Waltzing Matilda Centre

Designed as the world’s first museum dedicated to a song, the Waltzing Matilda Centre stands as a cultural landmark to both the local community and the iconic ballad that inspired it. Set in the Australian outback, the use of raw materials like concrete and weathered steel captures the region’s character, while the architecture draws inspiration from rock formations, flowing water, and billabongs.

A refined use of materiality within the wayfinding reflects the architecture and landscape of the Gallery site.
The striking angular form of the wayfinding is inspired by the architecture

Robust and expressive external wayfinding elements embody the region’s unadorned resourcefulness and resilience, using rusted plate steel to echo the burnt and burnished tones of the local rock, with striking angular planes interrupting the continuity of convex forms.

Waltzing Matilda architecture
Rusted plate steel echos the burnt and burnished tones of the local rock

Inside, the signage guides and identifies exhibition spaces, community facilities, and visitor amenities. Crafted lettering introduces a tactile quality set against fissured forms and textured concrete panels.

The interior space with subtle wayfinding interventions
Internal arrival wayfinding
Cut lettering design detail
Map wayfinding signage

Image credits: Christopher Frederick Jones