Brenda Hartmire, Narrandera Argus
Seeing a koala in the wild is, in our experience, high on most visitors itinerary. Even if they did not realise, we have a thriving koala population in Narrandera. When you mention the word ‘koala’, most people want to see one in the wild.
This town is extremely fortunate to not only have a healthy growing koala colony but even during the occasional minor floods, the path on the levee is both a lovely walk taking you past Lake Talbot and Rocky Waterholes, continuing to the Bundidgerry Walking track. From this position you will often see koalas in the nearby trees.
If you venture down the bank when it is dry and wander through the Fauna & Flora Reserve and look at the base of the River Red Gums and various other gum trees for scat on the ground or scratch marks on the trunk, look up for lumps in the tree, usually in the fork, and you may have just located a koala.
The Koala Art Trail Design competition is to encourage creative designs for decorated fibreglass sculptures that will become a feature of a Koala Art Trail. This will be a project proposed by the Tourism Department of the Narrandera Shire Council to increase engagement of visitors and locals within the various tourism and retail businesses. The aim is to create an art trail of 800mm high, decorated fibreglass Koala Sculptures in and around Narrandera.
The Koala Art Trail Design Competition, which is now open and closes on February 28 2022, is being conducted by the team from the Narrandera Visitor Information Centre. Entries will be displayed at an exhibition in the Narrandera Arts & Community Centre from April 2nd to 24th 2022 with the winning entry announced at a Gala Evening on April 1st.
The exhibition will be open April 2nd from 9am to 3pm Saturday, 10am to 2pm Sunday and 9am to 4pm weekdays. Entries are encouraged from professional artists, amateur artists and junior artists (under 18 years) from the Riverina and Murray areas.
To enter please email tourist.centre@narrandera.nsw.gov.au to receive your entry pack which includes full instructions, the master Koala shape and examples of other such Australian art trails such as the Shepparton Cows and Port Macquarie’s Hello Koalas.
It is anticipated that some of the designs will be commissioned by the various tourism and retail businesses that choose to participate in the Narrandera Koala Art Trail. This will be promoted by the Council’s tourism department and the participating businesses on social media and traditional media and form part of the tourism offering of the Narrandera area.
The proposed Narrandera Koala Festival will be the Koala Sculptures first outing at a feature display during an event on a date to be announced. This family friendly event will run over a weekend with both day and evening sessions.
Everything Koala with ecology information, climbing displays and activities, magic workshops, amusements and lots of Australian activities and stalls will be included.
After the festival the Koalas Sculptures will go to their assigned homes and the art trail will be open for viewing. Any businesses that would like to participate in the Narrandera Koala Art Trail please call the Narrandera Visitor Information Centre on 0269595545 and you will be kept up to date with news.
This article appeared in the Narrandera Argus, 23 December 2021.
