Kirrit Barreet

Ballarat, a regional centre northwest of Melbourne, is home to Kirrit Barreet, an Aboriginal Art and Cultural Centre, which exhibits high quality contemporary and traditional Aboriginal art and craft particular to that region of Victoria.

The Centre is dedicated to the Creator Spirit, Bunjil, a shared Ancestor Being for many clans in Victoria. 'Kirrit Barreet' means 'place of creation' which refers to the place where Bunjil created the first people out of clay.

Visitors to Kirrit Barreet can enjoy educational tours, cultural talks, and activities such as didgeridoo playing, boomerang painting and throwing and interactive shows on Aboriginal culture. There are also displays providing information about Aboriginal Australia and Indigenous Victoria including displays of traditional artefacts.

The Centre hosts a gallery profiling Victorian Aboriginal artists and a retail shop stocking a wide variety of predominantly Aboriginal Victorian arts and crafts, including an extensive bookshop and educational resources.

The centre was established by the Ballarat Aboriginal community to preserve and strengthen cultural identity and to educate non-Indigenous people about the history and culture of Koori people and the local Wathaurong clan.

There's more general information about the Goldfields region of Victoria at Visit Victoria.

See a video about Bunjil on the First Australians website.