A visit to Yering Station's sculpture exhibitiion and shopping at the Design Market

 

My nearest and dearest took me out for a lovely drive around the Yarra Valley for our anniversary.  For those not familiar with the area, it is to the north of Melbourne, just before Healesville Sanctuary ( for native animals), consists of very pretty, rolling country and is famous for its excellent vineyards.  We stopped for lunch at Yering Station.  Our visit coincided with a sculpture exhibition, so after the meal, we enjoyed ourselves exploring the variety of sculptures and the beautifully landscaped grounds.

 

This is Maria Coyle's "Children Chatting", which was perched on the side of the little pool just inside the foyer and just before the restaurant,

 

and the two figures look down on Carla Gottgens' "Voyage of the Lost Children", which reminded me of tales of the Styx.

 

This witty piece is by Clare James and is called "We Sat and Waited for the Cornucopia"

 

 

I think these slugs and snails would look amazing on a garden wall.

This piece is quite different and I loved the faces peering out - "Arboreal Gathering" by Glenn Murray.

  

 

I also liked  these pieces which were nearby: Donal Molloy-Drum's "Still".  

 

 

Outside of the main building we found this piece by Rudi Jass.  "Constellation"sits on the verandah overlooking the valley

 

I loved the way this sculpture was reflected in the water.  It is "Little Miracle"  by Bill Ogilvie.  I definitely need a bigger water feature in my garden.

 

This sculpture by Jaccob McKay made the most beautiful sound when the wind blew through it.  It is called "Outback Rust"

 

I wasn't as keen on Fleur Brett's "The Gathering"

as I was by the delightfully amusing "Sit/Stand" by Frank Veldze and Suzanne Donisthorpe which uses old mattress springs to make garden chairs.

Another favourite was  Andrew Bryant's "Stone and Feather" which sits just at the entrance to the restaurant.

 

Bob's favourite was Brian Paulusz's "Children's Entrance"  which I think would look great in my garden.  Plus, the kids would have walking through the magical portal.

 

I liked the way this sculpture echoed the pillars of the pagoda behind it.  It is called "Dancers" and is  by Andreas Buisman.

 

The gardens were as intriguing as the  sculptures.  Whoever is responsible has a really good eye for contrasts, tone, structure and movement.

 

 

 

 

Another excursion, this time with some very good friends from Brisbane, was to see the Big Design Market at the Royal Exhibition Building in the city.  The work there was excellent so the prices were not cheap and we enjoyed ourselves immensely.

 

However I was also drawn by this lamp post at the front of the building and the gardens around the building.

 

I am so lucky to live in this state.  There is always so much to see and do.