Garema Place

Garema Place is a paved outdoor area in Civic, Canberra, Australia, with a number of shops, restaurants and cafes with outdoor dining. As a central point within the CBD, many community events including protests and festivals are held at the location.

Garema Place
Town Square
Area	116m²
Owner	ACT Government
Location	Garema Pl, Canberra ACT 2601
Coordinates: 35.278338°S 149.132002°E / -35.278338; 149.132002

Big Swoop and magpie

Garema Place was designed by Walter Burley Griffin as part of the forecourt of a future Canberra railway station, which would have been located near Bunda Street, but was never built. From 1921 to 1923 a railway line which connected with the station at Kingston terminated near the present day location of Garema Place until the rail bridge over the Molonglo River was washed away in a flood.[1]

Garema Place is the location of Canberra's Multicultural Festival held each February[2] and the Celebrate Canberra Festival in March.

In 1963, then-Prime Minister Robert Menzies opened the Canberra Centre shopping mall along Garema Place, which became the first in Australia to be fully-enclosed and air-conditioned with three floors. Due to the expansive nature of the centre and its association with the Garema Place area, the Centre has since grown to also cover the land, as if it were a district of its own.

Garema Place is known for its sculptures and artworks by local artists, predominantly "The Cushion and the Wedge",[3] a silver statue of a pillow located in the main area near the chess board. This pillow is colloquially known as the 'Goon Bag', due to its resemblance to the item and the item's wide knowledge in Australian culture.

The most recent addition is the "Big Swoop", which commemorates the Australian magpie and its place in Australian culture. One of the more common birds of Australia, including urban Canberra, it is celebrated for its mellifluous carolling and its remarkable memory. During the breeding season the protective male can swoop on a human, occasionally making contact. At other times they are wont to swoop on a dropped chip or other morsel. The statue, designed by local artist Yanni Pounartzis and constructed by sculptor Gustavo Balboa and scenic artist Ari Maack, was installed in March 2022 but was not sufficiently robust to withstand a vandal attack, and had to be removed. It was rebuilt by fibreglass specialist Stuart Roswell to be indistinguishable from the original, but of much sterner stuff, and returned to its original place in December 2022.[4]