Located all over Port Macquarie and its surrounding districts on the NSW mid-north coast, the Hello Koalas Sculpture Trail is a fun way to find your way around town. With many businesses and attractions sponsoring one or more of the sculptures it’s also a great way to make finding them more fun.
Each sculpture is hand-painted by Australian artists, featuring environmental, wellbeing, heritage or cultural designs.
We had fun finding them around town because they are often painted to fit it with the business that sponsors them. The koala outside the courthouse is a convict, while the ones at the Glasshouse Arts and Visitor is Lady Lola the Dancing Koala.
Hello Koalas Gift Shop
Located at Shop 16, 10 Bellbowrie Street in Port Macquarie, the Hello Koalas Gift Shop had around 17 koala sculptures waiting to find a home. This was a great visit, with lots of photos taken and souvenirs bought.
Here we also learned that they advocate to raise awareness of the importance of protecting our koalas and environment. As part of the national organisation Arts and Health Australia, funds raised from projects and events are distributed among essential environmental causes.
It’s an excellent way to promote the town, with large local population of koalas while raising awareness of the koalas’ plight. Threatened by land clearing for roads and houses, vehicle strikes, dog attacks, disease, drought and climate change, koalas face an uncertain future. The recent bushfires highlighted the dangers that koalas face.
Lion LeoKalidoMini-Koalasaurus MaxThe Mayor of Koala RepublicWinnie the UnicornOlly The Blue Eyed BoyGranny SquareTopiaryTully the Celtic KoalaPrincess LasiandraMandy the Mandala KoalaElvisRanger RileyKoala BoyRadiant HeartAugie the CyclistBushbyStarry SoulCrusader KoalaKoalasaurus MaxBuzzy BeeI’m No BearFlying FifieCon Koala outside the CourthouseBenjamin The Return of the Thylacine outside ABC Mid-North Coast
Sandy Paws at PanthersLady Lola the Dancing KoalaPK SparklesForestKoala NoirLachlan MacquarieBerry Delicious at Ricardoes Tomatoes & StrawberriesSunshine at the Koala Hospital
To see what else there is to do in New South Wales, please see some of our other stories.
Located in the centre of Canberra, Commonwealth Park is full of walking tracks, memorials and sculptures. With Lake Burley Griffin as a backdrop, it’s an excellent place for a relaxing stroll, picnic or simply sit and admire the views.
Car parks within the park make access easy, but if you want to walk from the city, there are several overpasses crossing Parks Ways to avoid the traffic.
Lake Burley Griffin
With Lake Burley Griffin as a backdrop, there are some great sights to see from Commonwealth Park. The most spectacular is the Captain Cook Memorial Jet, a giant fountain shooting water up to 147m high. Check its operating times, as it only operates at certain period during the day.
Across the water, you get some great views of Parliament house (old and new) as well as the National Library, Art Gallery, Portrait Gallery, and High Court.
Captain Cook Memorial JetOld Parliament House with New Parliament House Behinf
Tracks and Walks
The best way to enjoy the park is to walk along its many tracks. We walked along the lake shore because we wanted to see the sights across the water. The tracks take you past most of the sculptures and memorials, so you can structure your walk to see them all.
With plenty of trees, shade, and seating there are opportunities to stop, relax and take in the scenery.
Commonwealth Park walking tracks
Memorials in Commonwealth Park Canberra
Scattered throughout the park, memorials to famous Australians and groups such as the Police and Emergency Services commemorate their memory. Some are not strictly within the park itself, but further east in Kings Park.
A special memorial dedicated to HMAS Canberra, a heavy cruiser which sunk during World War Two sits on the shoreline.
Overall, a great place to visit with plenty to keep you busy, while providing places to sit and relax.
Captain James Cook MemorialNational Emergency Services MemorialHMAS Canberra MemorialAustralian Merchant Navy MemorialSir Robert Menzies
Located on the north west slopes of New South Wales, Gunnedah has a long history of habitation by the Kamilaroi people. The town’s name means Place of White Stones in the Kamilaroi language. Within 45 years
Colonial settlers arrived in the area in 1833, taking advantage of the Patrick Plain fertile soil to farm sheep.
Getting There
Gunnedah was our second overnight stop on our road trip. Only a 90 minute drive from Dubbo, the road was in good condition the whole way. Direct from Sydney, it’s a five hour drive, but there are plenty of interesting stops along the way, the most notable of which is Coonabarabran.
Attractions
Gunnedah Town Centre
The Gunnedah town centre is full of old historic buildings, making a walk though town interesting. While there, look at the buildings’ facades as they are often nicely decorated and show the year the building was built. Over time many buildings have changed owners but the original builder is often still displayed on the facade.
In the centre of town near Wolseley Park a statue pays tribute to the coal miners who brought wealth to the town. Many miners failed to return home because of the dangerous work and this is a memorial to them.
Miners’ Memorial Wolseley Park
Red Chief Memorial
Located in the town centre, adjacent to the NSW Government Offices building in Abbott Street this is first memorial erected in honour of an Aboriginal historical identity.
Buried probably in late 1700`s. Cumbo Gunnerah was the legendary warrior and wise leader of the Gunn-e-darr people of the Kamilaroi tribe. He was buried, it is thought, in the late 1700’s in a manner befitting an Aboriginal man of great importance, that is in a sitting position, backed by a tree carved with totemic designs in his honour.
Red Chief Memorial
Silo Art
A beautiful piece of silo art now brightens one of Gunnedah’s old silos. Featuring Dorothea Mackellar and lines from My Country, it adds to the Mackellar presence in town. For our blog on the silo, click here.
Gunnedah Maize Mill Silo Depicting Dorothea Mackellar and Lines From My Country
Gunnedah Water Tank Museum
The Water Tank Museum contains artefacts from Gunnedah’s past, as well as an amazing mural on the outside, dedicated to the Vietnam War. To see our full blog and more photos click here.
Water Tower mural: Soldiers of 7RAR waiting to be picked up by Huey Helicopters by Jenny McCracken
Dorothea Mackellar Memorial Statue
In addition to the Silo art honouring Dorothea Mackellar, a statue of the poet riding a horse can be found near the Water Tower Museum. Our full blog and photos can be found here.
Dorothea Mackellar Memorial Statue
Pensioners Hill Lookout and Sculptures
This beautiful sculpture-filled park has great views over town, making it a must visit when you visit. An easy walk from the car park past the sculptures rewards you with magnificent views. Our blog and photos of all the sculptures is here.
Aboriginal Man Sculpture
Gunnedah Rural Museum
This is a fantastic place to visit especially for those interested in rural life in Australia from the late 1800s to late 1900s. We particularly liked the tractor and car collection, as they were extensive and in good condition. The museum also has a model railway out the front for rail enthusiasts. We really enjoyed this laid back huge museum. The full blog of our visit is here.
