Wauchope is located on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales. The Birpai people are the traditional owners of Wauchope and have lived in the area for over 40, 000 years. The Hastings River or known to them as Dhoongang was a significant source for food and culture. Through out the town there are First Nations art celebrating the traditional owners of the land. Wauchope train station is decorated with beautiful murals and the ceiling features lovely flora and fauna of the region. The toilet block located along the Hastings River walk at Rocks Ferry Road features a stunning First Nations Mural too. Located at Jack Dwyer Reserve on River Street is a lovely steel statue of local First Nations people it marks the location of a significant Corroboree ground and was known as Yapun in the local language which means big camp. Another wonderful First nations mural is featured on a railway signal box along the footpath that follows the river to Alma street. Unfortunately I am unaware of who the artists are for these artworks but will update once I find out more information.
Wauchope Railway mural
Wauchope railway station ceiling mural
Wauchope railway station ceiling mural
Wauchope railway station ceiling mural
Toilet Block mural at Rocks Ferry Road near Hastings River
First Nations steel sculpture beside Hastings river at River Street
Lovely mural on Railway signal box near Alma Street
Lovely mural on Railway signal box near Alma Street
Wauchope Map
A wonderful mural of a map of Wauchope is located on the wall beside IGA in Wauchope on Hastings street. The work was created by WRAP (Wauchope Regional Arts Project) below is a list of the artist's involved and it features significant tourist attractions, local flora and fauna.
Walls of Wauchope
Located down Oxley lane is a beautiful collection of murals by local artists, including Iknograffix, Kristie Hancock, Bill Moulton, James Moulton, Noelle Creates, Kane Gimbert, Duncan Devels art, Lou Smith and Byron Christensen. Below are some of my favourites from the lane.
Dark Alley coffee
A must visit when in Wauchope is the Dark Alley Cafe. It's a quirky cafe and it plays tribute to all things Star Wars. Their coffee is great too. The owner is also a big supporter of local street artists. It is located in the alley way a 24 High Street.
Bain Park Murals
Bain Park is a lovely local park located at 43 High street. The park is quite large and features a playground, BBQ facilities and picnic tables. Two murals are within the park. A wonderful mural is featured on the Toilet Block called Dhoongang. It is a tribute to the Hastings River or known as Dhoongang to the local Birpai people. It features animals found within the river including the platypus. It was created by First Nations artists Angela Roberts, Casey Roberts, Louise Mitchell and Chris Donovan.
Werrikimbe Mural
Another mural in Bain Park is the Werrimbe Mural which features sculptural works and scenes from Werrikimbe National Park. The artwork was created by Jo Davidson, Tertius and Stephen Killick in 1999. Below are details of the mural.
Sculptures of fossils found in Werrikimbe National park
Hastings River
Hastings River flows through the town and is very picturesque. A scenic riverside sculpture walk called Yapang Bila Yapun.yapun (Wauchope Bicentenary Riverside Sculptural Trail) and signs featuring local history are placed along the river too. Below are some of my favourite artworks from the river trail.
A collection of koala sculptures are featured throughout Wauchope too. These are part of the Hello Koala sculpture trail that follows the Mid North coast. Here is a link to more information. There were a few more koalas located in Wauchope but a bit far out of town for walking. You can see more koala sculptures in my video here when they visited Campbelltown.
Carramar by Elise Howard located at Wauchope Train Station
Guula by Wauchope TAFE Aboriginal Art Students
located at Wauchope Train Station
Koala Boy by Colin Wightman located at Wauchope Creative Hub
Koala Boy by Colin Wightman located at Wauchope Creative Hub
Dame Koala located at Al's Bakehouse by Tracy Smith
Community Mural
A lovely mural by Jo Davidson is featured on the Bransdon Street side of Wauchope IGA. Sadly I only discovered this mural after I returned from Wauchope, it was a shame that Wauchope didn't have a public art map as it would have been lovely to see this however I plan to return to see it and visit more of Wauchope (as there is more platypus art near the close by towns of Port Macquarie and Telegraph point). The mural features a flora and fauna of the region including a platypus. Below is a photo of Jo Davidson (Left) beside her artwork with Hastings Co-op owner. A video of her explaining her work can be found here.
Wauchope Creative Hub is located at 87 Cameron Street and it has a wide selection of locally made art and craft by local artists. It is a must visit when in town.
Timbertown
Timbertown is a popular tourist attraction in Wauchope on the way to Bago New South Wales Australia. It celebrates the timber history of Wauchope and the surrounding suburbs. It is a recreation of a late 18th century saw miller's village and features a heritage steam train. I didn't visit it while I was there as was a long walk out of town and I had limited time in Wauchope but I hope to go back and visit it.
Image Source: Timbertown Tripadvisor user @tayhodgkinson
Final Thoughts
Wauchope is a great big country town and the growing street art and public art scene are lovely. Bain park and the selection of shops and cafes are a delight too. I will be back for sure.
Bunya Pines (Living fossils) on the site of Wauchope High school
Wow this is a rich post, Wauchope really has a lot on offer! Love the aboriginal as well as the modern arts / murals. The Werrikimbe mural together with those poles makes an awesome scenery. The scuplture trail along the river is great too.
Wow this is a rich post, Wauchope really has a lot on offer! Love the aboriginal as well as the modern arts / murals. The Werrikimbe mural together with those poles makes an awesome scenery. The scuplture trail along the river is great too.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much
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