Restored Birabahn Eagle-hawk mural at the Wollotuka Institute
The restoration project for the Birabahn Eagle-hawk mural at the Wollotuka Institute Birabahn building has been completed, renewing the original design by Biripai artist Mandy Davis.
A team of restorers organised through Wollotuka and the University Gallery spent a week cleaning, repairing, colour matching and repainting the colourful mural. Birabahn is the specially designed building that is home to the University of Newcastle’s Wollotuka Institute, named after the Eagle-hawk totem of the Awabakal and the Awabakal scholar by the same name. In 2015 Wollotuka received Australia's first World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium accreditation, recognising its strong outcomes within Australian Indigenous Higher Education.
Read more about the Wollotuka Institute and their recent accreditation and next time you are near the Birabahn Building, head in to see this beautiful and significant mural.

Image 1: the carefully restored Birabahn Eagle-hawk mural, originally designed by Biripai artist Mandy Davis. Photo: Nicole Chaffey, the University Gallery

Image 2: the Birabahn Eagle-hawk mural before restoration. Photo: Nicole Chaffey, the University Gallery

Image 3. Cleaning and colour-matching during restoration. Photo: Amy Thunig, the UON Wollotuka Institute
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The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.