A walk in Mundaring Sculpture Park

This is our dogs' favorite walk, one of them anyway.  Even though they have to stay on lead, it has so many great smells because it is a busy little park, so it is full of fascination for them.  We often go and stagger around it early on Sunday mornings after a visit to our local fresh food shop.

This park is a stop on a series of bridle/walk paths that were old railway lines many years ago and that are now reserves. It's a fantastic resource for our Shire.  Heaps of walkers and cyclists use it.  Less horse-riders use it than previously, sadly.  I rode many miles of it in my horsey days myself.
    

This part of the trail was planted up many years ago by the Men of the Trees, though I think some trees may predate that planting. In those days they planted anything they had on hand, so we have a lot of introduced and Eastern States trees here, which is fine by me! I love all trees, no matter where they came from! On a hot day, this is a lovely park for a picnic or walk because it stays so cool and shady. 

 
The park also has a number of sculptures that have been here a long as we have.  They make for an interesting walk.  Some are themed for our shire's connection to the hugely long Kalgoorlie Pipeline, which was built to take water out to the goldfields in the early days. 

This one is rather interesting. I have no idea what it means, but if the battery is working, you can press panels in the post where Andyroo and Tuppy are standing and each panel makes a different recorded noise come out of the frozen swing bit.   As I say, I have NO idea what it all means!

The Grevilleas are flowering. 

As are the Marri trees.

This sculpture stands tall over the bridle trail where the old railway line passed through. You can go up on a platform and pull handles and make things up on the tower whirl and twirl.  I love interactive art!

Not all our Eucalypts want to grow straight and tall!

This seat is also a bulldozer coming up out of the ground.  

There are some lovely old pine trees.  They are introduced and not popular here any more because they steal so much nutrient and water from our poor soil, but I have good associations with them from riding among the pine plantations as a youngster.  I love the smell and the whisper of the needles.    

This is another seat.  I have never seen the other arm, if other arm there ever was.  Sometimes I wonder if one got broken when they were placing the sculpture here and never replaced!  Ah well, that's why I'm a writer; I'm always coming up with stories about stuff!

 

This is the tiny little Country Women's Assocation building, covered in a lovely mural.  I'm not sure how they even find room to swing a Lamington (which the CWA are famous for making) in there!  If you've never had a lamington, well, you should, they are delicious!  My mouth is watering at the very thought of one, even a gluten free one as it would have to be for me.   

This is another history-themed sculpture.  I'm kind of sad that they fenced it off because it was great fun to climb on, which is probably why they did fence it!  It has heaps of old tools welded on its top.  The wheelbarrow is a bit iconic because so many people traveled to the goldfields pushing all their belongings in wheelbarrows.  At a whisker under 600 kms, that was some walk.  

The BBQ/picnic area and playground, under more lovely trees.

And my favorite sculpture, entitled, "Tourists in Mundaring."  Hang on, isn't there an extra one at the end there?

It's a fun one to bring puppies to because it always amazes them to see these short, still people and you have to all go and sniff and pat them and show the pup they aren't people after all!

Finally, back to our faithful old Mr Whippy the car and home for morning tea!  What a shame the lovely Mundaring pub there isn't open yet.  :)