Wangaratta residents are being invited to share their personal memories of Merriwa Park as part of a new community storytelling project led by the Rural City of Wangaratta Council’s Grit and Resilience Program.
The Merriwa Park Story Space will feature selected local stories transferred onto timber signage and installed within the park, creating a place for reflection at this much-loved CBD destination. Community members are being encouraged to share a memory, a family moment, a piece of local history, or a reflection on Country.
The signage will be crafted from red gum timber salvaged from trees that were removed from Merriwa Park for safety reasons in 2024. At the time, Council consulted the community on potential uses for the timber, and the message was clear: keep the wood connected to the park and use it in a way that honours both the place and the people who value it.
The design is aligned with Merriwa Park’s existing character, and the project aims to create something simple and enduring. The Story Space will feature six timber storyboards featuring twelve stories, as well as seating where people can pause, read, and recognise themselves or learn something new about the place they love.
This project celebrates lived experience and local knowledge, treating community stories as a form of expertise and a vital part of the park’s identity.
“This is about belonging,” said Council Director Community & Infrastructure, Marcus Goonan.
“Merriwa Park is a special place with a significant history the Story Space will honour that.”
“The Story Space design will honour the legacy of the red gums and of the Park,” said Grit and Resilience Program Coordinator, Bek Nash-Webster.
“The focus on connection and community is why the Grit and Resilience Program chose this project to be delivered through Council.”
The community is now invited to contribute stories that help tell the ongoing story of Merriwa Park through the Connect Wangaratta website.
“Strong places are built from local stories,” said Grit and Resilience Consortium co-chair, Carmel Vermeltfoort.
“If the park has been part of your life in any way, we would love to hear from you.”
Stories can be submitted online via Connect Wangaratta, https://connect.wangaratta.vic.gov.au/merriwa-park-project or by completing a paper form and returning it by email, post or in person to Council.
Story submissions are open now and close at 5pm on Monday 13 April. While not every story can be included in the final installation, Council says all contributions will be handled with care and respect.
The Merriwa Park Story Space project is guided by the Grit and Resilience Consortium, funded by the Victorian State Government through the Wangaratta Social Inclusion Action Group, and managed by the Council.
