20100403_6668 Cobb's Wheels
Cobb's Wheels by John Wooller.
Bushy Bend.
Hay.
New South Wales.
This sculpture is one of a series of artworks that form ARTback - Sculpture of the Long Paddock. The collection provides a unique interpretation of the stories and history of the Long Paddock stock route. The artworks are located at Mathoura, Deniliquin, The Black Swamp, Hay and Ivanhoe.
The sculpture pays homage to the importance of the company Cobb and Co. to the history of Hay, its place on the Cobb Highway and the Long Paddock. After 1865 the company had its southernmost base in Hay. The building where the coaches were constructed and repaired still stands in the main street.
The use of wheeled vehicles on the primitive dirt tracks posed many problems and not all journeys were trouble free. The tracks were rough and the weather not always kind; inevitably breakdowns occurred. Wheels and axles broke and the vehicles occasionally became stuck in sand or mud.
The particular arrangement of these seven wheels and axles, one stuck in the ground with a broken rim, one with a missing spoke, evokes the problems faced by Cobb and Co. as they established a regular and reliable transport system for people and their possessions over thousands of kilometers of rough roads. It acknowledges too the fortitude, persistence and stoicism of all other pioneers who overcame harsh conditions to survive and prosper as they triumphed over adversity.
This sculpture is constructed from stainless steel and is one of three located within the Bushy Bend Reserve.
This sculpture was installed in 2009.
20100403_6668 Cobb's Wheels
Cobb's Wheels by John Wooller.
Bushy Bend.
Hay.
New South Wales.
This sculpture is one of a series of artworks that form ARTback - Sculpture of the Long Paddock. The collection provides a unique interpretation of the stories and history of the Long Paddock stock route. The artworks are located at Mathoura, Deniliquin, The Black Swamp, Hay and Ivanhoe.
The sculpture pays homage to the importance of the company Cobb and Co. to the history of Hay, its place on the Cobb Highway and the Long Paddock. After 1865 the company had its southernmost base in Hay. The building where the coaches were constructed and repaired still stands in the main street.
The use of wheeled vehicles on the primitive dirt tracks posed many problems and not all journeys were trouble free. The tracks were rough and the weather not always kind; inevitably breakdowns occurred. Wheels and axles broke and the vehicles occasionally became stuck in sand or mud.
The particular arrangement of these seven wheels and axles, one stuck in the ground with a broken rim, one with a missing spoke, evokes the problems faced by Cobb and Co. as they established a regular and reliable transport system for people and their possessions over thousands of kilometers of rough roads. It acknowledges too the fortitude, persistence and stoicism of all other pioneers who overcame harsh conditions to survive and prosper as they triumphed over adversity.
This sculpture is constructed from stainless steel and is one of three located within the Bushy Bend Reserve.
This sculpture was installed in 2009.