Tasmania's Lateral Thoughts - and Helping Hands

Helping the Towns Next Door

Its not an unusual challenge to see flattery in the form of ferral murals appearing in one's own community and towns nearby. Competitor analyses by the 'experts' are finely divided between the theory of critical mass and the desire not to dilute the home town's attractiveness.

Sheffield Tasmania has been more that happy to advise faraway communities in Foxton New Zealand and Kurri Kurri New South Wales, but what about LaTrobe, Railton and Wilmot just a stone's thrown away on their island State?

The answer that has emerged is: 'by all means we shall show you how to create good murals and include them in our trail, but why not have your own distinctive identity as well?' And thus within no more than 15 kms of Sheffield they are growing topiary collections + murals at Railton led by Neil Huntley, commemorating their Railway Station + murals at LaTrobe, and crafting outlandish mailboxes across Wilmot's roadside verges!

LaTrobe as the Railhead and More

Pictured below is the work of local muralists starting from Station Square, but now embracing the courtyard of the Information Centre and the RSL [Returned Setrviceman's League 'Club'].

Click on all images throughout to enlarge





Railton Most Serious with Topiary

The Sheffield Information Centre itself advertises the Railton Topiary Trail. Its still very much a work-in-progress that can be expected to be well developed for 2008 but the shape of things to come is very clear. Lions, elephants, plough teams, fisherfolk and rabbits and more to be sure....





But Railton also has a growing collection of murals of its own with the historically correct if surprising 'Elephant Race' unveiled end November 2004. The SawMill mural's detail of the original buildings in the town is also most particularly noteworthy.




Risky Mailboxes in Wilmot

Wilmot's determination to be a part of the action has led to one of the most unusual art forms yet encountered! A wide range of bizarre formulations of mailboxes has been created that might leave the postie on occasions wondering quite what to do with the mail, even though he knows all the good stuff is probably already going by e-mail anyway! A selection is given below, which will have grown extensively we are informed before 2008!