A young friend of mine has recently moved to Milan for love – and possibly work –  so is blogging about her experiences at The Impoverished Hedonist.

 

She’s finding the experience challenging, because the Italian city’s not the easiest place in the world to be seriously impecunious while seeking out pleasure and barely speaking the language. In addition, if the population of a city doesn’t appear to put a premium on civic pride it can be difficult for the newcomer to see beyond the superficial squalor.

But my friend’s adjusting well to the challenge by seeking out the very best, sometimes hidden, gems of Milan and its surrounds rather than dwelling on any downsides.

So thank you, D (you know who you are) for inspiring this blog entry:

#26 Explore Your City Like a Newcomer

There can be so much to like about your own city, if you just remember to look.

My place is Albury on the New South Wales/Victorian border, which has a mighty river only a minute from the centre of town:

 Thanks to the wonderful River Deck Cafe at Noreuil Park for this image

And I was particularly interested to explore our newest addition, a walking/bike-riding trail that meanders along the Murray River and is dotted with the most amazing Indigenous sculptures along its length called the Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk.

 

The sculptures speak for themselves, nestled in the superb bushland beside the lagoons and the river:

Reconciliation Shield by Tamara Murray 

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Creature Seats: Goanna: Liam Campbell, Turtle: Sara Jackson-Edwards, Snake: Raymond Jackson–Edwards and Goanna: Jaidyn Hampton

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‘Googar’ Goanna Sculpture by Darren Wighton

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Wiradjuri Woman by Leonie McIntosh 

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The views between sculptures…

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Vertical Message Sticks by Girralang (Carmel Taylor)

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Bogong Moth Migration by Ruth Davys

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‘Maya’ Fish Trap Sculpture by Uncle Ken (Tunny) Murray, Darren Wighton and Andom Rendell

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It must be somewhere! How can I not find it? 

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The Bigger Picture by Katrina Weston

or for a completely different perspective:

The Bigger Picture by Katrina Weston

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by The Wagirra Crew – working on the trail

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Teaming Life of Milawa Billa (Murray River) by Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk Steering Committee 

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Goanna by Kianna Edwards

Despite my missing sculpture (somewhere between the ‘Maya’ Fish Trap and The Bigger Picture) the Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk is such a delight that even this not-very-fit novice bushwalker was entranced along its length. And of course, it’s a smorgasbord for keen bird watchers.

The whippet and I even had a close encounter with a snake, who slithered away in horror faster than we did.

We would loved to have glimpsed a mammal but you can’t have it all. And we did spot something moving past us so fast it seemed to be fleeing for its life.  Just a whir and a blur and a flash of colour. Possibly a mamil…

Massive accolades to Albury City Council and the Indigenous artists and community for creating this hidden gem.

The trail deserves to be hugely popular.

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STOP PRESS

The mystery of the ‘missing’ sculpture has been solved. Although there are twelve red dots on the map marking the site of each sculpture, I could only find eleven.

But here’s an excerpt from the Council’s newsletter:

Eleven, not twelve sculptures…