Wallabies Provide a Warm Welcome

Have you noticed the family of swamp wallabies in Banyan Hill?

An incredibly life-like artwork on Ballina Heights Drive, at the entry to Banyan Hill, features two adults and a joey swamp wallaby grouped in the garden, surrounded by plants endemic to the area.

Artist Matt Hill designed and fabricated the sculpture in collaboration with Pinnacle Metal Fabrication, which was installed earlier this year. Constructed of Corten steel, the wallabies weigh in at a whopping 200kg each.

The geometric forms were achieved by MIG welding together multiple folded Corten steel sheets, with repeated triangular folds and welds creating a geometric brace that gives the sculpture incredible strength. Vinegar spray, a heat gun, and exposure to the weather has activated the steel to develop its patina.

The family of swamp wallabies was chosen following discussions with the Bundjalung people and local community.

The eye-catching sculpture speaks of family, power, balance, and strength, while celebrating the swamp wallaby’s importance to local communities over tens of thousands of years.

“The durability of the Corten steel immortalises these animal's presence within the built environment, giving the animal a sense of permanence, status, and inherent value,” said artist Matt Hill.

“As the weather conditions and time of the day flux and change, so does the sculpture's appearance - casting new shadows and illuminating additional facets and dimensions.”

‘Swamp Wallabies’ was commissioned by developer INTRAPAC Property and the concept reviewed by Ballina Shire Council’s Public Art Advisory Panel.

Over the coming editions of Community Connect, we will run a series of profiles on the shire’s public artwork.

Why Public Art?

Public art can enrich our community in many ways. It adds to the community’s sense of identity and local pride, engages audiences and provides ways of understanding the shire’s history, future and places.

A public artwork can be a stand alone sculpture, mural, installation, or light projection.

Council’s Public Art Policy sets out Council’s objectives for public art and the ways that it will encourage public art in the shire. The objectives of the policy are to:

Identify and reinforce the shire’s cultural identity, community values and create a stronger sense of place

Reinforce that public art is a valued and legitimate means of interpreting and celebrating Ballina shire’s unique heritage and contemporary culture in publicly accessible spaces

Promote artistic expression by providing opportunities for artists, designers and local community groups/organisations/individuals to present quality works.

For more information about Council’s Public Art Policy visit ballina.nsw.gov.au/council-policies