The Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail

  • Takeshi Tanabe, 'Locus of Time 18-1', Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail, Obsession Wines. Photo John Riddell
  • Marcus Tatton, 'Habitat', Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail, Tumbarumba. Photo John Riddell
  • Keld Moseholm, 'The Kiss', Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail, Batlow 2022. Photo Robyn Macrae

A permanent sculpture collection created by the team behind Sculpture by the Sea at Bondi and Cottesloe; the 150km Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail meanders from Adelong to Tooma along the picturesque Snowy Valleys Way. Located halfway between Sydney and Melbourne, the Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail offers another reason to visit and discover this stunning region of NSW.

Featuring internationally renowned artists from Australia and around the world, each sculpture in the Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail has been thoughtfully selected and considered in consultation with a wide cross section of the Snowy Valleys community, the Snowy Valleys Council and a Local Community Advisory Group.

Destined to become a world class sculpture collection The Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail is a sculpture collection connected by the historic towns of Adelong, Tumut, Batlow, Talbingo, Tumbarumba, the hamlet of Tooma and the vineyards of Courabyra Wines, Johansen Wines and Obsession Wines, and now with the latest addition of the three sites in the Sculpture Forest in Bago State Forest.  Abundant with nature-based experiences the Snowy Valleys also offers rail trail cycling, mountain biking, hiking, bush walking, fishing, waterfalls and much more! It is a region bursting with fresh seasonal produce, you’ll enjoy the local food and wine at the award-winning cafes and cellar doors along the trail. With so much to discover in the Snowy Valleys an overnight stay is highly recommended!

Norton Flavel, ‘And Another’, Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail, Tumbarumba 2022. Photo John Riddell

Each of the eight locations in the Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail has its own collection tailored to the town or vineyards and winery with cellar doors:

  • Adelong – A 1.5km sculpture walk along the Adelong Creek;
  • Tumut – with sculptures throughout the town;
  • Batlow – Reedy Creek Park and in the town centre;
  • Sculpture Forest – including Sugar Pines at Laurel Hill, Pilot Hill Arboretum and the 1.5km Alpine Ash Pine Walk;
  • Talbingo – Sir William Hudson Park, Miles Franklin Drive, opposite the Ampol Service Station;
  • Tumbarumba – Goldfields Park and in the town centre;
  • Tooma – in front of the historic Brigham House and the Tooma Inn;
  • Courabyra Wines – 805 Courabyra Road, Tumbarumba;
  • Johansen Wines, 90 Black range Road, Tumbarumba; and
  • Obsession Wines, 110 Allawah Road, Maragle.

The sculptures are chosen by a Local Community Advisory Committee who have been working on the project since July 2021. This local committee is comprised of the following representatives from each town:

  • Angela Pearce, Adelong;
  • Mary Anderson, Tumut;
  • Robyn Sweeney, Batlow;
  • Vic Goustavsky, Talbingo;
  • Laura Fraumeni, Tumbarumba;
  • Jeff Sheather, Tooma; and
  • Glen McGrath, Snowy Valleys Council.

The Local Community Advisory Committee selects the sculptures from a short list prepared by the Curatorial Advisory Group of leading figures in the Visual Arts from across Australia:

  • Geoffrey Edwards, former Director of the Geelong Art Gallery, former Senior Curator Sculpture & Glass National Gallery of Victoria, and Curatorial Adviser Pt Leo Estate Sculpture Park;
  • Dr Michael Hill, Head of Art History & Theory, National Art School (Sydney); and
  • Wendy Teakel, Artist and former Head of Sculpture, Australian National University.

For more detailed information on the artists, sculptures and access to our interactive map, download the Sculpture by the Sea App and look for the Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail tab or you can download our map here. Please note, there is very limited mobile phone coverage in the Pilot Hill Arboretum area. Please be mindful of the direction in which you arrived so you can drive back the way you came when you leave.

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As part of the Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail over a dozen artists from around Australia and overseas have visited schools across the Snowy Valleys and Snowy Mountains to provide sculpture making experiences for some 2,000 students workshops.

The workshops are based off the artist’s own artistic practice and students explore exciting collaborative processes with new materials and creative thinking. The students can engage with the artist to help them make their own imaginative sculpture to exhibit with their peers.

David Handley, Founding CEO & Artistic Director of Sculpture by the Sea, said, “Thank you to the members of the communities across the Snowy Valleys for preparing the local celebrations in their towns to welcome visitors from across the Snowy Valleys. We look forward to hundreds of people in each town meeting the artists who have created the sculptures for their towns and to enjoying a wide range of free activities including sculpture making workshops for the family and tours of the sculptures with the artists.”

The Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail has grown to 55 sculptures thanks to grants from the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund and the NSW Regional Tourism Activation Fund, together with support from our sponsors and private donors.

CONTACT US

If you have any questions please contact [email protected] or 02 8399 0233.

 

Peter Lundberg, ‘Nugget’, Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail, Adelong. Photo Robert van der Male


Stage one of the Snowy Valleys Sculpture Trail was jointly funded by the Australian and NSW Government’s Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund, under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements.