Each year, Art Farm Birchs Bay (AFBB) hosts the renowned Sculpture Trail, featuring Tasmanian and interstate artists. The farm is approximately 35 minutes south of Hobart, Tasmania. It is an innovative working farm in the south D’Entrecasteaux Channel region and home to Diemen Pepper http://www.diemenpepper.com/. Many Tasmanian restaurants source their native pepper from AFBB. Not only are you free to wander leisurely to view the sculptures, you can meander through fields, orchards and an extensive kitchen garden.
Let’s begin our tour and see some of 2020’s sculptures on display:
This is the very first sculpture on the trail
I really enjoyed this sculpture. The birds are so cute!
a close up of two of the birds
an eagle
mobile phone danger
life changes
mushroom types
A cute galah
Another galah
a close up of the galah’s feathers
This is my art work featuring a galah, a watercolour painting titled “Iconic Aussies”. It was tricky incorporating it into this painting because of its bright pink colour. It ran the risk of dominating the painting too much. To help the eye travelling across the painting, I painted pink into the trunk of the tree below the yellow-sulphur crested cockatoo and some pink onto its feathers too.
On the coastal road between Ulverstone and Wynyard, on the north west coast of Tasmania, lies a small town named Penguin. It was first settled in 1861 as a timber town. It is named after the smallest species of penguins, the fairy penguins, that come ashore all the way along Tasmania’s north-west coast, but especially at a little beach bluff between Ulverstone and Burnie known as Penguin Point.
Penguin beach and in the far background, a retaining wall being installed to save further beach erosion from severe weather events.
As the name suggests, penguins are a frequent theme in this town. It’s nestled along the Bass Strait and has pretty beach views, walkways, beach decorations and a cemetery.
5 meter tall penguin
More penguin humour
Beach Art
beach themed decoration, a patchwork quilted bikini top
one of the many penguin themed rubbish bins on the main street
Penguin was featured on ABC’s Back Roads show. The cemetery was allotted significant focus and time on the show. It is where apparently many community social activities take place and the best view of Penguin is espoused to be from there. Therefore, I made a special effort to find it and see the view from the cemetery myself. It is spectacular, but I didn’t stay too long because I found it sad. You can’t help but read some of the tombstones that are close to the top circular driveway (the entrance & exit) that are of children who have been lost.
My latest work in progress, titled “Goldilocks and the 20 penguins” featuring the endearing fairy penguins. Just imagine the surprise that these penguins have experienced after their evening fishing session, to come home to find a sleepy wombat in one of their nests!!
Goldilocks and the 20 penguins
I hope your upcoming week isn’t too hectic and that you are able to take the time to relax.
The month of October has past and so has #Inktober2020. Most of my Inktober drawings tell a story. I have started the process of painting them. Here’s a few that have been painted.
Awwww, there’s nothing like reading a good book in the fresh air and warm sunshine… that is until the neighbourhood wombat decides to start building its home next to you and flicks up dirt onto your book!!!
This picture was drawn for the prompt word “dig” -DAY 24.
Run! A storm is coming.
This picture was drawn for the prompt word “storm” -DAY 17.
Who would have thought that people (and emus) would be buying brand new jeans that are ripped!
This picture was drawn for the prompt words “rip” and “float” -DAY 23 and 28.
Thank you for visiting and journeying with me on my unfurling art journey.
After staying overnight at Arthur’s River, on Tasmania’s northwest coast, and before making my way to Corinna, I was almost blown off the “Edge of the World”!!
beaches littered with logs at The Edge of the World, Tasmania
The Edge of the World is a wild and bleak place with relentless, grey-blue, angry waves, as evidenced by large amounts, and large-in-size, debris littering the beaches. It is beautiful to stand, feel and see the power and ruggedness of the ocean and its shores absorbing the constant mercilessness of it.
The view at The Edge of the Word, Gardiner Point, Tasmania
The ocean from this point to Argentina is the longest uninterrupted stretch of ocean on Earth. Inscribed on a stone plinth at the Edge is a poem written by tourism pioneer Brian Inder (Dec 1930- Aug 2019) describing the feeling of standing at this spot, being in awe of the surroundings, and reflecting that we are all little more than a speck in the spectrum of time.
Brian Inder is a well-admired in the Tasmanian northwest tourism industry, best known for founding Tasmazia & the Village of Lower Crackpot. https://www.tasmazia.com.au/ He was also pivotal in establishing Mural Fest, The Edge of the World and Mount Roland cableway.
The calmer side of the beach
This region is known as the Arthur-Pieman Conservation area. It was home to four Aboriginal clans: Peerapper, Monegin, Taskinener and Peternidic. We do not know how many people lived here before Europeans arrived. Within just 40 years, most tribal Aborigines died of European diseases while others were killed or exiled to Flinders Island.
The largest middens are in the northwest of Tasmania. Aboriginal shell middens are distinctive mounds that contain a rich history of past Aboriginal hunting, gathering and food processing activities. Discarded shells and bone, botanical remains, ash and charcoal tell the story that the Aboriginal feasted on different type of shellfish and seabirds. The women gathered shellfish and food plants, dived for abalone, lobster and were experts at hunting seals. They dug themselves hiding spots in the cobble beaches, where they hid and waited until they saw the opportunity to pounce on an unsuspecting seal and clubbed it to death. In the early 1800s, some European sealers and whalers took Aboriginal women to help them catch seals. Some of today’s Tasmanian Aborigines have descended from these women’s relations with the sealers and whalers.
At the viewing platform there are informative information plaques
There were many little birds darting around in the bushes along the path back to the car park.
A male Superb fairy-wren
Resting place for displaced logs at the Edge of the World, Tasmania
This is the response you get from most people when you mention Trowutta Arch, even to Tasmanians who have lived on the north-west coast all their lives. It is mysteriously overlooked despite being a geological wonder.
The Trowutta Arch is a rare naturally occurring arch that was created by the collapse of a cave resulting in two sinkholes either side of the arch formation. One sinkhole filled in with soil and was eventually covered by trees and ferns, while the other filled with water.
Trowutta Arch
The water is a bright green, almost fluorescent. The colours and atmosphere make it feel quite surreal. The water-filled sinkhole is geomorphologically classified as a cenote – a steep walled water-filled sinkhole. The Trowutta Arch is considered one of the world’s best examples of a cenote. It is more than 20 metres deep and is an important habitat for invertebrates.
water filled sink hole – Trowutta Arch
Trowutta Arch is about 25 kilometres inland from Smithton in Tasmania’s far north west. It’s a short, easy walk through spectacular rain forest to get to the arch. Along the way to the arch, I found the mirror image of the ferns’ dead and live fronds, visually very cool.
hour glass ferns
I love fern fronds. A few years ago, I went for a walk and took photos of lots of fronds. When I got home, I discovered that I took over 50 photos of fronds! I tried to use some restraint this time.
unfurling fronds
If you are visiting the north-west of Tasmania, it is well worth seeking out this gem.
a fern frond with the path to the arch in the background
Thanks for stopping by and I hope that the upcoming week serves you up many joyful moments.
The Unfurling Artist: journalising creative journeying 