THE Murray River, local forests, lakes and fish all feature in a striking ground-level mural that will serve as an entrance to the new wharf at Koondrook.
Arts practitioner Glenn Romanis has spent five weeks putting the sculpture into place either side of a red gum timber walkway from the street to the $2 million wharf which was officially opened last month.
The permanent sculpture comprises slate from Avoca and Castlemaine and basalt from Port Fairy.
It is based on a Koori story of the Murray River as told by local Barapa Barapa elder Aunty Esther Kirby.
The project is the latest of over 150 large-scale permanent, temporary, ephemeral, public and community art projects undertaken by Mr Romanis.
Aunty Esther explained that the work features a winding river, linking with the Gunbower Creek, the local redgum forests, the Kerang lakes and the river through to Murrabit.
“I’m impressed, well and truly impressed,” she said.
The sculpture is on the site of the former historic railway locomotive turntable.
Mr Romanis said that the concept design work was carried out over a six-month period in collaboration with Gannawarra Shire Council and the local community.
The pieces were chosen and mocked up in the artist’s workshop, numbered and then transported to Koondrook.
“It wasn’t just my work,” Mr Romanis said.
“We’re all in this together.”
