The last of four largescale artwork pieces was installed at Towong this week as part of Stage 2 of the Great River Road touring route project.
The newest sculpture depicts two brolgas in a Brolgas return to Towong courtship dance on the Towong Walking Trail.
With assistance from Murray Arts, a communitybased panel evaluated more than 35 submissions for the four locations in Stage 2 and following the panel’s recommendation, Towong Shire Council commissioned three artists to deliver the sculptures.
Xavier Pinard was responsible for the ‘Bridge to Moon’ sculpture at Talgarno and in collaboration with Glennys Briggs, installed the ‘Lace Monitor’ sculpture at Pine Mountain.
Along with the brolgas sculpture, John Wood installed the ‘Your Journey’ artwork at the Bellbridge Gateway. Poet David Gilby also worked with him on both installations.
Famed for their elaborate courtship dance, brolgas are one of Australia’s most iconic birds and many of the older local generation will recall a flock of brolgas making their home at the wetlands near the turn-off at Towong many years ago.
Brolgas are one of Australia’s largest flying birds, standing up to a metre tall and having a wing span up to 2.4 metres.
The brolgas are back
The brolgas sculpture was an overwhelming choice for the site in consultations with the Towong community.
John Wood said that the work took around 1000 hours to complete.
The sculpture is made from mild steel plate with some solid elements, undergoes a galvanising dip and then acid etching is used to create its different hues.
Stage 2 of the Great River Road project involves the delivery of eight key projects with most identified by the Shire’s Community Recovery Committees to assist in the ongoing recovery process including additional wayside stops, walking trails and a marketing campaign.
The project is funded by a $5 million grant from the Victorian government’s Bushfire Recovery Regional Economic Stimulus and Resilience Fund.
This article appeared in the Corryong Courier, 21 November 2024.
