The Hub@Bonnyrigg Dhanawi

 

The new community precinct at Bonnyrigg has recently been completed and is open to the public. Built as part of a Voluntary Planning Agreement (VPA) between Council and the Land and Housing Corporation through the redevelopment of the Bonnyrigg social housing estate, the new community centre will provide valuable community space for meetings, events and activities for the Bonnyrigg and surrounding communities.

The centre includes a large function space, two large meeting rooms, a commercial kitchen and some smaller informal areas. Bookings can be made through Council’s website at Halls and Community Centres.

 

Naming of the centre

The centre’s indigenous name in Dharug language is Dhanawi (Darn-a-wee) meaning “meeting place”. All rooms have Dharug names that reflect the elements. The table below outlines the name, its meaning and which room it is for.

Name	Phonetic	English translation	Meaning	Facility
Bamul	Bah-mool	Earth	Earth is our Mother, from her we are nurtured and provided with food, medicine and healing.	Large hall
Badu	Ba-doo	Fresh Water	Our waterways are our healing and life force.	Meeting room with play area
Guwing	Goo-wing	Sun	Sun provides us with warm and light. It was the first sunrise when our dreaming began.	Meeting room
Guwiyang	Goo-wee-ung	Fire	Fire is an extremely important element to our people for food, healing and hunting. We always yarn around a fire.	Meeting room 1
Gura	Goo-rah	Wind	We believe our Ancestors talk to us through the winds. Each breeze brings new teachings and stories.	Meeting room 2
Dyurali	Dew-rah-lee	To Grow / Growth		Community Garden
Dhanawi	Darn-a-wee	meeting place		Community Centre

 

Photo Gallery

Below are some photos of the meeting rooms and other facilities in the community centre.

 

Dyurali - Community Garden

Built as part of the community centre precinct Dyurali will provide a modern community garden for use by local residents. It will be managed by a community organisation who will work with the community to create a dedicated community garden space for residents to gather, share experiences and build social connections and cohesiveness. The garden space will increase the community’s access to fresh and nutritious food and develop skills in gardening, composting and cooking.

Places to Roam program funding

Council recently completed works at the Dyurali Community Garden with funding received from the Department of Planning and Environment through the Places to Roam Community Gardens program. The funding enabled Council to invest $75,000 to provide accessible garden beds, an outdoor kitchen space, seating, planting and other garden facilities for the community to use.

Council has received a further $75,000 from the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure to deliver on stage 2 works which will include installing a garden storage shed, shelter, pathways and lighting at the garden. These works are expected to be completed by June 2025.

Below are some of photos from stage 1 works: