Yarra Eels is a public sculpture project created for Yarra Valley Grammar’s Fine Arts Building, drawing on the cultural and ecological significance of the Yarra River. The work reflects the eel as a local species and migratory presence, connecting the school grounds to the surrounding landscape and the deeper histories held within it.

The surface patterning of the sculptures references Wurundjeri totems and the visual legacy of William Barak, bringing cultural memory into the fabric of the work. Unveiled during Luk, the eel migration season, the project was introduced through a First Nations Celebration that included a Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony by Murrundindi, Elder of the Wurundjeri people.

As a Yarra Old Grammarian, this project also carries a personal connection to place, memory and education. The work brings together school history, First Nations knowledge and the living ecology of the Yarra, offering students, staff and visitors a point of connection to Country, culture and the stories that continue to move through the landscape.

YARRA EELS