Public art is coming soon to McKillop Park, a place of significant local heritage and beauty.

In 2021, Council commissioned First Nations public art team mili mili to create a new public artwork at McKillop Park on Freshwater’s headland as part of the Coast Walk Public Art program. mili mili is an established First Nations art and design studio co-founded by award winning artist and designer Nicole Monks.

This commission will be a gateway artwork for the Northern Beaches Coast Walk, and an iconic destination artwork for residents and visitors. The artwork will respond to the natural environment, local history and contemporary communities of Freshwater and the Northern Beaches.

During the exhibition period we consulted with our local Aboriginal communities as well as the broader community. We received 28 submissions which can be viewed along with the engagement outcomes in the Community Engagement Report.

Site preparation and installation at McKillop Park has now commenced.

The artwork will be connected to power via a trench extending to the existing amenities block. A crane will be on site during the artwork installation period.

Work is expected to be completed in November 2023, weather permitting.

The site will be fenced to ensure a secure work zone and safe pedestrian movement.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us on 1300 434 434 (during business hours) or email council@northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au.

To finalise their design, mili mili engaged with local Aboriginal cultural knowledge holders and local community groups. The following two engagement events were held for the broader community:

Meet the Artist - Online session - 31 March 2022

We invited you to join us online to meet First Nations art team mili mili and learn more about their concept designs for the upcoming artwork at McKillop Park. You can view a video of the session below.

Community Gathering - Harbord Diggers Club - 1 April 2022

We invited you to join us in person for an artist talk and presentation by First Nations art team mili mili, storytelling and a Bush to Bowl native plant talk.

We also invited you to share your comments about the artwork concept between 10 March 2022 and 10 April 2022.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and provided feedback.

As a result of this engagement, some changes were made to the artwork concept and proposed location. The artwork has become more structurally open, tucked further into the existing bushland, and reduced in height, to balance with the natural beauty of the headland and to protect sightlines.

You can read more about this project and its ongoing engagement on Council's webpage.

The artist impressions below show the artwork concept for McKillop Park, Freshwater that was presented to the public in 2022, courtesy mili mili. The concept has since been revised.

The concept is inspired by the signal fires lit by Aboriginal people on headlands along the east coast as a system of communication, and by traditional Aboriginal structures called gunyas. The artwork integrates seating which will provide a place for the public to engage, sit and rest on site, without obstructing the views of ocean and sky.

The video below is a recording of the online Meet the Artist session held on 31 March 2022 where Nicole Monks introduces herself and her concept design for the upcoming McKillop Park public artworks.

Check out the video below where lead artist Nicole Monks, of First Nations art team mili mili, describes the connections to place and people that are being incorporated into the design of the new public artwork at McKillop Park in Freshwater.