really big art

I've known about the existence of the McClelland Gallery and Sculpture Park for ages, but it's one of those places that just seemed a little bit out of the way to visit for a Sunday afternoon outing. That was until the Eastlink freeway opened with an on-ramp about five minutes from our front door. One kid was out for the day and the other was "too tired" to come, so we got to go out on a date, just we two. Unusual.

The freeway is kind of ugly but some money has been spent on impressive public sculptures placed along the roadway, which livens up the journey. This is my favourite, "Hotel" by Callum Morton ( not a photo by me, just lifted from the Eastlink press release about the art, but you get the idea):



Then when you reach Langwarrin, just next to Frankston, there is lots more Big Art in the sculpture park, which is a bushland setting of 16 hectares. There are at least 70 outdoor sculptures you can walk around and look at,made by Australia's most prominent sculptors.

It is wonderful.









There is also an indoor gallery which had a show of "twilight landscapes and coastal scenes" by the painter John Ford Paterson, this was lovely but the sculpture outside is the main attraction. There seemed to be a cafe also but there was a book launch or official opening or something going on in it with dozens of dressed up types milling about so we gave that a wide berth.Happy to have a water bottle in the car and a cup of tea and some banana cake at home.