There’s something a bit whimsical about wandering in search of sculptures in the great outdoors. There’s the squelch of your boots as you traipse across rain-sodden patches of ground, the glistening of strands of spider web as arachnids move onto and into various artworks, the effect that the wind has on those projects that contain fabric and other organic material, and the way that shadows shift across each work. 

The free Sculpture in the Garden exhibition set in the Wollongong Botanic Garden is back for its fifth run featuring 18 finalists from around the country.

The sculptures are spread throughout the garden, which makes for a fun way to reacquaint yourself with the site if you haven’t been for a while. When I went, loads of families were making a game out of it, hunting to find each sculpture in its location and you can pick up a guide, including a map, at each entrance. Even with the map I missed seeing a couple of the artworks but that’s more due to the fact I have no sense of direction and I found a frog, so I was a tad distracted! It does give me a great excuse for another visit. There's also a Kids Guide you can pick up, filled with activities for little ones.

So, what can you expect from your visit? Well, unlike a gallery where the atmosphere can sometimes be a bit staid, you can expect a feast for the senses. There’s lots of laughter, especially from kids running around.

There’s also loads of bowerbirds chattering and whirring away, which is particularly special around Angela Forrest’s Mimic, which resembles a human-size bower replete with loads of blue treasures. Glen Barkley’s Of Cicadas and Bones is a riot of colourful ceramics set among the cactus. Fabric dyed with gum leaves spreads out like the wings of a bat between the wide arms of a huge gum tree in Virginia Keft’s Nuwa ganda (Look Up).

And that’s the thing, each piece interacts with the environment it’s surrounded by. Being in the garden is part of the experience and this is one exhibition that really shouldn’t be missed. 

Sculpture in the Garden runs throughout April.

There are several free artist talks and workshops held throughout the month (bookings essential). 

Buggy tours highlighting the sculptures are run Wednesdays 10am-12 noon and Sundays 2-3pm leaving from the Duck Pond Lawn