Word of mouth.

Nothing advertised.

We’d heard about it. A guy carving a wooden mural, a wall 100 metres long, over ten years.

A google search led us to a website that is a little out of date. It gave us enough information and an address to plan a visit when we travelled out west last week.

We are so glad we stopped to look.

A sign on the highway. A dirt road through the bush. A long garage like building. An entrance fee, then we walked inside.

WOW.

The space inside is large but cosy. A gallery with a twist. The wooden interior is artistically lit, a contrast to the outside.

A huge wood burning stove faces the door, with sofas around the roaring fire. A bar to the right, the long gallery space opens up to the left. Someone was playing a piano, music floated through the building.

Australian sculptor, Greg Duncan, is carving a series of 100 panels, each one metre wide and three metres high. They are placed back to back, creating a wall 50 metres long, with images both sides. The carvings show the history of the Tasmanian Highlands, with scenes depicting forestry, the hydro electric scheme, early settlers, wedge-tail eagle and Tasmanian Tiger. It is a labour of love, started over ten years ago and still in progress.

The detail is exquisite. The people and animals so lifelike. The texture of the clothes, instruments, the folded paper. In many panels, there are small sections left incomplete, to show the process involved. The chain on the horses, the hand holding the plans.

Back at the foyer and fire, there are some still life carvings. A bag, gloves, a hat, clothes hanging on a peg. These are just perfect. It is hard to believe that they are wooden rather than hard worn leather garments.

Photography is prohibited. All images are copyright of the sculptor. So these are photos I have taken from the official book, or from the internet. These photos do not do justice to this amazing piece of art.