Narana shuts its doors in preparation for handover to Wathaurong

THE owners of Narana have closed its doors to the public after 28 years in preparation for handover to the Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative.

In a now-deleted post on its Facebook page yesterday (Tuesday, June 25), Narana Aboriginal Cultural Centre stated that, regretfully, its time at the site at 410 Surf Coast Highway, Grovedale had come to an end.

“We thank every one of our loyal customers for your support over the past 28 years it has not gone unnoticed.

“But unfortunately, we are now here to announce that Narana will not be open to the public.”

The process of handover from the Uniting Church Australia to the Co-Operative will take place in the coming weeks.

At the beginning of 2024, the Co-op had indicated its interest in acquiring Narana Creations as an ongoing cultural centre in the Geelong region.

The closure of Narana this week is part of the acquisition being in final stages of agreement.

The Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress Victoria released a statement today (Wednesday, June 26) saying the outcome was “both sad and wonderful.”

“While the Uniting Church Australia is letting go of a space and place that has been so important to our own identity as Second Peoples in relationship with the First Peoples of this land, it is a sign of the Church’s commitment to the covenant and reconciling relationship with First Peoples that this centre and the land be returned to the First Peoples’ community of the land on which Narana sits.”

The free-entry cultural centre has provided an educational and tourism focused destination committed to offering a welcoming introduction to Indigenous culture.

A ceremony of thanks and gratitude and celebration of transfer with the Wathaurong community will be held at a date to be decided.