Mikawomma Reserve facts for kids

Mikawomma Reserve

The bridge

A bilby carved into a boulder.

School children painted the tiles that cover the gum leaf shaped seats.

The Mikawomma Reserve is a special park in Woodville Gardens, a suburb in South Australia, Australia. You can find it at the corner of Liberty Grove and Ridley Grove. The name "Mikawomma" comes from the Kaurna language. It means the flat land between Adelaide and Port Adelaide. The Kaurna people are the original owners of this land. The park's design, plants, and artworks all celebrate the local plants, animals, and the rich culture and history of the Kaurna people.

Park Design and Features

Mikawomma Reserve is designed to be both beautiful and useful. It helps manage rainwater and features amazing artworks.

How the Park Manages Water

Mikawomma Reserve is a public park with a smart system for handling rainwater. It has a gently sloping area that acts like a big bowl. When it rains a lot, this bowl temporarily holds the extra water from the local streets. This stops streets and footpaths from flooding. The water is then slowly released back into underground pipes.

Plants and Landscape

The park's landscape is filled with plants that naturally grow in the Adelaide area. There's a dry creek bed that winds through the reserve. The plants along this creek and in the lower parts of the park are the same kinds you'd find along creeks on the Adelaide plains. Higher up, around the edges of the park, you'll see plants native to the Adelaide foothills. The Kaurna people used some of these plants for food or to make useful things.

Amazing Artworks in the Park

There are many cool artworks throughout Mikawomma Reserve. The ideas for these artworks came from talking with local people, especially the Kaurna community. Local residents and school children helped paint the tiles that cover the gum leaf-shaped seats. These tiles show pictures of things you might find on a forest floor.

A main artwork in the park is a sculpture called World of Knowledge - Tip of the Iceberg. This piece shows the Kaurna people as teachers. Some artworks are a bit hidden, like animals carved into big rocks. You can also find stepping stones with Kaurna numbers on them. Images of carved animals are even on the bridge. The bridge railing looks like a fishing net, similar to the nets the Kaurna people used to weave from plant fibers.

The main artists who created Mikawomma Reserve were Adrian Potter and Bridgette Minuzzo. Other artists also helped, including Silvio Apponyi, Geoff Barnes, Adam Barnes, Mark Blackman, Tony Colangelo, and Dianne Longley.

How the Park Was Built

Building Mikawomma Reserve was a big team effort involving many groups and people.

Partners and Community Help

The Government of South Australia, through Arts SA, helped fund the park's development. They worked with the Westwood Urban Renewal Project, which was a joint effort by Urban Pacific Limited and the South Australian Housing Trust, along with the City of Port Adelaide Enfield.

The park's design was created by landscape architect Warwick Keates from Hassell. He worked closely with artists Adrian Potter and Bridgette Minuzzo, and they had great support from the local community.

Students from schools helped build the boardwalk. Many people were involved in creating Mikawomma Reserve. This included members of the Kaurna community, local community groups, students from Ridley Grove Primary School and Ferryden Park Primary School, representatives from the Parks Community Centre, and local residents.

Awards for the Park

Mikawomma Reserve won four awards in 2004 from the LASA (Landscape Association of South Australia). These awards recognized the park's excellent design and construction, as well as its focus on the environment.

• Commercial landscape over $100,000 - Design only
• Commercial landscape over $100,000 - Construction only
• Most Environmentally Sensitive Project
• ABC Talkback Gardening Award