Garema Place is a paved outdoor area in

Civic Civic is something related to a city or municipality. It also can refer to multiple other things: Civic or CIVIC can also refer to: General *Honda Civic, a car produced by the Honda Motor Co. *Civics, the science of comparative government * Civic ...

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, with a number of shops, restaurants and cafes with outdoor dining. As a central point within the CBD, many community events including protests and festivals are held at the location. Garema Place was Gazetted as a city street in October 1952, when the disused Civic Centre railway station was removed from the site. The station had opened in 1921 as Canberra's second goods rail terminal when the Commonwealth railway line was extended from

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

, but closed in 1922 when the rail bridge over the

Molonglo River The Molonglo River is a perennial stream, perennial river that is part of the Murrumbidgee River, Murrumbidgee catchment within the Murray–Darling basin. It is located in the Monaro (New South Wales), Monaro and Capital Country regions of New ...

was washed away in a flood. The rail corridor ran along what is now City Walk and was preserved until 1950. At that time the National Capital Planning and Development Committee abandoned plans for a Canberra City railway, noting there were disadvantages in having a railway in the centre of a city. By the mid 1960's Garema Place had been converted to a pedestrian plaza. Today, Garema Place and nearby City Walk are the location of Canberra's Multicultural Festival held each February and the Celebrate Canberra Festival in March. In 1963, then-

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Robert Menzies The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, praise, reno ...

opened the nearby Monaro Mall (now

Canberra Centre The Canberra Centre, also known by the longer name Canberra Shopping Centre, is a large shopping centre located in the northern section of the Civic, Australian Capital Territory, Canberra City Centre, Australian Capital Territory, Australia ...

), which became the first in Australia to be fully-enclosed and air-conditioned with three floors. Due to the expansive nature of the centre and its association with the Garema Place and nearby City Walk, the Centre has since grown to also cover the land, as if it were a district of its own. Garema Place is known for its sculptures and artworks by local artists, predominantly "The Cushion and the Wedge", a silver statue of a pillow located in the main area near the chess board. This pillow is colloquially known as the ' Goon Bag', for its resemblance to the Australian icon. The most recent addition is the "

Big Swoop Big Swoop is a sculpture located in Petrie Plaza, Civic, Australian Capital Territory. The sculpture was funded by a grant from the City Renewal Authority. It depicts an Australian magpie pecking at a chip. The sculpture was installed in Gare ...

", which commemorates the

Australian magpie The Australian magpie (''Gymnorhina tibicen'') is a black and white passerine bird native to Australia and southern New Guinea, and introduced to New Zealand, and the Fijian island of Taveuni. Although once considered to be three separate ...

and its place in Australian culture. One of the more common birds of Australia, including urban Canberra, it is celebrated for its mellifluous carolling and its remarkable memory. During the breeding season the protective male can swoop on a human, occasionally making contact. At other times they are wont to swoop on a dropped chip or other morsel. The statue, designed by local artist Yanni Pounartzis and constructed by sculptor Gustavo Balboa and scenic artist Ari Maack, was installed in March 2022 but was not sufficiently robust to withstand a vandal attack, and had to be removed. It was rebuilt by fibreglass specialist Stuart Roswell to be indistinguishable from the original, but of much sterner stuff, and returned to its original place in December 2022.

Gallery

File:A. D. Hope bust, Garema Place.jpg, A. D. Hope File:David Campbell bust, Garema Place.jpg, David Campbell File:Judith Wright bust, Garema Place.jpg, Judith Wright File:Icarus Series (detail).jpg, Icarus Series (three figures) File:Father and Son (Dowie).jpg, "Father and Son" (John Dowie) File:Father and Son (Dowie) plaque.jpg, Father and Son plaque

References

External links

Citysearch – Garema placeList of public art works in ACT
{{Attached KML, display=title, inline Canberra urban places Streets in Canberra Busking venues Squares in Australia

See also

Gallery

References

External links