The Garden of Australian Dreams is a symbolic landscape – large sculptural forms within a body of water, a little grass and a few trees.
Encircled by the Museum, it provides an opportunity for visitors to stop and relax as they contemplate an artistic exploration of ‘place’ and ‘home’.
The design of the Garden of Australian Dreams is based on a slice of central Australia. A concrete surface depicts a highly coloured, stylised ‘map’ of the area; take one step and you travel the equivalent of 100 kilometres across the real landmass of the country.
The words on the undulating surface of the map identify place and country – ‘home’ is translated into 100 different languages spoken in contemporary Australia.
Also inscribed are signatures of historical significance, including that of Australia's first prime minister, Edmund Barton. In contrast, a large red letter 'X" represents the signatures of the illiterate.
The lines that crisscross the concrete map include surveyors’ reference marks, road maps, the dingo fence, and First Nations and language boundaries.
Watch the full Garden of Australian Dreams: Live at the Museum video on YouTube
The Garden of Australian Dreams was devised by landscape architects Richard Weller and Vladimir Sitta of Room 4.1.3, working in collaboration with ARM Architecture.
Explore more
Learn about this evocative sound installation created for the Garden of Australian Dreams by Genevieve Lacey.
Discover the story behind the Museum building, which opened on Acton Peninsula in 2001.