Central Queensland Highlands Emerald Mosaic Pathway and Van Gogh Painting

mosaic pathway & van Gogh painting

van Gogh Sunflower painting If your road trip involves ticking off Queensland’s ‘Big Things’, get the camera ready for one of the world’s largest reproductions of a Vincent van Gogh Sunflowers painting. While the Central Queensland Highlands may not be the first place you’d expect to see a van Gogh, it was erected in honour of the region’s sunflower growers at the time.

The monumental installation was created by Canadian artist Cameron Cross and is part of the Van Gogh Project. The project aims to install big easel reproductions of the seven Sunflowers paintings at sites which either have a connection to sunflower agriculture or an affiliation with the painter. In addition to Emerald, there are easels in Goodland, Kansas and Emerald’s sister city, Altona, Canada.

The super structure stands 25 metres high and took two and a half months to complete. The canvas was constructed of 24 sheets of plywood, coated with fibreglass and sealed with a gel coat. It measures 7 metres wide and 10 metres high. Over 50 litres of high-performance paint was required to complete the giant work of art, which has a weight of approximately 4.5 tonnes. A further 13.6 tonnes of steel was used in the construction of the easel.

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Centenary of Federation mosaic pathway Turn the clock back and journey through Emerald’s colourful history along the Centenary of Federation Mosaic Pathway. The footpath features intricately tiled designs that trace history from the beginning of time to visions of the future. Artists: Maxine Wild and Darryl Black, ably assisted by Rob, Judy, Gavin, Shaun, Jeffery, Johnny, Trevor and Kaylene.

German explorer Ludwig Leichhardt was the first European to arrive in the region in 1844, followed by white settlers in 1860. Life for the First Peoples changed forever.

post war

This imagines the Big Bang, the Western theory that postulates the universe expanded from a singe point over billions of years.

Conflict erupted between white settlers and the First Peoples, leading to the Wills tragedy, one of the worst massacres in Australian frontier history.

Fairbairn Dam (wall) was constructed in 1972, forming Lake Maraboon (water) and enabling the development of the Emerald Irrigation Scheme. Around the perimeter are crops grown in the area.

Bullock drays were the primary form of transport, bringing food and supplies to the area, and on the return trip carrying bales of wool to market.

By the late 1800s, beef cattle production became a cornerstone of the region’s economy. Aboriginal stockmen played a key role in the successful running of many stations.

aboriginal people In the river basin, encircled by mountain ranges, the Nogoa, Mackenzie and Comet Rivers meet. The First Peoples camp along the banks, sitting around their fires. They travel well-worn routes to visit each other.

The mosaic represents the river basin after the arrival of white settlers. Roads and farms cut through the curves and rhythms of the landscape. Towns are built and segregation of white and black begins.

The Queensland British Food Corporation (1948-1956) was a broadacre farming project with the purpose of feeding the British population post war and opening up Queensland’s interior.

Early days

The mosaic shows our continent ringed by water. In the centre is the Dreamtime Rainbow Serpent, the giver of life, surrounded by symbols of creation.

First Peoples tools and weapons: (clockwise from top) returning boomerang, digging tool, stone axe, woomera (spear thrower), bark shield (centre), killing spear, nulla nulla (club), killing boomerang (non-returning).

The discovery of sapphires at the Sapphire Gemfields was first reported in the late 1870s. Mines were arduously dug by hand using picks and shovels. The area has become a major tourist attraction.

Early settlers primarily farmed sheep, with the wool exported back to Britain.

Did you spot the black sheep in the white flock?

Creation

The Tree of Life depicts the concept that all things in nature are interconnected.

Featured on the branches are Australian birds and animals.

The mosaic is an aerial view of Emerald.

The buildings around the perimeter are black and white as they are based on historic photographs of the town’s pioneer buildings.

Exploration & Settlement

The Gindie State Farm (1898–1932) was established by the Queensland Government to experiment with growing new kinds of crops in the area, such as sorghum, maize and pumpkins.

Settlement The Central Western railway line was extended from Rockhampton to Emerald in 1879. The three lines represent the main line extending to Longreach and branch lines to Clermont and Springsure.

Another stage of growth for the region was the start of coal mining in the 1960s. The population rapidly increased as people flocked to find employment in the booming industry.

Future The First Nations mosaic shows our continent ringed by water with many different races inhabiting its shores.

We come together as one to share our different cultures and beliefs.

Reflective of the First Nations mosaic, people of different ages, ethnicity, gender, class and ability come together in peace and harmony.

The mosaic looks to the future and what it holds. Space is used as a symbol of the future and to represent the notion that the sky is the limit.