In 2022, the Victorian State Government announced $8.5 million in funding to support the Murray to Mountains Rail Trail Enhancements project. To support the delivery of the project, Tourism North East is the lead agency, working closely with the Rural City of Wangaratta, Indigo and Alpine Shires.
ALPINE SHIRE UPDATE
EUROBIN STATION | FEBRUARY 2025
CREATIVE CONCEPT
True Horizons
We're pleased to introduce the final design for the Eurobin Station site by Kent Morris, titled True Horizons.
True Horizons, a Truth Telling Reflection Point, is a First-Nations-led experience that invites visitors to pause and reflect on what the horizon might look like today if First Nations peoples had not been denied the opportunity to thrive as they had done here for thousands of years.
The area is famous for its expansive, sweeping horizons however First Nations voices are tragically missing from the view following colonisation. The work poses a fundamental question, “what’s missing?"
From the artist:
"My proposed design for the Eurobin site of the Murray to Mountains Rail Trail represents a cultural marker for reflection, connection and knowledge; the often-unrecognised deep time First Peoples knowledge embedded in Country throughout the area, and across the state and country. I would hope the design engages and inspires the community on their daily travels and visits, encouraging them to open their hearts and minds, to look and listen deeply on their journey through the site and to embrace the knowledge embedded in Country.
The source of cultural inspiration for the design is the bogong moth and the sites proximity to an over 2000-year connection to this extraordinary creature for the community. The moth speaks to the history of First Nations people gathering for at least 65 generations and to the importance of caring for Country and maintaining a healthy ecosystem for all connected to the Alpine region.
The annual migration of bogong moths represents the second largest energy input into the Alpine region, after the sun. An estimated 4.4 billion moths normally arrive in the south-eastern Australian alpine regions each year, to escape the hotter weather in lowland south-east Australia. Since 2017 very low numbers of bogong moths have been migrating to the alps.
The overall sculptural form acknowledges and pays respect to the significance of the bogong moth for many First Nations language groups including the Dhudhuroa, Gunai-Kurnai, Taungurung, Waywurru and Jaithmathang peoples of the Alpine region to the present day. The moth larvae develop along vast plains of the Darling River, the Barka, the ancestral and spiritual home of my people, Barkindji people, before making their journey to the Alpine region which creates a strong connection to the work and area for me."
Combining the forms associated with a traditional monument, the migration lines of the moth, a star map and the moth itself, the design represents a merging of the past and the present and provides a shared place for discussion and reflection through a First Nations lens. It also reinforces the multiple uses of the area over time as a place of travel, cultural activity and social engagements.
The overall form celebrates the annual migration journey of the bogong moth but also reflects on its concerning endangered conservation status. The single moth featured in the work expresses its integral beauty but also the decline in numbers being witnessed since the 1980’s and severe declines more recently. The work asks will the sculpture become a remembrance of a unique species now vanished or will it celebrate its ongoing survival, and its cultural and ecological significance into the future.
BRIGHT TO POREPUNKAH | FEBRUARY 2025
CREATIVE CONCEPT
The Colour Bridge
We're pleased to introduce the design for the Robert's Creek Bridge in Porepunkah, titled The Colour Bridge, by Skunk Control.
The Colour Bridge involves stunningly stylised, colourful wildflower-like pieces that hug the path in a repeating pattern, evoking the changing seasons. By day, transparent panels cast colours on the path, and by night, lighting creates a magical glow.
The creative theme for this site is 'Ever New', which captures the restorative feeling of the Alpine Shire region, and celebrates the cyclical, seasonal rhythms that continuously renew people and landscapes.
The Colour Bridge speaks to the unique, interconnected ecosystem of the region, shining a light on the rare and often unseen species that all this place home.
Below are some concept drawings from the artist.
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