TRY TOOLANGI SCULPTURE TRAIL

BY CELESTE DUTHIE

SITUATED just under a twenty-minute drive from Healesville is a permanent art exhibition with artwork that has its home under towering gum trees with ferns for neighbors.

The Toolangi Sculpture Trail is a fascinating collection of interesting art in a natural environment.

Winter is the ideal time to experience this walk, with the bush being lush and green and no need to worry about snakes in the cool weather.

However, Toolangi is well known for its icy winters, so it is recommended to rug up and wear waterproof footwear. With part of the walk winding around the old Toolangi Discovery Centre, which, from above imitates a wedge tail eagle, you truly feel you are experiencing the Australian bush.

If you’re feeling adventurous you may be interested in walking the whole trail, which is a 1.5km walk and takes approximately

45 minutes to complete.

It is a flat, well-worn tack and perfect for a gentle stroll. Initially, the sculpture trail was made in 1996 by a collection of nine international and Australian artists.

The trail was reopened in 2016 with a whole new addition of art by around fifteen different artists, most of them local to the Yarra Valley.

As the trail is located in the Toolangi State Forest, you will wind your way around tress that seem to brush the sky.

Across the road is a walk that takes you down to the Yea River if you’re keen to see a bit more of the forest.

If you’re interested in the artists behind the artwork, going to the Toolangi Sculpture Trail website will give you the list of all the artists and their sculptures.

There is parking space available, and toilets are walking distance down the road at the CJ Dennis Hall.