Quandamooka is commonly defined as the region and indigenous people of Moreton Bay and its Islands.

The Quandamooka Project is a project for all people living on and visiting the Moreton Bay area. It celebrates the Bay with its rich reefs, mangroves, sand flats, sandy beaches and the way it has provided food, work, recreation and enjoyment for countless generations. The project name comes from the Quandamooka Peoples whose legends tell of their custodianship of these resources since creation.

Since 2001, both indigenous and European residents have cooperated closely to create this special place, Quandamooka Place -with a focus on the rich cultural and environmental heritage of the Bay. The working group consists of the Wynnum & Manly Rotary Club, the Winnam Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation (Winnam ATSIC), and the Brisbane City Council. This special place is sited at Pandanus Beach and extends along the Wynnum Jetty. The Brisbane City Council has undertaken a $400,000 upgrade of the Jetty that complements the Quandamooka Project. A public design competition in 2002 was won by a young designer Paul Songhurst titled Bulka Booangun: Calling the Dolphins.

• a five metre high timber and ceramic sculpture at the entrance to the jetty, made from three recycled hardwood pylons
• six in-ground ceramic artwork panels 2.8 metres wide set into the deck of the jetty featuring designs inspired by traditional Quandamooka lore
• a 2.0m diameter in-ground ceramic artwork “direction-finder” dial at the sea-ward end of the jetty indicating visible landmarks of the Bay and various other elements related to 'finding direction'
• At the mid-point of the jetty, a 4.0m tall stainless steel sculpture resembling three spears commemorates the age-old cooperation between the indigenous people of Quandamooka and the dolphins

Each week, thousands of visitors flock to the foreshore to gaze at the islands, launch boats for casual fishing, stroll along the boardwalk and picnic on the esplanade extending four kilometres from Wynnum Creek to Lota Creek. Improvements such as Quandamooka Place and public works by Brisbane City Council and Port of Brisbane Corporation will attract even greater numbers to the foreshore.

Quandamooka Place will become the focus of such recreational activities, a must-see place and a central point from which to fan out for a day - or an hour - of enjoyment. It will also create a cultural and educational asset for future generations. The project has been endorsed by all schools in the area, the Brisbane City Council, the Wynnum Chamber of Commerce, and the Wynnum Historical Society.

The path work and entrance sculpture was officially handed over to Lord Mayor Campbell Newman on the 16th of July 2005.

The Project was initiated by the Rotary Club of Wynnum & Manly as a fiftieth anniversary project 1953 -2003.

The concept of 'Bulka Booangun - calling the dolphins' revolves around telling a story, of place, people, time and tide. The concept is manifest in the form of sculptural elements integrated into the existing jetty, including surface treatments along the path. Along the jetty there are numerous sculptures and in-ground artworks that express elements of this story. The exploration of these artwork installations is a journey, one that takes the observer back through time from present day to the time of the dreaming.

The design concept for Bulka Booangun:
Calling the Dolphins takes the observer on a journey of discovery by telling the story of a traditional fishing practice of the local indigenous peoples from time long past.

1. The Sea Eagle signals the location of the schools of fish and people used this sea bird when catching schools of fish. The bird flying over the water would show them where the fish were located and the people could prepare for the catch.
2. When Lorikeets are plentiful it is a good season for sea mullet.
3. When the Wattle is in flower it signals the beginning of the tailor season.
4. When the Blackbutt is in flower, it means that parrot fish are in the bay.
5. When hairy grubs travel linked together in a long row, it means the mullet season is starting and the fish are moving up the east coast to their spawning grounds.
6. When the Hop Bush is in flower oysters are at their best.

The Stainless Steel ‘Spear’ Sculpture at the mid-point of the jetty is of great significance to the overall design concept. Standing approximately four metres tall, this sculpture represents the spears used by local Quandamooka indigenous peoples in ‘calling the dolphins’. In this tradition, spears are used in a non-violent manner to communicate with the dolphins. This communication initiates a powerful relationship of cooperation between people and the natural environment. The inherent principles of this sculpture are the messages of environmental and social sustainability, of mutual respect and understanding between people and the bay and importantly of cooperation between people and between people and the natural environment. This sculpture has a strong visual connection to the forms of Cranes on the horizon at the Port of Brisbane - Fisherman Islands. The visual connection to Fisherman Islands reflects on the connection to the story of the traditional indigenous fishing story around which the design concept of ‘calling the dolphins’ is based as well as to the current fishing that takes place in Moreton Bay.

Direction Finding Dial