'Wonderland on the Murray' will come to life in Echuca-Moama with the spectacular sand sculpture trail featuring scenes from Alice in Wonderland, running from December 13 to March 9.
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The trail, stretching between the historic Port of Echuca and Kerrabee Reserve in Moama, will showcase eight large-scale handcrafted sand installations created by Sandstorm Events.
The collaboration between Murray River Council, Campaspe Shire Council and Campaspe Port Enterprise brings this unique exhibition to the twin towns.
Sandstorm Events director Sharon Redmond has spent 25 years building Australia’s premier sand sculpting company from humble beginnings as a not-for-profit organisation.
The company began when Mrs Redmond worked for Vision Australia Foundation, seeking accessible fundraising events.
“I saw a sand sculpture and thought, well, let’s turn this into an event,” she said.
Her husband, Peter, originally a graphic designer, discovered his passion for sand sculpting during this period.
“He got to work alongside a Russian sculptor called Alexi and over those four weeks, he just fell in love with the art form,” Mrs Redmond said.
“He fell in love with how tactile it was, how ephemeral it was, how giving it was.”
Photo by
Rebecca Flisher
The company is already in Echuca-Moama, building the twin towns’ Alice in Wonderland trail project.
“When I was sitting down with both councils and we were trying to come up with a theme, I presented Alice in Wonderland because I just felt, that because we're going to be doing a trail it would be ideal,” Mrs Redmond said.
“Starting the trail in Echuca, finishing it in Moama, it has some beautiful synergy about Alice going down the rabbit hole and then at the end, coming up and waking up.”
Visitors can explore iconic scenes including Alice's descent down the rabbit hole, encounters with the Caterpillar and Cheshire Cat, the White Rabbit's house, before reaching the grand finale: Alice's Tea Party at the Moama Soundshell.
“Each sculpture is roughly 15 to 18 tonnes of sand,” Mrs Redmond said.
“So we'll be using just around 180 to 200 tonnes of sand.”
The sculptures use bricklayer sand rather than beach sand for durability.
“Bricklayer sand is square, little grains of sand, which means that when you compact the sand during pound up, it all sits together really tightly.”
Mrs Redmond emphasises the accessibility of sand sculpting as an art form.
“I think that what we present is very accessible. People understand sand, they understand the beach,' she said.
“It’s a really good place for parents to start and for children to start to develop an understanding and an appreciation for art.”
The free exhibition runs for 12 weeks, with regular maintenance ensuring the sculptures remain in pristine condition.
The sculptures will be illuminated and accessible for viewing from 9am to 9pm daily.
Activations are planned across multiple weekends during the duration of the trail, including opening the weekend in December, and the great family sand sculpt-off on January 31.
Visitors can look forward to a range of creative experiences and family fun, including the popular Sandstation Zones, which start on December 13 at the Port of Echuca and December 14 at the Moama Market.
Watch professional sculptors at work as they create incredible sand artworks, then join in the fun by taking part in friendly family and group competitions.
Suitable for all ages, these activities promise plenty of creativity and entertainment along the river.
