Culture, Country and Connection
The opening of the M1 Pacific Motorway Extension to Raymond Terrace on 11 September 2026 marks the completion of a major cultural design journey for Saretta Art & Design and the Aboriginal communities who helped shape the project.
Commissioned by Transport for NSW, Saretta Art & Design provided Aboriginal
cultural, historical and artistic advisory services to help embed meaningful
cultural interpretation within the motorway's urban design.
Led by Wonnarua artist Saretta Fielding, the project brought together cultural
research, community consultation, on-Country learning and contemporary
Aboriginal design. The resulting artworks share stories connected to the Hunter
River, Hexham wetlands and the Aboriginal peoples who maintain enduring connections across this Country.
Understanding Country
The 15-kilometre motorway travels from Black Hill to Raymond Terrace through a culturally and environmentally significant landscape shaped by the Hunter River and its surrounding waterways and wetlands.
Saretta Art & Design worked alongside Emeritus Professor John Maynard of the Purai Global Indigenous History Centre to research the cultural and historical values of the project area.
The cultural study focused particularly on the Pambalong clan of the Awabakal people, connected to Country south of the Hunter River, and the Garuagal clan of the Worimi people, connected to Country north of the river. Consultation also recognised the longstanding connections of Wonnarua people to the area through traditional life, movement, community relationships and the waterways of the Hunter.
This research provided the cultural foundation for the artwork and helped ensure the completed designs reflected the places, histories and communities connected to the motorway corridor.
A Community-Led Design Process
Community consultation was central to the development of the artwork. Saretta Art & Design engaged Aboriginal Elders, knowledge holders, language holders, community representatives and Local Aboriginal Land Councils connected to Worimi, Awabakal/Pambalong and Wonnarua Country.
The process included community workshops, oral-history feedback, cultural advisory sessions and on-Country experiences. These conversations helped identify which stories and visual themes were appropriate to share publicly, where they belonged within the landscape and which proposed elements should not progress.
The final themes were reviewed and informed by community before being developed into the digital artwork package.
People and Community
People and community were central themes within the cultural design response.
Cultural Design Themes
The endorsed artwork themes reflect the landscape and traditional life of the Lower Hunter, including:
The Hunter River and its connecting waterways
Hexham Swamp and the surrounding wetlands
Traditional fishing and travel by bark canoe
- Native fish, plants, animals and food sources
- People, community and gathering
- Traditional quarrying and the use of stone
- Kulangulan, the tiny bat associated with Worimi men
- Dilmun, the small tree creeper associated with Worimi women
- The wedgetail eagle, significant to Awabakal and Wonnarua people
- The platypus and its connection to the wetlands
Together, these designs create a layered story of Aboriginal life on Country and the relationship between people, land, water and community.
Waterways
The Hunter River and its connecting waterways shaped the overall design narrative.
Wetlands
The wetlands artwork responds to Hexham Swamp and the surrounding landscape.
Kulangulan
The tiny bat associated with Worimi men.
Dilmun
The small tree creeper associated with Worimi women and the arrival of good fortune.
Artwork Embedded Into Infrastructure
Saretta's designs have been translated into architectural and landscape elements throughout the completed motorway.
The cultural artwork appears across bridge safety screens, noise walls, retaining walls and infrastructure near the Hunter Region Botanic Gardens. The applications include representations of waterways, wetlands, canoes, fishing, native wildlife and community gathering.
By integrating the artwork directly into the built environment, culture becomes part of the journey rather than an addition to it. Each element responds to its location and contributes to a connected cultural narrative extending across the motorway corridor.
An Enduring Cultural Legacy
The M1 Pacific Motorway Extension demonstrates the value of involving Aboriginal artists, communities and cultural knowledge holders throughout the development of major public infrastructure.
For Saretta Art & Design, the project was about more than creating visual patterns. It was an opportunity to listen, research, connect and translate community-endorsed cultural narratives into an enduring public outcome.
The completed artwork will now be experienced by thousands of people travelling through the Hunter each day, creating greater visibility for Aboriginal culture and recognising the continuing connection of Aboriginal people to Country.
Project Details
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Project:
M1 Pacific Motorway Extension to Raymond Terrace
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Location:
Black Hill to Raymond Terrace, Hunter Region, NSW
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Client:
Transport for NSW
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Lead artist and cultural advisor:
Saretta Fielding, Saretta Art & Design
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Cultural and historical research:
Saretta Fielding and Emeritus Professor John Maynard, Purai Global Indigenous History Centre
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Services:
Cultural research, Aboriginal community consultation, cultural advisory, artwork development and digital design package
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Artwork applications:
Bridge safety screens, noise walls, retaining walls and urban design elements
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Completion:
March 2022 - September 2026
Creating Places Grounded in Country
Saretta Art & Design works with government, architects, landscape architects, developers and construction teams to embed authentic Aboriginal cultural narratives within public places and major infrastructure.
Our services extend from cultural research, engagement and interpretation through to original artwork, digital design development and assistance with project delivery.