Every summer after Christmas, the town of Frankston hosts a themed sand sculpture exhibit. They truck in a remarkable 3500 tons of sand and various artists are commissioned to show their work. First a form is made, then the only other material used is sand. The sculptures stand about 15 feet high and can be about 20 feet long. They’re huge!
The 2010 theme was ‘Great Moments in History’, and as you meander the path, you pass by all areas of the world and all types of important parts of history. We saw the Trojan horse, the Great Wall of China, the pyramids, the tallest buildings in the world today, scenes from many wars to include the Vietnam and both world wars.
One section was named the most important inventions, and the thought process in making each sculpture made this section very thought-provoking. Some of the inventions represented were toilet paper, the wheel, the electric hair dryer, the telephone, the typewriter, the guitar, and much, much more. Many I agree with, but I have to be honest, some were a little frivolous. I mean did the hand-held electric hair dryer really make an important contribution to society?
At any rate, viewing the sand sculptures was one of the highlights of our time in the Melbourne area. It’s not something that is widely known and it was fantastic. If I lived there, I would go every year. If you happen to be in Melbourne between Boxing Day and March, check it out.
