Kylie Kwong announced as ambassador for South Eveleigh
Mirvac and their precinct partners AMP Capital, Sunsuper and Centuria Property Funds today announced respected chef, restaurateur, television presenter and author Kylie Kwong as an ambassador for South Eveleigh, a state-of-the-art work and lifestyle destination. South Eveleigh will also be the home of her next venue.
South Eveleigh, formerly known as Australian Technology Park, has been undergoing transformation since 2016, evolving the precinct into a significant destination for work, diverse retail and the local community. The retail and public spaces will be carefully curated to meet the needs of today’s modern, flexible workforce, including a retail mix of cafes, dining, wellness and pop-up events. The revitalised technology and innovation hub opened the first two buildings in April 2019, and once completed in 2021 will be home to 18,000 workers.
As an ambassador for South Eveleigh, Ms Kwong will collaborate with Mirvac and their precinct partners on a diverse placemaking program to bring South Eveleigh to life by encouraging workers, visitors and the wider community to engage with the precinct through food, culture and community activation. South Eveleigh has always been and will continue to be a place of gathering, and Ms Kwong will use her ambassadorship to meaningfully engage with South Eveleigh’s diverse and dynamic range of communities who make it their home and workplace. Ms Kwong will draw inspiration from the diversity of the area for her program of activations.
Ms Kwong said: “I’m drawn to the rich history, heritage and culture of South Eveleigh. It has been a place that has broadened my mind, and opened new worlds to me across innovation, technology and art. I’ve worked and collaborated in Redfern for many years through my work with Carriageworks, so landing in South Eveleigh now feels like such a natural next step. I can’t wait to get to the heart of South Eveleigh and help welcome the community in. I want to both understand and tell the stories of the diverse, multicultural community groups of South Eveleigh.”
Susan MacDonald, Head of Retail at Mirvac said: "We’re extremely excited to announce the partnership and collaboration with ambassador Kylie Kwong for South Eveleigh. Kylie shares our vision for a precinct that will enrich community and create a legacy for Sydney. Our vision for South Eveleigh is not only to create a world-class technology and innovation hub to work and play but also to build a food precinct that has people and community at its heart.”
Campbell Hanan, Head of Office & Industrial at Mirvac added: “Our vision for South Eveleigh is to create a destination that sparks creativity, collaboration and exchange, through seamlessly blending workspace with public spaces and bringing to life an array of unique experiences. The partnership with Kylie and the shared vision to create a cultural destination for the community couldn’t have been achieved without the depth of expertise available within Mirvac’s diversified structure and the commitment to create a truly vibrant precinct that has drawn a range of exceptional partners, such as Kylie.”
Ms Kwong’s new venue will open at South Eveleigh in late 2020. The new venue will be a casual, small, daytime-led venue where she will continue her passion for weaving indigenous produce into her Cantonese food. Ms Kwong hopes her new venue will be a representation of the heart and soul of South Eveleigh. Through her venue and her activities in South Eveleigh, she will explore the notion of true nourishment, beyond what is on the table.
“It makes sense to open in Redfern, and work with Yerrabingin’s amazing rooftop farm, which will only be 200m from my new venue. I’m so privileged to have the opportunity to collaborate with Yerrabingin and will draw from their knowledge and experience for both the venue and the program of activations I am working on,” Ms Kwong concluded.
South Eveleigh has a long and continuing connection with the indigenous community. It was the birthplace of Australia’s national rail network in the 19th century, as the Eveleigh Railway Workshops. As well as having significant historical relevance for industrial Australia, the site is one with important Indigenous legacy. Mirvac is working with local indigenous community groups to ensure this legacy is represented on site.
South Eveleigh will become a thriving precinct for the community where people will connect culturally, socially and physically. The precinct has generous public and shared spaces, community facilities within Yerrabingin House, public parks and exciting dining and retail.
The calendar of activations will be announced in early 2020.