Community
19 September, 2025
Celebrating the coming of Petyan
WITH the Mt Leura and Mt Sugarloaf Come and Explore Day just around the corner, a special art installation has gone up this week to combine textiles with Indigenous seasons.
The display, Petyan Yarns, was set up by artist Nicky Schonkala on Tuesday and Wednesday in preparation for this Sunday’s event.
Ms Schonkala’s works include knitted and woven pieces, with the display to feature on railings, fences and trees around the Volcanic Education Centre at the base of Mt Leura.
She said she loved to work with textiles as it made her smile.
“I’ve been practicing for 30 years and have been exhibiting in that time, nationally and internationally,” Ms Schonkala said.
“I’ve been doing knitted installations since 2008 when I lived in Alice Springs – I did them for conference venues and different events.
“This is probably the biggest I’ve done yet.
“There are 45 pieces and they’ve all been custom-made to fit a specific object.
“There’s 11.6 kilograms of yarn in all that knitting.”
Ms Schonkala said she linked the display with the Indigenous season of wildflowers – Petyan – which is represented on the seasonal calendar mural on the wall of the education centre.
“The colours that are in the knitting represent the wildflowers that you see in the gardens during wildflower season from late August to mid-November – lilies, banksias, orchids and others like that,” she said.
“It’s been really good to be inspired by wildflowers and the seasonal calendar with Petyan because I’ve developed the work more and they’re more intricate and detailed – even though it’s a restricted colour palette to fit in with the wildflowers, there’s a lot more patterning.
“The trees are more of a nod to my old style – they’re more solid blocks of colour.
“I’ve had a lot of fun trying to create – not trying to represent the wildflowers but trying to get some finer detail to suggest intricate little flowers and textures.”
Funded by the Corangamite Shire Council’s Business Assistance Scheme, the display aims to celebrate the history of the reserve and recognise First Nations knowledge.
Ms Schonkala said she wants visitors to laugh and smile when they see the knitted works around the education centre.
“I want to transform the space and try and get more people to come and see Come and Explore day and become more aware of the First Nations seasonal calendar,” she said.
“It’s good to try and inform people about the traditional culture of this country for this area and linking it in with colour and texture.
“People relate to knitting – everyone’s got a jumper or knitted a jumper somewhere down the track or their grandma’s knitted a jumper – so it’s a fun way to transform a space.
“I hope other people can come and have a look and it brings them some sort of joy.
“I’m really pleased the Mt Leura and Mt Sugarloaf committee agreed with my proposal – I came to them with the idea to promote the seasonal calendar and for Come and Explore Day.”
The installation will be unveiled at the Come and Explore Day between 1-4.30pm this Sunday and remain on display until around mid-October.
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