Five sculpture parks to visit this weekend
Even those who claim they're not really 'into art' could still use the exercise, or even the mental stimulation, offered by a stroll around a good sculpture park.We’re talking about outdoor installations of the three-dimensional outpourings of an artist’s imagination, grouped into a garden or otherwise impressive landscape that will challenge the mind and, to a lesser extent, the shoe leather. You’ll have to fire up the car or off-roader to find these five, but they’re worth the drive.
McClelland Sculpture Park and Gallery, Langwarrin, Victoria
The drive out towards Frankston might not be a long one, but McClelland Sculpture Park’s 10 hectares of gardens and bushland means you’ll spend plenty of time exploring once you arrive. The collection is based around the property of 1920s artist and philanthropist Harry McClelland and together with 200 or so contemporary sculptures in the park, the gallery has a fine showing of paintings and other artworks. Entry is by donation, and you can pre-book an entertaining guided tour.
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, ACT
The NGA is an Australian icon and you’d be crazy not to visit the imposing gallery on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin when visiting Canberra. There are 160,000 artworks in the collection (including, of course, Jackson Pollock’s ‘Blue Poles’) but the lesser-known sculpture garden is a real treasure. Planted mainly with Australian natives, the meandering paths pass a few dozen works including the cast-bronze ‘The Burghers of Calais’ by Auguste Rodin.
Inside Australia, Lake Ballard, Western Australia
If you thought Kalgoorlie was a long way from anywhere (about 600km from Perth, anyway) then Lake Ballard, a further two hours away is truly remote. But the 50km-long dry lake bed is home to something extraordinary. The stainless steel sculpted figures by Brit Sir Antony Gromley inhabit the stark landscape like an alien gathering. They were however, modelled after 51 inhabitants of the nearby town of Menzies. There’s a long dirt road to get there, campers are welcome and it’s an unforgettable melding of art and the Australian landscape.
The Living Desert, Broken Hill, NSW
Broken Hill is a fabulous place to visit for its quirky Outback ambience and mining heritage, but to truly appreciate the arid landscape drive nine kilometres out of town to The Living Desert. This 2400 hectare site includes a flora and fauna sanctuary, and also a one kilometre sculpture walk where a dozen sandstone works by artists from around the world act as counterpoint to the scrub and rocky outcrops. Visit at sunset for the best light, and don’t forget to bring a hat and sense of wonder.
Mutonia Sculpture Park, Alberrie Creek, South Australia
The Oodnadatta Track should be on every Outback adventurer’s bucket list and if you’re tackling it with the 4WD and maybe a caravan, don’t miss the frankly weird Mutonia Sculpture Park about 50km west of Marree. Not that it’s difficult to spot the “Plane Henge” installation of aircraft planted tail-first in the red dirt stand out against the flat landscape, as do creator Robin Cooke’s other artworks crafted from reclaimed junk.
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