Barunguba Montague Island Penguin Viewing Platform

 Yuin Country

Client: Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, National Parks and Wildlife

“I pray that the spirit of this sacred place touches the hearts of the wider south coast community and all visitors who may come. May we always say yes to reconciliation, as it always was and always will be Aboriginal land, Walawaani.”

— Uncle Bunja Smith, Walbunja and Yuin Elder, at the dual-naming ceremony, 2023

Barunguba is the eldest child of Mother Gulaga, and sibling to Najanuka. The island’s story reflects both deep time and deep disruption — from the forced displacement of the Yuin people, to the introduction of invasive species, and decades of environmental damage under European management.

Thanks to years of dedicated conservation work and the island’s isolation, Barunguba Montague is now a sanctuary again — a vital habitat for marine and bird life, and an Aboriginal Place returned to the care of Traditional Custodians in 2008. In 2023, its original name was officially restored.

Understorey’s design approach acknowledges the frayed and ongoing story of this sacred site. Our contribution is quiet and careful — an effort to support cultural and ecological restoration, and to respectfully weave connections between place, memory, and future care.