Moving through Country: Passing through Light

This place is full of connections like the pathway through country giving access to and away from the river, a quick way through.

The Baramaddagul people would follow the constellations to find our way across country. This pathway would lead to resources that were found along the river. In recent times, this pedestrian pathway also leads us to resources and our places in Baramadda, and beyond through saltwater country. The stars are our ancestors. We are guided by the night sky following the Baramaddagul story of moving across country with the seasons.

Inspired by physical qualities of the laneway and its inherent characteristic as a threshold between the city, river and nearby suburbs, our concept and imagery are informed by the sky and its navigational significance to indigenous and non-indigenous cultures alike.

The story of this place that connects us all with Country is a simple one:

A pathway followed at night by the light of the moon through Dharug Ngurra.

Our creative response to this pathway includes imagery relating to sky illuminating the ground, with the flow of the river and people. Dharug dalang drifts throughout the artwork embedding ancient language in the path we walk.

We describe the artwork as you move from the city toward the river:

At the city end of the path, the sun greets us between the buildings.

As we move from the city toward the river, the changing sky flows with the lines on the path as bats fly overhead and meeting places are dotted along the way.

The constellations relate to the sky as seen above Baramadda. At the city end and centre of the path we see the southern part of the Milky Way and at the river end we see the northern stars above. These constellations reflect what you see in the sky above the lane. They show our direct connection with the physical landscape and highlight our cultural connections to the night sky.

At the bridge, the moon shines over the path.

As we travel from the river, meeting places, stars and language flow up the stairs from the waters edge to join the path above.

Dharug dalang (language) used in the artwork.

Image Gallery

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Warami

With the consultation of our Dharug language knowledge holders we have looked at the laneway position and Dharug landforms and meanings and have created three names for consideration for the laneway.

The connections that this space has is the pathway through country giving access to and away from the river, a quick way through.

The Baramaddagul people would follow the constellations to find our way across country. This pathway would lead to resources that were found along the river, in recent times this is a pedestrian pathway that also leads us to resources and our places in Baramadda and beyond through salt water country. We are guided by the night sky following the Baramaddagul story of moving across country.

The three names are:

Yilabara Muru Path - Quick way through path.

Duba Yanada MuruPath - Moonlit pathway.

Gimbawali Path – Path of many stars

We feel that these names show what this laneway is used for and has been used for over thousands of years.

Didyurigur
Leanne Watson Redpath

Parramatta - Places to Love program - YouTube - Proudly funded by Transport for NSW’s Places to Love program.

Yilabara Path

Yilabara Path in Parramatta was named through a community-led initiative under the NSW Government’s Places to Love program. The City of Parramatta Council worked closely with Dharug language custodians to propose culturally meaningful names for an unnamed laneway, receiving over 450 public submissions. “Yilabara,” meaning “quick way through” in Dharug, was chosen by popular vote and officially adopted in April 2024.

The laneway was transformed with a glow-in-the-dark mural titled Passing Through Light, created by Dharug artist Leanne Redpath Watson in collaboration with Tina Barahanos and Alexandra Byrne. This artwork enhances both the visual appeal and nighttime safety of the path, incorporating traditional Aboriginal motifs and storytelling elements that illuminate after dark. The project empowered the local Dharug community through Indigenous-led place naming and placemaking, while educating the broader public about Dharug language, culture, and history. It has turned a key pedestrian link between Phillip Street and the Parramatta River foreshore into a vibrant, welcoming space.

Artists and Designers

Leanne Redpath Watson – Dharug artist, lead designer of the mural and naming consultant.

Tina Barahanos – Artist collaborator.

Alexandra Byrne – Artist collaborator.

Installation and Materials

Moon Deck – Contractor responsible for the installation of the photoluminescent mural.

Consultation and Cultural Guidance

Dharug community – Provided cultural input and naming options.

Burramattagal Elders – Co-designed artwork and advised on naming.

Council’s First Nations Advisory Committee

Council’s Heritage Advisory Committee

Project Management and Delivery

City of Parramatta Council – Led the project, developed the design brief, and managed community engagement.

Council’s Landscape Architecture Team – Designed Street furniture and coordinated installation.

NSW Government (Transport for NSW) – Funded the project under the Places to Love program.