Commonly Asked Questions

Sculpture Down the Lachlan pays tribute to Banjo Paterson's line about meeting Clancy of the Overflow "down the Lachlan".

To create an art trail of international recognition to generate tourism and diversify the rural economy.

In the heart of New South Wales, Australia. Sculpture Down the Lachlan (SDL) begins in Forbes and stretches 100 kilometres to Condobolin.

The Forbes Arts Society manages the ongoing general administration of the Sculpture Down the Lachlan trail in partnership with Forbes Shire Council, Lachlan Shire Council and Central West Local Land Services. A handful of dedicated local volunteers have generously donated their time to managing the delivery of the extension of the SDL trail a part of the ‘Boosting the Lachlan Valley Economy Art Project’.

Since 2012, the Forbes Arts Society has been vigorously fundraising, proactively pursuing donations, and lobbying all levels of government for investment. Head to our History page to learn more about how the Sculpture Down the Lachlan trail came to be.

The first few sculptures were acquired through the annual Sculpture Forbes competition. Head to our History page to learn more about the competition. The larger commissions were selected from a tender process. Australian sculptors were invited to submit proposals for the project based on a brief developed by the Forbes Arts Society.

Each sculptor has their own unique style and method to creating Many of our sculptors start the process by creating a maquette – a smaller model enabling the sculptor to visualise how it might look when scaled up. This process allows the sculptor to work out how best to approach the work, as well as the amount of material required. The Forbes Arts Society were gifted a number of these maquettes. They will go on display at the new Forbes Cultural and Arts Centre, which is scheduled for completion in late 2023.

The sculptures are installed on Crown Land within Travelling Stock Reserves. Each site was carefully chosen in partnership with Central West Local Land Services who manage the TSR network, with consultation with Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils. Sculpture Down the Lachlan is value-adding project. Capitalising on the multi-use opportunities of the TSR network throughout the Lachlan Valley region, Sculpture Down the Lachlan drives tourism to the local economy, showcasing our stunning landscapes while educating visitors about the important role of TSRs.

Travelling Stock Reserves throughout New South Wales are an extensive network of public land that was established for the droving of sheep and cattle during early European colonisation, often along traditional Aboriginal pathways through the landscape. TSRs include stock routes, which are corridors of land that connect smaller watering and camping reserves, generally spaced 10 to 20 kilometres apart (based on a day’s walk for cattle or sheep). There are more than 6,500 TSRs in NSW, covering an area of almost two million hectares - 75 percent of those are located in the western region of NSW. The TSR network provides key agricultural, environmental, economic, cultural and social benefits to NSW. Not only do TSRs provide an emergency refuge of fodder for stock during dry times, these parcels of land also preserve a range of threatened ecological communities and species. Because TSRs have remained largely publicly owned, many protect remnants of woodland vegetation in the otherwise highly-cleared wheat and sheep farming belt of NSW. Local Land Services is responsible for the care, control and management of about 30 percent of TSRs in NSW, covering approximately 530,000 hectares. Local Land Services is committed to inspiring others in public land management by setting a new standard on TSRs. Restrictions apply to the use of TSRs in relation to camping, water usage, timber removal, firewood collection, motorbike and four-wheel drive access, fences and mechanical equipment. These restrictions are designed to protect the integrity of the TSRs which are considered an asset of state significance.

The extension of the Sculpture Down the Lachlan trail is scheduled for completion in late 2022. The extension is part the of the $7.2 million ‘Boosting the Lachlan Valley Economy Art Project’ which is proudly funded by the NSW Government’s Restart NSW program through the Regional Growth, Environment and Tourism Development Fund, the Forbes Arts Society, Forbes Shire Council, Lachlan Shire Council and Evolution Mining.

The Forbes Arts Society continues to dream big. We have a number of engaging creative projects in the pipeline. www.forbesartssociety.com