Bunjil’s Wings welcomes travellers at Deer Park station
Public Art
Melbourne, Victoria
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Project Management
Engineering Management
Fabrication
Installation
Safety & Design
Documentation
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Public Art
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Artist:
Simone Thomson
Fabricators:
Sculpture Co
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LXRP (Level Crossing Removal Project)
WPA (Western Program Alliance)
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Fred Kroh
Deer Park train station has a new public artwork that celebrates Bunjil, the powerful Creator Spirit and protector.
WRAP worked closely with artist Simone Thomson (Wurundjeri, Yorta Yorta, Wiradjuri), fabricators, Wurundjeri Council and the Level Crossing Removal Project team to develop and install this striking tribute to Bunjil, the Wedge tailed Eagle, a powerful Creator Spirit and protector.
The artwork is located at Deer Park Railway Station, on Wurundjeri Country.
Our Role
WRAP managed the project from end-to-end, ensuring that the installation met all safety standards, and that technical drawings were appropriately executed. Taking artist Simone Thomson’s drawing and applying it to Corten steel feathers, these were then shaped and wrapped in a circular form to signify a meeting place, to welcome travellers and community, but also to reference the sweeping curve of Deer Park Station’s overhang designed by architects Hassell.
Impact
Bunjil’s Wings is a significant public artwork at Deer Park railway station, honouring Bunjil’s sacred journey and role as creator and protector.
“This artwork honours Bunjil’s sacred journey and role as Creator and protector. Partly embedded feathers connect with the earth, symbolising the enduring interconnectedness between Creator, Country, and community. His feathers encircle in a protective embrace over these lands and waterways and mark his pathway and journey tracks to Sky Country. Their circular gathering signifies a meeting place, a site for travellers and community to come together within Deer Park.”
— Simone Thomson (Wurundjeri, Yorta Yorta, Wiraduri)
→ ARTIST/S
Simone Thomson
Simone Thomson (Wurundjeri, Yorta Yorta, Wiradjuri) is a Narrm-based First Nations artist, muralist and designer. Thomson’s work spans public art, large-scale murals, painting, sculpture, design and collaborative community projects. Across these mediums, she continues the practice of storytelling through visual language, drawing on ancestral knowledge systems, oral histories and lived experience to communicate narratives of Country, waterways, and cultural identity. Her practice is grounded in the belief that art can act as a bridge between communities, creating shared spaces for reflection, education and connection.
Central to Thomson’s visual language is the representation of Country through layered symbolism and mapping. Her works frequently reference rivers, meeting places and natural systems, reflecting the interconnected relationships between people, land and water.
Thomson has developed a significant body of public artworks across Victoria, including murals, cultural installations and civic commissions. Through these works, she creates culturally rich visual environments that invite audiences to engage with First Nations storytelling in public space. Thomson’s work continues to contribute to the evolving landscape of contemporary First Nations public art in Australia, with a practice that honours cultural continuity while engaging with contemporary urban environments and diverse audiences.
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