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, to be installed in late 2022, will respond to the natural environment, local history and contemporary communities of Freshwater and the Northern Beaches.

mili mili have been engaging with local Aboriginal stakeholders and local community groups and held the following two engagement events 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. If you did not get the chance to attend, 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. Due to forecast inclement weather, this event was moved from McKillop Park to indoors at the Harbord Diggers Club.

Thank you to everyone who joined us at these events.

Checkout the artist impressions below of the artwork concept for McKillop Park, Freshwater, courtesy mili mili.

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.

We invited you to share your comments about the concept between 10 March 2022 and 10 April 2022. Thank you to everyone who provided feedback.

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.