Cycling, rolling green hills, local produce and outdoor art? Yes please. Rediscover the Great Victorian Rail Trail on two wheels for a truly unique active art experience.
From Tallarook to Mansfield roll past, climb in and learn about the seven new major artworks and 20 scar trees created by eight artists. Each artwork draws on the theme of connection, exploring connection to country, local environment, the community and the history of the trail. Both unique to their location on the trail and joined by this theme, the artworks invite you on a journey of artistic discovery against the iconic backdrop of the High Country. The 134km Great Victorian Rail Trail art trail is yours to explore over a day, a weekend or a week with something new to see around every corner…
‘Nook’ by Donna Marcus | Tallarook
‘Nook’ is inspired by the blue and white bowls and mugs carried by the workers who built the railway and those that travelled along its length. Joined to create tall impactful structures, this artwork recalls the domestic and the industrial, marking a new beginning at its resting location at the start of the Great Victorian Rail Trail. Click here to learn more.
‘Traces’ by Yu-Fang Chi | Trawool
This beautiful artwork blends into and stands out from its bushland home. Drawing inspiration from the impression of natural elements and local plants, the organic seed shape of ‘Traces’ is a reflection of the idea of growing, transition and the precious source of life cycle in nature. Click here to learn more.
‘Mirnong (Yam Daisy)’ by Christabel Wigley | Yea
‘Mirnong (Yam Daisy)’ is a very special piece created as an imagined trio of structures acting as carriers of lost stories, knowledge and shared languages. The viewer is invited to immerse themselves in the experience, gazing through the structures to view the beautiful and important natural landscapes. Click here to learn more.
‘Soul Train’ by Louise Paramor | Yarck
This colourful creation is a celebration of the area’s rail history. Playfully designed to give thoughts of a steam train engine car and the growth of industry and agriculture, ‘Soul Train’ is a whimsical ‘folly’. Click here to learn more.
‘Memory Palace 1 & 2’ by Tai Smith | Merton
‘Memory Palace 1 & 2’ is made up of two works inspired by the psychological process of Memory Palaces or Method of Loci. Designed to be interacted with, immerse yourself in the art pieces by rubbing the nose for good luck, placing a gumnut offering on the tongue and tossing a stone in the hat. Click here to learn more.
‘Remnant’ by Cara Johnson | Bonnie Doon
This organic art piece holds a memory of what was here. Made from an iron tracing of a drowned tree branch found washed up on the shoreline of ‘Remnant’s’ Lake Eildon location, this art piece will remain through time. Click here to learn more.
‘Responding’ by Robbie Rowlands | Mansfield
Ride under the graceful arch of this 39m mobile phone tower art piece. Sitting above the landscape, ‘Responding’ bows to meet you like a stalk of field grass, merging organic and industrial as it invites personal interaction between it and the landscape. Click here to learn more.
‘We Scar Many Trees’ by Mick Harding | Tallarook to Mansfield
These important carvings symbolise the Taungurung peoples relationship to the Warring (Goulburn River) and its associated rivers, creeks and Ngarrak (Mountains). Click here to learn more about these pieces and their story.