Kardinia Park’s Stage 5 Redevelopment will fittingly honour the Traditional Owners of the land on which the venue sits, with the new northern plaza to be named Djilang Plaza.
Gerard Griffin, CEO, of Kardinia Park Stadium Trust welcomed the decision to name the plaza after the Wadawurrung name for the region, meaning a “tongue of land, representing the unique way Geelong and the Bellarine sits on the edge of the bay.
”We listened deeply during the consultation process with Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation to include two bespoke significant artworks as part of the Stage 5 redevelopment. The connection between culture, community and land has been honoured and elevated through these artworks, along with the naming of the plaza – Djilang Plaza.”‘
Kardinia Park has been a meeting place for Wadawurrung for thousands of years, with gatherings for all aspects of traditional cultural ceremonies and rituals. The naming of the new Djilang Plaza will ensure this continues today.
Facing Moorabool Street, outside Gate 1 at the northern end of the stadium, Djilang Plaza will welcome thousands of spectators to the venue every year, helping spread stories of Wadawurrung.
Led by the Kardinia Park Stadium Trust as the naming authority, the naming process involved significant consultation with the community and key stakeholders, including Wadawurrung Traditional Owners, working with Geographic Names Victoria.
Overseen by the Trust, the Stage 5 Redevelopment will deliver a new 14,000 capacity, 2-tier northern stand, new northern entry plaza, sports museum, function room and a suite of technology upgrades.
Patrons will enjoy world-class facilities with the venue hosting Australian rules football, T20 cricket, football, concerts and many other community activities which makes Kardinia Park so important to Geelong and the entire region.
Construction on the Stage 5 Redevelopment continues and once complete will increase the overall stadium capacity to 40,000.
