Sculptures In The Scrub is a stunning series of sculptures showcasing Gamilaroi history, heritage, and connection to Country. This unique experience is located in Timallallie National Park, within the Pilliga Scrub in western NSW.
Whyโs it unique? Well, itโs not often youโll find sculptures installed in a National Park.
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Somehow the sculptors have managed to make their sculptures a part of the landscape. Each work tells a story of the Gamilaroi people, a story of how they lived and thrived here for tens of thousands of years.
Letโs go for a walk!
Dandry Gorge, A Stunning Backdrop
A 3.5km loop walk leads you along the top of Dandry Gorge. Five sculptures are situated on the edge of the sandstone gorge, which drops into the magical Dandry Creek.
Itโs a relatively easy walk, with stairs and a few short, steep pinches. Youโre best doing this walk at dawn or near dusk, so you can see the sun reflecting off the sandstone cliffs.
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The walking track drops down into the gorge, leading you into a peaceful and protected place with grassy flats and imposing sandstone walls.
If youโre lucky, Dandry Creek will be flowing. This adds to the beauty of the place, making it easy to understand why Dandry Gorge is such a special place.
The idea behind the sculptures is to educate people about First Nations culture. They give visitors a better understanding of the people who lived here and who continue to care for this special place.
Dandry Gorge is a culturally significant place for the Gamilaroi people.
It has camp sites, shelters, grinding grooves for making stone axes, and scar trees. Dandry Gorge also formed part of an east-west trail as people moved across Country with the seasons.
Each of the five sculpture sites has interpretive signage. The signs explain what each sculpture represents from the perspective of both the sculptor and the Gamilaroi people.
Each of the five sculptures tells a unique story. Hereโs a brief outline of each one.
1. Yurrul Dwuhi (Scrub Spirits)
Yurrul Dwuhi consists of two sculptures, both made from 316 (marine grade) stainless steel and filled with concrete. Sculptor Col Henry clearly wants these to be around long after weโre all dead!
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Two 3.5m tall spirit people stand on the edge of the cliff, overlooking the gorge. Then about 10m back from the edge are a series of hunting sticks. Each one is engraved with dozens of imagesโฆ stars, fire, lizards, birds, and so on.
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2. Dhayaanduul Waanda (First Lesson)
This sculpture by Brett Garling is incredibly powerful and moving. The life-sized cast bronze figure depicts a man with his young son on his shoulders, standing on the edge of the cliff.
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The man is pointing down into the gorge with a boomerang. Heโs giving his son his first lesson in hunting.
This sculpture captures the dawn sun and can also be clearly seen from the bottom of the gorge. Looking up, youโd think they were actual people, standing there surveying their surroundings.
3. Yuundu Yuundu (Axe Axe)
Sculptor Ken Hutchinson uses a stone axe (black) and steel axe (white) to tie a whole lot of ideas together.
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Dandry Gorge is well known for its grinding stones, as place where Gamilaroi people made stone axes. The wider Pilliga has a long history of timber-cutting, where both cultures worked side by side. Axes have been an essential tool in the Pilliga for thousands of years.
Itโs a simple yet clever way to tie black and white Pilliga history together.
4. Yulaa (Connections)
Uncle Badger Bates is a Barkindji man from Wilcannia on the Baaka (Darling River). Heโs a well known elder, tirelessly advocating for the Baaka and broader environmental issues.
He created Connections to represent how weโre all connected to the earth and stars.
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The detail in this sculpture is extraordinary. It contains an incredibly powerful story of how everythingโs connected. the over-arching message is for us to treat the Country with respect, rather than continuing to destroy it.
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This message is particularly pertinent, given the threat the Pilliga and the Great Artesian Basin are under from 850 coal seam gas wells proposed by Santos.
5. Winangaya Gunidjarr (Respect Mother)
The final sculpture is a creation from Pamela Davis. A series of sculptures depict a shoot germinating and growing, then developing into an emu egg.
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Each sculpture is covered in thousands of mosaic tiles, representing how women have used and continue to use the natural resources of the Pilliga Forest. Theyโre covered in dozens of imagesโฆ the more you look, the more you see.
A fun piece with a powerful message.
Getting There
Sculptures In The Scrub is:
- 33km east of Baradine in Timmallallie National Park. The road is mostly dirt. Being sandy, it can be badly corrugated.
- 71km north of Coonabarabran. You turn off the Newell Highway and have around 30km of sandy, corrugated roads.
- 107km south-west of Narribri.
Camper trailers and proper off-road caravans will be okay. Take it slowly and youโll be fine. Watch out for washouts after rain. The sand tends to wash away after rain and can leave huge washouts in the road, especially where water courses cross the roads.
Camping and Facilities
Sculptures In The Scrub Campground and picnic area has excellent facilities. Day visitors can use several free barbeques and there are drop toilets.
Campers have a choice of about a dozen large campsites. Each one has at least some shade and a firepit. Bring your own firewood. Seasonal fire bans apply.
Youโll need to be self-contained with food and water, and take all your rubbish out with you.
Camping is free, with only the usual $6 online booking fee.
A Calming Place
Sculptures In The Scrub is excellent. It has so many positivesโฆ incredible sculptures, a fantastic walk, a spiritual atmosphere, peaceful bush camping. You’ll feel a calm settle over you.
Dandry Gorge is one of those places you donโt want to leave. Itโs so peaceful and quiet.
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Combine all those elements and youโll find yourself falling in love with this Country. Dandry Gorge is just a tiny part of the greater Pilliga, yet represents so much of what the Pilliga is about.
If youโre a keen birder, youโll be in bird heaven. Dandry Gorge is a place where endangered glossy black cockatoos hang out. Keep your eyes and ears open, you might be lucky.
Visit during the week and out of school holidaysโฆ you might have the whole place to yourself. We did and it made our visit even more special.
Sculptures In The Scrub is on Gamilaroi Country.
Looking for more great articles on NSW National Parks? Then go here.
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