Image: Castlemaine Art Museum
Castlemaine Art Museum will open 'BIYAL' on 22 August 2026, an exhibition developed in response to the fall of several large limbs from the Guildford Big Tree in February 2024. According to the museum’s exhibition materials, around 25 tonnes of timber broke away from the tree, an event described as significant and emotional for the local Dja Dja Wurrung community, Elders and nearby residents. The exhibition runs until 29 November 2026 and is presented with free admission.
The project has been framed as a community response rather than a conventional gallery commission. The source material says 'BIYAL' brings together Dja Dja Wurrung, First Nations, local voices and cultural knowledge holders, who worked with timber salvaged from the fallen limbs to create works of art, artefact and story. The exhibition’s title refers to the Guildford Big Tree itself, and the project is presented as a way of honouring the tree and what it carries: connection, healing and truth-telling.
The materials also describe the practical and cultural steps taken after the fall. DJAARA’s Malamiya (Cultural Heritage) and Galk-galk Dhelkunya teams secured the timber and moved it to safety, keeping it until Elders and community could decide how it should be handled. Guided by Uncle Rick Nelson, craftsman Pete McCurley carved one fallen limb into a Reconciliation Seat. The museum says that seat’s placement marked a ceremonial first step in honouring the tree and the beginning of the exhibition that follows.
The exhibition is curated by Uncle Rick Nelson, Kerry Douglas, Hape Kiddle, Dan Mitchell and the Big Tree Project Team. On the museum’s website, Uncle Rick Nelson is quoted describing the tree as both habitat and cultural marker, saying that when the branch fell, local people came out in tears and birds, possums and bees emerged from the hollow. He also refers to the tree as a ring tree, or grafted tree, and a signpost indicating something special nearby, such as a burial area or ceremony area.
The museum’s invitation says the opening event will take place at Castlemaine Art Museum, 14 Lyttleton Street, Castlemaine, on Saturday 22 August. Doors open at 11am and the opening ceremony, led by Djaara Elder Rick Nelson, begins at 12pm. Light refreshments will be served, and the event is listed as free. The exhibition page also notes that public programs are to be announced.
'BIYAL' is being presented in a museum context that acknowledges the Dja Dja Wurrung as the Traditional Owners of the land on which Castlemaine has been established. The exhibition materials include thanks to Djaara and Dja Dja Wurrung Group staff, as well as project supporters including Djaara Timbers, Dumawul, Nalderun, Mt Alexander Shire Council, Regional Arts Victoria, the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, Castlemaine Art Museum and the National Indigenous Australian Agency.
