural environment and built environment by constructing a living shoreline and developing a flood mitigation investment program.
The balance of the project funding was provided by the City of PAE in accordance with its Long-Term Financial Plan.
Yitpi Yartapuultiku has received a 6 Star Green Star rating, representing world leadership in better, healthier and more responsible buildings. It features solar PV, raingarden filtration, recycled timber and a Living Shoreline that restores mangrove habitat.
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The Yitpi Yartapuultiku 'Living Shoreline' redevelopment is supported by the Commonwealth Government through:
- The Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources
- The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment, and Water – Urban Rivers and Catchments program
- Green Adelaide
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